Tag Archives: Glacier Park

“Red Flag” warning up for Lolo, Flathead, Kootenai forests & Glacier Park

A “Red Flag” fire weather warning has been posted for the Flathead/Glacier area as well as the general region. Basically, the weather service is calling for hot, dry conditions with a chance of dry lightening from thunderstorms passing through the area. Here’s the text:

KOOTENAI-FLATHEAD/GLACIER PARK-WEST LOLO-
SALISH AND KOOTENAI RESERVATION-
425 AM MDT MON AUG 6 2012

…RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO MIDNIGHT MDT
TONIGHT FOR THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE KOOTENAI…FLATHEAD/GLACIER
PARK…WEST LOLO…SALISH AND KOOTENAI RESERVATION…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MISSOULA HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING FOR THUNDERSTORMS…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO
MIDNIGHT MDT TONIGHT. THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS NO LONGER IN
EFFECT.

* WINDS: OUTFLOW WIND GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH FROM NEARBY STORMS.

* MINIMUM HUMIDITIES: 18-28 PERCENT

* THUNDERSTORMS: HIGH-BASED THUNDERSTORMS WITH LITTLE IN THE WAY
OF BENEFICIAL RAINFALL AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A RED FLAG WARNING IS INTENDED TO ALERT LAND MANAGERS TO EXPECTED
WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT ALONG WITH SUFFICIENTLY DRY FUELS…WILL
SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE FIRE DANGER.

Larry Wilson: Around the Park on snowshoes

This week, Larry passes along a story about Norton Pearl, one of the early Glacier Park rangers . . .

During the winter of 1913, Park ranger Norton Pearl completely circled Glacier National Park on snowshoes. His story, used here with permission from his daughter, Dorothy, tells a lot about the early day rangers.

They were not only a tough group of men, but they obviously loved the area as much as any of us do today. In most cases, their word was their bond and was valued by all who knew them. Following is a portion of Pearl’s account:

Continue reading . . .

Next North Fork Interlocal Agreement meeting on Feb. 15 in Glacier Park

Scott Emmerich, North Fork District Ranger, sent out the following announcement a couple of days ago concerning the upcoming Interlocal Meeting in Glacier Park . . .

 

We’re trying to go “paperless” with our Interlocal Meeting notifications this winter.  It would be helpful to me if you’d spread the word to those in your span of relationships who would benefit from attending.  Thank you.

The main goal of the meeting is to foster open communication among North Fork neighbors.   It may be helpful to meet one-on-one with specific agency representatives prior to the meeting if you are hoping to obtain information that may require some extended research.  I can help provide you with phone numbers and/or email addresses to facilitate this connection.

The agenda is time-tested, absolutely adjustable and remarkably similar year after year:

 

NORTH FORK INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT MEETING
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 15, 2012 10a.m.-1p.m
COMMUNITY BUILDING, GLACIER NATIONAL PARK

 

INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT LANDOWNER UPDATES

North Fork Compact
North Fork Preservation Association
North Fork Land Owners Association
North Fork Road Coalition for Health & Safety

 

AGENCY UPDATES

US Fish & Wildlife Service
MT FW&P
MT Department of State Lands
Flathead County
Flathead National Forest
Homeland Security (US Border Patrol)
Glacier National Park

 

SPECIAL AGENDA TOPICS

(To be determined.)

Host & Date for Summer 2012 Interlocal?

 

Please contact me if you have special needs as they relate to the meeting.

I hope to see you in a few weeks!

 

Scott

 

Scott Emmerich
North Fork District Ranger
Glacier National Park
(406)888-7842

Full text: Letter urging passage of enhanced protections for Waterton-Glacier Park

(Note: This is the full text of a public letter signed by six former superintendents of Waterton and Glacier Parks encouraging the U.S. and Canadian governments to complete passage of legislation intended to enhance protections for the parks, including the U.S. North Flathead Protection Act currently stuck in a year-end Senate logjam.)

One hundred years ago the United States followed Canadaʼs leadership in protecting the core of the Crown of the Continent ecosystem, establishing Glacier National Park in Montana as a southern sister to Albertaʼs Waterton Lakes National Park. Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park is located where the Rocky Mountains tie our two countries into one landscape. As one of North Americaʼs most spectacular mountain parks, it is a source not only of inspiration and recreation, but also abundant clean water for communities from Hudson Bay to the Gulf of Mexico.

The combined parks encompass a protected topography of 1.1 million acres (450,000 hectares) that has gifted generations with an inheritance beyond measure. Today, more than 2 million people from around the world travel to Waterton-Glacier annually to experience the alpine majesty of the worldʼs first international peace park.

Throughout this past century, Canada and the United States have taken significant steps to protect and preserve this international treasure, including bilateral support for designating the Peace Park a World Heritage site in 1995. Early in this centennial birthday year, both countries furthered a decades-old international effort to safeguard Waterton-Glacierʼs pristine headwaters, by protecting British Columbiaʼs remote Flathead River Valley and Montanaʼs North Fork Flathead River drainage from proposed coal strip-mining, coalbed methane extraction, and gold mines.

The steps taken to date — which include retiring more than 200,000 acres (80,000 hectares) of oil and gas leases in the Montana North Fork, and a mining ban in the B.C. portion of the watershed — are historic and worthy of recognition. However, there remains unfinished work to ensure the legacy of Waterton-Glacier.

Nearly six months ago, on the margins of the G-20 Summit in Toronto, the offices of the Prime Minister and President issued a joint statement pledging federal action toward the sustained protection of Waterton-Glacierʼs transboundary headwaters. This commitment will build upon an agreement between the province of British Columbia and state of Montana — signed during the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics — to enhance environmental protection and cooperation throughout the Crown of the Continent region. Today, however, the federal-to-federal agreement that will complete this state/provincial effort has yet to be accomplished.

