Category Archives: Environmental Issues

Federal wolverine protection opposed by states

Environmental Issues, News, ,

Montana, Idaho and Wyoming officials don’t think wolverines need federal “threatened species” protection . . .

State officials in the Northern Rockies on Monday lined up against a federal proposal to give new protections to the carnivorous wolverine, as climate change threatens to melt the species’ snowy mountain strongholds.

A pending U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposal would declare the rare, elusive animal a threatened species across the Lower 48 states.

That could end trapping for the ferocious member of the weasel family sometimes called the “mountain devil.” And it would pave the way for Colorado to reintroduce wolverines in portions of the southern Rocky Mountains as part of a strategy to bolster their numbers ahead of future declines.

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New species of Indian paintbrush found in Scapegoat Wilderness

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A couple of guys found a new species of Indian paintbrush a few years ago while hiking in the Scapegoat Wilderness . . .

When Pete Lesica and Dave Hanna get their boots on the ground, they like to keep their eyes there, too.

“I do botany as a hobby and as a living. I’m kind of a nerd and am a little obsessive,” Lesica said with a laugh. “I look at the ground all of the time.”

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Montana FWP wants to extend wolf hunt and kill limit

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Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks is proposing a longer wolf hunt and higher kill limits for next season . . .

Montana wildlife commissioners may extend the hunting season for wolves and the number of predators that can be killed by a hunter or trapper.

Fish, Wildlife and Parks is proposing a rifle season from Sept. 15 to March 31. Last year, the season began Oct. 15 and ended Feb. 15, resulting in 128 wolves killed by rifle and bow hunters. Trappers took an additional 97 wolves, for a total of 225 predators killed. That is the highest number killed in Montana since federal protections for wolves were lifted for Idaho and Montana in 2011.

The agency also is proposing allowing hunters and trappers to take up to five wolves each, the Independent Record reported Wednesday.

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Diet study key to grizzly bear protection

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A current grizzly bear diet study is an important factor in determine whether to continue federal protections . . .

Researchers say a study on Yellowstone ecosystem grizzly bear diets should be completed this October.

The study will help determine whether managers will recommend ending federal protections for the species.

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Proposed rule would end federal wolf protections in Lower 48

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The U.S. Department of Interior has posted a draft rule proposing to remove federal wolf protections . . .

Federal wildlife officials have drafted plans to lift protections for gray wolves across the Lower 48 states, a move that could end a decades-long recovery effort that has restored the animals but only in parts of their historic range.

The draft U.S. Department of Interior rule obtained by The Associated Press contends the roughly 6,000 wolves now living in the Northern Rockies and Great Lakes are enough to prevent the species’ extinction. The agency says having gray wolves elsewhere — such as the West Coast, parts of New England and elsewhere in the Rockies — is unnecessary for their long-term survival. A small population of Mexican wolves in the Southwest would continue to receive federal protections, as a distinct subspecies of the gray wolf.

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New Forest Service budgeting process could impact backcountry trails work

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Some folks are getting fussed about how a new Forest Service budgeting process could impact backcountry trails work. Region 1, which includes the Flathead National Forest, is one of the regions trying out this approach . . .

A U.S. Forest Service cleanup program repaired or removed more than 1,000 of roads and trails in Montana over a recent five-year period. Now its advocates worry a new budgeting process could squelch that momentum…

But that momentum could be lost under a new budgeting system the Forest Service let some of its regions try. Missoula-headquartered Region 1 is one of the pilot sites for Integrated Resource Restoration budgeting, which combines money from five task-related budget pools into single buckets defined by landscapes or watersheds.

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Grizzly captures planned in Northwestern Montana

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Plans are afoot again this year to capture grizzly bears for research purposes . . .

Biologists will begin capturing grizzly bears in northwestern Montana this month as part of ongoing research into the population of the threatened species.

The work will take place in the Blackfoot Valley, along the Rocky Mountain Front, in the Swan and Clearwater River Valleys, within Glacier National Park, and in the North and Middle Forks of the Flathead River.

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It’s that time again: bears are coming out of hibernation

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Grizzly bears, as well as black bears, are coming out of hibernation and looking for food. “Bear aware” North Forkers will be making sure they have no bear attractants on their property such as smelly trash, bird feeders, animal feed, downed apples and so forth. The Creston area has had several bear incidents already and Glacier Park reports evidence their Grizzlies are stirring. Here are the stgories . . .

Creston seems to be the place for grizzlies this spring – Creston apparently is a hot spot for grizzly bear activity this spring, with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials aware of at least four bears in the area. Continue reading . . .

Glacier Park Officials: Grizzly Bears Emerging From Dens – Grizzly bears are out of their dens and roaming throughout Glacier National Park, according to park officials. Recent observations of bear tracks in the snow indicate bears are emerging from hibernation and looking for food, according to an announcement from park officials. Continue reading . . .

Wolf populations drop in Alaska and Northern Rockies

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Today’s news has information on drops in the wolf population in two areas of the U.S. Both declines are attributed to hunting pressures . . .

Northern Rockies See Sharp Drop in Wolves – Aggressive gray wolf hunting and trapping took a toll in much of the Northern Rockies last year as the predator’s population saw its most significant decline since being reintroduced to the region two decades ago. Yet state and federal wildlife officials said Friday that the population remains healthy overall, despite worries among some wildlife advocates over high harvest rates. Its range is even expanding in some areas as packs take hold in new portions of eastern Washington state and Oregon. Continue reading . . .

Number of wolves in Alaska’s Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve drops by more than 50 percent – Wolves in Alaska are known to have healthy population numbers. Yet now, it turns out that Alaska’s predator control program has resulted in the number of wolves in Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve to drop by more than half. The National Park service counted 80 wolves over nine packs in November 2012. This spring, though, the numbers have dropped drastically. Biologists have only been able to account for 28 to 39 wolves in six different packs–it’s the highest drop in numbers since the park service began tracking wolves 19 years ago. Continue reading . . .

Forest Service changes rule on project issue resolution

Environmental Issues, News,

The U.S. Forest Service is implementing a rule change that allows discussion of a project with affected parties before a final decision is made.

No, really. This is actual news, not simply common sense. You just can’t make this stuff up . . .

In U.S. Forest Service-speak, we’re switching from a 215 to a 218.

The difference in digits determines how and when someone can protest a timber sale or a road decommissioning, or any other Forest Service project that needs an environmental impact statement or environmental assessment.

Under rule 215, you appeal the decision after it’s announced. Under rule 218, you object before the decision is made.

“The idea is we can sit down together and work out the issues,” said Ray Smith, Forest Service Region 1 objections and appeals coordinator. “It’s really important – the work together part.

“Under the appeal process, an appellant couldn’t sit down with the person who made the decision or the person who’s reviewing the project. It’s all separate, all isolated. You even need a specific official document to communicate. That isolated everybody, and made it difficult to have good back-and-forth dialogue.”

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