Category Archives: Environmental Issues

More on BP’s Mist Mountain coalbed methane project

December 7, 2008Environmental IssuesBC, BP, BP Canada, British Columbia, British Petroleum, Canadian Flathead, coal-bed methane, coalbed methane, Elk River, Mist Mountain Projectnfpa

As a follow-up to yesterday’s post regarding the Mist Mountain coalbed methane project, here are links to some additional information . . .

Our friends in Fernie, BC are not very happy about BP Canada’s plans. See the Citizens Concerned About Coalbed Methane site for details.

Wildsight posted a press release last Friday that does a good job of summarizing the problems local residents have with coalbed methane development. It also links to some additional material.

BP’s Mist Mountain Coalbed Gas Project site is another source of information. In particular, the maps page is a bit of an eye-opener.

What’s the Flathead connection? Earlier this year, BP withdrew their efforts to explore the Canadian Flathead for coalbed methane development, but left the door open to return at a later date. (See this post, for example.) Mist Mountain is in the Elk River watershed, not far from the Flathead headwaters and already the site of an open pit mine and a proposed wind farm. Events there are a good predictor of what might happen if that sort of activity spills over into the Flathead Valley.

Canadian Flathead left out of natural-gas deal

December 6, 2008Environmental Issues, NewsBC, BP, BP Canada, British Columbia, British Petroleum, Canadian Flathead, coal-bed methane, coalbed methane, Glacier National Park, Mist Mountain Project, National Parks Conservation Association, Richard Neufeld, Will Hammerquistnfpa

From the Saturday, December 6, 2008 online edition of the Daily Inter Lake . . .

BP Canada on Friday received natural-gas rights for a potential energy project in a segment of British Columbia watched closely by environmental activists in both the province and in Montana.

British Columbia granted the rights to BP for its proposed Mist Mountain coal-bed methane project in the province’s southeast, after the Flathead River Basin was removed from the project area. In the debate about possible environmental effects from Mist Mountain coal-bed methane work, the border-spanning Flathead had been particularly prominent, with activists in Montana raising the specter of harm traveling downstream.

Even with the Flathead removed, the prospect of the coal-bed methane project in combination with other current and proposed industrial activity in southeastern British Columbia is alarming, said Will Hammerquist of the National Parks Conservation Association in Whitefish near Glacier National Park, which extends to the British Columbia border.

Read the entire article . . .

B.C. coal mine threat to trans-border trout: Scientists

December 4, 2008Environmental Issues, Newsbull trout, Canadian Flathead, Cline Mining, coal mining, Flathead River Valley, redds, strip miningnfpa

Further information on the proposed Cline mine’s impact on bull trout from the Canada.com web site . . .

U.S. government scientists studying the Flathead River watershed straddling the B.C.-Montana border say they’ve discovered the prime spawning site for a threatened species of trout – on the Canadian side of the system, and in the very shadow of a proposed mountaintop coal mine that drew fire from U.S. president-elect Barack Obama during his drive to the White House.

Biologists with the U.S. Geological Survey and the Montana state Wildlife Department say the findings pinpoint the mouth of Foisey Creek in southeastern B.C. – near the planned site of a controversial open-pit coal operation proposed by Toronto-based Cline Mining Corp. – as a “critical” site in the life-cycle of the protected bull trout, which often migrates from U.S. waters to Canada to reproduce.

It’s a discovery, the scientists say, that adds to previous evidence showing threats to the watershed’s population of cross-border cutthroat trout, and which should clinch the environmental case against the mine.

Read the entire article . . .

Canada: Mine planned atop habitat for bull trout

November 28, 2008Environmental Issues, Newsbull trout, Canadian Flathead, Cline Mining, coal mining, Flathead River Valley, redds, strip miningnfpa

From the Friday, November 28, 2008 online edition of the Missoulian . . .

A controversial Canadian coal mine, proposed high in the headwaters above Glacier National Park, would be built atop the most productive bull trout spawning habitat in the entire river basin.

“That site, immediately below the proposed mine site, is incredibly important bull trout habitat,” said Mark Deleray, a fisheries biologist with the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

Read the entire article . . .
(Link updated on 30 November. The darn Missoulian sometimes changes the link when they archive articles.)

Area residents looking at protection of the Flathead Valley in Southeast BC

November 26, 2008Environmental Issues, NewsBC, British Columbia, Canadian Flathead, coal mining, coalbed methane, Flathead River Valley, Flathead Valley, strip miningnfpa

From the Tuesday, November 25, 2008 online edition of the Keremeos Review . . .

Seven out of ten Kootenay residents want to protect the Flathead River Valley as a national park, according to new polling results released today by Wildsight and Sierra Club BC. The poll, conducted by McAllister Opinion Research, found that 73 per cent of residents in East Kootenay, Nelson-Creston and Columbia River-Revelstoke favour protecting the Flathead River Valley in southeastern B.C.

The Flathead River Valley is compared to Africa’s Serengeti for its richness of plant species and was recently called “a nursery” for wildlife by Canadian Geographic magazine. The valley is under threat from proposals for coal strip mining, coalbed methane drilling and unbridled mineral extraction.

Read the entire article . . .

