As expected, a coalition of environmental groups intends to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over the removal of federal protection for wolves in Wyoming . . .
A coalition of environmental groups has filed notice that they intend to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over the agency’s decision to end federal protections for wolves in Wyoming.
WildEarth Guardians and other groups announced Monday that they have filed a notice of intent to sue the federal agency.
Fire crews and cooperative weather have knocked down the Avalanche Wildland Fire and Glacier Park’s Avalanche Lake trail has been reopened. Here is the official press release . . .
The Avalanche Lake Trail is open. The trail was recently closed due to the Avalanche Wildland Fire.
Fire activity remains minimal on the Avalanche Wildland Fire due to suppression actions and recent moisture and cooler temperatures. The fire area is located on Mount Brown near Avalanche Lake on the west side of the park. The fire area will continue to be monitored and additional suppression activities will be implemented as appropriate. Some smoke may be visible from locations within the park. The fire area is closed to the public.
For additional park information, please visit Glacier National Park’s website at www.nps.gov/glac or call park headquarters at 406-888-7800.
Another case of “a fed bear is a dead bear”: The grizzly bear that was relocated to the Coal Creek area in July and soon became a nuisance near Whitefish, has been put down by Montana FWP…
Wildlife officials euthanized a male grizzly bear that was rummaging through food sources near residences outside of Whitefish, the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks announced Thursday.
FWP officials captured the 238-pound subadult male grizzly Wednesday along the Stillwater River, southwest of Whitefish near the KM Ranch Road. The bear had been moved in July from the Lincoln area into the Coal Creek Drainage of the Whitefish Range north of Columbia Falls. Over the course of a month, it crossed the Whitefish Divide and traveled along the Stillwater River between Lupfer Meadows and Lost Creek. FWP said it received numerous reports of the bear getting into livestock feed, pet food, garbage, bird feeders and apples.
Larry accepts the Mount Thompson-Seton challenge and discusses the end-of-season wind-down . . .
I thoroughly enjoyed the letter last week from fellow North Forker Frank Vitale. I consider him as well as the North Fork Preservation Association a “moderate” environmentalist.
Since there seems to be some confusion about the definition of moderate, let me refer you to the dictionary…
If Frank is willing to take this old fat guy to Mount Thompson-Seton and, most importantly, back out, I accept. I suspect there is much that he and I will agree on even if we don’t agree about the specifics of a wilderness. I hope others will join us.
A hunter took a wolf at the beginning of bow season, closing the North Fork wolf hunt until gun season opens . . .
An elk hunter with a wolf license shot a wolf on the fourth day of archery season just west of the Whitefish Divide, prompting Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to close the North Fork Flathead’s wolf management Unit 110.
It is the only hunting district in the state that retains a quota for wolves.
Only two can be harvested per year in the district, which covers the North Fork west of Glacier National and extends over the Whitefish Divide into Lincoln County.
An incoming cold front should aid firefighting efforts in Glacier Park . . .
Crews are successfully containing a wildfire burning near Avalanche Lake in Glacier National Park and an incoming cold front could further calm the blaze.
The lightning-caused fire is now being estimated at 70 acres, due to more accurate mapping and not recent fire growth. The Avalanche Lake Trail remains closed until further notice.
A heavy-lift helicopter continued aerial water drops on the fire Wednesday while 25 firefighters and eight smoke jumpers worked to secure containment line on the west and north sides of the fire.
Wildfire activity in this corner of Montana is easing off, not that anyone is complaining . . .
Burning activity was limited Tuesday on the Blacktail Ridge Fire near Plains, and the Avalanche Lake Trail remains closed in Glacier National Park due to a small fire nearby.
“Really we haven’t seen much fire growth today,” said Jennifer Costich, a fire information officer assigned to the Blacktail Ridge Fire, which has burned about 250 acres two air miles south of Plains…
In Glacier Park, firefighters have held the Avalanche Wildland Fire on Mount Brown to about 45 acres since it was detected last Saturday.
More than 30 people are working on the fire, including eight smokejumpers, along with helicopter support…
Looks like Glacier Park is making good progress controlling the Avalanche Fire . . .
The current size estimate of the Avalanche Wildland Fire in Glacier National Park is approximately 45 acres. This size estimate is due to more accurate mapping of the fire, not fire growth, park officials said Monday afternoon.
The wildland fire is located on Mount Brown, near Avalanche Lake on the west side of Glacier National Park. The Avalanche Lake Trail is closed until further notice.
Aerial water drops have been effective in suppressing the fire, along with about 25 fire firefighters constructing fireline.
Larry gives a little background on the efforts over the years to reach agreement on water quality issues between British Columbia and Montana . . .
Every North Forker is painfully aware that British Columbia is vital to our lifestyle and well being. After all, the North Fork of the Flathead River flows out of British Columbia and provides us with the cold, clear, pure water that is essential to us and to Flathead Lake.
For more than 30 years, we’ve been concerned about Canadian industrial threats to water quality in the river. Most urgent threat was the development of coal mines in the upper Flathead. This was one of the main reasons the North Fork Preservation Association was organized.
At one point, NFPA president John Frederick and his then-wife Sharon bought stock in the coal company that had development plans in the Flathead. For several years, they attended stockholders meetings to raise awareness of our concerns.
Montana Gov. Ted Schwinden began negotiations with British Columbia to address water-quality issues, and since then every Montana governor continued those efforts. Although the efforts of Govs. Stan Stephens, Marc Racicot and Judy Martz seemed to make little progress, step by step the Canadians and Americans were making headway. The International Joint Commission and the Flathead Basin Commission and B.C. officials continued to meet, share concerns and move toward a solution.
Glacier Park is dealing with a wildfire in the vicinity of Avalanche Lake . . .
Firefighters spent Sunday working to suppress the 25-acre Avalanche Wildland Fire burning on Mount Brown in Glacier National Park.
Reported to authorities Saturday afternoon, the wildfire is located near Avalanche Lake and the popular Avalanche Lake Trail will remain closed from the campground to the lake until further notice.No other trails have been closed because of the fire, park officials said.
Two U.S. Forest Service helicopters and a contract helicopter are being used to drop water on the fire and for aerial observation.
Twenty six firefighters and eight smoke jumpers also are working to suppress the fire. They are from Glacier National Park, Flathead National Forest and Kootenai National Forest.