Category Archives: News

Grizzly and black bear activity picks up in Northwest Montana

Environmental Issues, News, , , ,
Black Bear
Black Bear

From a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks press release . . .

A 3 year old male grizzly bear was captured April 10th at a private residence along Tamarack Road northwest of Columbia Falls. The 211 pound bear was captured by FWP Bear and Lion Specialist Erik Wenum after the resident reported a bear had killed some of his young chickens.

The young bear was anesthetized, radio-collared, and released by Grizzly Bear Management Specialist Tim Manley. The Interagency decision was made to release the bear back into the wild since it had no previous known conflicts. The grizzly bear was released on the afternoon of April 11th in the Whale Creek drainage of the North Fork of the Flathead, 34 straight line miles from where it was caught.

Black bear activity has picked up as well. FWP Bear and Lion Specialist Erik Wenum reports that he has handled two problem bears in the last two days and is attempting to trap four other black bears that have ranged close to residences. Wenum reminds
residents to take down bird feeders, secure garbage, feed pets inside, clean up chicken and livestock feed, and in general remove all odorous substances that can draw bears.

On Monday morning, a radio tracking flight was conducted to locate radio-collared grizzly bears in the Swan and Mission mountains. A total of 8 radio-collared grizzly bears were located. Seven of the bears were out of their dens, but still in the upper elevations in the snow. A total of 16 grizzly bears were observed which included cubs, yearlings, and two-year-olds that were with their mothers.

Additional flights are planned during the month of April to locate radio-collared grizzly bears in the Whitefish Range and the Middle Fork of the Flathead. One of the main objectives of the flights is to get visuals on adult females and the number of young they have when they first emerge from their dens. This allows biologists to track cub reproduction and cub survival throughout the year.

Manley reminds residents and recreationists to secure attractants and carry bear spray while in bear country. Residents can also protect their chickens, beehives, and other livestock from bears by properly installing and maintaining an electric fence. For more information you can visit the FWP website at http://fwp.mt.gov/fishAndWildlife/livingWithWildlife/beBearAware/ or at http://fwp.mt.gov/fishAndWildlife/livingWithWildlife/beBearAware/.

See also: Bears emerging early have run-ins with Montana residents (Missoulian)

It’s spring: Glacier Park announces prescribed burns in North Fork

Fire Information and Status, News,

Another sign of spring: Glacier Park announces a couple of prescribed burns in the North Fork . . .

If you see smoke emanating from the North Fork in Glacier National Park in the next few weeks, there’s a good chance it’s part of a couple of planned burns for the area.

Two prescribed fire projects are planned along the Inside North Fork Road area of Glacier National Park in the next month, depending on weather and fuel conditions, according to a press release.

National Park Service (NPS) fire crews plan to burn 100 acres in the vicinity of Sullivan Meadow, approximately two miles east of Logging Ranger Station. The primary objectives of the burn are to reduce the number of understory trees serving as “ladders for fire” underneath mature ponderosa pine; to thin out trees that established after the 1999 Anaconda Fire and the 2001 Moose Fire; and to expose mineral soil to provide a seed bed for natural ponderosa pine regeneration.

Read more . . .

Elk Hill Fire shows little growth

Fire Information and Status, News, , ,
Fire engines at Elk Hill Fire, April 13, 2016 - USFS photo
Fire engines at Elk Hill Fire, April 13, 2016 – USFS photo

Firefighting personnel continue dealing with the Elk Hill Fire, a 1068-acre blaze burning in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. The fire is 60% contained and continues to burn with its existing perimeter. According to the InciWeb site, “Suppression efforts will continue on the north and east edges of the fire.”

Check the fire’s InciWeb site for additional information and updates.

