Prescribed burn planned on Big Prairie this month

Environmental Issues, News, ,

Glacier Park plans a prescribed burn on Big Prairie sometime this month. Here’s the official press release . . .

A prescribed fire project is planned in the North Fork area of Glacier National Park, approximately four miles northwest of Polebridge. Approximately 125 acres are planned to be burned in the Big Prairie area by the end of September, depending on weather and fuel conditions.  This project was initiated this spring with approximately 150 acres successfully managed through a prescribed burn. The entire project includes about 700 acres of prairie that will be managed with prescribed fire over the next several years.

Firefighter and equipment support from the Flathead National Forest was instrumental in the success of the spring burn. It is anticipated that forest personnel will assist with the fall burn as well.

The primary objective of the burn is to reduce lodgepole pine regeneration which is encroaching on the native prairie grassland. Managers hope to remove some lodgepole with fire and improve the growth of native grasses and shrubs.

This prescribed burn will only take place if optimum weather and smoke dispersal parameters are met. For more information, contact the park at 406-888-7800.

Forest plan revision overview posted

Commentary,

Public Affairs Officer Wade Muehlhof authored an informative article in the Flathead Beacon yesterday explaining the importance of the Forest Plan revision process. The Flathead National Forest is just getting started on this effort, which will take several years to complete . . .

For many people, the Flathead National Forest is the place where you can camp, hike, ride, ski, hunt and fish, observe wildlife and flora, gather firewood and Christmas trees where timber is harvested and fires are managed. Some enjoy the developed areas, others venture deep into the wilderness and many explore the areas in between. What people may not know is how much effort goes into managing these 2.4 million acres of public lands.

Management is guided by the Forest Plan. The plan is periodically revised to reflect current conditions. The forest was well into the plan revision in 2005 when a court case found the rule under which the planning effort was happening was not legal. As such the Flathead’s plan has not been revised since 1986. Now with a new planning rule, the Flathead National Forest is beginning the first phase of a multi-year planning process to revise the Forest Plan. The intent of the planning framework is to create a responsive planning process that informs multiple use management and allows the Forest Service to adapt to changing conditions, including climate change, and improve management based on new information and monitoring…

Read more . . .

Three-year Logan Pass mountain goat study begins

Environmental Issues, News, ,

Glacier National Park has begun a three-year study of the interactions between mountain goats and people in the Logan Pass area . . .

Glacier National Park, in partnership with the University of Montana, has begun a three-year research study on how mountain goats are affected by roads, people and trails in the Logan Pass area. Currently, six mountain goats have been successfully collared by National Park Service staff, University of Montana researchers, and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks personnel with GPS or VHF radio devices. Collaring efforts will continue through the fall as weather permits. It is anticipated approximately 20-25 goats will be collared of the estimated 1,500 goats in the park.

Read more .  . .

Glacier Park entry is free September 28

News,

Entrance to Glacier National Park is free Saturday, September 28 in honor of National Public Lands Day. Here’s the meat of the press release . . .

Entrance fees to Glacier National Park will be waived on Saturday, September 28 in recognition of National Public Lands Day. Visitors are encouraged to visit the park and experience changing foliage and increased opportunities for solitude during the fall season.

National Public Lands Day is an annual event intended to improve the health of public lands and encourage shared stewardship through volunteer service. This year marks the 20th anniversary of National Public Lands Day and volunteer opportunities are available across the country. For more information about National Public Lands Day visit http://www.publiclandsday.org.

Ranger-led activities will be available in the Lake McDonald Valley area on September 28 including John’s Lake Loop Hike, an easy 3-mile walk through cedar-hemlock forest, quiet lakes, and roaring cascades. This hike is anticipated to last two hours and begins at the John’s Lake trailhead, 1.5 miles east of Lake McDonald Lodge on the Going-to-the-Sun Road. View the ranger-led activity schedule at http://home.nps.gov/applications/glac/inforequest/inforequest3.cfm.

Visitors are reminded to come prepared for changing weather conditions by layering clothing and having the appropriate footwear for planned activities. The park is home to black and grizzly bears and visitors should always be “bear aware.” Outdoor enthusiasts should always communicate activity plans and time of return to someone.

Fees being waived for National Public Lands Day include the park entrance only. All other fees associated with camping, lodging, or concession activities within the park are not waived. The fee waiver is good for Saturday, September 28 only…

Fate of some grizzly populations tied to long-term food supply

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

Although this article centers on the Yellowstone area, it includes lots of good general information on grizzly bear diet and and population management . . .

High above the trees, in the rocky slopes of the Absarokas, one-calorie morsels scurried from the light. They crawled under rocks and in dark shadows. The army cutworm moths come from as far as Kansas and Nebraska where farmers curse them as an agricultural pest. In the Absarokas, they’re something very different: one of several key ingredients to the survival of the grizzly bear.

One day in late July, Cody science teacher Dale Ditolla watched as nine bears gathered in the talus of a mountain bowl, miles outside of Meeteetse. The bears looked like dogs in search of buried bones. They lifted and heaved stones the size of frying pans between their legs, sending them tumbling down the mountainside. Their salad plate-sized paws swiped at scampering moths.

Counting multiple grizzlies at this site is a relatively new trend. Few lived in this part of Wyoming 30 years ago.

Read more . . .

Next ‘Flathead Forest Friday’ meeting discusses weeds

News, , ,

You weed wranglers out there might be interested in the next Flathead Forest Friday get-together. Here’s the press release . . .