Grizzly bears fared well this year

November 20, 2008Environmental Issues, Newsbear mortality, bear recovery, Chris Servheen, grizzly bears, Northern Continental Divide Ecosystemnfpa

From the Thursday, November 20, 2008 online edition of the Hungry Horse News . . .

It’s been a fairly good year for grizzly bears in the greater Glacier Park area. This year 11 bears were killed due to human circumstances, according to figures provided by Chris Servheen, the grizzly bear recovery coordinator for the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem.

Read the entire article . . .

Bull trout spawning strong in North Fork

November 19, 2008Environmental Issues, Newsbull trout, Coal Creek, Trail Creeknfpa

From the Wednesday, November 19, 2008 online edition of the Daily Inter Lake . . .

An annual survey of bull trout spawning activity has found higher redd counts in the North Fork Flathead Basin, and counts below average in the South Fork Flathead and Swan River drainages.

[…]

This year’s count found that Trail Creek was the biggest producer in the North Fork drainage, with 49 redds. Coal Creek continues to be the drainage’s least productive stream, with only two redds.

Read the entire article . . .

Yet another dust meeting

November 8, 2008Environmental Issuesdust abatement, Gary Hall, North Fork Road, paving, road maintenancenfpa

Outgoing Flathead County Commissioner Gary Hall wants to have another meeting on the North Fork Road. This one, apparently, will concentrate on dust mitigation issues. (For background on an earlier, similar meeting, see here and here.) The meeting will be held on November 20th, from 4 to 6pm in the conference room at Freedom Bank in Columbia Falls. Contact him at ghall@flathead.mt.gov or 253-3026 to let him know you are coming.

We’ll post more details here as they become available.

[Update: Corrected Gary hall’s email address.]

Keep heli-skiing out of North Fork

October 16, 2008Commentary, Environmental Issuesheli-skiing, Montana DNRC, Whitefish Rangenfpa

John Frederick’s letter to Nicole Stickney of the Montana DNRC regarding the proposal to conduct heli-skiing on state lands in the Whitefish Range appeared in today’s Hungry Horse News in the Letters section . . .

I can sympathize with the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation in trying to find money through the school trust lands for Montana schools. It is not easy to balance environmental and social concerns while trying to get big bucks for the schools.

The two proposed locations for heli-skiing in Coal Creek State Forest are rather close to Polebridge. Winona Ridge, one of the proposed landing/skiing sites, is a little less than three and a half miles from Polebridge and roughly parallels the North Fork Road at a distance of 3/8 of a mile to almost a mile away. It is also not a high mountain which means more noise from helicopters. The other proposed, nearby skiing location is Coal Ridge which at the closest point is only four miles southwest of Polebridge.

I hope you can now understand why people become upset about heli-skiing or any frequent use of helicopters any time of the year when it is not an emergency. Most people, both residents and visitors, come to the North Fork for solitude and quiet.

Others have e-mailed you about the strong probability of people and wildlife being harassed by helicopters bringing skiers to places such as Winona Ridge in Coal Creek State Forest. Many other questions remain unanswered about the possibility of local heli-skiing.

What are the models, sizes and occupancies of the helicopters to be used? What are the decibels created by such machines? How far will the sound travel and be heard?

How many flights a day will be allowed? How many skiers? Triple X, one of the applicant helicopter companies, said they flew 260 helicopter flights over Whitefish during the fourth of July weekend. Hardly anyone wants that kind of activity in our state forests.

Would DNRC give permits to other companies who requested a similar permit?

What are the flight patterns? Do the helicopters go directly to the skiing location or do they swing over to Glacier Park for a scenic tour?

Has anyone at DNRC researched the location of bear dens in the vicinity of the flight paths?

How do the skiers return? By snowmobile or helicopter? And what is their route?

How much would you charge the operators of the helicopter skiing for a permit?

Has DNRC researched other locations in Alaska or British Columbia where heli-skiing has already taken place? Are there problems?

Heli-skiing has never been done in the Flathead Valley. Therefore, it might be a good idea to leave the comment period open for a while longer. There is a definite lack of information on the subject at this time.

Look at the Hungry Horse News article last week by Chris Peterson as it reflects the opinions of many North Forkers. There is a link to the article on the North Fork Preservation Association Web site (with new format) at www.gravel.org.

John Frederick of Polebridge is the North Fork Preservation Association president.

Road paving & land development report released

October 10, 2008Documents, Environmental Issuesgravel roads, land development, paving, road maintenance, rural roadsnfpa

One of the factors in the ongoing road maintenance debate is the impact of paving on increased land development and settlement. Headwaters Economics along with Chris Servheen of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the University of Montana just released a report titled “Land Use Effects of Paving Rural Roads in Western Montana” that is relevant to this issue. In Chris’s words…

Headwaters Economics and I have partnered to complete a preliminary analysis of the relationship between the paving of rural roads and the development of adjacent private lands. The report on this work is attached. We believe this is a useful preliminary analysis and that it sets the stage for a more in-depth and through analysis of this most important issue. The paving of rural roads in the West and the resulting impacts on adjacent private land development are one of the greatest challenges faced by wildlife managers and county decision-makers. We hope this report is of value to you.

The report is essentially a series of case studies followed by some carefully qualified observations and conclusions. It’s a bit dry and dusty (sorry, couldn’t resist) in spots, but a worthwhile read.