Category Archives: News

Jimmy DeHerrera retirement party June 9

News,

Jimmy DeHerrera, District Ranger for the Hungry Horse-Glacier View District of the Flathead National Forest took a well-deserved retirement June 1. Jimmy has had a real impact on the North Fork and shown a rare talent for balancing the Forest Service’s often conflicting mandates.

Jimmy’s retirement party is Saturday, June 9th, 6:00 p.m. at the Whitefish Moose Lodge. The cost is $10.00 per person for pulled pork and all the sides. RSVP by June 6 to Munch Woods, ckwoods@fs.fed.us, 387-3811 or Louise Larimore, llarimore@fs.fed.us, 758-5251.

Cline sues B.C. over Canadian Flathead mining ban

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

As mentioned last Wednesday, Cline Mining, the outfit that planned an open pit coal mine in the North Fork headwaters area up in Canada, sued British Columbia over its decision a couple of years ago to ban mining and other extractive industries in the Canadian Flathead. The story has since gotten quite a bit of coverage on both sides of the border. One of the better follow-up articles was just posted by the Missoulian . . .

The decades-long dispute over a proposed mining ban on the northern edge of Glacier National Park flared up this week when a Canadian mining company filed a lawsuit against the Province of British Columbia seeking $500 million in compensation for lost revenue.

In the lawsuit, Cline Mining Corp. alleges that the government of B.C. expropriated three coal properties in the Canadian Flathead Valley by passing the Flathead Watershed Area Conservation Act, a recent piece of legislation that halted mining on all lands within the Flathead River watershed.

Cline lost its coal claims in the Flathead Valley in southeast B.C. when former Premier Gordon Campbell signed the Flathead Watershed Area Memorandum of Understanding with Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, reversing a longstanding land use plan for the Canadian Flathead that gave drilling and mining primacy over all other uses.

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Cline Mining sues BC for $500 million due to lost mining claims in Flathead Valley

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Well, now, look who’s in the news again.

Cline Mining, the outfit that wanted to put an open pit coal mine in the North Fork headwaters area up in Canada, is suing the British Columbia government for losses incurred when the province passed the Flathead Watershed Area Conservation Act.

Read the full article. There are a number of interesting nuggets buried in the later paragraphs . . .

Cline Mining has filed a $500-million lawsuit against the British Columbia government after losing a series of mining claims in the Flathead Valley in southeast B.C.

Cline’s action comes 27 months after the province yielded to pressure from environmentalists and the U.S. government to halt mining activity on the Canadian side of the environmentally sensitive Flathead, which is within Glacier National Park in Montana. The north fork of the Flathead, which has its headwaters in B.C., is part of the U.S. “wild and scenic rivers system” once it crosses from the East Kootenays into Montana.

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Annual Frog Day approaches

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Here’s an interesting volunteer opportunity. Word is, it fills up rapidly, so interested  folks should sign up right away. From the Flathead National Forest Learning Center announcement . . .

Join us for the annual Frog Day. Help find and count amphibians and reptiles in area wetlands.  It is fun and the Forest Service gains valuable data.

The day starts with a 1-1/2 hour training session on how to identify local amphibians and reptiles and how to do the surveys. Participants work in teams of 2-5 people with a forest biologist or technician leading the group. Anyone 7 years and up is welcome to attend. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

In 2012 the event takes place June 28 on the Hungry Horse/Glacier View Ranger District.  For more information or to sign up to participate, contact Teresa Wenum, 406/758-5218 or twenum@fs.fed.us.

Poaching still a problem in Northwest Montana

News,

This a head-scratcher. There’s a problem in this corner of the state with “thrill kills” — of deer, mostly . . .

The statewide hotline for reporting poaching incidents is already on pace to surpass last year’s call total, reflecting a possible changing attitude among Montanans that is more disapproving of “thrill kills” and other illegal shootings of wildlife.

Yet the problem persists, particularly in Northwest Montana. Local wildlife enforcement officers have seen more poaching cases than usual for this time of year. More than eight deer have been found shot dead in the last few months, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Region 1 officials.

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Public comment sought on wolf hunt proposal

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is gathering public feedback on this year’s proposed wolf hunting and trapping regulations. (Yes, that’s right, they are talking about allowing trapping this year.)

Most of these state-wide “listening sessions” were held on May 22, but there is one more scheduled for June 13, 7-9 p.m., at the Flathead Valley Community College, 777 Grandview Dr., Kalispell. The increased wolf quota and inclusion of trapping made earlier presentations fairly contentious, so expect the meeting in Kalispell to be lively.

Montana FWP also wants written public comment. Realistically, this is more effective than attending one of the meetings. Deadline for written comments is June 25. Send comments to FWP – Wildlife Bureau, Attn: Public Comment, P.O. Box 200701, Helena, MT 59620-0701. Call the FWP Wildlife Bureau at 406-444-2612 with any questions about the process.

For details on the proposed changes to Montana’s wolf hunting regulations, read FWP’s “Interested Persons Letter“.

You can also read the full press release online.

Battle against aquatic invasive species cranks up

Environmental Issues, News, , , ,

State and federal wildlife agencies are getting very hard-nosed about efforts to prevent the spread of a number of aquatic invasive species . . .

The battle against aquatic invasive species continues in Montana, where wildlife officials are constantly trying to prevent milfoil, mussels and other nonnative species from contaminating local lakes and rivers. These species are transported mainly on recreational watercraft that are not properly cleaned. History has shown aquatic invasive species are a major threat to waterways and can significantly damage ecosystems and natural resources.

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Glacier Park still plans Going-to-the-Sun Road opening June 15

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Glacier National Park says they are still on schedule to open Going-to-the-Sun Road by June 15 . . .

If the weather holds, Glacier National Park plows crews are expected to be at Logan Pass by May 25, and the Going-to-the-Sun Road should open all the way over Logan Pass by June 15, Park assistant superintendent Kym Hall said last week.

“We’re on track for a June 15 opening,” Hall said.

Hall made the announcement at a public meeting in Columbia Falls on May 16. Once the snow is cleared, it still takes a few weeks to clear the road of rocks and debris and to install removable guardrails at several locations, Hall said. The guardrails need to be bolted into place.

According to the Park’s contract with HK Construction, June 15 is the earliest the road could open…

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Glacier Park upbeat about trail work

News,

It sounds like Glacier Park got the money they wanted and the weather they wanted and are making good progress on trail work . . .

Glacier National Park will have about a $1 million in their budget for trail clearing and trail work this coming season, Park officials said last week. The Park annually spends between $675,000 and $1 million on its 730-plus miles of trails.

Chief ranger Mark Foust said trail work so far this spring has fared much better than last year, when record snowpack remained on the mountains and an extended period of wet, cold weather lasted into early July.

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Public shows little agreement on wolf hunt

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

This report on a Region 2 “listening session” provides a peek behind the curtain at the current Montana FWP thinking about predator control and hunt quotas . . .

This fall’s Montana wolf hunt will face critics who say it’s too extreme and not extreme enough.

State Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials got a taste of the divide on Tuesday during a Missoula listening session. While not ready for formal public comments, Region 2 Supervisor Mack Long invited the roughly 50 people in the audience to lay out the issues that should be considered. They obliged.

“It’s not too late to turn things around, but we’ve got to do it quick,” Long said. “This is one of the most dynamic times we’ve ever seen in wildlife management.”

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