Category Archives: News

North Fork fifth on US endangered rivers list

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Today’s Daily Inter Lake reports that the North Fork Flathead River ranks fifth on American Rivers’  2009 list of endangered rivers due to the threats posed by resource development in the Canadian Flathead.

Here’s the lead . . .

An “indefinite opportunity” for coal mining and other resource development in Canada has put the North Fork Flathead River on a list of the nation’s 10 most endangered rivers.

American Rivers, the country’s leading river conservation organization, ranks the North Fork fifth on its 2009 list.

Read the entire article . . .

Campaign to save the Flathead River Valley launches in B.C.

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The Sierra Club BC, Wildsight, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – BC Chapter and Flathead Wild recently launched a drive to save British Columbia’s Flathead River Valley. They hope to get the southern third designated as a national park, effectively filling out Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, and protect the remainder by establishing it as part of a wildlife management area. See the Friends of the Flathead website for more information.

Wolf numbers and sightings up

Environmental Issues, News,

Today’s Missoulian features a pretty good article on the current state of wolf populations throughout Montana and adjoining areas. The “hook” is the increased number of sightings near Missoula, but there is a lot of general information, as well.

Here’s the lead-in . . .

The howl of the wolf soon may be heard in Missoula.

Neighbors at the end of Marshall Canyon found wolf-killed wildlife in the drainage just northeast of the Missoula Valley in mid-March. Hunters last fall reported wolf tracks and scat in the Rattlesnake Wilderness and Gold Creek drainage. Residents in Bonner noticed the bighorn sheep hanging closer to town last winter, and wondered if wolves might be spooking them.

Read the entire article . . .

Flathead National Forest project funding meeting April 15th

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Some federal economic stimulus money will be allocated to projects in the Flathead National Forest. According to an article in today’s Daily Inter Lake, a “meeting at the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce from 7 to 9 a.m. April 15 will explain the funding as well as the scope and type of projects for which the money is intended.” There will also be “information on the process the Forest Service is using to get potential bidders involved.”

The meeting will be held in the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce’s conference room. Interested attendees should call 758-2800 by April 14th to reserve a seat.

It will be interesting to see what projects the Forest Service is proposing.

County eyes federal funds for road work

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From the Monday, March 23, 2009 edition of the Daily Inter Lake . . .

Flathead County hopes to get money from the federal Secure Rural Schools Act this summer to make improvements on the North Fork and Star Meadows roads.

The county has asked for $175,000 in federal money to apply crushed rock on the North Fork Road between Camas Road and Polebridge. About $66,000 has been requested to finish chip-sealing 2.7 miles of Star Meadows Road. County equipment and manpower would be used to match the federal money.

Read the entire article . . .

Mud season: bears and snowplows

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It looks like mud season — er, uh… Spring — is on its way.

According to an article in the Flathead Beacon, “Grizzly and black bears are emerging from their dens in Glacier National Park.” If they are up and foraging for food in the park, we’ll likely be seeing them on the North Fork, too.

Glacier National Park has started its spring plowing activities. The Daily Inter Lake has extensive details on scheduling and restrictions. The Park Service also posted a press release.

Flathead tops list of BC’s most endangered rivers

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The Outdoor Recreation Council of British Columbia (ORBC) started publishing a list of the most endangered rivers in the province in 2006. This year, the Flathead River is in the #1 spot, as it was in 2007, mostly because of the proposed Cline Coal Mine. An excerpt from today’s press release . . .

The Flathead River, which flows through southeastern BC into Montana, tops British Columbia’s most endangered rivers list for 2009 due to concerns about a controversial proposed open pit coal mine. The Flathead, which was number two on last year’s list, is widely considered one of North America’s wildest and most beautiful waterways. “The Flathead supports important trans-boundary fish populations while also sustaining the highest density of inland grizzly bears anywhere in North America”, said Mark Angelo, Rivers Chair for the Outdoor Recreation Council and an Order of Canada recipient.

Yet, while the US section is protected, the BC stretch faces a number of threats, the most prominent being the proposed Cline open pit coal mine. Given the size and location of the mine in the river’s headwaters, water quality would be impacted and recreational, wildlife and wilderness values would be greatly compromised.

For the full text of the press release and the associated backgrounder document, see the ORBC’s Endangered Rivers page.

UPDATE: Not strictly related to the Canadian Flathead — at least, not yet — but the ORBC is also concerned with the impact of “green” power projects on a number of B.C.’s rivers. The Vancouver Sun has coverage of this issue.

Senate again passes wilderness bill

Environmental Issues, News, ,

From the Thursday, March 19, 2009 online edition of the Flathead Beacon . . .

For the second time this year, the Senate has passed a long-delayed bill to set aside more than 2 million acres in nine states as protected wilderness, from a California mountain range to a forest in Virginia.

The 77-20 vote on Thursday sends the bill to the House, where final legislative approval could come as early as next week.

Read the entire article . . .

North Fork Road paving not on county wish list

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OK, it looks like the Daily Mistake Inter Lake was in error the other day when they listed “a $4.1 million rebuild of the North Fork Road, with paving to the Camas entrance of Glacier National Park” as being on the Flathead County wish list for federal stimulus funds. According to a brief note from Jack Potter, who is Chief of the Division of Science and Resources Management for Glacier National Park, the money would be used for such things as “the washout on the Camas hill and the replacement of the Akokala Creek Bridge.” So, these funds are being requested to make repairs affecting the perpetually disheveled inside North Fork Road on the park side of the river.

North Fork Road paving on county wish list for stimulus money

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The Tuesday, March 10, 2009 online edition of the Daily Inter Lake had an article on the Flathead County Commissioner’s wish list of projects for federal stimulus funds. This includes the following excerpt of interest to North Forkers:

…Roads figure heavily into the county’s proposed stimulus projects.

Among the most expensive road projects on the list is a $4.1 million rebuild of the North Fork Road, with paving to the Camas entrance of Glacier National Park…

It’s not clear why this item is included, since it is likely not enough money to get the job done. Still, it’s interesting that it made the list.

Read the entire article for more details and context . . .