Category Archives: News

Effort moving forward to protect trans-boundary Flathead from mining, energy development

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

From the Missoulian . . .

An effort to protect the transboundary Flathead River from mining and energy development moved a step forward Tuesday in the British Columbia Parliament.

Montana’s Gov. Brian Schweitzer and then-B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell signed a memorandum of understanding last year preserving the Flathead watershed, which borders Glacier National Park and the mountains west of Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta. Montana Sen. Max Baucus put a bill in Congress to solidify the commitment on the U.S. side; it’s still awaiting action.

On Tuesday, B.C. Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Steve Thomson announced a similar measure was put before the B.C. Parliament. The bill would prohibit issuing permits for mining, oil and gas development.

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B.C. introduces mining and energy ban legislation to protect Flathead

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From an announcement sent out by Dave Hadden of Headwaters Montana . . .

British Columbia’s new premier, Christie Clark, has made good on her predecessor Gordon Campbell’s commitment to ban mining and energy extraction in the headwaters of the transboundary Flathead River.

Yesterday, her Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, Steve Thomson, introduced Bill 2, the Flathead Watershed Area Conservation Act.

With the certain passage of this bill this year, B.C. will have completed its commitment to ban mining and energy extraction as one part of the historic B.C. – Montana MOU signed in February 2010 at the start of the Vancouver Winter Olympics.

The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) and The Nature Conservancy of Montana (TNC) will provide $9.4 million to fund the conservation aspects of the agreement and compensate the ‘sunk costs’ of mining and energy companies with leases (tenures) in the watershed.

On the Montana side, senators Baucus and Tester’s senate bill 233, the North Fork Watershed Protection Act of 2011, awaits Senate committee action…

A related note by Jon Frederick, NFPA President:

If you want to send money to help make the Memorandum of Understanding complete — that is, to help the Nature Conservancies of The U.S. and Canada pay for expenditures of the exploration companies in the Flathead of British Columbia — write a check to The Nature Conservancy and send it to The Nature Conservancy, 32 South Ewing Street, Helena, MT 59601. Write “Flathead Now! Campaign” in the lower left corner or it won’t go where you wish.

Problem bear captured and euthanized in Polebridge area

News, ,

An adult, female, “problem” bear was captured and killed Wednesday near Polebridge. Here are the essentials from the press release . . .

Glacier National Park Rangers and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks biologists captured and euthanized a black bear in the Polebridge area on Wednesday, October 5, after numerous incidents in which the bear broke into vehicles, raided trash storage areas and caused damage trying to access a residence. The bear broke vehicle windows and pulled off car door handles to gain access into at least four cars and trucks, including a vehicle in the park. The bear obtained a food reward in most of these incidents.

The female bear was six years old and weighed 241 pounds, and had been previously captured in downtown Kalispell in June of 2008, after it was seen in the Woodland Park area. The bear was tagged and released in McGinnis Creek in the North Fork of the Flathead, and has not been involved in any other management situations since.

After the recent incidents in the Polebridge area, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks biologists and park rangers set traps and captured the suspect animal. After consultation between Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks biologists and Glacier National Park personnel and verification that the correct animal had been captured, the bear was euthanized. This action is consistent with state and federal bear management plans.

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Larry Wilson: Optimism and glee over funding

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This week, Larry discusses the good news that funding has been approved for additional improvements to the North Fork Road and for additional efforts at weed control. On a more somber note, he also announces the passing of Bettie Jacobsen . . .

Not long ago, I was not very optimistic that the Resource Advisory Committee would grant money to all of Flathead County’s requests for road improvement projects. My pessimism was due in part to the fact that RAC projects had already provided funds for the North Fork Road stretching from Camas Junction nearly to Whale Creek…

I am pleased to announce that I was wrong again. Last week, RAC granted $25,350 for dust abatement on the North Fork Road in 2012…

On a sad note, word was received this week of the passing of Karen Feather’s sainted mother, Bettie Jacobsen…

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Deal reached on cleanup for Montana watersheds to protect native fish

Environmental Issues, News

From the Missoulian . . .

An agreement on how to clean up western Montana’s rivers takes a big-picture look at a problem that’s been in the courts since 1997.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Montana Department of Environmental Quality settled with the Alliance for the Wild Rockies and Friends of the Wild Swan to look at whole watersheds instead of individual rivers and streams when trying to meet federal Clean Water Act standards.

The agreement requires plans for cleaning 664 pollutants in 28 watersheds be in place by 2014. The clean-up efforts must improve habitat for bull trout and other native fish in the Clark Fork, Flathead, Blackfoot, Bitterroot and Kootenai rivers in Montana.

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Feds ready to delist wolves in Wyoming, shoot on sight

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

An AP article posted in today’s Missoulian . . .

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released a plan Tuesday to remove wolves in Wyoming from federal protection and allow them to be shot on sight in most of the state.

The draft plan posted online and set for publication in the Federal Register on Wednesday opens the way for Wyoming’s wolves to be removed from the endangered list perhaps next summer and no later than a year from now.

The proposal follows a delisting framework that Fish and Wildlife and Wyoming officials agreed to last summer after months of negotiations.

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More grizzly bears moving out of high country and into town

Environmental Issues, News, , , ,

An interesting report from the Missoulian . . .

Like a bucket filled beyond its brim, Montana’s wild spaces are spilling grizzly bears.

In August, a homeowner’s remote camera recorded a 250-pound grizzly bear foraging along Ashley Creek – two blocks from the state Fish, Wildlife and Parks regional headquarters in Kalispell.

“The pool’s closed and the big money’s paid out – we’ve had our first grizzly in Kalispell,” FWP Region 1 bear specialist Erik Wenum joked. “It walked itself right out of town. It wasn’t collared, but it wasn’t doing anything bad. It was just a location issue.”

Those location issues may become more common…

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Seriously cold-water bugs

Environmental Issues, News, ,

An interesting article on rare, cold-water insect species found in Glacier National Park and, if you read carefully, the North Fork . . .

Slowly but surely, Joe Giersch has been scouring streams below glaciers and snowfields in Glacier National Park for rare and mysterious aquatic insects that in some cases haven’t been detected anywhere else on earth.

The effort has been paying off for Giersch, an aquatic entomologist with the U.S. Geological Survey who is based out of West Glacier.

“There’s a whole host of these alpine stream insects that are not only isolated below these high alpine streams, but many of these species are only found in this part of the world,” Giersch said.

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Proposed bill could open up Glacier Park to Homeland Security projects

Environmental Issues, News, , , , , ,

An important story posted to this week’s Hungry Horse News concerning the so-called “National Security and Federal Lands Protection Act.” Recommended reading . . .

Glacier National Park’s border with Canada is marked by broad prairies and majestic mountains. A bill in Congress co-sponsored by Rep. Dennis Rehberg could conceivably allow the Department of Homeland Security to put roads and other access venues in areas currently managed as wilderness.

The proposed “National Security and Federal Lands Protection Act” would give Homeland Security broad powers over land that borders foreign countries.

According to the bill, “The Secretary of Homeland Security shall have immediate access to any public land managed by the federal government (including land managed by the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture) for purposes of conducting activities that assist in securing the border (including access to maintain and construct roads, construct a fence, use vehicles to patrol, and set up monitoring equipment).”

The bill also would allow Homeland Security to waive a host of environmental laws…

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