Category Archives: News

Public invited to brown-bag presentation about World Parks Congress

News,

This might be interesting.

From the official press release . . .

The Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center at Glacier National Park is hosting a brown-bag luncheon presentation about the recent World Parks Congress on Wednesday, January 21 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. at the park’s community building in West Glacier.

Glacier National Park Superintendent Jeff Mow and US Geological Survey Research Ecologist Dan Fagre will share their experiences from the 2014 IUCN World Parks Congress, held in Sydney, Australia this past fall. Mow and Fagre attended the conference and will present their observations on how Glacier National Park fits into the world of global conservation. The presentation is free and open to the public.

Read more . . .

Bill would take wolves off endangered list in 4 states

Environmental Issues, News, ,

A bill is in the early stages that would take gray wolves off the endangered species list in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Wyoming . . .

Several members of Congress are preparing legislation to take gray wolves in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Wyoming off the endangered list in an attempt to undo court decisions that have blocked the states from allowing wolf hunting and trapping for sport and predator control.

U.S. Rep. Reid Ribble, R-Wis., is leading the effort, his office confirmed Tuesday. Co-sponsors include U.S. Reps. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., Dan Benishek, R-Mich., and Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo.

Read more . . .

Animal tracks in Glacier Park

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Patti Hart has an excellent article — with photos —  over on the Mago Guide site about last Saturday’s “North Fork Animal Tracking and Sign Interpretation” course sponsored by the Glacier Institute . . .

Yesterday Team Mago spent the day learning about how to identify animal tracks in the snow. This adventure began when we saw a news release from the Glacier Institute advertising “North Fork Animal Tracking and Sign Interpretation” with Brian Baxter, a wildlife researcher and forester who has spent a number of winters studying animals such as the wolverine, lynx, fisher, marten and instructing outdoor educational programs in Glacier Park. We had been tromping around the North Fork for years in both summer and winter and had often seen tracks/scats, wondering if the animal was canine or cat.  That’s pretty pitiful.  So when this course was announced, we jumped at the chance.

Read more . . .

Tribes join effort to keep federal protections for Yellowstone region grizzlies

Environmental Issues, News,

Tribes in the region want to retain full protections for grizzly bears in the area around Yellowstone National Park . . .

Leaders of American Indian tribes in the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains are signing onto an effort to retain federal protections for grizzly bears in and around Yellowstone National Park.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is expected to decide this year whether it will move to lift protections for the roughly 1,000 grizzlies scientists say live in the Yellowstone region.

The campaign to enlist tribal backing for continued protections — including a prohibition on hunting — is being coordinated in large part by wildlife advocates.

Read more . . .

‘Coexistence Is Possible: Humans, Wild Animals and Nature’ presentation Jan. 12

Environmental Issues, News, ,

Elke Duerr, a frequent visitor to the North Fork, is, among many other things, a filmmaker. She is showing a short video on coexistence of wolves and people at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, January 12, in the United Way conference room of the Gateway Community Center. Her press release has the details . . .

Coexistence Is Possible:  Humans, Wild Animals and Nature
A look at our relationship to wild animals and the natural world from the perspective of Unity Consciousness

The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.
— Mahatma Gandhi

If you talk to the animals, they will talk with you, and you will know each other.
If you do not talk to them, you will not know them and what you do not know, you will fear.
What one fears, one destroys.
— Chief Dan George, Tsleil-Waututh Nation

Elke Duerr is a bi-national filmmaker, conservationist, interspecies communicator and founder and director of the nonprofit Web of Life Foundation W.O.L.F.  Drawing on her experience with endangered Mexican Gray Wolves and wild American Bison, Elke will present a short video about successful coexistence between wolves and humans at our January meeting.

Elke writes that our human relationship with wild animals and wilderness has historically been one of fear and preference for domesticated animals and tamed nature. She believes that to preserve all life forms on this planet, this story has to be rewritten to one of coexistence with each other with mutual respect. All life forms have roles to play in the ecosystem.  We cannot just take out the ones we do not like, favor one over the other if we want to stay in balance.

Elke will explore with us different ways of coexisting peacefully with wild animal species, and a new story of why we all belong in the web of life. She will tell stories about how to conduct ourselves in a healthy way when we live with large wild animals as our neighbors, understanding who wild animals really are, and how old stories and myths have shaped our current relationships based on fear of them and what each one of us can contribute to change those stories.

Elke is currently editing a video project about our last endangered wild bison entitled “Bison Nation” and getting ready to publish a children’s book with teachers’ guide and curriculum concerning our successful coexistence with wolves.  She loves to present her work with endangered wolves and bison and their role in the ecosystem in public and private schools and is now scheduling presentations in the larger community.  To learn more about Elke’s work, visit weboflifefoundation.net.

Please join us at 7 pm on Monday, January 12, in the United Way conference room of the Gateway Community Center, Highway 2 West, Kalispell.

