Action Alert: Flathead Forest Travel Plan

February 20, 2022Action AlertsFlathead National Forest, travel managementnfpa

Flathead National Forest is developing a Travel Plan and comments are due by Tuesday, February 22. It’s important for them to hear from people that there should be no motorized or mechanized transportation in the Recommended Wilderness in the northern Whitefish Range. These northern areas should be managed just like Wilderness.

Please write a short message to that effect and make sure to communicate your personal connection to the Whitefish Range.

Address the message to: Forest Supervisor Kurt Steele and District Ranger Rob Davies and send it by email to: comments-northern-flathead@usda.gov

Read the comments submitted by the NFPA Board of Directors here…

Federal Protections for Gray Wolves Restored

February 11, 2022Environmental Issues, NewsEndangered Species List, gray wolvesnfpa

A gray wolf in Yellowstone National Park - Jacob W. Frank, NPS — A gray wolf in Yellowstone National Park – Jacob W. Frank, NPS

Federal protections for gray wolves have been restored, except for those states where gray wolf endangered species status has already been removed by congress . . .

A judge has ordered federal protections restored for gray wolves across much of the U.S. after they were removed in the waning days of the Trump administration.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White said in Thursday’s ruling that the Fish and Wildlife Service failed to show wolf populations could be sustained in the Midwest and portions of the West without protection under the Endangered Species Act.

Wildlife advocates had argued state-sponsored hunting threatened to reverse the gray wolf’s recovery over the past several decades.

The ruling does not directly impact wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, which remain under state jurisdiction.

Continue reading . . .

Related reading: Interior Secretary Deb Haaland Speaks Up On Wolves, But Is It Enough? – Mountain Journal

Flathead River group launches Wild & Scenic River Webinar Series ahead of Comprehensive River Management Plan

February 10, 2022Environmental Issues, NewsComprehensive River Management Plan, Flathead Rivers Alliancenfpa

Flathead Rivers Alliance announces a two-part live webinar speaker series ahead of the anticipated spring public comment period for the Three Forks of the Flathead Wild and Scenic River Comprehensive River Management Plan. This is an opportunity to learn about the ins and outs of Wild and Scenic Rivers and river management plans from expert regional and local managers and advocates. Additionally, gain an understanding of how to be an active participant during the public portion of the river management plan process that only happens every fifteen to twenty years.

Flathead Wild & Scenic River Webinar Series

February 16th, 2022 7:00-8:00 PM MST| Webinar #1: The Wild & Scenic River that Connects Us
March 30th, 2022 7:00-8:00 PM MST | Webinar #2: CRMP 101- How does management of Wild and Scenic Rivers work?

Registration is required for this free webinar series. If you don’t plan on attending virtually, you can register to receive a video recording and submit your questions via email. Live transcription is available during the webinar. Learn more and register at flatheadrivers.org/events.

Did you know the Middle Fork of the Flathead River was the birthplace for the idea of a National Wild and Scenic Rivers system? Designated by Congress on October 12, 1976 (Public Law 94-486), the Three Forks of the Flathead Wild and Scenic River are currently managed under the 1980 Flathead River Management Plan. For the last two years, the Flathead National Forest and Glacier National Park have been drafting an updated CRMP for these rivers that they cooperatively manage, taking into account significant increase of shore and float usage and an obligation to protect the river system’s Outstanding Remarkable Values.

Join Flathead Rivers Alliance to learn about the significance of Wild and Scenic Rivers, responsibilities for managing the 219 mile Three Forks of the Flathead River as a Wild and Scenic River System, and what’s around the bend for Comprehensive River Management Plan (CRMP) public participation and local initiatives.

More information on webinar speaker series registration, volunteer and donation opportunities, and quick reference CRMP FAQ can be found at flatheadrivers.org/comprehensive-river-management-plan.

Continue reading Flathead River group launches Wild & Scenic River Webinar Series ahead of Comprehensive River Management Plan →

2022 Wilderness Speaker series kicks off Feb 10

February 9, 2022NewsBob Marshall Wilderness Foundation, Northwest Montana Lookout Association, Wild Montana, Wilderness Speaker Seriesnfpa

The annual Wilderness Speaker Series will return to Flathead Valley Community College in 2022, thanks to the ongoing partnership of the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation, the Northwest Montana Lookout Association and the Flathead-Kootenai Chapter of Wild Montana, with support from the Natural Resources Conservation & Management program at FVCC.

Large Community Room (#139) at FVCC’s Art and Technology Building from 7:00-8:15 PM on the second Thursday of February, March and April.

No charge for these engaging community events and all are welcome to join the discussion.

Vehicle reservations for Glacier National Park go online March 2 at 8 am

February 4, 2022NewsGlacier National Park, Going-to-the-Sun Road Corridor Management Plan, Polebridgenfpa

Here’s the latest on this year’s “vehicle reservation” (they are not called “tickets” anymore) system for gaining entrance to Glacier National Park.

