Category Archives: News

Blackfeet wary of monument designation for Badger-Two Medicine

Environmental Issues, News
Two Medicine Lake
Two Medicine Lake – Flikr User Phil’s Pixels

Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke has proposed making the Badger-Two Medicine region a national monument. Given the Trump administration’s recent attempts drastically to reduce the size of two national monuments in Utah, Blackfeet tribal representatives are understandably wary . . .

Even as it clashes with American Indians over reductions to national monuments in the Southwest, the Trump administration is pursuing creation of a new monument on the border of a Montana reservation where tribal officials remain wary of the idea.

The Blackfeet Indian Tribe has long fought oil and gas drilling and other development within the Badger-Two Medicine area — a mountainous expanse bordering Glacier National Park that’s sacred to the tribe.

Blackfeet Chairman Harry Barnes told The Associated Press that protection of that 200-square-mile (518-square-kilometer) area is paramount. He sees a “workable solution” in Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s proposal to co-manage the area with the tribe, but stressed that the Blackfeet have never sought a national monument designation for the land.

Read more . . .

Trump reduces size of national monuments in Utah. Now what?

Environmental Issues, News,
Bears Ears National Monument - Bob Wick, BLM-Flickr
Bears Ears National Monument – At 1.35 million acres, it is among the largest national monuments in the country – Bob Wick, BLM-Flickr

The Trump administration just severely reduced the size of the Bear’s Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalate national monuments in Utah. Predictably, tribes and conservation groups reacted with outrage, promptly filing lawsuits to reverse this action.

More than likely, Gold Butte in Nevada and Cascade Siskiyou in Oregon will also be trimmed, not to mention the possibility of rule changes affecting several other monuments. More lawsuits will certainly ensue.

An incredible number of articles have been written on this matter over the past few days. Here’s a short reading list providing useful background and context…

Where Protected Lands Stand After National Monument Review – Flathead Beacon

Was It ‘Illegal’ For Trump To Shrink Utah’s Monuments? The Battle Begins – NPR

7 Facts About the Trump Administration’s Illegal Attack on National Monuments – National Parks Conservation Association

The President Stole Your Lands – a now-famous posting on the Patagonia website

Chronic Wasting Disease strikes Montana

Environmental Issues, News, , ,
Chronic Wasting DIsease (CWD) - illustration of effects on elk
Chronic Wasting DIsease (CWD) – illustration of effects on elk

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), a disease affecting (so far) deer, elk and moose, has spread from Wyoming to Montana. This is a Very Bad Thing.

If you are new to this issue (or even if you aren’t), here are two articles to get you started. The first is an excellent overview by the Flathead Beacon’s Rob Breeding. The second is a more lengthy, detailed examination of the situation by Todd Wilkinson posted to the Mountain Journal (kudos to Debo Powers for spotting this one).

CWD Creeps into Montana
Chronic Wasting Disease infects members of the deer family, including elk and moose

Chronic Wasting Disease Strikes Montana And Continues Its March On Yellowstone
As Wyoming Continues To Deny The Threat Posed By Feedgrounds, Critics Say Federal And State Agencies Demonstrate Epic Dysfunction For Their Lack Of A Coordinated Plan

Forest Service seeks input on the ‘Crystal Cedar’ Project

Environmental Issues, News, ,
Crystal Cedar Project General Vicinity Map
Crystal Cedar Project General Vicinity Map

From the official press release . . .

The Hungry Horse-Glacier View Ranger District of the Flathead National Forest is asking for public input on management opportunities on National Forest System lands north of Columbia Falls and west of the Flathead River. This area includes Crystal Creek, Cedar Flats, Spoon Lake, Blankenship, and Teakettle Mountain.

The Crystal Cedar project aims to reduce hazardous fuels in the wildland-urban interface, improve the health and diversity of forest vegetation communities, and provide a range of trail-based recreation opportunities near the community of Columbia Falls.

The Flathead National Forest wants to hear from you. We want to understand how the community uses the area and what types of management you want to see. Comments are most helpful if provided by December 15, 2017.

More details about the Crystal Cedar project area, a map of the project area, and instructions on how to provide information to the district can be found online at https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=52844. The Web site also allows you to subscribe to electronic updates on the project so you can stay up to date on project development.

To find out more about the project, please contact Sarah Canepa, project team leader, at the Hungry Horse Ranger Station, 406-387-3800.

Conservation groups to sue Flathead Forest over road management

Environmental Issues, News,
Lake in Flathead National Forest
Lake in Flathead National Forest

A coalition of conservation groups intends to sue the Flathead Forest over their management of logging roads . . .

In what may be the first shot fired over the bow of the soon-to-be-released new Flathead National Forest land use plan, three conservation groups filed intent to sue over management of the logging roads on the 2.4-million acre forest.

