Category Archives: News

Flathead County Planning Board recommends extraction limits in North Fork

Environmental Issues, News, , , ,

From today’s Daily Inter Lake . . .

The Flathead County Planning Board last week recommended limiting the size of extractive industries in the North Fork, but took pains to disassociate itself from a much-publicized memorandum of understanding between Gov. Brian Schweitzer and British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell.

That memorandum, signed earlier this year, calls for a ban on mining in the North Fork of the Flathead River in the United States and Canada.

Current county regulations require extractive industries in the North Fork Zoning District be of a “small scale,” but it is undefined and has not been implemented.

The board’s recommendation, which will be considered by the county commissioners, would limit extractive industries to five acres in size and allow no more than 20,000 tons of material to be removed each year. Those limits parallel limits set out in the Canadian-U.S. agreement.

Read the full article . . .

Chuck Jonkel Night

News, , ,

As many of you know, July 31st was Chuck Jonkel Night …er, uh… the NFPA Annual Meeting at Sondreson Hall. We had a great pot luck dinner and, following the business meeting and elections and such, hosted an excellent talk by Charles Jonkel, one the world’s preeminent bear researchers (more about him here).

Chuck, as usual, drew a big crowd. We also presented him with a surprise birthday cake to celebrate his recent 80th birthday . . .

Chuck Jonkel - 80th birthday cake

Chuck is on the right; John Frederick, NFPA President, is on the left. It was excellent cake!

North Fork protection nearing completion

Environmental Issues, News, , , , , , ,

Here’s an interesting article from the past week’s Hungry Horse News . . .

A deal to permanently protect the North Fork of the Flathead could come soon, Montana Sen. Jon Tester said last week.

“Maybe as soon as September we could get an agreement that is binding,” Tester said in a conference call with reporters last Thursday.

Read the full article . . .

Crown of the Continent conference planned at Waterton

Environmental Issues, News

From yesterday’s Daily Inter Lake . . .

A diverse group of people and organizations who care about the Crown of the Continent are working with The University of Montana Center for Natural Resources and Environmental Policy to organize a conference that will celebrate and build upon the region’s remarkable natural and cultural heritage.

The two-day conference – “Remarkable Beyond Borders: Shaping the Future of the Crown of the Continent” – is open to anyone interested in the past, present and future of the region. It will take place Thursday and Friday, Sept. 23-24, at the Bayshore Inn, Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta.

Read the full article . . .

Conference web site: http://crownroundtable.org/2010Conference.html

British Columbia wildfires put haze over western Montana

Fire Information and Status, News, , ,

From today’s Missoulian (we *ahem* covered this four days ago) . . .

The smoke we’re seeing in western Montana is coming from wildfires in British Columbia

Bridget DeRosa of the National Weather Service in Missoula said that while it was hazy in the Missoula and Bitterroot valleys, visibility was still more than 10 miles on Saturday. But it was reduced to 6 miles in the Flathead Valley around Kalispell.

Read the full story . . .

Mining ban on North Fork federal lands clears Senate committee

Environmental Issues, News, , , , , , , ,

Posted early this morning to the Missoulian’s website . . .

A measure that would ban federal-land mining along Glacier National Park’s western edge has passed a major Senate hurdle, and has been expanded to provide water-quality protections for nearby communities…

…the bill banning future federal mine leases has been expanded from its original to include the watershed upstream of Whitefish Lake, the nearby Haskill Basin drainage, and the wild and scenic Middle Fork Flathead corridor.

Read the full article . . .

Wildlife advocates hail Rocky Mountain wolf ruling

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

From today’s Flathead Beacon, here’s the Associated Press’ take on the restoration of wolves to Endangered Species Act protection . . .

Wildlife advocates say a ruling to restore Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves throughout the Northern Rocky Mountains buys time to create a better plan than the one the judge rejected, one that ensures their numbers don’t dwindle again.

Read the full article . . .

Northern Lights Saloon and Cafe a step closer to full operation

News,

At last Tuesday’s meeting, the Flathead County Board of Adjustment approved a conditional use permit for Northern Lights Saloon and Cafe to operate as a tavern in Polebridge. This is a major step in getting them back to full operation under their new management.

The Daily Inter Lake has more information in their write-up on the meeting. The part discussing the saloon is about half-way down.

Wolves back on endangered species list — temporarily, at least

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

Posted this evening to the Missoulian website . . .

Wolves are back on the endangered species list, after U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy ruled Thursday that populations in Montana and Idaho cannot be considered separately from Wyoming’s wolves.

In a 50-page decision, Molloy said “the rule delisting the gray wolf (in Montana and Idaho) must be set aside because, though it may be a pragmatic solution to a difficult biological issue, it is not a legal one.”

Read the full article . . .