See also: “Fire shows little growth; new team takes over” (Daily Inter Lake)

Bears are emerging — and getting into stuff

Environmental Issues, News, ,
Brown Grizzly Bear - Wikipedia User Mousse
Brown Grizzly Bear – Wikipedia User Mousse

Here’s a good article from the Flathead Beacon about the local bears emerging from hibernation. It also discusses the usual spring headache of people not securing bear attractants . . .

With the arrival of spring, bears are emerging from their mountain dens and descending into the lower valleys in search of food, and one young bruin has already pried its way into a Whitefish home to snack on leftover Easter candy.

As local black bears and grizzlies begin to stir in the Flathead Valley, wildlife managers are receiving an uptick in reports of bear sightings and conflicts, prompting wardens to issue a stern reminder to residents who forget to lock up pet food, bird seed, trash, and other food attractants.

“It is entirely avoidable if we start at the beginning of the season and make a conscious effort to secure these food attractants,” Erik Wenum, bear and lion specialist with the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, said. “Bears don’t just go from wandering around in the woods doing bear things to going into homes. It’s a taught learning curve.”

Read more . . .

Elk Hill Fire 60% contained; more progress expected today

Fire Information and Status, News, , ,
Elk Hill Fire, aerial view. April 10, 2016 - USFS photo
Elk Hill Fire, aerial view. April 10, 2016 – USFS photo

Firefighting personnel continue dealing with the Elk Hill Fire, a 1068-acre blaze burning in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. The fire is now 60% contained, with further progress expected today.

Some 45 people are assigned to the effort. Three helicopters are making water drops. A Type 2 team started work yesterday.

According to the InciWeb site, “Fire personnel will remain working on the north edge in the heavier dead and down fuel (within the 2005 fire’s burned area), while the Type-2 fire crew will move to the east-side of the fire today, after making progress yesterday on the south edge.”

Check the fire’s InciWeb site for additional information and updates.

Grizzly mortality declines for 2015

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Grizzly Sow with Two Cubs - Wikipedia en:User Traveler100
Grizzly Sow with Two Cubs – – Wikipedia en:User Traveler100

There were fewer grizzly bear deaths last year in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem . . .

On the heels of the federal government’s proposal to delist the grizzly bear population in the Yellowstone National Park area, this year’s annual report on Glacier National Park and the surrounding region shows the population continuing to hit its recovery targets.

Grizzlies in the lower 48 states were listed as “threatened” under the federal Endangered Species Act in 1975, after their historic range and population plummeted over decades of over-harvesting and habitat loss.

The Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem boasts the highest number of great bears among the five geographically distinct populations in the Northwest. It covers more than 5.7 million acres in Northwest Montana and includes Glacier National Park, the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex and surrounding lands.

Documented mortalities in the Northern Continental population, now estimated at 982 individuals, dropped substantially in 2015 from the two preceding years. That’s something of a return to normal, according to Cecily Costello, a research wildlife biologist for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks who was one of the lead authors on the annual report.

Read more . . .

Elk Hill Fire still burning; Type 2 team arrives

Fire Information and Status, News, , ,
Elk Hill Fire, April 10, 2016 - USFS photo
Elk Hill Fire, April 10, 2016 – USFS photo

Firefighting personnel continue dealing with the Elk Hill Fire, a 1068-acre blaze burning in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Fifty people (up from 30 yesterday) are tied up with the effort so far. Three helicopters are making water drops. A Type 2 team is going in today.

The fire is still uncontained, although it doesn’t appear to be spreading significantly.

In general, not much has changed since our previous post, except for the increased number of folks on the ground.

Monitor the InciWeb page for more information.

Also, the Daily Inter Lake posted a pretty good write-up yesterday evening.

Proposed Creston water bottling plant triggers unease

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

Here’s an excellent article by Dillon Tabish of the Flathead Beacon on the concerns surrounding the proposed water bottling plant near Creston . . .

