Category Archives: Environmental Issues

Montana FWP Commission approves new wolf hunt rules; allows trapping

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To no one’s surprise, the Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks Commission approved new wolf hunt rules late last week, including a provision for trapping . . .

Montana wildlife commissioners approved new wolf hunting rules Thursday that allow trapping and the killing of up to three of the predators by one trapper.

The move came after the officials waded through thousands of written comments regarding management of the species that evokes strong emotions…

Wildlife managers will allow some trapping, lift most quotas and expand the length of the season…

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Montana’s wolf trapping plan draws big response

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This year’s Montana wolf hunt proposal stirred things up a bit . . .

The public response to the plans for this year’s wolf hunt in Montana has been staggering: A whopping 6,500 comments have been received on the proposal set for approval Thursday by the Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission.

That far outnumbers the 1,500 comments received on the 2011 wolf hunt plan and just about doubles the comments FWP took on last year’s hotly debated proposal to relocate Yellowstone National Park bison, agency officials said.

Driving the renewed interest is a proposal to expand the hunt to include trapping for the first time, along with bow and rifle seasons.

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Idaho wolf season ends, sort of…

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The Idaho wolf season has ended, but not really . . .

The day after Idaho’s 2011-12 wolf hunting season ended, some parts of the state started hunting for 2012-13.

Private lands in the state’s northern panhandle region are allowed to keep the pressure on wolves through the summer, according to Idaho Fish and Game Commissioner Tony McDermott. The new season started Sunday, just after the June 30 ending of last year’s Idaho wolf hunt.

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Sheep-killing griz to be moved to Whitefish Range

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A grizzly bear and her cub that have been involved in a string of sheep killings near Great Falls are being relocated to the Whitefish Range . . .

State and federal wildlife officials have decided to relocate a female grizzly bear that was responsible for the recent deaths of 70 sheep on three ranches north of Great Falls.

Mike Hoggan with USDA Wildlife Services says the bear and her cub will be moved to an area near Frozen Lake in the Whitefish Range near the border of British Columbia, which puts her and her young cub about 160 miles from the ranches.

The bears were tranquilized and captured Sunday near Collins.

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Montana FWP hears from both sides of the wolf hunt debate

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Here’s the Flathead Beacon’s take on last Wednesday’s Montana FWP “listening session” on the upcoming wolf hunt. It’s a good summary of issues and attitudes . . .

For once the wolf debate played out respectfully. Somewhat.

More than 90 people came together last week to discuss proposed changes to the controversial wolf hunt at a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks public gathering at Flathead Valley Community College.

The June 13 meeting was the final one in the state before the FWP commission votes to adopt the latest wolf hunt adjustments on July 12. Public comment remains open until June 25.

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Wolf hunt suit dead; no appeal to Supreme Court

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The folks who filed suit opposing the wolf hunt in Montana and Idaho have given up on a Supreme Court appeal . . .

Wildlife advocates say they decided not to appeal to the Supreme Court to keep wolves on the endangered list in Idaho and Montana after their arguments were rejected in lower court rulings.

Congress ordered the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to take gray wolves off the endangered species list last spring. That triggered lawsuits from wildlife groups and environmentalists who argued state-sponsored hunts could again drive wolves towards extinction.

But after two lower courts sided with the government, the plaintiffs let the 90-day deadline for appeal to the Supreme Court pass this week without action.

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Montana FWP hears wide range of wolf comments

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The reports are coming in on last Wednesday’s Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks “listening session” concerning plans for this year’s wolf hunt. There’s some interesting stuff here . . .

More than 90 people turned out for a meeting in Kalispell on Wednesday to chime in on proposed hunting and trapping regulations for wolves in Montana.

Those who attended the meeting at Flathead Valley Community College were broken up into 10 work groups to share their views.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials heard a full range of comments — from ending the regulated hunt to having a year-round, wide-open season on wolves.

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Sea of red won’t last on North Fork

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Here’s some more information about that fungal infection on the North Fork that is turning a lot of young lodgepole pine red . . .

A sea of red trees in the North Fork Flathead River drainage is an alarming view if you’re thinking “beetle kill,” but it’s not.

The recent, widespread reddening is only the temporary work of a needle cast fungus called Lophodermella, according to Heidi Trechsel, silviculturist with the Hungry Horse-Glacier View Ranger District.

“It’s really common in lodgepole, which was what it’s hitting up there,” Trechsel said. “Because it’s a fungus, it likes high humidity and wet springs like we’ve been having the last couple years. It’s most frequently seen on the young trees, the seedlings and saplings.”

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Groups sue to stop Flathead National Forest thinning project

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Some organizations are suing to prevent a forest thinning project . . .

Environmental groups have sued to stop pre-commercial thinning work on the Flathead National Forest, raising arguments that are similar to those applied in two previous lawsuits targeting timber sales.

The Alliance for the Wild Rockies, Friends of the Wild Swan and the Native Ecosystems Council filed the lawsuit May 29 in U.S. District Court in Missoula.

It challenges a recently approved project that involves pre-commercial thinning on 3,650 acres spread across the Flathead Forest.

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FWP open house to consider wolf-hunt changes

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Here’s some more information on the upcoming Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks “listening session” to discuss changes in wolf hunt regulations . . .

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks will host an open house in Kalispell on Wednesday, June 13, to give information and answer questions on the proposed 2012-13 wolf hunting and trapping season.

The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at the Flathead Valley Community College Arts and Technology Building. At the open house, people will break out into small groups to discuss details and work on comments regarding the proposals.

Under the wolf season proposals, the general season would run from Sept. 1, 2012, to Feb. 28, 2013, with trapping allowed from Dec. 15 to the end of the general wolf season. There would be no statewide quota, but quotas would be established in two areas near Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks.

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