Category Archives: News

Largest Mission Valley easement protects wildlife corridor

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

Some encouraging news regarding habitat connectivity . . .

Animals from grizzly bears to dairy cows will benefit from the largest-ever conservation easement in the Mission Valley, according to the people who signed it.

Five Valleys Land Trust announced this week that almost 2,300 acres east of Charlo will be protected for both wildlife and agricultural purposes after a conservation easement was entered into on the property.

Grasslands on the Moiese Valley Ranch – better known locally as Hillside Farms – buffer Crow Creek, a critical corridor used by grizzlies and other wildlife to travel between the Mission Mountains and the Flathead River.

Read more . . .

National Park Service, wildlife experts developing plan to protect migrating wildlife

Environmental Issues, News,

Concerns over protection of migratory wildlife are growing . . .

The National Park Service and the country’s leading wildlife experts are developing a plan to conserve migrating wildlife as it moves through protected areas, sometimes crossing vast regions of the globe to reach birthing and feeding grounds.

Unveiled in a paper published last week in Conservation Biology, the plan details the need for more collaboration between the NPS, local governments and public landowners.

If migratory species are to survive the slow creep of human development, the plan adds, conservation efforts must begin sooner than later, and the public must have a participatory role.

Read more . . .

Second Annual Wilderness Speaker Series focuses on future

News, , , , ,

In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Bob Marshall Wilderness and the passing of the Wilderness Act, the Flathead Valley Community College will be hosting a four-part series on “50 Years of Wilderness:  What Will the Next 50 Years Look Like?”   Presentations will focus on the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex, the crown jewel of the Federal Wilderness System. The series is sponsored by the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation (BMWF) and the Montana Wilderness Association (MWA).

The first of the series, “Wilderness Turns 50 – Who Cares?”, will be on Thursday, January 23 at 7:00 p.m. The presenter will be Rick Potts, Refuge Manager, from Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge.

The lectures will be held on the FVCC campus, 777 Grandview Drive, Kalispell, in the Arts & Technology Building, Room 139, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.  There is no charge; everyone welcome.

Here is the full schedule. (Note that NFPA member Frank Vitale is on the March 13 panel.):

January 23:
Wilderness Turns 50 – Who Cares?
Rick Potts, Refuge Manager, Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge.

February 13:
Climate Change Effects on Landscapes and Ecosystems of Western Montana
Bob Keane, U.S. Forest Service, Missoula FireResearch Station

March 13:
Leaving a Legacy; Passing on Wilderness to the Next Generation
Panel discussion between elders and youth.
Panelists: Roland Cheek, retired wilderness outfitter and writer; Dave Owen; retired USFS wilderness ranger; Frank Vitale, Farrier and wilderness advocate; Rebecca Boslow, University of Montana student; Jonson England, high school student and BMWF summer intern

April 10:
Hair Raising Encounters with Wildlife in Wilderness
Jonathan Klein, U.S.F.S. retired Wilderness and Recreation manager (34years) on the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest

Larry Wilson: Yellowstone Park slide show lined up for Jan 20

Commentary, News, , ,

[Updated to correct time for presentation at Sondreson Hall.]

This is the seventh year Rick Graetz brings a group of his students to the North Fork and, as usual, he will be giving a presentation at Sondreson Hall. Larry Wilson’s column has the details . . .

This will be the seventh year that Rick Graetz, a University of Montana geography professor, will bring one of his classes to the North Fork.

The class will stay at the Polebridge Hostel and, as usual, Rick will present an educational program for local residents at Sondreson Community Hall. This year, the program will take place on Monday, Jan. 20, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Rick and his wife Suzie are accomplished photographers, and the program always revolves around a slide show of photos they have taken themselves.

This year, the program will feature about 100 photos of Yellowstone National Park as well as the narrative. It will illustrate the splendor of the mountains, rivers, forests, geysers and wildlife of what was once best known as “Colter’s Hell.”

Read More . . .

Snowshoeing in Glacier National Park

News, , , ,

The Daily Inter Lake has a nice write-up — with video, no less — of a recent ranger-led snowshoe walk in Glacier National Park . . .

When winter shrouds Glacier National Park, snowshoes are a handy mode of transportation into its snowy inner realm.

Despite rain and high winds, 15 people came out for a ranger-led snowshoe walk on Jan. 11, National Winter Trails Day.

“I’m pretty impressed,” park Ranger Terry Peterson told snowshoers as they departed from the Apgar Visitor Center. “This is the best time of the year to explore the park.”

Read more . . .

Large, old trees grow fastest

News,

Alan McNeil passed on this very interesting item. Think tree growth slows with maturity? Not according to a recent article in Nature.

The USGS, which had a lot to do with this study, put out a press release. Here’s the lead-in . . . .

Trees do not slow in their growth rate as they get older and larger — instead, their growth keeps accelerating, according to a study published today in the journal Nature.

“This finding contradicts the usual assumption that tree growth eventually declines as trees get older and bigger,” says Nate Stephenson, the study’s lead author and a forest ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. “It also means that big, old trees are better at absorbing carbon from the atmosphere than has been commonly assumed.”

An international team of researchers compiled growth measurements of 673,046 trees belonging to 403 tree species from tropical, subtropical and temperate regions across six continents, calculating the mass growth rates for each species and then analyzing for trends across the 403 species. The results showed that for most tree species, mass growth rate increases continuously with tree size — in some cases, large trees appear to be adding the carbon mass equivalent of an entire smaller tree each year.

“In human terms, it is as if our growth just keeps accelerating after adolescence, instead of slowing down,” explains Stephenson. “By that measure, humans could weigh half a ton by middle age, and well over a ton at retirement.”

Read more . . .

Medusahead detected on Flathead Indian Reservation

Environmental Issues, News, ,

Just what we need, a new invasive weed to look out for . . .

The latest “Wanted” poster in western Montana isn’t for a person, but rather, a plant.

Authorities from three counties and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes are asking people to be on the lookout for medusahead.

The invasive weed has been detected in the north Valley Creek area of the Flathead Indian Reservation. It is capable of drastically reducing the livestock carrying capacity of rangeland.

Read more . . .

Canadian Flathead bioblitz tour next week

Environmental Issues, News,

If you happen to be in Canada next week, you can find out more about the recent “bioblitz” at a series of talks offered around British Columbia. Here’s the announcement, courtesy of the Flathead River Valley web site . . .

Birds, bats, bugs… oh my! Come hear about the exciting biodiversity recently discovered in BC’s Flathead River Valley and how you can help save it forever. Speakers include Royal BC Museum’s Claudia Copley and Melissa Frey among others.

January 21st @ Science World In Vancouver – 7PM
January 22nd @ College of the Rockies Lecture Theatre in Cranbrook – 7PM
January 23rd @ The Arts Station in Fernie – 7PM
January 24th @ Canmore Collegiate – 7PM