The groups claim the forest hasn’t met its obligations under the Endangered Species Act to protect threatened bull trout due to inadequate management and monitoring of logging roads, in particular the thousands of culverts that can fail and deposit sediment into trout streams.

Flathead National Forest Supervisor Chip Weber said that while he can’t comment on the pending lawsuit, he will say the water quality on the Flathead Forest is the most pristine of any place he’s worked before, including Alaska.

Read more . . .

A hero of the North Fork

Environmental Issues, History, News
John Frederick - by Steven Gnam
John Frederick – by Steven Gnam

Tristan Scott of the Flathead Beacon posted a lengthy article on the passing of John Frederick.

See also John’s obituary . . .

Anyone who knew John Frederick is mourning the passing of a man who stood out as a pillar of the North Fork, the wild and scenic river corridor tracking the boundary of Glacier National Park, where he played prominent roles as affable innkeeper and ardent activist, a pioneering preservationist and honorary mayor who fought mightily to protect a place that captivated him for more than four decades.

By all accounts, he succeeded.

Frederick died Nov. 15 after a long struggle with bladder cancer. He was 74.

In the days following his death, friends and neighbors have reflected on his legacy as the unofficial “Mayor of Polebridge,” a well-deserved honorific that won’t soon be bestowed elsewhere as Frederick’s spirit presides over his beloved community and the environmental safeguards he fostered.

Read more . . .

Protesters greet appearance by controversial land-use attorney

Environmental Issues, News

Grazing rights attorney Karen Budd-Falen’s presentation last Saturday was not exactly an unqualified success . . .

A controversial land-use attorney drew more than 100 protesters and as many supporters to Hamilton Middle School Saturday, but the topic of her talk with county residents was interpreted differently by people attending the event.

Karen Budd-Falen, the Wyoming-based grazing-rights lawyer leading President Donald Trump’s shortlist for Bureau of Land Management director, presented guidelines on land-use planning to Ravalli County residents.

Protesters characterized Budd-Falen as a supporter of privatizing public land, or at least supporting policies proven to lead to land sell-offs.

Read more . . .

Our NCDE grizzlies

Environmental Issues, News, , ,
Grizzly Bear - courtesy NPS
Grizzly Bear – courtesy NPS

Debo Powers, NFPA President, passed along the following information . . .

The Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE) grizzly bear population is “The Heart of the Grizzly Nation.” This population is crucial to recovery in the rest of the lower 48 populations. As the federal government moves toward delisting these magnificent creatures, we need to become informed.

Dr. David Mattson is building a website intended to bring together much of the information that is known about grizzlies, including demography, diet and habitat, and conservation: https://www.mostlynaturalgrizzlies.org.

There will be a meeting of the NCDE Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee in Missoula on November 29 from 9:00am to 4:00pm. There will be updates from various agencies working on the grizzly bear recovery plan and a time for public comment at the end of the meeting.

Missoulian: North Fork bids goodbye to wildland advocate Frederick

Environmental Issues, History, News
John Frederick on his horse Skippy - photo by Kristian Denny
John Frederick on his horse Skippy – photo by Kristian Denny

Rob Chaney of the Missoulian posted an excellent article on yesterday’s passing of John Frederick. Rob put a lot of work into this on very short notice.

See also John’s obituary . . .

Friends of John Frederick mourn the passing of a man equally persuasive with grizzly bears on his screened porch and politicians pestering his beloved Polebridge.

The longtime advocate of all wild things along the North Fork of the Flathead River died of bladder cancer on Nov. 15. He was 74.

“We were friends, notwithstanding our opinions on natural resource things,” frequent debating foe Larry Wilson said Frederick. The two North Fork neighbors were famous for arguing opposite sides at public meetings and then carpooling home together.

Read more . . .

HHN: John Frederick, the ‘Mayor of Polebridge’ dies

Environmental Issues, History, News
John Frederick, North Fork Hero
John Frederick, North Fork Hero

Chris Peterson of the Hungry Horse News posted a nice tribute to John Frederick this week.

See also John’s obituary . . .

John Frederick, a North Fork icon, died on Wednesday morning after a long illness. He was 74.

Frederick, who was often referred to as the “Mayor of Polebridge” was one of the founding members of the North Fork Preservation Association in 1982. The association opposed the paving of the North Fork Road and promoted protection of the North Fork of the Flathead River from proposed coal mining operations in the Canada, a fight that lasted decades. He served as president for more than 30 years.

Frederick was an environmental advocate from an early age. In a 2001 Hungry Horse News interview, he recalled starting a group as a young man in his native Ohio called the “Waste Watchers.”

Read more . . .