Larry Wilson: North Fork patrols will stop poachers

Commentary,

Larry talks about the start of hunting season and puts poachers on notice . . .

Hunters should be satisfied if not downright ecstatic. The first day of the general hunting season, we had nearly an inch of fresh snow on the ground. The usually wrong weather bureau predicts more of the same for the next several days. We shall see.

I didn’t go out hunting the first day, but I did keep a good watch out my front windows in case a careless whitetail buck wandered in. My watching was supported by my chocolate lab, Buddy, who has finally learned to not bark at deer or elk. No easy deer the first day, but we still have several weeks.

Continue reading . . .

First anniversary of Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act

Environmental Issues, News, ,

Our friends on the other side of the Divide, the Coalition to Protect the Rocky Mountain Front, point out that we’ve just passed the first anniversary of the introduction of the Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act. The Front is a vital link in the larger Crown of the Continent ecosystem, of which the North Fork is a part.

They suggest this would be a good time to send Senator Max Baucus a note thanking him for his efforts so far. For more information or ideas on points you may want to bring up in your email go to http://www.savethefront.org/thank_max.html.

Send emails to Senator Baucus at http://baucus.senate.gov/?p=contact.

Spawning surveys find stable bull trout population

Environmental Issues, News, ,

Here’s some good news . . .

Recently completed bull-trout spawning surveys in the North and Middle Fork Flathead river drainages indicate there is a stable population, according to state biologists.

This year’s surveys were a comprehensive, basinwide effort that focused on all of the known spawning streams in the North and Middle Fork drainages. The basinwide surveys, carried out every few years, were conducted on 31 streams, including the eight “index” streams that are surveyed every year in the North and Middle Fork drainages.

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Montana’s fire season officially ends

Fire Information and Status, News, , ,

Montana’s fire season officially ends at midnight tonight (Wednesday, October 17). Open burning will be permitted locally until the end of November. The Flathead Beacon has a write-up . . .

Montana’s fire season will officially end at midnight tonight and most restrictions will be lifted across the state, according to the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.

DNRC Director Mary Sexton and Forestry Division Administrator Bob Harrington signed the proclamation effectively ending the wildfire season and rescinding fire restrictions for state and private classified forest lands.

Fire restrictions will remain in some areas of the state, but open burning will be permitted in Flathead and Lake counties until Nov. 30. Burning will be shut down from Dec. 1 through Feb. 28 due to air quality regulations.

Continue reading . . .

Larry Wilson: Fifth-generation North Fork wedding

Commentary, History, , ,

Larry spent a few days in Seattle last week, officiating at a fifth-generation, North Fork-connected wedding . . .

I spent most of last week in the Seattle area officiating at a wedding. I have had the honor of doing this several times, and this is only the second time I felt it was worthy of mention in this North Fork column.

The first, which was the first ceremony I ever performed, was when I officiated at John Fredericks’ latest wedding when he married Sharon Costantino. That ceremony was performed in a meadow south of Polebridge, and the bride was delivered in the back of a pickup. Also, the ceremony was mostly attended by family and North Fork friends.

This most recent wedding took place more than 500 miles from the North Fork, but the groom is the fifth-generation of his family with North Fork ties. That makes his wedding of interest to North Forkers.

Continue reading . . .

Larger, hotter wildfires the new normal

Environmental Issues, Fire Information and Status, News, , ,

Expect more big wildfires for a while . . .

The trend toward larger, hotter wildfires in this part of the country is rapidly becoming the new normal.

In the four decades between 1960 and 1999, wildfires in the United States scorched more than 7 million acres in a single year just once. Since 2000? Eight times, with 2012 at 8.8 million acres and still climbing. The annual number of wildfires exceeding 25,000 acres in 11 Western states has quintupled since the 1970s, according to a Climate Central report released last month.

The causes, fire ecologists say, are simple enough. A century of fire suppression and traditional “pick-and-pluck” logging practices that removed the largest, most fire-resistant trees have transformed open stands of ponderosa pine into multi-tiered, lower-crowned forests of thinner-barked trees more susceptible to spruce budworm and bark beetle — and catastrophic wildfire.

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Big moms, large packs help wolf pup survival

Environmental Issues, News, , , ,

This is worth a read. The Missoulian has a write-up on a recently completed study on wolf reproductive success in Yellowstone Park. The findings should be applicable to other wolf populations . . .

A wolf pup growing up in Yellowstone National Park has a better chance of surviving if it has a big mama that lives in a big pack.

Those were the findings of a recent study published in the Journal of Animal Ecology that utilized 14 years of data collected on Yellowstone wolves.

