Posted late yesterday evening to the Missoulian . . .
No park is an island.
That was the message from Whitefish, where governors from Western states met early this week to discuss, among other things, how to protect wildlife and ecosystems that span jurisdictional boundaries.
Montana shares borders with Idaho, and with Wyoming and the Dakotas and with two Canadian provinces, “and wildlife, water and air don’t declare allegiance to any of those borders,” . . .
From todays’ Flathead Beacon, more fussing about the July deadline for implementing the provisions of the memorandum of understanding signed by Montana Gov. Schweitzer and BC Premier Campbell during the Winter Olympics . . .
The historic agreement banning natural resource development along the North Fork Flathead River, signed by Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer and British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell earlier this year, contains language saying the retirement of oil, gas and mineral leases must be completed by July.
It is a deadline, Schweitzer acknowledged last week, “in doubt.”
From today’s Missoulian. Recommended reading . . .
An agreement to protect the American and Canadian sides of the Flathead River Basin from mining and energy extraction is holding together, even though snags have developed in financing the deal.
Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer met with British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell in Victoria on Wednesday and returned with assurances their memorandum of understanding on the Flathead’s protection would survive a July deadline.
From today’s Flathead Beacon . . .
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester released some changes Thursday to his logging and wilderness bill, beating back a Washington, D.C.-based rewrite of the carefully crafted Montana compromise.
From today’s Daily Inter Lake . . .
The Flathead National Forest is launching a series of federal stimulus projects this summer, some of which will cause temporary access changes across the forest.
“We are doing so much improvements that the public is going to like this and appreciate it. They will be very noticeable,” said Denise Germann, the forest’s public affairs officer.
However, Germann said there will be temporary inconveniences at some locations, and that is why the forest is engaged in a outreach effort to inform the public about where construction activity is under way.
“We highly encourage forest users to plan ahead, and visit our website or contact us directly regarding temporary closures and access changes this summer and next,” she said.
There were no surprises in the first day of the hearing on whether gray wolves should be placed back under the Endangered Species Act in Montana and Idaho. Both sides presented the expected arguments. Here’s the lead-in from a relevant AP story. . .
A federal judge heard arguments Tuesday on whether gray wolves in Montana and Idaho should be protected once more under the Endangered Species Act and whether those states can ensure the species won’t be wiped out under their management.
The latest round in the lawsuit regarding Endangered Species Act delisting of gray wolves kicks off Tuesday. Today’s Missoulian has a good overview of the situation . . .
The wolves themselves may be the only ones who won’t be at the Russell Smith Courthouse on Tuesday morning when U.S. District Judge Don Molloy returns to arguments about the predator’s Endangered Species Act status.
From last Wednesday’s Flathead Beacon . . .
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester has dismissed a proposed rewrite of his forest bill as “dead on arrival,” and promised to publicly post his counteroffer that is expected next week.
Tester’s bill would create new wilderness in parts of Montana, while increasing logging requirements and establishing permanent recreation areas.
A Senate committee recently came up with its own version that does away with the logging and other mandates that are central to a deal crafted by a group of Montana loggers, environmentalists and others.
“People assume it’s mine, and its not because it does not have those components in there,” Tester said of the new draft. “It’s dead on arrival, as far as I am concerned.”
Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer is annoyed at the slow progress retiring mining leases in the Canadian Flathead — not because the Canadians are dragging their feet, but because he feels the U.S. government is not doing their part. However, there seems to be two sides to this story.
Here’s an AP article from the 4th of June providing a good overview of Schweitzer’s stance:
Gov. Brian Schweitzer said Thursday that he’s disappointed the federal government hasn’t come up with about $17 million needed to compensate mining companies as part of a deal with Canada to protect the area surrounding Glacier National Park.
The joint U.S.-Canada deal seeks to halt ongoing exploration and calls for a stop to future development of gold, coal, oil and gas in much of the Flathead River Basin. The basin sprawls across some 9,000 square miles and straddles the border.
Schweitzer and British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell signed the memorandum of understanding in February. It lays out several goals, including the compensation of two small companies that will have to walk away from their mines.
And here’s an editorial by Kellyn Brown of the Flathead Beacon questioning Schweitzer’s view:
It’s hard to know what to make of Gov. Brian Schweitzer’s recent criticism of his “federal partners” for, according to him, failing to secure $17 million to compensate Canadian mining companies so they will abandon their mining leases near Glacier National Park.
They did it. In the promised follow-up to last week’s announcement that British Columbia was halting all resource extraction activities in the Canadian Flathead, British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell and Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer met today in Vancouver, B. C. to sign an agreement banning mining and energy development throughout the transboundary Flathead Valley.
The Missoulian has the best coverage . . .
With an exchange of bolo ties and Olympic mittens, Gov. Brian Schweitzer and British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell signed an agreement in Vancouver to ban mineral and energy extraction in the cross-border Flathead River Basin on Thursday morning.
“I’m not taking credit for this,” Schweitzer said after the ceremony. “There are people who’ve spent their lifetime working on this goal. I’ve run one lap. And now I’m handing the baton along to the congressional delegation. They have a tall order to convince their colleagues this is the right thing and the right time to do it.”
For those of you who like to read source documents, here is the full text of the “Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation on Environmental Protection, Climate Action and Energy” signed today by Premier Campbell and Governor Schweitzer and witnessed by Kathryn Teneese, Chair of Ktunaxa Nation Council and Michel Kenmille, Council Member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.