Category Archives: Commentary

Frank Vitale: Montana Faces New Threat to Its Wildest Lands

Commentary, Environmental Issues, , , , ,
Several Types of Public Lands
Several types of public lands: Flathead National Forest is in the foreground, left and right; Montana’s Coal Creek State Forest, including Cyclone Lake, is in the middle distance; Glacier National Park stretches across the background.

Founding NFPA member Frank Vitale gets some virtual ink with this well thought out opinion piece appearing in several newspapers, including the Flathead Beacon . . .

It was early summer in 1992, in the northern Whitefish Range. Four riders were moving slowly along the narrow rocky ridge on Trail to where it joined Trail , and eventually up to the top of Tuchuck Mountain. I was told that the name “Tuchuck” in the Kootenai language means “the thumb.”

It was a beautiful sunny day with a light westerly breeze. Wildflowers were in full view everywhere. Some of the open subalpine slopes looked as if they were rototilled with clumps of dirt overturned and rocks strewn everywhere. Obviously, grizzly bears were working over the slopes and digging up the succulent roots of glacier lilies, biscuitroot, sweet vetch and other favorite plants in these subalpine meadows.

I was one of those four riders, trailing one of my young mules. I’d ridden and hiked this trail many times before, and in some hunting seasons, packed out elk. I know this country well. Although it’s been a number of years since I led a packstring up into the northern Whitefish Range, I remember the view from our vantage point on that day. Looking east, from north to south, one could view the start of the Canadian Rockies clear over to the high peaks in southern Alberta, and the whole western expanse of Glacier National Park clear down to the Great Bear Wilderness and the Middle Fork of the Flathead River.

Looking northwest, one could see clear into the rugged peaks of southeastern British Columbia, and south all the way down to the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness and beyond.

I reflect back on my many years and many miles in the saddle leading a packstring of mules across some of the wildest country left in the Northern Rockies. This includes the Bob Marshall Wilderness, Badger-Two Medicine, Rocky Mountain Front, Scapegoat, Great Bear, wild Swan, and the Whitefish Range. This country has been the center of my universe for nearly 50 years.

Fast forward to September 2012. A diverse group of folks from different backgrounds, viewpoints and interests were invited to sit down and form a citizen’s advisory to help the Flathead National Forest update and revise a portion of their new management plan for the Whitefish Mountain Range on the Glacier View Ranger District. That group, in which I was asked to participate, was officially named the Whitefish Range Partnership Agreement. A total of 30 people made up this collaborative. They represented motorized recreation, mountain biking, hiking, landowners, business owners, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Montana Logging Association, Stoltz Lumber, wildlife organizations, Backcountry Horsemen, hunting and fishing groups and wilderness organizations.

The Forest Service provided the framework in which we could work, and they gave us the support, expertise, and encouragement to see this collaborative succeed. This dedicated bunch of people stayed together until the collaborative reached consensus in 2018. Remarkably, the Forest Service adopted nearly 95 percent of what the group recommended to incorporate into the new Forest Plan Revision.

The partnership had its ups and downs and disagreements, but in the end, everyone walked away feeling good about what could be accomplished when people sit down, roll up their sleeves, and have meaningful conversations on what’s important.

For me, it was folks who ordinarily would have never supported wilderness in the North Fork, but in the end came together to support protection in some of the last unroaded wildlands left in the Whitefish Range.

So fast forward to 2026. Recently, the Senate Energy Natural Resource Committee (SENRC) voted on S140 – the Wildfire Protection Act of 2025. Attached to this bill is a provision to repeal the Roadless Rule, the very rule that protected the North Fork proposed wilderness that the Whitefish Range Partnership worked so hard and for so long to reach a consensus.

Do you remember a senator from Utah by name of Mike Lee? He chairs the SENRC, and just last year he introduced a bill to sell off large swaths of our public lands. Another name to remember is Steve Daines, one of Montana’s senators who has been trying for years to undo protections for some of our wildest landscapes in Montana. Every Republican on the SENRC voted to repeal a landmark decision created back in 2001, that had remarkable bipartisan support with the vast majority of Americans supporting it.

When the Roadless Rule was first developed, it was the most extensive public engagement process in the history on management of public lands in the United States. When talk of a possible recission of the Roadless Rule was being announced by the Trump Administration, nearly 99 percent of the comments were in favor of keeping the Roadless Rule intact.

Steve Daines and Mike Lee are clearly out of step on this issue. Some of our best unprotected wild country could very well be on the chopping block. This includes places like the North Fork Wildlands, Badger-Two Medicine, wild Swan Range, and the Rocky Mountain Front.

These wildlands are the source of our clean water, clean air, abundant fish and wildlife. They’re a place where we can experience wild nature and they make us better people.

