Category Archives: Environmental Issues

Glacier Park stonefly could be first species put on endangered list due to climate change

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Glacier Park’s meltwater stonefly is a candidate species for addition to the endangered species list . . .

An obscure aquatic insect found exclusively in the high alpine streams of Glacier National Park will remain a high-priority candidate for endangered species protection because it is at risk of extinction due to climate change, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced last week.

The rare stonefly, called Lednia tumana, has narrow temperature requirements and lives only in cold-water streams fed by Glacier Park’s melting glaciers and snowfields – a mountain ecosystem rapidly disappearing due to global warming. It was included on the most recent list of 192 candidate species eligible for protection under the Endangered Species Act. However, it did not receive emergency listing for protection.

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Beargrass focus of new report

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Well, now. Science Daily reports that beargrass, a common sight around here, is the focus of a research report just released by the U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station. One tidbit I didn’t know: Beargrass leaves are very popular with the commercial floral industry . . .

Beargrass is an ecologically, culturally, and economically important plant in the Western United States and, for the first time, landowners, managers, and harvesters now have a comprehensive report about the species.

The report, Natural and Cultural History of Beargrass (Xerophyllum tenax), published by the U.S. Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Research Station, identifies critical knowledge gaps and areas for future research. It also documents how changes in disturbance, including fire, may affect the species across its range.

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Link: Natural and cultural history of beargrass (Xerophyllum tenax)

Logging road debate headed to Supreme Court next

Environmental Issues, News,

Platoons of lawyers and all three branches of government are weighing in on this one . . .

Do logging roads create water pollution, or just carry it?

The question has triggered a case of dueling government branches and left many in the woods, both industry leaders and environmental activists, anxious to see what happens.

“It’s an on-the-ground nightmare,” said Loren Rose of Seeley Lake’s Pyramid Mountain Lumber. “It would bring a lot of things to a screeching halt.”

The federal Clean Water Act specifically says farm and ranch roads are not a “point source” of water pollution and don’t need a special permit for construction or maintenance. Forest roads never got a similar exemption. But for decades, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has not considered logging roads a water pollution source.

That started to change last year, when an Oregon lawsuit made it to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the judges ruled the Clean Water Act should come down hard on logging roads. That case is now headed for the U.S. Supreme Court, which hears oral arguments on Dec. 3.

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Glacier Park’s future under discussion

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Glacier Park officials face several challenges over the next few years . . .

As park officials described it, with both optimism and concern, preserving and protecting the Crown of the Continent is a constant effort.

Aquatic invasive species continue to threaten Glacier National Park. Federal funding is drying up nationwide while lawmakers grapple over a transportation bill. As the top attraction in the state, the park’s escalating popularity is beginning to overwhelm resources and trails.

“What does this mean for the future of Glacier National Park?” Deputy Superintendent Kym Hall asked recently. “How do we maintain that quality visitor experience? Because I assume that’s what people come here for. It’s the Glacier experience, and it’s a unique experience.”

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Yellowstone regional grizzly bear population on the upswing

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The Missoulian reports that the grizzly population centered on Yellowstone Park appears to be doing well.  The article also discusses the Cabinet-Yaak Grizzly Bear Project in this corner of Montana . . .

The grizzly bear population around Yellowstone National Park appears to be stable and growing, according to experts in Wyoming.

A story in the Casper Star-Tribune reports that an estimated 608 grizzlies live in the Yellowstone ecosystem, an increase over last year’s estimated population of 593.

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Coalition files suit against Wyoming wolf management plan

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More legal woes for Wyoming’s wolf management plan . . .

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service never should have accepted a wolf-management plan that allows the state of Wyoming to classify the animals as predators that may be shot on sight, environmental groups said in a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday in Washington, D.C.

A coalition of groups asked a federal judge to force the Fish and Wildlife Service to rescind its transfer of wolf management authority to Wyoming and protect them once again under the federal Endangered Species Act.

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Glacier Institute wins $20K for alternate energy curriculum at Big Creek

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The Glacier Institute won a nice grant to buy equipment and develop an alternate energy curriculum at their Big Creek education center . . .

A month-long online voting contest among nonprofits in all 50 states has earned the Glacier Institute a $20,000 grant for its Outdoor Education Center located on the North Fork of the Flathead.

The local nonprofit was selected in September as Montana’s lone finalist in the Tom’s of Maine “50 States for Good” program, which helps support a suite of outdoor-oriented community projects nationwide.

The award, announced Thursday, will fund the Glacier Institute’s brand new alternative energy curriculum, which teaches students how to preserve and better use Montana’s natural resources.

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Talk on bats in Glacier Park this Saturday

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This looks interesting, even if you are not exactly a bat aficionado . . .

Montana House and the Glacier National Park Fund will co-host a free and public presentation by Glacier National Park wildlife biologist Lisa Bate on “What’s So Important About Bats?” at Montana House, in Apgar Village, on Saturday, Nov. 10, at 4 p.m. Bate will discuss current findings of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park Bat Inventory and Monitoring Project that started in 2011. Reservations required. Call 888-5393. There will be an open house after presentation.

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Montana’s wolverine trapping season heads to court

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The Flathead Beacon has an excellent article on the wolverine trapping issue, including a few words from the always-pithy Doug Chadwick. Recommended reading . . . . . .

While wolverines’ protected status under the Endangered Species Act remains in limbo, Montana’s trapping season is quickly approaching and a coalition of conservation groups is trying to stop trappers from harvesting any wolverines in the state until the species rebounds to a stable population.

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First anniversary of Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act

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Our friends on the other side of the Divide, the Coalition to Protect the Rocky Mountain Front, point out that we’ve just passed the first anniversary of the introduction of the Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act. The Front is a vital link in the larger Crown of the Continent ecosystem, of which the North Fork is a part.

They suggest this would be a good time to send Senator Max Baucus a note thanking him for his efforts so far. For more information or ideas on points you may want to bring up in your email go to http://www.savethefront.org/thank_max.html.

Send emails to Senator Baucus at http://baucus.senate.gov/?p=contact.