Category Archives: News

Aggressive mountain lion in the upper McDonald Creek valley

News, ,

From a press release posted today on the Glacier National Park web site . . .

Aggressive behavior has been displayed by a mountain lion in the Upper McDonald Creek Valley near areas highly frequented by visitors. Rangers are requesting visitors to be on alert for mountain lions and report all sightings to the closest National Park Service (NPS) facility.

On Tuesday June 23, a woman and her niece were confronted by an adult mountain lion, dark in color on the Sperry Trail near the Lake McDonald Lodge. The lion was crouched adjacent to the trail with its ears back when the visitors saw the lion. The visitors spoke firmly to the lion and eventually the lion left the area. On Sunday June 26, rangers received another report of a very large hiking group that encountered a mountain lion with a similar description on the Upper McDonald Creek Trail, between the North McDonald Road and the horse bridge across Upper McDonald Creek. The lion was spotted less than five feet off the trail and did not show any signs of being frightened by people.

Rangers are actively patrolling these trails and are requesting visitors to report all sightings immediately to the closest NPS facility or Park Ranger. Visitors are also reminded that unlike bears, if an attack seems imminent, act aggressively, do not crouch or run away. Park Officials advise hiking in groups and do not recommend solo travel on trails. More details on mountain lion sightings in Glacier National Park is available in the park newspaper or online at http://www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/mtnlionsafety.htm.

Temporary road access closures in the North Fork area

News, , ,

From a press release posted to the Flathead National Forest web site . . .

Release Date: Jun 28, 2011

Public access on the Moose Creek Road, Forest Road #210C, and the Moran Creek Road, Forest Road #5241, both located north of Columbia Falls on the Flathead National Forest, will have temporary access changes beginning Friday, July 1.

The Moose Creek Road will be closed approximately 1mile before the Moose Creek Trailhead, Forest Trail #9, and the entire length of the Moran Creek Road will be closed.

The temporary closures are designed to mitigate disturbance to grizzly bears while activities of the Red Whale Fuels Reduction Project are taking place. The roads will open when the fuels reduction work is halted this fall. The temporary road closures will be implemented again next summer when the fuels reduction project continues.

For more information, please contact the Hungry Horse-Glacier View Ranger District at 387-3800.

Federal officials to visit Wyoming to talk wolves

Environmental Issues, News

Looks like Wyoming is slowly edging towards a deal with the feds on wolf management. From today’s Missoulian . . .

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is headed to Wyoming to meet with Gov. Matt Mead and others to discuss removing wolves from the endangered list in the state.

Sen. John Barrasso says Daniel Ashe, President Barack Obama’s nominee to lead the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, also will be traveling to Wyoming.

Continue reading . . .

Polebridge Fourth of July parade kicks off at noon

News,

Polebridge will have its usual (I use the term advisedly) Fourth of July parade this year. Here’s how the Hungry Horse News puts it:

“The Fourth of July parade at Polebridge will start at noon… The Northern Lights Saloon will have an outdoor barbecue in the afternoon and serve dinners. Polebridge has one of the most unique and shortest parades in the valley, often with hilarious political overtones. The event usually draws 1,000 to 2,000 people each year.”

The HHN also points out that there will be no fireworks (well, duh — lots of trees and long grass?) and no outdoor live music (not officially, anyways).

Still no date for Logan Pass opening

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Glacier National Park posted their weekend update today. The bulk of it discusses the ongoing work to get Logan Pass and the remainder of Going-to-the-Sun Road opened up. There’s still lots of snow to plow and no official opening date yet . . .

Plowing and rehabilitation work continue on the Going-to-the-Sun Road (Sun Road) and currently there is no estimation on when the upper sections will be cleared of the winter snow. Glacier National Park officials anticipate being able to announce a plan for additional visitor access beyond the current vehicle closure at Avalanche Creek.

Unprecedented winter snows and late spring snow storms slowed plowing progress on the Sun Road this spring. Plowing has been completed on the lower section of the road, which has allowed contractors working on the Going-to-the-Sun Road Rehabilitation Project to resume paving work between Logan Creek and the West Tunnel. Once the paving work is finished, increased access to areas of the Sun Road, beyond Avalanche Creek, may be allowed. Park officials hope to define what access would be available, sometime next week. However, until the full length of the Sun Road is plowed and open to traffic, the west side vehicle closure will remain at Avalanche Creek.

Continue reading . . .

Cool weather might keep main rivers below flood stage

Flood Information, News,

Looks like flooding concerns are easing off a bit. Here’s an early morning post to the Daily Inter Lake . . .

A couple of warm days and a few heavy rainstorms haven’t resulted in many changes to area river levels, Flathead County Office of Emergency Services Director Scott Sampey said Thursday.

But, that could change, he said.

Forecasts call for the main Flathead River and the Middle Fork at West Glacier to reach action stage today or Saturday.