For me, the seeds of conservation and the love of wild nature were sown as a young boy with pant legs rolled up, with fishing pole in hand, wading clear mountain streams catching wild brookies.

I’d like to end with a quote from Aldo Leopold’s memoir, A Sand County Almanac:

“To those devoid of imagination, a blank place on the map is a useless waste; to others, the most valuable part.”

 

Action Alert! ‘Roadless Rule’ on the chopping block

Action Alerts, Commentary, Environmental Issues
Flathead National Forest
Flathead National Forest

When created in 2001, The Roadless Rule protected almost 60 million acres of U.S. Forest Service Land by preventing new road construction and development. 37% of these lands are in Montana. At that time 1.6 million communications were submitted during public comment with over 95% in favor of the Rule. The present Department of Agriculture Secretary Rollins is using two of Donald Trump’s executive orders to justify the eliminating Roadless Rule. One demands increased timber harvest and another calls for making wildfire prevention and suppression more effective by easing burdensome rules and regulations. These actions will endanger the ecosystems of the public lands we cherish, diminish wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities, and increased runoff will reduce water quality.

Please help protest the rescinding of the Roadless Rule by participating in the public comment period. NOTE: The public comment period expires on September 19!

Here is the link to the USDA announcement: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/08/29/2025-16581/special-areas-roadless-area-conservation-national-forest-system-lands.

Here is the link to the comment page: https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/FS-2025-0001-0001. Comment deadline is September 19, 2025!

Help further by contacting your representatives in Congress and ask them to support the Roadless Area Conservation Act which has been introduced by  Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), and Representatives Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03) and Andrea Salinas (OR-06). This legislation has support  in both the House and Senate and if passed will codify the 2001 Roadless Rule into law once and for all.

For more background, here are a couple of articles worth reading…

The Roadless Rule – on the Chopping Block – is Our Life Support System for Humanity’s Life Support System, a guest column in the Flathead Beacon by Sarah McMillan

Feds takes next step in removing protections from 6.4 million acres of Montana’s national forests by Micah Drew of the Daily Montanan

Wide variety of old-growth ecosystems across the US makes their conservation a complex challenge

Commentary, Environmental Issues

Old-Growth Forest Value graphicWhat exactly is “old growth? This article adds some context to the discussion . . .

In an old-growth longleaf pine savanna, the absurdly long pine needles sing in the wind. Once considered forests, these landscapes in the southeastern U.S. coastal plain are open-canopied and sunny, more grassland than forest, with underbrush kept clear by frequent fires.

Longleaf pines – their needles can be up to 18 inches long – are among the longest-lived trees in eastern North America, surpassing 500 years if they are lucky enough to escape lightning strikes from the region’s frequent thunderstorms. Almost more fascinating is the ground cover, with up to 50 species per square meter, including some plants that are thousands of years old, with the vast majority of their biomass below ground. Picture an underground forest.

In the American West, there are other types of old-growth forest. Dry ponderosa pine woodlands are similarly open in structure and contain trees up to nearly 1,000 years old. But perhaps the most familiar old-growth forests are the complex, wet old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest, which stretch from northwestern California to southeastern Alaska.

Continue reading . . .

 

Montana wildlife commission failing state’s wildlife

Commentary, Environmental Issues
Black Bear
Black Bear

This significant “Viewpoint” article recently appeared in the Montana Current and will probably show up at other Montana newspapers . . .

We are 40 retired state, Federal and Tribal Montana biologists with a combined 1280 years of professional experience. We are extremely concerned about the Fish and Wildlife Commission’s conflicts of interest, lack of due process to involve the public in decisions, and rejection of science and facts in favor of personal opinions when developing wildlife management regulations. Fifteen of us worked at Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP).

At their last meeting, the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission made a last-minute amendment to eliminate the 37% cap for females killed during black bear seasons in Montana. They made this change with no prior notice and therefore little opportunity for public comment.

This female cap was based on earlier research by Dr. Richard Mace of FWP showing that black bear populations would decline if the female proportion in a legal harvest reached 40%. The cap was instituted in spring 2024 in response to the Commission lengthening the spring black bear hunting season by 2 weeks. The female harvest cap would balance the Commission’s desire to extend season length while minimizing the risk of population declines in black bears.

Montanans expect the Commission to provide for public comment on wildlife management decisions.  But this policy to reduce Montana black bear numbers by eliminating the female harvest limit was not proposed prior to this meeting or subject to public input.  Instead, it originated with some Commissioners who’d heard anecdotal reports from hunters about black bears, as well as unsupported assertions that black bears were depressing Montana elk and deer populations.

