For those of you interested in the Whitefish Range Partnership Agreement, but who don’t wish to wade through an entire ring binders’ worth of material, a two page summary of the agreement is now available to view or download in PDF format.
We have hosted a copy of the agreement summary here: https://www.gravel.org/files/04.15.2014_WRP_summary_Final.pdf
Got a note from the folks at the National Parks Conservation Association about a climate change focused “mulitmedia extravaganza” to be held Saturday, April 26 at the O’Shaughnessy Center in Whitefish. Tickets are $5 at the door. Here’s the write-up, lifted shamelessly from their press release . . .
An Evening of Art, Music & Science, April 26, 2014
Tales of Climate Change, Inspired by Glacier National Park
A year after Glacier National Park was established in 1910, University of Montana professor Morton Elrod lugged a large camera to a scenic point and snapped a photo of Jackson Glacier. An artist as well as a scientist, Elrod sold park images through his family postcard business.
In 2009 scientist Lisa McKeon photographed the exact same scene from the exact same location. Sideby-side, but separated by 98 years, the twoimagesreveal a striking truth of climate change — a great glacier nearly gone in less than a century. That stark contrast has inspired a new generation of artists to translate science back into art, bringing attention to the urgent issues of climate change.
Two of those artists will be in Whitefish on April 26 to join scientists and musicians for an evening of visual stories, reflection and knowledge about the real-world impacts of climate change caused by carbon pollution. These creative thinkers bring planetary climate change down to the human scale, prompting us to grapple with how our species and others can adapt to a powerful new reality. The multi-media extravaganza caps a day of gatherings in 14 Montana communities, including five in the Flathead, seeking Montana climate solutions.
| WHAT: | Stories from the Mountain, Songs from the Soul |
| Tales of Climate Change, Inspired by Glacier National Park | |
| WHERE: | Whitefish, O’Shaughnessy Center, Tickets $5 at the door |
| WHEN: | Saturday, April 26, 7:30 p.m. |
| WHO: | Artists, scientists and musicians including:
|
Earlier on April 26th, residents in five Flathead towns will spotlight Montana climate solutions through community discussions, music, and rallies. All events begin at noon.
BIGFORK: Climate and Community Gathering, Downtown Bigfork: Join your neighbors to discuss the issues, ask questions, explore solutions, and take action. Noon
COLUMBIA FALLS: Honk and Wave in Support of Climate Solutions, Highway 2 and Nucleus.
Rally for climate solutions. Bring signs to support climate solutions. Noon.
KALISPELL: Jamming for Climate Solutions, Depot Park Rally, featuringthe Tropical Montana Marimba Ensemble. Bring signs to support climate solutions. Noon.
PABLO: Roundtable Discussion with speakers, Salish Kootenai College, The Late Louie Caye Sr. Memorial Building. Lunch Provided. 12-3 p.m.
WHITEFISH: Dance a Jig, Honk and Wave for Climate Solutions, Corner of Spokane and 2nd Street, featuring the youthful bluegrass sounds of the Left Side Brains. Noon.
“Climate change is a big hairy challenge,” said Laura Behenna, coordinator of the Kalispell event. “We’re trying to make sense of the science through the most human of endeavors: art, music, sharing stories, talking with your neighbors. By meeting the climate challenge at a personal and community level, we can begin to find the abundant climate solutions available to us as Montanans.”
To learn more about specific events contact local coordinators:
Bigfork: Jeffrey Funk, 837-4208
Columbia Falls: Diane Taylor, 892-1640
Kalispell: Laura Behenna, 257-2116
Whitefish: Steve Thompson, 250-9810
Pablo: Kirwin Werner, 676-8988
For more information about An Evening of Art, Music & Science, contact:Michael Jamison, National Parks Conservation Association, 862-6722 Steve Thompson, Glacier Climate Action, 250-9810
Contact info for the scientists, artists and musicians is available by request.
Diane Burko is a painter and photographer based in Philadelphia. Her “Politics of Snow” project draws upon the Glacier repeat photography project and similar projects around the world. She is devoted to using her art to bring attention to the urgent issues of climate change.
Joy von Wolffersdorff is an art professor at California State University Northridge. Although her first love in art is drawing, she uses whatever medium she feels will most effectively express a given concept. She is currently focused on creating gathering places for scientists and artists who are working on climate change.
Craig Hodges directs the Crown of the Continent Choir, volunteers who sing for fun and perform for social justice, environmental stewardship, spiritual fulfillment and community service.
