Category Archives: News

What the trout tell us

Environmental Issues, News, , , , , ,

Dan Testa has an excellent piece in the Flathead Beacon discussing trout studies in the North Fork — on both sides of the border — and the general importance of this sort of baseline study in connection with the upcoming UNESCO scientific mission to study threats to Waterton-Glacier Park.

Here’s a sampler . . .

The research of these scientists is likely to be heavily relied upon by members of a United Nations fact-finding mission arriving in the region some time in the next year to determine whether Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park should be designated a “World Heritage Site in Danger.” The unanimous June vote in Seville, Spain, by a 21-country panel of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) could mean widespread attention will once again be drawn to the issue of threats from mining and drilling operations in southeastern British Columbia along the headwaters of the North Fork, which serves as the western boundary of Glacier National Park.

Read the entire article . . .

Official announcement of Tester’s “wilderness bill” scheduled for 1pm Friday

Environmental Issues, News, ,

OK, it’s official. U.S. Senator Jon Tester will introduce his “forest jobs and stewardship bill” on Friday, July 17 during a 1 p.m. news conference at RY Timber in Townsend. The Missoulian has a brief write-up, including the obligatory, sound-bite quote . . .

U.S. Sen. Jon Tester will introduce his much-anticipated bill designed to create jobs in Montana’s forests while also designating new wilderness areas this Friday, July 17.

Tester has been hearing input on the legislation from dozens of Montana organizations and individuals for more than two years.

Read the entire article . . .

Tester wilderness bill also targets jobs and recreation

Environmental Issues, News, ,

According to today’s Missoulian, Sen. Jon Tester’s office is being a little more forthcoming this week about the wilderness bill he intends to announce Friday. See our previous post for background information. Here’s the lede . . .

There may be more ideas than acres going into an anticipated wilderness bill under construction in Montana Sen. Jon Tester’s office.

And one of those ideas may be a new name.

“There are several major components to the overall legislation (jobs through new logging opportunities, recreational access, etc.), so calling it simply a ‘wilderness bill’ is a mischaracterization,” Tester spokesman Aaron Murphy said Monday. “I’d call it a forest jobs and stewardship bill.”

Tester’s staff has stated the bill would build upon the work of three environmentalist/industry collaboration efforts. The Beaverhead-Deerlodge Partnership outlined about 322,000 acres of wilderness in the national forest land that stretches between Helena and Monida. Another 87,000 acres are suggested in the Blackfoot-Clearwater Stewardship Project. And the Three Rivers Challenge in the Yaak designates 30,000 acres as wilderness.

Read the entire article . . .

Good background information on Tester’s wilderness bill

Environmental Issues, News, ,

The High Country News has a lengthy but excellent piece covering some of the background and thinking behind Sen. Jon Tester’s wilderness bill. Although it focuses on the Beavercreek-Deerlodge Partnership, the article includes lots of good supplementary information that helps put Tester’s plans in context. It takes very little reading between the lines to realize that this could have a significant impact on forest management locally.

Recommended reading.

Here’s a taste . . .

They call it the Beaverhead-Deerlodge Partnership, but it’s not as warm and fuzzy as it sounds. They’ve hammered out some bold goals, determined to make both the Forest Service and more hard-line environmentalists agree to them. They want increased logging, contentious restoration projects and controversial wilderness designations that would break a 26-year-long gridlock in Montana’s wilderness politics.

Read the entire article . . .

International scientists to visit Flathead to investigate Peace Park threats

Environmental Issues, News, ,

The “Montana’s News Station” web site, which includes KPAX-TV in Missoula and KAJ in Kalispell, posted a short report on the planned World Heritage Committee investigation into threats to Waterton-Glacier Park . . .

International scientists will visit the Flathead Valley in the fall to investigate potential threats to Waterton Glacier International Peace Park from mining proposals in southern British Columbia.

Eleven environmental groups in the United States and Canada asked the World Heritage Committee to declare the world’s first peace park in danger.

Conservationists say the overall goal is not to have Waterton Glacier listed as in danger, but to work with Canada and British Columbia to develop a long term solution to protect the peace park.

Read the entire story . . .

The Inside North Fork Road is open — no, really

News,

According to an article posted today at the Hungry Horse News web site, the Inside North Fork Road, after two-and-a-half years of dinking around, finally opened again this morning . . .

Glacier National Park officials announced the opening of the Inside North Fork Road to all traffic as of mid-morning Friday, July 10. The Inside North Fork Road is the Park’s oldest, built in 1901 when oil was struck near Kintla Lake. The Inside North Fork Road is a 28-mile narrow, bumpy, gravel road between Fish Creek and Polebridge, providing access to some of the Park’s most pristine wilderness areas.

Read the entire article . . .

Wolf licenses on sale August 17th — maybe

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

The Clark Fork Chronicle reports that hunting licenses for Wolves go on sale in Montana on August 17. In northwest Montana, the Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission set a quota of 41. Interestingly, the North Fork has a specific sub-quota of 2 wolves.

As just about every article on the subject has mentioned, this year’s wolf hunts in Montana and Idaho are sort of theoretical at this point. They will almost certainly be challenged in court.

For more details on wolf regulation and many related subjects, visit the Montana FWP “Wolf Conservation” page.

Many unhappy with secrecy of Tester’s wilderness planning

Environmental Issues, News,

Surprise! A lot of folks are starting to grumble about the level of secrecy surrounding Senator John Tester’s wilderness planning. This may just be a case of Tester practicing the “art of the possible,” but expect some additional ideas to get tossed in his lap. In the North Fork area, the long-standing Winton Weydemeyer Wilderness proposal is an obvious candidate.

The Flathead Beacon has an AP story discussing some of the complaints about the process . . .

A group of environmentalists and former supporters of Sen. Jon Tester are criticizing his office’s decision to keep quiet about legislative plans for a new Montana wilderness area.

Critics speaking out about the plan include many who want to see more wilderness themselves but argue the issue is so important that Tester’s office should disclose exactly what is being considered. They say the Montana Democrat’s proposal is the product of a secretive process open only to well-connected insiders.

Meanwhile, groups believed to have a say in negotiations, including the Montana Wilderness Association, hail the Tester’s work as a major step toward creating Montana’s first new wilderness designation since the 1980s. Tester spokesman Aaron Murphy said voters are encouraged to share their views on forest management.

Read the entire article . . .

Morning round-up: wolves and wildfires

Environmental Issues, Fire Information and Status, News,

According to an Associated Press article, Montana and Idaho are setting hunting season quotas for wolves this year. This is likely a pro forma action, since any wolf hunt will be challenged in court by a number of environmental groups.

The Missoulian reports that Montana is probably in for a normal fire season. “Normal” means something on the order of 420,000 acres burned and around 1800 fires, mostly human-caused.