This is management based on the whimsy of Commissioners rather than on data, analysis, and consultation with biologists on the ground. A particular irony in this case is that FWP recently initiated research to update our understanding of both black bear abundance and elk population dynamics in northwestern Montana.  Rather than awaiting the results from FWP staff tasked with providing objective information, the Commission moved forward based on some anecdotes they heard and their obvious personal bias against predators.

In addition, one of the Commissioners, Pat Tabor has a family that runs an outfitting business.  Commissioner Tabor has a direct conflict of interest in extending black bear season lengths and removing the female harvest cap because his family outfitting business will benefit from these changes. He should recuse himself from all Commission issues that directly affect his family outfitting business, but he refuses to do so.

Montana needs a responsive Fish and Wildlife Commission that listens to and considers all public input, not just those who dislike predators or those who can profit by commercializing wildlife. Montana needs a Commission that always bases their wildlife management decisions on science and facts and who listens to the recommendations of the wildlife professionals at FWP.  Sadly, we do not have such a Commission today.

Chris Servheen, Rick Mace, Tim Manley, Chuck Schwartz, Kate Kendall and 35 other Montana wildlife and resource management professionals

Improving safety for drivers, wildlife on the road ahead

Commentary, Environmental Issues

Good op-ed in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle about efforts to establish wildlife crossings along Hwy 89, which bisects Paradise Valley and is the north entrance to Yellowstone National Park…

It is not uncommon to hear Montanans refer to driving certain wildlife-dense sections of highway as “running the gauntlet.” Those of us who have hit wildlife remember the incident each time we pass the location — our stomachs in our throats and our heads on a swivel.

According to a 2017 report, there is a one in 57 probability of hitting a deer on Montana highways. We rank second in the U.S. for reported deer-vehicle collisions, and damage from wildlife collisions costs Montanans $212 million a year. Nationally, the annual cost of wildlife collisions is $8 billion. This includes costs associated with human injuries and fatalities, vehicle repairs, towing, lost hunting value, and more. As more Americans move into rural and suburban areas, and wildlife populations expand, collisions and their associated costs will only increase.

Beyond putting people, property, and individual animals at risk, roads also inhibit wildlife movement. They fragment habitat, isolate populations, and disrupt migrations.

Fortunately, there are solutions. Research shows when crossing structures and appropriate fencing are built in areas frequented by wildlife it reduces wildlife-vehicle collisions by up to 97%. Wildlife crossings work. These projects are expensive, so in 2021 the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocated $350 million over five years to fund wildlife crossings. In December, the Federal Highway Administration announced the first round of grant recipients. Two Montana projects were among the 19 selected — one submitted by the Montana Department of Transportation and the other by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.

Continue reading . . .

Extraordinary hope: a conversation with Roger Sullivan

Commentary, Environmental Issues, History, News, Photos & Images, , , ,

Katy Spence of the Montana Environmental Information Center (MEIC) recently published a wonderful interview with Roger Sullivan, who happens to be a board member of both MEIC and our own NFPA. Roger has also been involved with the NFPA from the very beginning.

This piece was originally published in the MEIC’s quarterly Down to Earth publication and is used here with permission. To see the article in full context and with better formatting, you can download the entire newsletter here.

Roger Sullivan questions witnesses at the Held v. State of Montana trial in June. Photo via Roger Sullivan.

MEIC is fortunate to have a number of friends and allies that we can call upon for support, encouragement, or assistance. This year, we feel especially fortunate to know our board member, mentor, and friend Roger Sullivan. Roger has a deep history in Montana environmental law and justice. For more than 35years, Roger has advocated for Montanans and our constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment. He has successfully represented dozens of Libby residents sickened by exposure to asbestos from the W.R. Grace mining operations. Most recently, Roger was one of the attorneys in the landmark youth climate trial Held v. State of Montana.

Roger has served on MEIC’s board multiple times and has represented MEIC and other public health and environmental groups in innumerable cases. He tirelessly advises and mentors young environmental lawyers in the state, including many of whom have worked with (or still work with) MEIC. Continue reading Extraordinary hope: a conversation with Roger Sullivan →

Steve Gniadek: Public Must Demand Accountability by BNSF

Commentary,

Grizzly bears, gaping mawsNFPA member Steve Gniadek had a letter published in the Flathead Beacon today calling out the BNSF Railway for not fulfilling its promises to help reduce train-caused grizzly bear deaths . . .

