Glacier National Park is making steady progress with snow removal, but this year’s substantial snowpack and the continuing avalanche danger are limiting road openings. On the North Fork side, the Camas Road is open, as is the Inside North Fork Road from the ranger station to Big Prairie. All other roads are officially closed to vehicle traffic. See this weekend’s press release for details.
Montana FWP Commission gives tentative approval to wolf hunt
As expected, the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission gave tentative approval to a fall wolf hunt at today’s meeting. The Flathead Beacon has the story . . .
Montana wildlife officials tentatively approved a plan Thursday to allow hunters to kill as many as 220 wolves this fall, marking the state’s first wolf management decision since Congress lifted endangered species protections.
The unanimous vote opens the door for the public to weigh in before the commission makes a final decision in July. It would be Montana’s second wolf hunt since 2009, when 72 wolves were killed, and state Fish, Wildlife and Parks commissioners appeared confident the 2011 hunt will be approved.
Warm weather accelerates river flow forecast
The National Weather Service has bumped up their local river flow forecasts a bit. Today’s Daily Inter Lake has a write-up . . .
The National Weather Service has once again accelerated flow forecasts for some rivers in Northwest Montana due to ongoing warm weather.
Migratory flocks appear healthy despite worries after Gulf oil spill
From today’s Missoulian (includes some nice photos) . . .
The birds are back.
Despite a brutal spring and oil slicks on many wintering areas, western Montana’s migratory flocks look healthy as they repopulate the ponds and potholes of their summer nesting grounds.
Flood Info page: Link to Flathead County Office of Emergency Services added
We’ve added a link for the Flathead County Office of Emergency Services to the “Flood Information” page. In the event of major flooding, these folks will be responsible, in conjunction with federal and state agencies, for managing and coordinating the response.
National Weather Service predicts warming trend; small streams already near full
From today’s Missoulian . . .
A warming trend is expected to continue as high pressure resides over the Northern Rockies, according an alert issued by the National Weather Service on Wednesday. Small streams across western Montana are already near or at bank-full, the Weather Service said.
Western Montana waters expected to rise fast, hard once snow melts
Here’s the Missoulian’s take on the start of Spring runoff . . .
Western Montana’s flood season has a lot in common with the space shuttle Endeavour: It’ll be big when it goes, but the start date keeps getting postponed.
“Even though we’re losing some water in the (snow)pack, it’s not to the level we normally see,” National Weather Service warning coordination meteorologist Marty Whitmore said Tuesday. “But when that snow comes off, it will come in a fairly quick time.”
By Tuesday morning, the region north of an imaginary line along Thompson Falls, Kalispell and Browning was seeing significant melting in the mountains. But below that all the way south to Dillon and Ennis, moisture was still accumulating from storms on Sunday and Monday.
The melt is on; rivers and streams are rising
From today’s Daily Inter Lake . . .
A trend of warmer weather will settle in over Western Montana this week and the deep mountain snowpack finally will start to melt, with rivers and streams expected to approach or exceed flood stage by the middle of next week.
The forecast calls for temperatures in the 60s or higher through Saturday, along with a chance of showers and thunderstorms during the latter part of the week.
“We just anticipate the melt to occur,” said Marty Whitmore, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Missoula. “We’re going to see significant rises in creeks and small streams … Some of those are going to start coming out of their banks.”
Feds agree to clear backlog of ESA requests; eco-group agrees to stop suing
A good write-up from today’s Missoulian . . .
A proposed settlement could unkink the backlog of 251 plants and animals awaiting attention from the federal Endangered Species Act, including Montana’s arctic grayling and sage grouse.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and WildEarth Guardians announced an agreement on Tuesday where the federal agency commits to clearing its candidate species list within five years, while the environmental group promises to stop suing the government for missing its legal action deadlines.
Feds announce plans for backlog of more than 250 imperiled species
From an AP article in today’s Flathead Beacon . . .
The Obama administration announced Tuesday that it intends to work through a backlog of more than 250 imperiled animal and plant species over the next six years to decide if they need protection under the Endangered Species Act.