USGS scientists Dan Fagre and Lisa McKeon have created an exhibit, Losing a Legacy: A photographic story of disappearing glaciers, to showcase photographs from their Repeat Photography Project. The collection consists of historic glacier photographs paired with contemporary photographs, a juxtaposition that reveals dramatic reductions in glacier size. Since they began their rephotography efforts in 1997, over 100 photographs of 20 different glaciers have been repeated. Each summer they capture more images to add to their growing collection
Another sure sign of spring in this corner of Montana: Wildlife personnel are busy relocating nuisance bears . . .
As bear activity picks up, wildlife personnel recently had to relocate a grizzly bear from south of Eureka into Glacier National Park.
According to Erik Wenum, a bear and lion specialist with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, a 6-year-old 340-pound male grizzly bear was captured on April 6 south of Eureka after killing a calf earlier in the week. USDA Wildlife Services personnel assisted in capturing the grizzly…
Wenum says four black bears were captured in the last week in the Columbia Falls and Whitefish areas. This level of activity indicates that while many bears may still be denned or close to their dens some have dropped to lower elevations in search of foods, according to FWP.
The Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act continues to gain state-level endorsements . . .
Montana fish and wildlife commissioners are endorsing federal legislation to expand protections along the Rocky Mountain Front.
The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission passed a resolution Thursday supporting the Rocky Mountain Heritage Act.
The bill would add more than 67,000 acres of new wilderness to the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex and grants less-restrictive protections to another 208,000 acres. It also calls for a plan to eradicate noxious weeds in the area.
It’s spring in Montana and the bears are beginning to stir . . .
Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks biologists are reminding folks that bears are awake and people should secure attractants like dog food, bird food, chickens feed and garbage.
FWP bear and lion specialist Erik Wenum caught a 6-year-old, 340-pound male grizzly bear April 6 south of Eureka.
The next day the bear was examined and radio-collared. The grizzly was then released on April 8 in Glacier National Park, assisted by Park personnel in an area seasonally closed due to snow and road conditions. There are no known previous management situations involving this bear.
The Missoulian is not pleased with the political posturing holding up the North Fork Watershed Protection Act . . .
U.S. Rep. Steve Daines might want to have a little chat with some his Republican counterparts in the Senate.
Three of them in particular: Ted Cruz of Texas, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma.
These three U.S. Senators blocked passage of the no-nonsense, common-sense North Fork Watershed Protection Act through the Senate. A similar measure has already been passed by the House – thanks to Daines’ sponsorship.
The Alliance for the Wild Rockies is annoyed with federal foot-dragging . . .
A conservation group is suing the U.S. Geological Survey for information on threatened grizzly bears in northwestern Montana.
The Alliance for the Wild Rockies says the USGS failed to respond to a Freedom of Information Act request for reports and findings on the Cabinet-Yaak Grizzly Bear DNA Project.
The project aims to give researchers a better idea of the number of bears in that area through DNA from hair samples.
For those of you who like to dig into source materials, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service maintains a web site with news, information and recovery status reports on gray wolves on the Northern Rockies. You’ll find it here: http://westerngraywolf.fws.gov.
The agency’s “Office of External Affairs” also maintains a page with links to wolf-related press releases, public notices, hearing transcripts, articles and studies at http://www.fws.gov/home/wolfrecovery/.
Several articles appeared today discussing the wolf population in this corner of the country. Rather than post them individually, here’s the list all in one place . . .
Rockies gray wolf numbers steady despite hunting
Gray wolves in the U.S. Northern Rockies are showing resilience as states adopt increasingly aggressive tactics to drive down their numbers through hunting, trapping and government-sponsored pack removals…
New Study Seeks Cost-Effective Estimate Of Montana Wolves
Researchers from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and the University of Montana released preliminary results today of a new technique for estimating wolf numbers in Montana…
FWP Releases Minimum Wolf Count For 2013
Montana’s verified wolf population remained stable last year while livestock depredations by wolves continued to decline, dropping about 27 percent from 2012…
As expected, U.S. Senators Cruz, Toomey and Coburn blocked an attempt to pass the North Fork Watershed Protection Act by “unanimous consent” . . .
Montana’s newest U.S. senator, Democrat John Walsh, tried Thursday to pass the bill protecting the North Fork of the Flathead River from mineral development, but a trio of Republican senators blocked the move.
Walsh, appointed to the job on Feb. 7, asked the U.S. Senate to pass the measure by “unanimous consent,” but three senators – Ted Cruz of Texas, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma – objected…
While Walsh’s attempt to pass the bill failed, the measure remains on the Senate calendar and could be considered later.