Thanks to Tristan Scott for shining a spotlight on continuing train-caused grizzly bear mortalities (Flathead Beacon, Oct. 4, 2023). The late Dr. Charles Jonkel first raised the alarm in the 1980s when he learned that grain spills were attracting grizzlies that were subsequently killed on the tracks. In the early ‘90s I represented Glacier National Park on a working group that resulted in the establishment of the Great Northern Environmental Stewardship Area (GNESA), with the goal of reducing the risk to grizzlies and other wildlife. BNSF provided funding for a state bear management position, and other mitigation measures. There seemed to be progress with the development of a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP). So, I was shocked and disappointed to learn there has been little recent progress, and that BNSF has not committed to funding the measures identified over 20 years ago. The HCP is long overdue, and BNSF needs to make a permanent funding commitment to mitigate the impacts from train traffic. Some have argued that BNSF is foot-dragging until the grizzly is delisted and protective provisions are no longer required. Chuck Jonkel used to speak about the million-dollar grizzly, that each bear was worth that much to the state (in tourism revenue and iconic status). Even with an expanded population since the 1980s, the per bear value is probably well more than a million today. Regardless of ESA protections, grizzly bears are a significant natural, cultural and spiritual resource, part of our identity as Montanans. The public must demand accountability by BNSF and a commitment to minimize mortality and the management of a healthy and sustainable population of grizzly bears and other wildlife.

Steve Gniadek
Columbia Falls

Book recommendation – Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet

Commentary, Environmental Issues

Crossings - coverWhen did “road ecology” become a thing? It certainly sneaked up on some of us.

Anyway,  anyone who is paying attention realizes that the North Fork’s ability to maintain a balance between people living on the landscape and its unique, healthy variety of native species is coming under increasing pressure, especially during tourist season. The North Fork Road, the primary corridor for the bulk of the visitor traffic, is part of this experience — and not always in a good way. As the traffic load increases, it’s not just suspensions, tires and air filters that suffer, it also impacts the local animal population, changing their behavior, challenging them with new risks and, especially as traffic increases, forming an actual physical barrier across the landscape.

Turns out, there are ways to modify roadways to alleviate many of these problems. If you want to learn more about the subject, Ben Goldfarb’s new book, Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet, is a good place to start.

(Kudos to Suzanne Hildner for bringing this one to our attention.)

Wolf management plan should be informed by science

Commentary, Environmental Issues
Gray wolf - John and Karen Hollingsworth, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Gray wolf – John and Karen Hollingsworth, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Last Saturday’s (June 17) Bozeman Daily Chronicle carried a guest column by Douglas W. Smith and our own Diane Boyd on the importance of using  accurate, science-based methods  in wolf management . . .

This summer offers a timely opportunity to help craft a new wolf management plan being written by Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks (MTFWP). Wolves are always controversial, and this new plan is an opportunity to reinstate scientifically-based wildlife management. We are concerned that, of late, Montana has managed wolves in a fashion that emphasizes population reductions without clear evidence or adequate justification. Montana has provided for hunter and trapper opportunity and, despite misconceptions about wolf-elk interactions, elk have maintained healthy populations across the state and are even overabundant in some game management units. Livestock depredations are very low, less than 1/10 of 1 percent of all cattle losses in 2021.

The fundamental issue is an accurate population estimate — all wildlife management decisions depend on this. Wolves are hard to count. Initially Montana estimated numbers by MTFWP staff conducting field work along with radio collaring to come up with a minimum count of wolves across the western third of the state where most wolves live. As wolf numbers grew this method became impractical, so the state switched to a method that estimates numbers based on wolf sightings by hunters with resulting data plugged into a model. This model, called an integrated Patch Occupancy Model or iPOM, uses some other information about wolves like territory size and pack size, and calculates a population estimate.

This method is well-known and respected scientifically for estimating distribution (the area occupied). It is not known to be a good abundance estimator. The rationale is that Montana wolves are thought to be well above the required minimum set by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, hence a precise estimate is not necessary. For scientifically based management of a high-profile predator, we need a better population estimate.

Continue reading at the Bozeman Daily Chronicle . . .

Larry Wilson: Remembering Frederick

Commentary, Environmental Issues,
John Frederick - by Steven Gnam
John Frederick – by Steven Gnam

Larry Wilson had nice things to say about the NFPA 40th anniversary annual meeting in his Hungry Horse News column this week . . .

I still miss John Frederick. Over the years we became close friends although our political views were usually completely opposed. We had hundreds of political discussions and we both enjoyed them. We both recognized that the other had the same or similar goals in mind—we just differed on how to reach those goals.

I thought of John a lot this week because he was one of the founders of the North Fork Preservation Association which celebrated its fortieth anniversary this week, and there were photos of John and even a sweatshirt with his likeness on it.

I have never been a member of the NFPA, but I always try to attend their annual meeting The business portion is always short—they tend to re-elect their officers almost automatically—John Frederick was president for over twenty years and our friend Frank Vitale was Vice-President for an equal number of years.

What they do have every year, including this year, is a knowledgeable, interesting and informative speaker. Also, I really enjoy the members and the opportunity to see and talk with them.

Read more…