Category Archives: News

Oregon wolf population hits threshold for delisting

Environmental Issues, News, ,

Oregon wolves, including the famous wandering wolf OR-7, have reached sufficient numbers to be considered for delisting as an endangered species in Oregon . . .

Wolves in Oregon have hit the threshold for consideration of taking them off the state endangered species list.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Tuesday the latest wolf census confirms at least seven breeding pairs — six in northeastern Oregon and one, led by the famous wanderer OR-7, in the southern Cascades.

The state wolf management plan calls for a status review once there have been four breeding pairs producing pups that survive a year for three years running. That review will be presented to the state Fish and Wildlife Commission when it meets April 24 in Bend. The earliest a decision could be made would be at the commission’s June 5 meeting in Salem.

Read more . . .

President wants to expand wilderness in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Environmental Issues, News, ,

President Obama wants to expand the area of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge currently designated as wilderness . . .

President Barack Obama is proposing to designate the vast majority of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as a wilderness area, including its potentially oil-rich coastal plain, drawing an angry response from top state elected officials who see it as a land grab by the federal government…

The designation would set aside an additional nearly 12.3 million acres as wilderness, including the coastal plain near Alaska’s northeast corner, giving it the highest degree of federal protection available to public lands. More than 7 million acres of the refuge currently are managed as wilderness.

Read more . . .

‘Bill Tracker’ lists good and bad Montana environmental bills

Environmental Issues, News, Site Updates, , ,

The Montana Environmental Information Center (MEIC) maintains a “Bill Tracker” on their web site. It lists all the environmental bills, both good and bad, being considered by the Montana legislature. Here’s what they have to say about it: “Use MEIC’s Legislative Bill Tracker tool to stay current with the most recent legislative happenings. You can see where a bill is in the process, read facts about different legislative proposals, and contact legislators about specific pieces of legislation.”

MEIC updates their Bill Tracker every day.

If you are trying to keep an eye on Montana’s legislative shenanigans, visiting the Bill Tracker page should be part of your daily routine. It is so useful, in fact, that we’ve added it to our “Related Links” sidebar. Look for “Bill Tracker Tool (MEIC).”

Bills introduced to protect access to public lands and waters

News

There are a couple of bills in process at the state level to address a growing problem with private individuals gating off public roads and waterways . . .

The Montana Wildlife Federation and the Public Land/Water Access Association say they are promoting two bills to address the growing problem of people blocking off large tracts of public land by gating public rights of way. The bills seek to improve public access to public lands by keeping public roads open.

Dave Chadwick, executive director of the Montana Wildlife Federation, said the bills have been carefully planned to ensure that they protect both public access to public land and wildlife and private property rights.

“Responsible hunters value private property rights as much as they value public access to wildlife,” Chadwick said. “Our goal is to elevate and protect both of these important Montana values. Our beef is not with landowners — it’s with people who unilaterally decide to close public roads. Law-abiding farmers, ranchers and other property owners should support these bills.”

Read more . . .

Bull trout stable in Northwest Montana

Environmental Issues, News, ,

This is a more extensive report on the bull trout population than the one posted earlier . . .

The bull trout population remains stable in Northwest Montana, according to state biologists who completed their annual inventory of spawning sites.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks recently released the results of its annual survey of the Clark Fork, Flathead and Kootenai drainages, and the data shows that the bull trout population has not experienced any significant changes, Regional Fisheries Manager Mark Deleray said.

“In FWP Region One waters, bull trout redd numbers appear stable in all basins, being very similar to 10-year averages,” Deleray said. “In each basin, this year’s count may be slightly higher or lower than last year’s, but not significantly different than recent years.”

Read more . . .

FWS begins report on Canada lynx

Environmental Issues, News,

Here’s a pretty good article on the difficulties faced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in evaluating the status of the Canada lynx . . .

Jim Zelenak has a long winter workload ahead of him.

He has to count a wildcat few people ever see, one that wanders with all the regularity of the Northern Lights, carrying so much legal and political baggage that it’s only now getting a five-year status review first assigned 15 years ago. Zelenak wants to know all we can know about the Canada lynx.

Last week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service started its formal five-year status review of the predator many people confuse with the more common bobcat. But lynx are bigger (18-20 pounds), more specialized (large paws ideal for hunting in snow) and considerably rarer than the more adaptable bobcat.

And the agency is looking to the public for any available lynx information, according to spokesman Ryan Moehring. That includes potential threats like habitat loss or disease, conservation actions that have improved lynx survival and observed changes in lynx populations. The deadline for submissions is Feb. 1.

Read more . . .

Feds begin review of Canada lynx threats

Environmental Issues, News, ,

Although focused primarily on the Canada lynx situation in Maine, this article offers some useful general observations, as well . . .

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is starting a review of federally protected Canada lynx at a time when the largest population of the cats in the Lower 48 appears to be poised for a decline.

The end of clear-cutting in Maine with the Forest Practices Act of 1989 has allowed forests to fill in, taking away some of the habitat preferred by snowshoe hares upon which lynx feed, potentially reducing populations of both species, said Jim Zelenak, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Montana.

Read more . . .

Roger Semler takes National Park Service wilderness management job

News,

Many of you will remember Roger Semler who was Glacier Park’s Polebridge district ranger several years ago. After a 10-year stint with the state of Montana, he is moving back over to the Park Service to head their wilderness stewardship division . . .

Longtime Montana outdoors ranger and manager Roger Semler has been appointed director of the National Park Service’s wilderness stewardship division in Washington, D.C.

Semler spent the past 10 years with the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks as chief of operations for state parks.

Before that, he was the wilderness manager for Glacier National Park and the Polebridge district ranger. He also served at Katmai National Monument, Hawaii Volcano National Park and Gates of the Arctic National Park.

Read more . . .

Wolf reintroduction 20 years later

Environmental Issues, History, News, ,

Has it been only 20 years? . . .

Twenty years after their ancestors were released here in one of the most controversial wildlife projects of the century, wolf howls punctuated the cold winter air Monday to the delight of dozens of wolf watchers…

It was 1995 when the first eight wolves live-trapped in Canada were placed inside fenced enclosures in Yellowstone to acclimate them to the area in hopes they would not immediately bolt back to their homeland – called a soft release…

Read more . . .