Category Archives: News

New griz study to focus on rub trees

Environmental Issues, News, ,

Another sure sign of spring: A new bear study.

From today’s Daily Inter Lake . . .

A new and expansive effort to monitor the Northern Continental Divide’s grizzly bear population will capitalize on a creature comfort for bears: the irresistible urge to scratch their backs on trees.

The research project mainly will be aimed at determining whether collecting hair samples from rub trees over three successive years can provide a reliable measure of whether the region’s grizzly population is stable, growing or shrinking.

It will be led by Kate Kendall, the U.S. Geological Survey scientist who spearheaded two previous grizzly bear population studies based on genetic analysis of bear hair.

Read the entire article . . .

Wolves off endangered list — for a few more days, anyways

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This whole wolf thing is getting a little confusing, but here’s the latest, as posted in today’s Flathead Beacon . . .

Wolves in parts of the Northern Rockies and the Great Lakes region come off the endangered species list Monday — opening the way for public hunting of the animals to begin in some states this fall.

But prior attempts to remove federal protection for the predators have been rejected by judges and new legal challenges are certain.

Read the entire article . . .

Narrowing the North Fork Road south of Camas

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Here’s an interesting entry from the North Fork Landowners’ Association Road Committee’s February minutes:

Dave Prunty has inquired about landowners’ interest in narrowing the section of gravel road from the end of the blacktop to Camas Creek Road. It is currently 40 plus feet wide and the proposal is to narrow it to a 24-foot width. The 24-foot width would reduce maintenance expenses from the grading aspect and probably plowing snow as well. The county thinks there is some good material that would be “reclaimed” to provide a better driving surface. The county is just beginning to [talk] about this idea and wanted community input.

To comment, landowners can contact the Road Committee at northforkroad@live.com. Flathead County Public Works Director Dave Prunty can be contacted directly at dprunty@flathead.mt.gov, although it’s probably best and most effective to funnel comments through the Road Committee in most circumstances.

By the way, the NFLA Road Committee has been doing some very nice work. See their North Fork Road page for details. Recommended reading.

Another pile of money for Glacier Park

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Besides the general infrastructure money announced a little over a week ago, Glacier National Park is getting $27.6 million in federal stimulus funding for repairs to Going-to-the-Sun Road. It will be used for work on the section between Big Bend and Logan Pass during next year’s construction season.

Yesterday’s Daily Inter Lake had the initial coverage. Today’s Missoulian has a lengthier, more detailed article.

More detail on stimulus funding for Glacier Park

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An article in today’s Missoulian and another in the Daily Inter Lake provide more information on the recently announced allocation of federal stimulus money for Glacier National Park. $15.6 million will go toward renovations at Many Glacier Hotel, $1.5 million is for upgrading comfort stations for proper handicap access and around $400,000 will be used for backcountry trail and campground maintenance.

Glacier Park still needs about a gazillion dollars for work on Going-to-the-Sun Road. Any money for that purpose would be funneled through the Federal Highway Administration. No word on that yet.

Glacier National Park to get $17.5 million in stimulus funds

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No word on how it will be spent yet, but Glacier National Park is getting $17.5 million for infrastructure work.

Here’s the lead from today’s online edition of the Flathead Beacon . . .

Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester announced Wednesday that Montana’s national parks will receive $33.2 from the federal stimulus, more than half of which will sent to Glacier National Park.

Read the entire article . . .

Stimulus money discussed; wilderness designation mentioned

Environmental Issues, News, ,

There’s sort of an odd article in today’s Daily Interlake reporting on a presentation by Regional Forester Tom Tidwell concerning plans for federal stimulus money in the area’s national forests. Wilderness designation also gets a passing mention, as well a number of other interesting tidbits.

Here’s the lead . . .

A wave of federal stimulus money will hit the ground in national forests soon, and it will be aimed at boosting private sector employment, Regional Forester Tom Tidwell said Monday in Kalispell.

In a meeting with the Inter Lake’s editorial board, Tidwell also discussed the importance of maintaining a Montana timber industry and the potential for wilderness designations in the region.

Read the entire article . . .

Bear evictions

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It must be spring. Montana FWP is back in the bear eviction business again. According to an article in today’s Daily Inter Lake, they had to relocate a sow and her cub a few days ago that were getting into garbage in the Swan Range foothills. Tim Manley, a grizzly bear management specialist, reports that half the radio-collared bears he monitors are already up and about, looking for food. So, this would be good time to make sure there aren’t any bear attractants — garbage, dog food, bird seed, etc. — around the property.

Read the entire article . . .

NPCA information on North Fork and Glacier Park

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With all the coverage the Trans-boundary Flathead has gotten over the past few weeks, it seemed appropriate to point out that the U.S.-based National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) also has a dog in that fight. They maintain a web page discussing the threats to Glacier Park and the adjoining Flathead River Valley arising from potential resource development in the Canadian Flathead, as well as links to a great deal of supporting material and related documentation. The NPCA is also advocating for the U.N. to designate Waterton-Glacier Park as an endangered World Heritage Site, a move that would focus additional international attention on  the situation.