“This is one of the few studies of large carnivores in the world to tease out what drives reproduction,” said Dan Stahler, lead author of the study and a biologist for Yellowstone’s Wolf Project team. “What’s fascinating is that, despite decades of research, we really didn’t know much about reproductive success and what are the triggers for failure.”

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Tester’s wilderness bill back in play

Environmental Issues, News,

U.S. Senator Jon Tester has gotten his “Forest Jobs and Recreation Act” included in a current Interior Department appropriations bill. Again. The Missoulian has a write-up . . .

U.S. Sen. Jon Tester announced the inclusion of his Forest Jobs and Recreation Act in a Senate appropriations bill at a rally Friday on the University of Montana campus.

“If you join me, we’ll be able to get it across the finish line,” Tester told some 100 supporters from UM and the woods and sawmills of western Montana.

Continue reading . . .

Montana FWP wants comments on proposed wolf trapping rules

Environmental Issues, News,

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks wants public comments on a proposed wolf trapping rule for this corner of the state. Basically, they want to set the minimum weight it takes to spring a trap to at least eight pounds.

There’s more information online, including an “Interested Persons Letter” explaining the proposal and a feedback form for comments. Comments close on November 5 at 5:00pm.

The Flathead Beacon also has a write-up on the issue . . .

Montana wildlife regulators have given initial approval to wolf-trapping rules meant to reduce the chances of dogs, lynx and other animals from being caught.

The Great Falls Tribune reports the Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission took a preliminary vote Thursday on the proposed rules, which will now go to the public for a 30-day comment period before a final vote is taken.

The proposal includes setting the tension on trap pans at a minimum of eight pounds. The tension setting is the amount of weight it takes to spring a trap, Wildlife Bureau Chief Ken McDonald said.

Continue reading .  . .

Wolverine trapping a bad idea and bad science

Commentary, Environmental Issues, ,

And while we’re jumping on the wolverine trapping issue, here is a letter from Bob Nelson, Vice President of the North Fork Preservation Association. It went out the the editors of several regional papers a couple of days ago. The “petition” referenced in his letter has just been pre-empted by yesterday’s lawsuit, but his comments are still very much to the point . . .

To the editor

The Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Commission recently authorized the trapping of five wolverines (or three females) during this trapping season. The Western Environmental Law Center, on behalf of a number of nonprofit organizations, including the Friends of the Wild Swan, Helena Hunters and Anglers Association, and the Wild Earth Guardians, petitioned the commission. The petition requested that the trapping of wolverines be stopped this season and that all wolverine trapping be suspended until the wolverine is no longer a candidate or protective species under the US Endangered Species Act.

The North Fork Preservation Association (NFPA) supports that petition and asks that the public contact the Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Commission to support that petition.  The NFPA is composed of citizens living in or concerned about the ecosystem of the North Fork of the Flathead River. We are dedicated to protecting the natural resources that make the North Fork an unparalleled area for wildlife and people.

The petition provides ample reasons and supporting research for canceling wolverine trapping. Currently, the total population of wolverines in Montana is estimated to be between 100-175 individuals. That number is expected to decline as climate change shrinks the available snowpack habitat in Montana. The trapping of wolverines when the population is small and at risk makes a bad situation worse. The US Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) states that the trapped wolverine populations likely live at densities that are lower than are necessary to maintain their population unless wolverines from untrapped populations are added. Currently, the Service believes the wolverine population is inadequate for maintenance of genetic diversity of the species.

Montana is the only state in the contiguous US that allows wolverine trapping. Idaho and Wyoming designate wolverines as a protected non-game species while Washington lists the wolverine as an endangered species. Under Montana law, the state is required to manage wolverines in a manner that assists with the maintenance or recovery of the species.  Instead, trapping may put that species at risk. Trapping does not distinguish which animal will be trapped; if a nursing mother wolverine is trapped, both the female and her young are dead.

Wolverines are an integral part of the Montana ecosystem. They are strong, robust, will eat anything, are afraid of nothing, and can climb the highest peak with ease.  Their large snowshoe-like feet give them an edge over most competitors and prey during the winter months. Putting this species at risk so that five trappers can “harvest” a pelt worth about $260 is a poor decision, both for the wolverine and the people of Montana.

The NFPA is dedicated to maintaining and preserving the plants, animals, and water that exist within the North Fork region. The wolverine is one of those animals and deserves protection from trapping.

Bob Nelson
Vice-president, NFPA
135 Rainbow Drive
Polebridge, MT 59928