From today’s online edition of the Flathead Beacon . . .
The deaths of two grizzly bears in Glacier National Park last week has caused a stir in western Montana as bear biologists evaluate the park’s decision to remove a mother and two of her cubs.
Biologist Charles Jonkel of the Great Bear Foundation in Missoula disagreed with the killings and reported numerous phone calls from concerned residents.
From a recent email sent out by the NFLA Road Committee . . .
The NFLA road committee has arranged to have Laura Fay, a research scientist from Western Transportation Institute out of MSU, come to talk about Dust Control Options. She will speak on September 8th at 10:00 a.m. at Sondreson Hall.
Her talk will include major dust control options, definitions, materials frequently used, location of informational resources and provide information on how WTI can help.
This should be an excellent and informative presentation for anyone concerned with dust mitigation on the North Fork Road.
We’ve finally gotten more information on the local previews of the new Ken Burns documentary, “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea.”
The screening in Whitefish is on August 29th, at 5 p.m. at the O’Shaughnessy Center. Cost is $5 in advance and $7 at the door. Tickets are available at all four Montana Coffee Trader locations.
There’s also a showing in Missoula on August 30th at 5 p.m. at the UC Theater on the University of Montana campus. There’s no charge at the Missoula venue.
See our earlier post for more information on the documentary.
As expected, a coalition of wolf advocates sued to block the Montana and Idaho wolf hunts Thursday. As posted on the Missoulian’s web site . . .
A coalition of wolf advocates filed a request to block wolf hunting seasons in Idaho and Montana on Thursday afternoon in Missoula’s federal district court.
“Because Idaho Fish and Game delayed its decision on setting the mortality level until the last minute, we’re filing for injunctive relief at the last moment,” said EarthJustice attorney Jenny Harbine. “It could be that Idaho would start (its wolf hunting season) before we’re able to get a remedy.”
The coalition is suing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in order to reverse the federal agency’s decision removing the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act in Montana and Idaho. Both states set up 2009 hunting seasons for wolves, with Idaho’s hunt beginning Sept. 1 in some regions. The earliest part of Montana’s season will start Sept. 15.
This evening, Glacier Park personnel killed the “Old Man Lake” grizzly. Despite resuscitation efforts, one of her cubs died from the effects of a tranquilizer dart. The Flathead Beacon and Missoulian have the story . . .
Grizzly Cub Transferred from Glacier Park
Human-conditioned grizzly bear killed by rangers in Glacier Park; cub dies from tranquilizer dart
By demand, here’s the latest on the “Old Man Lake female” grizzly bear. This article appeared in today’s online edition of the Missoulian . . .
Three people are camped beneath the cliffs at Morning Star Lake, in the stone-cold shadow of Medicine Grizzly Peak.
Unlike other Glacier National Park campers, these three are packing rifles, and tranquilizer guns, and a big bear cage. They’re here to catch and kill a grizzly bear, and to carry her cubs off to the zoo — and that has outraged a handful of bear lovers.
Here’s a little, low-profile news item that should probably be getting more coverage. A new Ken Burns documentary series, “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea,” will start playing on PBS late next month. A sneak preview of the series will be shown in Whitefish August 29th and in Missoula on the 30th. Dayton Duncan, a writer and Burns’ long-time collaborator, will host the sneak previews. Burns directed the series; Duncan wrote and co-produced.
According to an AP article making the rounds, the documentary is “about America’s national parks and the people who devoted their lives to preserving them for the public.”
Both of these guys are heavy-hitters. Burns is a well-regarded maker of documentaries, with two Oscar nominations and a handful of Emmys. Duncan is a first-rate writer (his “Out West…” is my favorite) whose interest in American history and the regular folks who move it along nicely complements Burns’ views.
For those of you wanting a quick peek, Amazon has a film trailer online.
For more information, visit the PBS site on the documentary, which has lots of material, including several video excerpts
No word yet on the venue or on whether they are going to show the full, six-hour documentary at the preview. We’ll post more information as it becomes available.