In Canada, a long-standing proposal to complete the Peace Park by expanding Waterton Lakes National Park into one-third of British Columbiaʼs Flathead Valley remains under government review, despite strong public support at the local, regional and national levels. And earlier this year, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee urged Canada to “develop a pro-active plan for enhancing wildlife connectivity” between Waterton-Glacier and Banff National Park, a step that remains incomplete.

Work also remains unfinished in Washington, D.C. Despite passing the U.S. Senate Natural Resources Committee nearly eight months ago, the bipartisan North Fork Protection Act has yet to be acted upon by the full Senate.

This vital legislation would prohibit new mining and fossil fuel leasing on Waterton-Glacierʼs western periphery, in high mountain country that includes the drinking water supply for the gateway community of Whitefish, Montana. The bill also protects lands throughout the Middle Fork of the Flathead River corridor, a Congressionally designated Wild and Scenic River that forms Glacier Parkʼs southwestern boundary. The measure enjoys tremendous local support, and represents a long-term and tangible gift for Glacier on its 100th birthday.

Today, however, this legislation remains stalled in the U.S. Congress. And without immediate action, this valuable and worthy endowment to future park visitors will be forced to begin the political process anew in 2011.

If we have learned one thing during these past 100 years, it is that international cooperation is a requisite to protecting a peace park that transcends boundaries. We urge leaders in both countries to ensure Waterton-Glacierʼs continued legacy through the prompt consideration and passage of these measures.

Word Count: 621

Contact Mick Holm: 406-756-9055 or mpholm@centurytel.net

Waterton Lakes Signatories
Merv Syroteuk, Creston, BC (1992-1996)
Peter Lamb, Lethbridge, AB (1999-2004)

Glacier National Park Signatories
Mick Holm, Columbia Falls, MT (2002-2008)
Dave A. Mihalic, Missoula, MT (1994-1999)
Gil Lusk, Green Valley, AZ (1986-1994)
Bob Haraden, Bozeman, MT (1980-1986)
Phil Iverson, Lakeside, MT (1974-80)
Bill J. Briggle, South Beach, OR (1969-1974)

Lots of pavement resurfacing scheduled for Glacier Park during July & August

Those of you accustomed to looping through Glacier Park to avoid the southern part of the North Fork Road may encounter some delays this summer. They will be chip sealing just about all the pavement in the park, with the exception of Going-to-the-Sun Road. They’ll also be doing road striping and some clean-up work. Chip sealing starts Monday, July 12 and should be finished by late August. The striping and clean-up is scheduled to be done by Friday, September 17.

For more details, read the press release. Also, a two week projected schedule and map will be updated weekly and posted to the Glacier website at http://www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/chipseal2010.htm.

Fantastic Glacier Park photo series by Chris Peterson

Folks, you have got to check out the photos from Chris Peterson’s “100 days in Glacier National Park” project.

Related reading/viewing . . .

Lido Vizutti of the Flathead Beacon has a nice write-up.

Boston.com’s “The Big Picture” section has a nice selection from the series at somewhat better resolution than the ones in Chris Peterson’s official web log for the project.

Did I mention that you have got to check this out? Oh, right . . .

Follow-up: UNESCO scientific mission to Waterton-Glacier Park

Although the Missoulian posted some initial coverage of last month’s visit by a U.N. scientific delegation investigating mining and other resource development threats to Waterton-Glacier Park, the only local paper that paid significant attention to the subject was the Hungry Horse News — a fact that slipped past your friendly webweenie.

Herewith are lead-ins and links to the articles published by the Hungry Horse News.

From the September 24th edition . . .

U.N. scientists: Glacier on ‘pedestal’

Two scientists from the United Nations are touring the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park and the Canadian Flathead to see for themselves the potential impacts of proposed mines in the region.

“We plan to consult as widely as possible with all stakeholders,” said Paul Dingwall, a New Zealand scientist with the World Conservation Union and the World Wide Fund for Nature.

Dingwall and Keshore Rao, deputy director of the United Nation’s World Heritage Center, spent most of Monday holed up in Glacier Park’s community building, hearing report after report about the Park and its native flora and fauna.

Read the entire article . . .

From the October 7th edition . . .

Scientists here say they made an impression on U.N.

After a solid week of meetings and tours, American scientists and conservationists feel good about their recent visit with a delegation from the United Nations.

Read the entire article . . .

U.N. scientists assess mining threats to Waterton-Glacier Park

We’re starting to see more complete news coverage of this week’s visit by a U.N. scientific delegation investigating mining and other resource development threats to Waterton-Glacier Park.

The Missoulian posted an excellent article on the first day’s activities very early this morning. Here’s the lead-in . . .

A team of scientists from the United Nations is visiting Glacier National Park, assessing potential threats posed by mining plans in Canadian wildlands upstream of the park.

Glacier, in partnership with adjacent Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada, was named a World Heritage Site in 1995; that UNESCO designation recognizes the area’s spectacular natural resources, including its diversity of wildlife and its role as a “biological crossroads.

But several Canadian companies are interested in resources that lie just beyond the two park boundaries – namely coal, gold and coalbed methane. British Columbia’s provincial government already has granted exploration permits in the Canadian Flathead River drainage, which flows south into Montana to form Glacier Park’s western boundary.

Read the entire article . . .

UN officials to visit Glacier Park this week — no details yet

A UN delegation is scheduled to visit Glacier National Park this week and locations in  the Canadian Flathead as part of UNESCO’s investigation into threats to Waterton-Glacier Park posed by coal mining and other proposed extractive activities. So far, the only recent news is a short, uninformative AP article.

No further information yet. We’ll post coverage as it becomes available.

Park takes heat over bear deaths

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.

Read the entire story . . .