Category Archives: News

Officials debate way forward on grizzly bear management

Environmental Issues, News, ,

A good article by Rob Chaney posted recently to the Missoulian . . .

As the Rocky Mountain grizzly bear population grows, its managers have encountered something of a vision problem: They’re not sure what success looks like.

“We have a pretty good road map on how to recover grizzly bears – reduce mortality and provide them a place to live, and bears will slowly increase,” Idaho Game and Fish Director Jim Unsworth told his colleagues at the Interagency Grizzly Bear Commission last week in Missoula. “I’d like to see us move more into proven areas instead of hanging out in the past.”

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Wolf quota reached in one district in northwest Montana

Environmental Issues, News, ,

From the Daily Inter Lake . . .

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has closed wolf hunting in a district covering areas east of Kalispell and in the Swan Valley because the allotted quota was recently met.

The quota for District 130 was 12 wolves, and over the weekend the state announced that the quota had been met and the district would be closed as of sunset Monday…

The Montana wolf hunt is scheduled to continue through Dec. 31. A proposal to extend it one more month is under consideration.

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Wolf hunt wraps up today in parts of Flathead County

Environmental Issues, News,

From today’s Flathead Beacon . . .

Wildlife officials are closing down the gray wolf season in portions of western Montana where hunters have met the state’s annual quota.

Officials said hunting in Wolf Management Unit 130 was to end a half-hour after sunset on Monday because the area’s 12-wolf quota has been filled. That includes portions of Flathead, Lake and Missoula counties.

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Public not getting the word on avoiding bears

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

No one who has spent much time on the North Fork will be surprised by the material discussed in this Associated Press article about grizzly bear encounters by inexperienced hikers.

However, there is a startling statement near the end that makes the whole article worth reading . . .

Officials recommend hikers carry bear spray, not run from grizzlies, and not hike alone.

Meanwhile, a representative of the British Columbia Ministry of Environment said a new study there found more evidence of Canadian black bears making predatory attacks on humans.

“We’re used to defensive attacks by grizzly bears, that are usually triggered by protecting cubs or food or space,” said Tony Hamilton. “But now we’re seeing black bears that have typically had no previous human contact looking at us as potential prey…

Read the entire article . . .

Larry Wilson: The North Fork gives thanks

Commentary, News, , ,

Larry Wilson discusses Thanksgiving on the North Fork and tail end of hunting season . . .

As usual, the Thanksgiving dinner at Sondreson Hall was a big community success. While most of the U.S. has made Thanksgiving a family holiday, here on the North Fork it is a community event. Just like the original Pilgrims, we choose to live in a place where the weather can be harsh and there is a real need for neighbors to help each other at times. With town fifty miles away and many services limited or non-existent a good neighbor is a fine thing.

It is not unusual up here to help a neighbor get out of the ditch or to bring auto parts or groceries from town. On the North Fork, a neighbor might live 20 miles away but is still considered not only a neighbor but a friend. In the towns or cities people are more likely to look through you than at you. No so, on the North Fork.

As a result, the Thanksgiving dinner is a collection of 60-80 neighbors who are glad to see you and you are glad to see them.

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Less than half of wolf quota killed so far; extended hunt possible

Environmental Issues, News, ,

From today’s Missoulian . . .

Hunters across Montana had killed less than half the quota of wolves set by state biologists as of Sunday, the end of rifle season for deer and elk.

The state Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks had recorded that hunters had shot 99 wolves by Sunday across 14 management units. The quota was reached in only one wolf district, the large unit that stretches from just east of Butte to the North Dakota state line.

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Bugs, fire, politics to transform western Montana forests

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

Here’s a pretty good discussion of the impacts on Montana’s forests over the next 50 years or so. Interestingly, some of the changes may actually restore earlier, healthier conditions . . .

Three things will combine to radically transform Montana forests in the next 50 years: bugs, fire and politics.

Mountain pine beetles have killed millions of acres of lodgepole pine trees. Those dead stands, combined with a progressively drier climate, will likely burn in wilder, more intense fashion. The biological aftermath should bring a wider mix of tree species, open areas and wildlife habitat, according to new computer models.

How humans tinker with that progression remains a wildcard…

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Larry Wilson: Winter strikes the North Fork

Commentary, News, ,

This is a bit confusing. Apparently, Larry’s column didn’t make the deadline for the print edition of the Hungry Horse News, but it did get posted online — over a “Larry Peterson” byline [update – they fixed it]. Go figure.

Anyway, Larry discusses the season’s first serious snowfall and cold snap . . .

No one on the North Fork needs to be told that Fall has fell and it is now winter. In the last week we have had a total snowfall of over 16 inches. There has been settling but a blanket of snow now covers everything, the golden needles have been blown off of the larch and wood is no longer being put in woodsheds but is being carried into the house.

Not only are we carrying wood into the house, we are burning a lot of it. In between snow storms we have had bone-chilling cold along with brisk winds. It seems a little early for subzero temperatures but my Monkey Ward thermometer read minus 12 degrees F one morning and neighbors reported similar below zero readings.

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Big game hunting season ends Sunday in Montana; wolf hunt continues until year-end

Environmental Issues, News, ,

Montana’s big game season will end as scheduled, but the wolf hunt will continue. So far, hunters have taken only 96 of the allowed 220 wolves.

Here’s the lead-in from an AP article discussing this . . .

Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials say Montana’s 2011 general big game hunting season will end Sunday evening, as planned, while wolf hunting will continue at least through the end of the year.

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