Category Archives: Environmental Issues

Larry Wilson: Much of North Fork is already ‘wilderness’

September 27, 2012Commentary, Environmental IssuesLarry Wilson, North Fork Flathead, wilderness designationnfpa

Larry responds to yet another op-ed on the North Fork wilderness issue . . .

I had never heard of a “liberal conservationist” until that label was applied to me by Matthew Chappell in a recent letter to the editor in the Hungry Horse News.

My opposition to a wilderness on the Whitefish Range led Mr. Chappell to believe that I oppose all wilderness and want motorized vehicles to be allowed everywhere.

He supposes that I might want a parking garage at Polebridge and maybe even a Pizza Hut on Trail Creek.

In fact, his suppositions are just so much horse apples. I do not oppose all wilderness. I do oppose a Whitefish Divide Wilderness for what I believe are good reasons.

Continue reading . . .

Funding goal reached as part of deal to protect trans-boundary Flathead

September 20, 2012Environmental Issues, NewsBritish Columbia, memorandum of understanding, Nature Conservancy Canada, North Fork Watershed Protection Act, The Nature Conservancy, Trans-boundary Flathead, Warburg Pincusnfpa

Since the announcement last week that the funding goal for money to compensate companies for losses when the Canadian Flathead was closed to development had been reached there’s been a fair amount of press coverage, mostly in the Canadian prfess. The Hungry Horse News this week put a nice, local spin on the event . . .

Bob Patterson, of Oregon, was slinging a line in the North Fork of the Flathead River last week, catching small cutthroat in a run at Glacier Rim.

He’d been on a big looping tour of famous waters in Canada and the U.S., but this was the first stop where he was getting into fish, even if they were small ones.

Patterson said he gave money to the Nature Conservancy’s campaign to compensate mining interests in the headwaters of the river and forever end the threat of mining and energy exploration in the Canadian Flathead. When asked why he did it, he shrugged.

“I’m always for the fish,” he said.

Continue reading . . .

Wolves again fair game in many states

September 17, 2012Environmental Issues, NewsEndangered Species List, wolf recovery, wolvesnfpa

The Washington Post put up a pretty good article on Wolves yesterday. Here’s the lead-in. (Thanks to the ever-alert Richard Wackrow for spotting this article.) . . .

Most wolves in the continental United States soon will be off federal assistance.

For more than 300 years, trappers and settlers did their best to exterminate wolves, for their pelts and to protect livestock. They were so successful that only a few hundred gray wolves were left in the lower 48 states when they were listed as an endangered species in 1973.

Now the wolves are back, with roughly 6,000 in the contiguous United States and 7,700 to 11,200 in Alaska. The Obama administration has declared all but two small populations — Mexican gray wolves in New Mexico and Arizona, and red wolves in North Carolina — fully recovered. On Oct. 1, Wyoming will become the fifth state with a significant wolf population to legalize hunting.

Continue reading . . .

Funding goal reached for Canadian Flathead compensation fund

September 14, 2012Environmental Issues, NewsBritish Columbia, memorandum of understanding, Nature Conservancy Canada, The Nature Conservancy, Trans-boundary Flathead, Warburg Pincusnfpa

It looks like the funding goal for money to compensate companies for losses when the Canadian Flathead was closed to development has been reached . . .

The Nature Conservancy of Canada (“NCC”) and The Nature Conservancy (“TNC”) today announced that, through a collaboration of public and private partners, more than $10 million has been raised to help remove the biggest ecological threat to British Columbia’s Flathead River Valley — a spectacular wilderness area that straddles the Canada-U.S. border.

Thanks to the generous funding contributions from the Government of Canada’s Natural Areas Conservation Program (NACP); Warburg Pincus, a leading global private equity firm focused on growth investing; and other private donors, the Canadian portion of the Flathead River Valley is now permanently protected from mining and other sub-surface development.

The Government of Canada contributed $5.4 million to the project through the NACP for the conservation of the Flathead River Valley. Warburg Pincus is contributing $2.5 million to the project–the largest private contribution.

The funding is being used by the British Columbia government to implement the Flathead Watershed Area Conservation Act, which was passed last year. The legislation permanently prohibits coal mining as well as exploration and development of oil, gas and mineral resources on nearly 400,000 acres (160,000 hectares) of land in southeast British Columbia.

Continue reading . . .

Environmental coalition to sue over Wyoming wolf delisting

September 10, 2012Environmental Issues, NewsEndangered Species List, wolf hunt, Wyomingnfpa

As expected, a coalition of environmental groups intends to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over the removal of federal protection for wolves in Wyoming . . .

A coalition of environmental groups has filed notice that they intend to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over the agency’s decision to end federal protections for wolves in Wyoming.

WildEarth Guardians and other groups announced Monday that they have filed a notice of intent to sue the federal agency.

Continue reading . . .

Griz relocated to Coal Creek meets its end near Whitefish

September 6, 2012Environmental Issues, Newsbear relocation, grizzly bear, KM Ranch Road, nuisance bears, Tim Manley, Whitefishnfpa

Another case of “a fed bear is a dead bear”: The grizzly bear that was relocated to the Coal Creek area in July and soon became a nuisance near Whitefish, has been put down by Montana FWP…

Wildlife officials euthanized a male grizzly bear that was rummaging through food sources near residences outside of Whitefish, the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks announced Thursday.