This is not strictly North Fork news, but is likely of interest to a lot of folks who follow this site. From Thursday’s online edition of the Missoulian . . .
She’s up in the Nyack Creek wilderness right now, working huckleberry hillsides with her two cubs, but this old grizzly will come back. She always comes back.
That’s the problem. That’s why this time, when she returns, she’ll be killed.
Here is the press release from last Tuesday’s visit to the North Fork by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, accompanied by Montana Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester. It’s also available online at 7thSpace Interactive.
It’s worth reading. There are a few gems buried in the midst of the obligatory political verbiage.
Salazar, Baucus, Tester Announce Study of Potential Threats to Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park
KALISPELL, Mt – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester today announced the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and the World Heritage Center will conduct a review early this fall of the potential threats, such as proposed coal mining and oil and gas development, to the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park in Montana and Alberta, Canada.
In June, the 21-nation World Heritage Committee, part of the United Nation’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organizations (UNESCO), called for the review as it considers whether the park should be placed on its list of World Heritage Sites that are in danger. The scientific review will take place September 20 to 26.
“Senators Baucus and Tester and I have serious concerns about the potential impact of energy development on the park’s water, wildlife and other resources,” Salazar said. “With the support of Canada, I am pleased that just three months after the World Heritage Committee called for this review, scientists will be on the ground to give us an objective assessment of the possible threats to the park.”
“The North Fork is a gem for Montana. I’ve been working for decades to keep it protected, and I wanted to bring Secretary Salazar out here so he could see it with his own eyes. When you see how magnificent this place is it is a no brainer that we need to protect it. Secretary Salazar is a westerner and a friend, and I am so glad that he is going to be such a strong ally in our fight. This review is a good step and will give the world a chance to see the value of this resource and the threats it will face until we have long-term protections in place. I will never rest until this place is protected for our kids and grandkids,” said Senator Baucus.
“Glacier National Park is one of the world’s most important places,” said Tester, a member of the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee. “Taking inventory of any challenges we face in the future will help us protect Montana’s clean water and make sure that Glacier will always inspire visitors from around the world.”
Glacier National Park in northwestern Montana on the United States side and Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta on the Canadian side, were designated by law as the world’s first International Peace Park in 1932. The Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park is traversed by the Lewis Range and contains outstanding glacial lakes and alpine scenery and is significant as a habitat exceptionally rich in plant and mammal life.
The park protects an important biological crossroads at the point where the Rocky Mountains reach their narrowest width. It also serves as a celebration of the longest undefended contiguous border between two nations and a reminder that our natural resources have no boundaries.
The United States is concerned that proposed mining and energy developments in the mostly pristine Canadian Flathead region could potentially threaten the Flathead River in Montana which forms the western boundary of Glacier National Park.
The 21-nation World Heritage Committee oversees the list of World Heritage Sites that are of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common heritage of humanity. Sites that are deemed to be in jeopardy are placed on the endangered list. Both the United States and Canada would have to agree to the designation before it could be made.
The Committee requested the mission take place as soon as possible so that the results can be considered by the Committee in its next session in the summer of 2010. The United States and Canada have committed to complete a State of Conservation Report by February 1, 2010.
Contact: Hugh Vickery (202) 208-6416
The Missoulian introduced a redesigned web site this afternoon. Unfortunately, this screwed up every inbound link to their stories for the past several years, not to mention trashing external search engine results from outfits like Google. Apparently, we’ve got some teething problems here. It’s going to take quite a while to clean this up. In the meantime, readers of this weblog looking for linked Missoulian stories will need to dig them up based on topic search at the Missoulian’s web site.
Sorry, folks, there’s not much we can do except work back through the posts and try to clean up all the link rot introduced by this “upgrade.” Fixed-up links will be flagged with [link repaired]. We’ll not likely go back more than a month or so, though — just too much work.
Update
Well, it looks like the Missoulian’s new search index is incomplete for articles prior to about August 1. We’ve fixed up all the August story links. We’re not having much luck for material prior to that date.