Category Archives: News

Flathead National Forest hosting “Bear Fair” Aug. 11

Environmental Issues, News, , , ,

This should be pretty relevant to anyone interested in the problems of sharing the landscape with bears . . ..

The Flathead National Forest is hosting an educational Bear Fair on Saturday, Aug. 11 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Coram. The event is at the Coram Community Center, 185 Coram School Lane, and is free and open to the public.

Participants will learn tips and tools for living in bear country, including information about bear country etiquette, safety and food storage. There will be informational booths, an electric fence seminar, various speakers and a bear spray instruction…

Between 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. there will be presentations from the U.S. Geological Survey, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Center for Wildlife Information and electric fencing specialists.

Continue reading . . .

New fire northwest of Seeley Lake; region’s fire season gets busier

Fire Information and Status, News, ,

Still not a lot of heavy wildfire action in this corner of Montana, but the region overall is getting busy . . .

A lightning-caused fire in the Marshall Creek drainage northwest of Seeley Lake was the biggest new start in western Montana, even as much larger challenges confronted firefighters in Idaho and eastern Montana.

A crew of Montana State Prison inmates was dispatched to the West Marshall Creek fire on Sunday, which had burned about 30 acres by Monday morning, according to Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation spokeswoman Paula Short. The agency also sent three helicopters, one large air tanker and a single-engine air tanker to slow its spread.

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Two new fires in Flathead Forest Monday

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What appear to be a couple of relatively minor wildfires were detected in Flathead National Forest on Monday . . .

Two new fires were detected on the Flathead National Forest Monday, and both are being suppressed.

The Gorge Fire was less than an acre, burning about 10 miles northeast of Condon in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Another fire, located near Dry Lake on the Swan Lake Ranger District, hadn’t been named or sized up as of Monday afternoon.

Continue reading . . .

“Red Flag” warning up for Lolo, Flathead, Kootenai forests & Glacier Park

Fire Information and Status, News, , ,

A “Red Flag” fire weather warning has been posted for the Flathead/Glacier area as well as the general region. Basically, the weather service is calling for hot, dry conditions with a chance of dry lightening from thunderstorms passing through the area. Here’s the text:

KOOTENAI-FLATHEAD/GLACIER PARK-WEST LOLO-
SALISH AND KOOTENAI RESERVATION-
425 AM MDT MON AUG 6 2012

…RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO MIDNIGHT MDT
TONIGHT FOR THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE KOOTENAI…FLATHEAD/GLACIER
PARK…WEST LOLO…SALISH AND KOOTENAI RESERVATION…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MISSOULA HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING FOR THUNDERSTORMS…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO
MIDNIGHT MDT TONIGHT. THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS NO LONGER IN
EFFECT.

* WINDS: OUTFLOW WIND GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH FROM NEARBY STORMS.

* MINIMUM HUMIDITIES: 18-28 PERCENT

* THUNDERSTORMS: HIGH-BASED THUNDERSTORMS WITH LITTLE IN THE WAY
OF BENEFICIAL RAINFALL AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A RED FLAG WARNING IS INTENDED TO ALERT LAND MANAGERS TO EXPECTED
WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT ALONG WITH SUFFICIENTLY DRY FUELS…WILL
SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE FIRE DANGER.

Family recounts struggle to establish Scapegoat Wilderness

Environmental Issues, News, ,

This is the second of the Missoulian’s two-part series on the establishment of the Scapegoat Wilderness . . .

A quote on the wall of the Montanan Steakhouse may be familiar to literature fans: John Steinbeck expressing his affinity for Montana during his travels with a French poodle named Charley. “I’m in love with Montana,” Steinbeck quipped in “Travels with Charley: In Search of America.” “For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection. But with Montana it is love. And it’s difficult to analyze love when you’re in it.”

The quote is a fitting one for a Lincoln restaurant owned by Barbara Solvie, who as Barbara Garland founded the Garlands Town and County store in the 1950s with her husband, Cecil.

Continue reading . . .

(Additional reading: The first part of this series.)

Wildfires in the Bob Marshall Wilderness area ease off

Fire Information and Status, News, ,

Wildfire activity in northwest Montana has eased up over the past couple of days . . .

While activity on several fires in and around the Bob Marshall Wilderness has slowed over the last couple of days, one fire has showed signs of life.

After being detected Tuesday, the Bar Creek Fire grew to 70 acres and as of Thursday afternoon it was estimated at about 255 acres. The fire is burning in the southern part of the wilderness about 35 miles southeast of Condon.The fire is now being managed as part of the Elbow Pass Fire Complex, which involved three fires merging on the eastern part of the wilderness earlier this week.

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Several conservation and sportsmen groups want to ban wolverine trapping

Environmental Issues, News, ,

Short version: A number of organizations groups want to end wolverine trapping in Montana. Montana FWP thinks they are overreacting to a minimal trapping quota. Here’s the lead-in . . .

Eight conservation and sportsmen groups are petitioning Montana to ban the trapping of wolverines, citing a government finding that climate change may threaten the survival of the fierce, bear-like creatures.

Montana wildlife regulators on Thursday unanimously approved the upcoming trapping season anyway, saying the climate change models span decades and the trapping quota of five wolverines for the 2012 season is not likely to hurt the overall population.

Continue reading . . .

Fires in the Bob Marshall get bigger; fire danger now high in Flathead Forest

Fire Information and Status, News, , , , ,

The U.S. Forest Service is starting to get busy. They’ve now got a 3,000 acre blaze in the Bob, after a couple of fires merged, as well as several smaller actions elsewhere. According to the following article from the Daily Inter Lake, they did manage to suppress a small wildfire in the North Fork’s Coal Creek drainage yesterday. . .

A fire that rapidly expanded in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex has merged with another fire to the east to cover a total of 3,000 acres by Monday afternoon.

The Rapid Creek Fire first was sized up at less than acre at midday Sunday, but by the afternoon it had grown to 500 acres and by Monday morning it was estimated at 1,000 acres.

The fire is located on the east side of the wilderness about 27 miles west of Augusta. The fire has been churning through heavy, beetle-killed timber across the Flathead Forest’s boundary with the Lewis and Clark National Forest, where It burned into the 700-acre Elbow Pass Fire by Monday afternoon.

Continue reading . . .

Wildfire season arrives on the North Fork

Fire Information and Status, News, , ,

Well, the U.S. Forest Service had an incident team set up on Moran Meadow today, a short distance south of Polebridge. Reportedly, they were working with helicopter support (a shiny red one) to knock down a spot fire in the Coal Creek area. They appeared to be doing water drops.

So, it looks like its time to remind our loyal readership that this site has a Wildfire Information page, with links to a number of useful resources.

Also, the Daily Inter Lake, as in the past, is shaping up as the newspaper of record for wildfire news this year. You can read today’s report online, which centers on the situation in the Bob Marshall Wilderness.