Category Archives: News

Glacier Park seeks comment on Quartz Lake invasive species fish barrier

Glacier Park is trying to keep non-native lake trout out of Quartz Lake . . .

Glacier National Park officials are seeking public comment on a project that would modify and improve a fish barrier designed to stem the invasion of lake trout in Quartz Lake.

Considered one of the last best strongholds for native fish in the entire Columbia River Basin, Quartz Lake’s native fish populations include bull trout, which are classified as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, as well as westslope cutthroat trout and mountain whitefish.

Native fish populations in Glacier National Park have been compromised by the invasion of non-native fish species into the park’s lakes and streams, and lake trout are being targeted as the chief culprit.

Continue reading . . .

Further reading: official Glacier Park press release.

Special backcountry avalanche warning issued for Northwest Montana

Skiing or snowmobiling in the backcountry is risky business right now . . .

A special backcountry avalanche warning was issued Sunday for the mountains of Northwest Montana.

Avalanche danger is “high” for areas between 4,500 feet and 7,500 feet, according to Flathead National Forest avalanche expert Stan Bones.

Travel in avalanche terrain is not recommended, according to the advisory. The warning applies to the Mission, Swan, Flathead, Lewis and Continental Divide mountain ranges.

Continue reading . . .

More reading: avalanche advisory at the Flathead National Forest web site.

Lone wolf visits Kalispell Saturday morning

It seems a wolf made a post-hunting season visit to Kalispell Saturday morning . . .

Three generations of the Grande family shared a bonding experience Saturday morning when they followed a wolf through northwest Kalispell . . .

The Grandes weren’t the only people to report seeing the wolf, according to the Kalispell Police Department dispatch log.

The Kalispell wolf saga started at 10:30 a.m., when a woman reported seeing the wolf running along Windward Way, near the Kalispell Regional Medical Center. Just before 11 a.m., another woman said she saw it running along the back of the Flathead County Fairgrounds.

Shortly after 11 a.m., the Grandes made their reports. The wolf was then spotted in a field between Northridge Drive and Four Mile Drive. As it exited town, deputies with the Flathead County Sheriff’s Department took up the chase and managed to film it on their dashboard cameras.

It was at that point that officers contacted Fish, Wildlife and Parks, which sent out three people with equipment to try and read the collar’s signal . . .

Continue reading . . .

Kyle Johnson named NPS wilderness champion

Glacier National Park Wilderness Specialist Kyle Johnson recently received the National Park Service Intermountain Region Wilderness Champion Award. Of the local news organizations, the Hungry Horse News has the best coverage of this story . . .

When Kyle Johnson wasn’t playing sports at Columbia Falls High School, he was out in the woods hunting and fishing with his friends and family.

That passion for the woods – and its preservation – was recently recognized as he received the National Park Service Intermountain Region Wilderness Champion Award.

Johnson is Glacier National Park’s wilderness specialist. He developed and instructs the Park’s interagency wilderness training for backcountry rangers and volunteers and worked with the University of Montana to create the successful wilderness ranger internship position at the Park.

In addition, he oversees the Park’s backcountry permit program and is a leader in teaching Leave-No-Trace principles and practices. He also assists in search-and-rescue missions and other Park ranger duties.

Continue reading . . .

Further reading: the official Glacier Park press release.

Superintendent discusses future challenges for Glacier National Park

Today’s Flathead Beacon has a pretty good write-up on a recent talk by Chas Cartwright, the Superintendent of Glacier National Park . . .

As the superintendent of Glacier National Park, Chas Cartwright has his eyes on the future, as well as the challenges it could hold for conservation and construction in the Crown of the Continent.

Cartwright spoke on Feb. 23 at an event hosted by the Glacier National Park Fund at Grouse Mountain Lodge in Whitefish, discussing the major issues the park currently faces and how he envisions those issues playing out.

Continue reading . . .

USFS officials expect improved efficiency, legal defense will speed forest work

From yesterday’s Missoulian . . .

Speeding up the pace of work on national forests should mean more wood for Montana sawmills – but it won’t mean more money for the agency, U.S. Forest Service officials said on Thursday.

That’s going to happen through a combination of more efficient project planning and better legal defenses, according to Agriculture Department Undersecretary for Natural Resources and the Environment Harris Sherman, who oversees the Forest Service. It won’t involve a lot more federal money.

Continue reading . . .

Resolution of Polebridge area arson case still pending

The resolution of Kent Johnson’s arson case is still pending . . .

The case of the Polebridge man charged with setting fire to a neighbor’s yurt and outhouse in September 2010 is still pending in Flathead County District Court.

Kent Johnson initially faced a felony arson charge, with a maximum sentence of 20 years and a $50,000 fine, and a misdemeanor assault charge, with a maximum sentence of six months and a $500 fine . . .

According to a plea agreement worked out with the county attorney’s office last year, Johnson would receive a two-year deferred sentence for the felony and misdemeanor charges if he agreed to sell his house and land in Polebridge and move out of Montana within six months of the plea agreement being granted by a judge . . .

Continue reading . . .

County road dust control program returns

It’s time again to sign up for the county road dust control cost-share program . . .

Once again, residents living on unpaved county roads will have a chance to participate in a cost-share program to control dust from passing vehicles.

Letters were recently sent out to residents who participated in the program over the past three years to see if they want to participate again. Newcomers seeking information on the program can call the county road department at 758-5790 or visit online at http://flathead.mt.gov/roads_bridges. Deadline to sign up is March 16.

Continue reading . . .

Public forum on ecological value of Waterton-Glacier Park to be held March 12

(Text and images shamelessly stolen from the latest Headwaters Montana newsletter. . .)

Leading Scientists to Talk about Griz,
Critters with Teeth, and Wet-and-Wild River Things

 ~ Please Join Us for an Informative Evening ~

_____________________________________________

When: Monday, March 12, 2012, 7-9pm
Where: Grouse Mountain Lodge, 2 Fairway Dr., Whitefish
Cost: $10 suggested donation
Cash Bar / Seating Limited ~ come early!

____________________________________________

Headwaters Montana is co-sponsoring an important science forum on the ecological value of Waterton – Glacier International Peace Park and the importance of completing Waterton Park by expanding the park into British Columbia.

Three leading researchers will make presentation on transboundary grizzly bear populations, aquatics, fisheries, ungulates and predator wildlife species.

The three researchers will focus on recent scientific discoveries and insights made in the vicinity of Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park.

  • Dr. Richard Hauer is director of the recently formed Montana Institute on Ecosystems of the University of Montana, will speak about the biological richness of the transboundary Flathead River (aka the North Fork Flathead River), and make the case that the Flathead River system is one of the most ecologically intact rivers in the Lower 48.
  • Dr. Michael Proctor is the Principal Investigator for the Trans-Border Grizzly Bear Project based in British Columbia.  Dr. Proctor recently published a ground-breaking study published in the Wildlife Monographs that documents the challenges facing grizzly bears in the transboundary region of the Rocky Mountains between Montana and British Columbia.

Headwaters Montana is co-sponsoring the event with Wildsight, National Parks Conservation Association, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, and Sierra Club BC.

Recent study shows beetle-killed pine needles burn 3 times faster than live needles

That beetle-killed trees burn faster than live ones seems rather obvious, but it’s good that someone has come up with some hard numbers . . .

A recently study should put to rest the notion that green lodgepole pine needles burn as fast as red ones.

But more than that, Matt Jolly said, the study could help open firefighters’ eyes to the dangers lurking in mountain pine beetle-infested forests where the trees still look to be alive and doing well.

Continue reading . . .