Continue reading . . .

Rain, warm weather to bring new flooding to parts of western Montana

Flood Information, News, ,

Some of the discussion below doesn’t match the current North Fork flood gauge forecasts, but it behooves everyone to keep an eye on the river for the next two or three days. Also, the flood watch released yesterday is still in effect.

From the Missoulian . . .

Warm weather and a deep mountain snowpack will continue to cause concern for western Montana in coming days.

Flooding is expected across the region, starting late Thursday for many smaller tributaries and creeks. Flooding along major rivers is expected late Friday and early Saturday, said Dan Zumpfe, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Missoula…

As for the Flathead, snowmelt from Canada will push the river to flood stage, likely causing problems for communities such as Polebridge and Columbia Falls.

“All (of the rivers) will be going at or above flood stage in the late Friday/early Saturday time frame,” Zumpfe said. “The good thing about this warmup is that it is short lived.”

Continue reading . . .

Flood watch issued for all stems of the Flathead river from Friday through Sunday morning

Flood Information, News, ,

The National Weather service has issued a flood watch for the upper end of the Flathead drainage. Currently, they are forecasting a brief period of flooding for the North Fork at the Canadian border starting late Thursday/early Friday, but not for Polebridge. Here’s the official wording . . .

… Flood Watch in effect for all stems of the Flathead river from Friday morning through Sunday morning…

The National Weather Service in Missoula has issued a

* Flood Watch for all stems of the Flathead river in northwest Montana… including the following County… Flathead.

* From Friday morning through Sunday morning

* warm temperatures this week have enhanced melting of the record snow pack throughout the Flathead river basin. Steady rises on all stems of the Flathead river are forecast and flood stages may be reached as early as Friday.

* Small streams that feed the Flathead may also rise and approach flood levels this week and through the weekend.

Precautionary/preparedness actions…

A Flood Watch means there is a potential for flooding based on current forecasts.

You should monitor later forecasts and be alert for possible flood warnings. Those living in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to take action should flooding develop.

Warming trend will cause Flathead River rise

Flood Information, News, ,

The spate of warmer weather is expected to increase water flow in the Flathead River. The current forecast for the North Fork shows it exceeding flood level briefly at the Canadian border late Thursday/early Friday.

The Daily Inter Lake has a write-up . . .

With a significant warming trend expected this week, the National Weather Service is forecasting increased flooding potential for some Western Montana rivers, including the Flathead River.

The Flathead River at Columbia Falls could reach or exceed flood stage by Thursday or Friday, but other rivers such as the Whitefish and Stillwater Rivers are no longer expected to exceed flood stage without a major rain event, meteorologist Bruce Bauck said during a conference call on Monday.

Continue reading . . .

The North Fork Bear News is out! ‘Patti Bear’ at risk

Environmental Issues, News, , , ,

The North Fork Bear News is out! If you are on the mailing list, you should have it now or be getting it soon. If you are not on the mailing list, or just don’t want to wait, you can read it online here (in color, no less).

This year’s issue has lots of good content about bears, but its primary motivation is the (unnecessary) risk to “Patti Bear,” a young female North Fork grizzly. Here’s what the Bear News people have to say . . .

Patti Bear & hummingbird feeder

Dear Fellow North Forkers:

A few of us have resurrected the North Fork Bear News in response to Tim Manley’s warning at the winter Interlocal meeting that he may have to remove Patti Bear this summer if she gets another food reward. We don’t want to see that happen, and we’re confident the rest of the North Fork community doesn’t want to see it happen either. So we’ve decided to get the word out, and we invite you to do the same.

It’s been a long time since the North Fork has lost a bear because of human food rewards, and we have a good reputation for keeping our camps clean and our bears safe. Patti Bear’s story isn’t over yet – Manley says she can still learn to stay out of trouble and he’s made it clear that the last thing he wants to do is kill a bear. But now more than ever, her survival is up to us.

Preventing Patti or any other bear from getting a food reward is simple, and most of us know the drill: don’t leave food or garbage out where bears can get to it. But if it’s so simple and we know the drill, why is a grizzly bear’s life on the line because of human food rewards?

It’s a question each of us needs to ask ourselves if we are serious about the welfare of bears on the North Fork. And it’s not a stretch to say that the welfare of our neighbors and their property is at stake, too. Most of us know what a food conditioned grizzly bear can do to a cabin, or to a person.

Putting up electric fencing, cleaning up dog food or garbage, or removing dead ground squirrels from the yard can be inconvenient, and everyone enjoys seeing birds at a birdfeeder. The question ultimately becomes whether a bear’s life is worth a little extra cleanup or giving up our birdfeeders. We think it is. With a little extra effort on all our parts, Patti Bear can stay wild, free, and alive.

Continue reading the North Fork Bear News . . .