FWP officials captured the 238-pound subadult male grizzly Wednesday along the Stillwater River, southwest of Whitefish near the KM Ranch Road. The bear had been moved in July from the Lincoln area into the Coal Creek Drainage of the Whitefish Range north of Columbia Falls. Over the course of a month, it crossed the Whitefish Divide and traveled along the Stillwater River between Lupfer Meadows and Lost Creek. FWP said it received numerous reports of the bear getting into livestock feed, pet food, garbage, bird feeders and apples.

Continue reading . . .

Larry Wilson: Whitefish Range challenge accepted

September 6, 2012Commentary, Environmental Issues, NewsFrank Vitale, Larry Wilson, North Fork Landowners’ Association, North Fork Preservation Association, North Fork Road, Thompson-Setonnfpa

Larry accepts the Mount Thompson-Seton challenge and discusses the end-of-season wind-down . . .

I thoroughly enjoyed the letter last week from fellow North Forker Frank Vitale. I consider him as well as the North Fork Preservation Association a “moderate” environmentalist.

Since there seems to be some confusion about the definition of moderate, let me refer you to the dictionary…

If Frank is willing to take this old fat guy to Mount Thompson-Seton and, most importantly, back out, I accept. I suspect there is much that he and I will agree on even if we don’t agree about the specifics of a wilderness. I hope others will join us.

Continue reading . . .

Bow hunter takes North Fork wolf

September 6, 2012Environmental Issues, Newsbow season, North Fork Flathead, wolf hunt, wolf quotasnfpa

A hunter took a wolf at the beginning of bow season, closing the North Fork wolf hunt until gun season opens . . .

An elk hunter with a wolf license shot a wolf on the fourth day of archery season just west of the Whitefish Divide, prompting Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to close the North Fork Flathead’s wolf management Unit 110.

It is the only hunting district in the state that retains a quota for wolves.

Only two can be harvested per year in the district, which covers the North Fork west of Glacier National and extends over the Whitefish Divide into Lincoln County.

Continue reading . . .

Feds ending wolf protections in Wyoming at end of month

September 3, 2012Environmental Issues, NewsEndangered Species List, wolf management, wolves, Wyomingnfpa

Federal wolf protections officially end at the end of September. Lawsuits are likely . . .

The federal government will end its protections for wolves in Wyoming, where the species was introduced two decades ago to revive it from near extinction in the United States.

The announcement Friday by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will entrust the state with managing wolf numbers and endorses a plan that allows for them to be shot on sight in most of the state, while keeping them permanently protected in designated areas like Yellowstone National Park. Wyoming will take over management of the wolves at the end of September.

The decision of the announcement quickly sparked promises of legal challenges from environmental groups that argue wolves still need protection to maintain their successful recovery.

Continue reading . . .

“Banquet on the Border” draws 90 attendees

September 3, 2012Environmental Issues, NewsBanquet on the Border, Flathead Coalition, Headwaters Montana, National Parks Conservation Association, North Fork Compact, North Fork Landowners’ Association, North Fork Preservation Association, Trans-boundary Flathead, Wildsightnfpa

Monday, August 20th was the Banquet on the Border; by all reports, a resounding success. Dave Haddon of Headwaters Montana wrote an excellent report on the whole affair. Since this report is still not available online, I am shamelessly ~~stealing~~ adapting large portions of it here . . .

The Banquet on the Border – last Monday, August 20 – celebrated the British Columbia government’s 2011 official act of banning mining and energy development on their side of the watershed; the progress made to date to do the same in the U.S North Fork with Senate Bill 233 (the North Fork Watershed protection Act – still pending); and the other work that is moving forward to enhance protections for water and wildlife in the rest of the watershed, most notably:

Completing Waterton-Glacier Peace Park by adding the ‘Missing Piece’ in the BC Flathead, and
Protecting the existing international wildlife corridor between Whitefish and Banff National Park.

Headwaters Montana and National Parks Conservation Association organized the party for the south side of the boundary. Wildsight did so for the north.

Who Showed Up?

We invited the U.S. Border Patrol. But with the exception of a brief drive up and turn around we were left to securing our own borders and enjoying our neighborliness.

The Canadians outnumbered the Americans 3 to 2 but who’s counting? Their greater numbers stemmed from the week-long Flathead Bioblitz and Flathead Artists’ Workshop that was based at the Canadian border and had concluded the day before…

In addition to the ten Canadian and U.S. scientists who attended the bioblitz and some ten artists, members of the Flathead Wild Team and supporters filled out the Canadian tables.

On the U.S. side, Headwaters Montana board members and supporters showed up in good numbers, as well as representatives of the North Fork Preservation Association, board members of the Flathead Coalition, and The North Fork Landowners Association, North Fork Compact, and representatives for Senator Max Baucus.

20 Years Ago

Steve Thompson with the Cinnabar Foundation (Montana’s home-grown conservation fund) helped deepen the Banquet-goer’s appreciation for this far flung event by reminding folks that champions of the Transboundary Flathead had celebrated with a banquet at the same spot 20 years ago. Amazingly, four people from that 1992 event were on hand last week... [Our own John Frederick was one of them. – ed.]