Highlights:

- Tickets …er, uh… vehicle reservations will be required to enter the park’s Going-to-the-Sun (GTSR) corridor and at Polebridge.
- A separate reservation is required for the GTSR and for Polebridge. GTSR reservations are good for 3 days, between 6:00am and 4:00pm; Polebridge reservations are good for only 1 day, between 6:00am and 6:00pm.
- Vehicle reservations will be required from May 27 to September 11. They will be available 120 days in advance on a rolling window starting March 2 at 8:00am. Like last year, reservations cost $2.00.
- Vehicle reservations can be purchased from recreation.gov, either online or through their call center.

See the press release for more details.

North Fork specific details not mentioned in the press release (Camas Road transit, local boating access, etc.) will be discussed at the Interlocal on February 9.

REMINDER: North Fork Interlocal meeting, 10:00am, February 9th online

February 1, 2022NewsNorth Fork Interlocal Agreementnfpa

The Winter 2022 Interlocal Agreement Meeting is hosted by Glacier National Park at 10:00am on Wednesday, February 9. Note that this will again be a virtual meeting – hopefully, the last one. Links for the online session should be available soon.

For those of you who are new to this, The Interlocal Agreement provides for face-to-face contact with representatives of agencies whose policies and actions affect the North Fork. Interlocal Agreement meetings are held twice a year, in the winter (in town) and summer (at Sondreson Hall). This is always a very interesting meeting, with reports from a range of government agencies and local organizations and often some quite vigorous discussion.

Montana Wolf Harvest Dashboard

January 30, 2022Environmental Issues, Sciencewolf harvestnfpa

Want to know how Montana’s politics-before-science wolf harvest is going this year? The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Wolf Harvest Dashboard has you covered. You can even drill down to information on each individual kill. For instance, the three wolves taken in Wolf Management Unit 110 (WMU 110), which encompasses the North Fork, were all trapped on January 20 in the Lazy Creek area.

Kudos to NFPA Board member Diane Boyd for highlighting this resource.

Link: Montana Wolf Harvest Dashboard

Wolf harvest down locally despite rule changes

January 30, 2022Environmental Issues, Newswolf huntnfpa

What’s going on here in Region 1? Over-hunting in previous years? . . .

Following years of record regional harvests, hunters and trappers in the northwestern corner of the state have so far achieved less than a third of total state-sanctioned wolf kills for the season.

The state Fish and Wildlife Commission set its Region 1 wolf hunting and trapping threshold this year — quitting the use of a “quota” — at 195 animals.

Year-to-date, the Region 1 effort, mostly comprising Lake, Sanders, Lincoln and Flathead counties, tallied 52 wolves tagged so far, according to state Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department data available Friday. That’s down from the 101 killed in the region by this time last year, according to FWP.

Continue reading . . .

Montana FWP to close wolf hunting around Yellowstone after a few more kills

January 29, 2022Environmental Issues, NewsMontana FWP Commission, wolf hunt, Yellowstone National Parknfpa

Wolf in Yellowstone National Park - Jim Peaco, YNP — Wolf in Yellowstone National Park – Jim Peaco, YNP

The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission will shut down wolf hunting in the area around Yellowstone National Park as soon a few more wolves are killed . . .

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Park commissioners voted Friday to close wolf hunting and trapping in Region 3 once the wolf take reaches 82 wolves.

Region 3 encompasses an area of Montana just north of Yellowstone National Park. The take to date is 76 wolves.

Commissioner Pat Tabor, who is from the Flathead Valley, quashed an amendment to the motion that would have immediately closed wolf hunting and trapping in wolf management units units 313 and 316, which directly border Yellowstone. The smaller units are part of the broader Region 3.

Continue reading . . .

FWP: Wolf take on par with last year; three North Fork wolves killed

January 27, 2022Environmental Issues, Newswolf harvestnfpa

Gray Wolf - Adam Messer-Montana FWP — Gray Wolf – Adam Messer, Montana FWP

So far, the number of wolves taken this hunting season is about the same, but the distribution of kills has changed somewhat . . .

With almost two months remaining, this season’s wolf harvest is on par with past seasons in Montana, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks said last week.

But it’s where the wolves are being killed that’s raised concerns. In wolf management unit 313, which borders Yellowstone National Park, 16 wolves have been killed as of Friday and three more in wolf management unit 316, which also borders the Park, bringing the total to 19 wolf deaths along the Park’s border…

…Closer to home, the first wolves up the North Fork of the Flathead have been killed as well. To date, three wolves have been killed in wolf management unit 110, according to FWP reports…

North Fork Preservation Association

News and information about NFPA and the North Fork of the Flathead River