The Flathead Valley Deep Aquifer is a waterlogged mass of sand and gravel stretching thousands of feet beneath the entire local landscape. Primarily fed by snowmelt from the surrounding mountain ranges and precipitation, the massive aquifer is the main source of water in the valley as it flows south toward Flathead Lake, providing a vital resource to a growing collective of urban and rural communities and playing a critical role in the region’s environmental and ecological balance.

For as far-reaching and abundant as the local aquifer exists, worries are running just as deep in the agricultural community of Creston and beyond following a proposed water bottling plant on a slough along the Flathead River.

Lew Weaver, the owner of Montana Artesian Water Co., is seeking a water rights permit from the state to pump 710 acre-feet of water annually from the underground aquifer, the equivalent of 1.2 billion 20-ounce water bottles.

Read more . . .

Already? 1000-acre Elk Hill Fire burning in the Bob

Fire Information and Status, News, , ,
Elk Hill Fire, Lewis and Clarke NF, April 9, 2016 - USFS photo
Elk Hill Fire, Lewis and Clarke NF, April 9, 2016 – USFS photo

Personnel from the Lewis and Clarke National forest are busy suppressing the Elk Hill Fire, a 1000-acre blaze burning in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Thirty people are tied up with the effort so far, as well as three helicopters. (Update: There are no significant changes as of April 11 at 10am.)

Here are the high points from the current InciWeb report . . .

The Elk Hill fire appears to have been started by a warming or campfire, but is under investigation.

Currently the fire is actively burning near lower North Fork Sun River, southeast of the Forest Service cabin on Cabin Creek, in the Bob Marshall Wilderness on the Rocky Mountain Ranger District. The Elk Hill Fire is burning in grass, and in downfall within the perimeter of a wildfire from 2005, moving into stands of mature Douglas fir. Although the weather is warm, this fire is primarily fuels-driven with potential for continued rapid spread.

The most active part of the fire is along Circle Creek in/around the 2005 fire area, because of the dead and down fuels within that area.

Fire personnel are continuing suppression efforts where it is safe to do so; and focus structure protection of the Forest Service Cabin Creek cabin. Three helicopters–one Type 1 and two Type-2–are assisting the on-the-ground efforts, as needed.

UPDATED TRAILS CLOSURES:

–North Fork Sun River Trail #201 from jct. w/#268 north to jct. w/#231.1 (northwest of Cabin Creek Cabin).

–Circle Creek Trail #231 from jct. w/#201 north to #231.1 and southeast to jct. w/#208.

–Cabin Creek Admin. Connector #231.1 closed in it’s entirety.

–Circle Creek Connector #268.1 closed in it’s entirety.

Further reading:

InciWeb report on the Elk Hill Fire
Elk Hill fire active near Cabin Creek cabin (Helena Independent Record; written prior to the trail closures)

Feds asking for public comments on grizzly delisting in Yellowstone region

Environmental Issues, News,
Grizzly bear sow with three cubs - NPS photo
Grizzly bear sow with three cubs – NPS photo

Here’s some useful information about Yellowstone grizzly bear delisting from an announcement passed along by John Frederick. Note the link at the end to a federal site for submitting written comments . . .

Last month the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service issued a proposed rule that would remove Endangered Species Act protections for grizzly bears in the Yellowstone region. Next week, the USFWS will be hosting a public meeting to explain the delisting rule and “Conservation Strategy” (how bears will be managed post-delisting). They will accept written and oral public comments at the meeting:

Tuesday, April 12, 5:00-8:00pm—Bozeman, MT—Holiday Inn, 5 E. Baxter Ln. There will also be an informational open house from 2-4pm before the public comment begins. (This meeting, and one the night before in Cody, WY are the only currently scheduled USFWS public meetings on Yellowstone grizzly bear delisting.)

While the recovery of this grizzly bear population has been an amazing Endangered Species Act success story, we need to make sure it continues if grizzly bears are delisted! Your comments and support for grizzly bear conservation is crucial to this effort.

Can’t make the meeting? Submit your written comment by May 10.