2015 Wilderness Speaker Series begins Feb. 5

Environmental Issues, News, ,

The Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation and Montana Wilderness Association are doing their wilderness speaker series again this year. Here are the essentials, as posted to the Missoulian . . .

…The series will explore topics involving the importance of wilderness for wildlife populations, recreation and the management of these lands.

The free series will be presented at the Flathead Valley Community College’s Art & Technology Building, Room 139. Lectures will be held monthly from February through April from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Here are the dates and topics:

• Feb. 5: “Wilderness Management 101” with Deb Mucklow, district ranger and Bob Marshall Complex manager.

• March 5: “The Wild is Consequential: Grizzlies, People and Sharing the Land.” Steve Primm will share stories and experiences working on grizzly and wolf recovery around Yellowstone National Park. He is founder and director of the nonprofit People and Carnivores.

• April 2: “A Walk on the Wild Side: A 200-mile Hike in the Spirit of Bob Marshall” with Chris Peterson, a reporter for the Hungry Horse News and publisher of Glacier Magazine. Last year, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, Peterson partially retraced Marshall’s 288-mile hike through what is now the Bob Marshall Wilderness.

See bmwf.org or wildmontana.org for more information.

Region 1 Forester Faye Krueger retiring

News,

Faye Krueger, the head of the U.S. Forest Service’s Region 1,  is retiring the end of January . . .

Regional Forester Faye Krueger will retire from her post at the head of the U.S. Forest Service’s Region 1 headquarters in Missoula at the end of January.

“I’ve been eligible to retire for a while, and we decided it was time to reconnect with family and our grandkids,” Krueger said Friday. “I’m looking forward to that.”

Krueger, 59, took the top job on the five-state Region 1 almost three years ago. She joined the Forest Service as a seasonal worker in 1980.

Read more . . .

Congress tries again to fix wildfire funding

News

The new set of congresscritters is again trying to figure out how to pay for catastrophic wildfires . . .

Congress is taking another stab at fixing how to pay for forest fires.

After failing last year to pass a measure allowing the U.S. Forest Service to fund wildfire defense the same way the federal government pays for other natural disasters, U.S. Reps. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, and Kurt Schrader, D-Oregon, have introduced a new version of the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act.

The move would end the Forest Service’s practice of “fire borrowing,” in which it diverts annual budget money from regular activities to pay for firefighting.

Read more . . .

Glacier Institute winter lecture series kicks off Jan. 22

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The Glacier Institute is launching a pretty interesting lecture series staring January 22. Here’s the announcement from the Flathead Beacon . . .

The Glacier Institute presents their three-part 2015 winter lecture series in conjunction with the Conrad Mansion, beginning on Jan. 22.

The first of the series will be “Glacier’s Iconic Mountain Goats,” with presenter Sumio Harada.

History buffs take notice: on Feb. 26, presenter Dave Shea will speak on “Wildlife Encountered by Lewis and Clark.”

And finally, the series rounds out with “Stories from the Top: Glacier’s Fire Lookouts,” with presenter Justin Barth.

Doors open at 6 p.m. for coffee and wine, desserts, and conversation with old and new friends. The presentations begin at 6:30 p.m. and will conclude by 8 p.m.

All programs will take place at the Conrad Mansion in Kalispell. A $10 admission per person is charged to support the missions of both organizations. Seating is limited, so RSVPs are required. Payment is required at the time of reservation. To RSVP, please call Conrad Mansion at 406-755-2166.

Visit the Glacier Institute’s website for more information, at www.glacierinstitute.org.

No surprises in 2014 bull trout redd counts for Northwest Montana

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

The Region 1 bull trout redd counts are in . . .

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) Fisheries Field crews have completed the annual inventory of bull trout spawning sites in the Clark Fork, Flathead, and Kootenai drainages, which comprise northwest Montana’s FWP Region One. Experienced observers walk known spawning areas and count the number of spawning nests called redds. Female bull trout excavate a depression in the streambed where she deposits her eggs which are immediately fertilized by a male. These nests, called redds, are typically four to six feet long by three feet wide, or even larger and are easily identified when walking down the stream channel. Redd counts are indicative of the abundance levels of spawning adult bull trout each year. Redd counts are used to assess status and trends in bull trout populations in northwest Montana.

According to Region One Fisheries Program Manager Mark Deleray, there are no surprises in the 2014 bull trout redd counts for the Clark Fork, Flathead, and Kootenai drainages in Northwestern Montana.

“In FWP Region One waters, bull trout redd numbers appear stable in all basins, being very similar to 10-year averages,” says Deleray. “In each basin, this year’s count may be slightly higher or lower than last year’s, but not significantly different than recent years.” Deleray adds that his staff and cooperators put in a significant amount of field time to collect these data every year. Avista and the Bonneville Power Administration provide funding assistance…

Read more . . .