Everyone Invited for a Breakfast Chat on Friday, September, 20th

KALISPELL, MONT. – Nearly 30 species of invasive plants, or weeds, can be found on the Flathead National Forest. Each year forest employees strategize when and where to put its resources in the fight against these invaders. The tools used to kill the weeds are constantly changing as botanists consider everything from plant sniffing dogs to plant eating insects. Come chat with us about our efforts.

Forest Botanist Chantelle Delay and others invite you to have breakfast with us (no-host) at the Perkins Restaurant (1390 U.S. 2, Evergreen, Montana) starting at 7:00 AM on Friday, September 20, 2013.

Every other month, the Forest Service will coordinate these no-host breakfast meetings at a local restaurant with the goal of sharing good food, great company, and a little information about what’s happening on our National Forest. We hope the event will be a great way to discuss public land management opportunities and challenges that are important to us all.

If you plan to attend or have any questions, please notify Public Affairs Officer Wade Muehlhof at ewmuehlhof@fs.fed.us or (406) 758-5252. Your response allows us to plan accordingly with the restaurant.

Blackfeet musician Jack Gladstone invites oil company exec to Rocky Mountain Front

Environmental Issues, News, , , ,

Our colleagues on the Rocky Mountain Front are having a problem with Solenex, an oil outfit based in Lousiana. Solenex is suing the feds to allow oil exploration in the Badger-Two Medicine area. Jack Gladstone came up with a unique way to open a conversation with the company . . .

Blackfeet musician Jack Gladstone has invited a Louisiana oil executive to visit him on the reservation and discuss relinquishing his company’s oil leases south of Glacier National Park.

Gladstone wrote to Solenex Inc. manager Sidney Longwell on Aug. 30, telling him the company’s drilling plans along the Rocky Mountain Front would “violate both the sanctity of this landscape and the treaty rights” of the Pikuni-Blackfeet people…

“Sidney, my home is on the Blackfeet Reservation. I may not have all the amenities of the big city, but a pot of coffee is always on and a meal never far from the stove,” Gladstone wrote. “I invite you to visit me here, to deepen our understanding of each other’s motives and visions regarding the Badger-Two Medicine/Hall Creek wildlands.

Read more . . .

Jeff Mow takes over at Glacier Park

News,

Glacier National Park’s new superintendent is settling into his new job . . .

Jeff Mow has taken the reins of one of America’s most iconic national parks. The 25-year veteran of the National Park Service officially became Glacier National Park’s 22nd Superintendent on Aug. 28.

Mow, 54, was selected as Glacier’s new chief in June. Before coming to Montana, he was superintendent at Kenai Fjords National Park, a 600,000-acre preserve along the Gulf of Alaska. Since arriving in late August, Mow said he has been meeting with staff and the park’s partners.

Read more . . .

The Missing Piece Rendezvous, Sep. 28

News

Headwaters Montana and Flathead Wild are hosting “The Missing Piece Rendezvous: A Festival for the Flathead” at Waterton Lakes, Canada on September 28. Their aim is to encourage the expansion of Waterton Lakes National Park. Here is the meat of the press release. (You can also read more on the Headwaters Montana web site.) . . .

Citizens of Canada and the United States, wanting peace after the horrors of World War I, embarked upon a truly unique journey when they proposed the creating the world’s first international peace park.  This Peace Park, established between Waterton Lakes (Canada) and Glacier (United States) national parks in 1932 still represents a triumph of citizen action that compelled two governments to do what no nations had ever done before: establish a Peace Park as an enduring symbol of peace between their two nations.  This achievement – promoted and completed by Rotary International – was further manifested when the United Nations – all the nations of the world – recognized this gift to humanity as a World Heritage Site in 1995.

Yet this milestone in the evolution of human consciousness remains incomplete. Take a look at a map of Waterton-Glacier and you will see what remains undone. There’s a  Missing Piece, that part of British Columbia where the Flathead River flows south through a spectacular and biologically rich wilderness.

This part of B.C. is unmatched in North America for its variety, completeness and density of living things.  It’s also a critical corridor for animals moving north and south along the Rocky Mountains – the “Backbone of the World”. The B.C. Flathead is a magical place of great wildness that was never permanently settled. As early as 1911 Kootenay Brown, the first superintendent of Waterton Park, called for Waterton to be expanded into the Flathead “to create a breeding ground in conjunction with Glacier National Park”.

With your continued help, we, the citizens of today, can Complete the Park by adding that missing piece in the Flathead to Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park.

Headwaters Montana and our partner groups of Flathead Wild! will host Wildlife Beyond Borders: The Missing Piece Rendezvous Saturday, September 28, 2013, at the historic Waterton Lakes Opera House, starting at 4:00pm.  This event is part of the annual Wildlife Weekend in Waterton.

This celebration will be MC-ed by Harvey Locke, a long-time champion of this effort, and joined by renowned conservationists Charlie Russell, Sid Marty, Cristina Eisenberg and the team members of Flathead Wild!

While in Waterton be sure to also visit the Waterton Heritage Center for The Flathead: The Missing Piece Art Show.  This exhibit includes paintings and artworks by artists specifically commissioned to interpret the significance of the Flathead Valley.

We are honored to help host this exhibit throughout the latter part of September. The exhibit will be formally opened by Harvey Locke on Saturday, September 28 at 4:00 pm, with artist in attendance.