The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission is looking at a number of adjustments to trapping regulations, including some that would affect wolves . . .
The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission on Nov. 12 is set to consider a crowded agenda of proposed fishing and hunting regulations for the upcoming year, including approving a shortened wolf-trapping season and enacting rules surrounding the trapping of predators like coyotes, which are designed to avoid incidental captures of grizzly bears.
Good overview of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Park’s proposed grizzly bear management plan . . .
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has finalized its plan for managing grizzly bears, described by the agency as among Montana’s most “conservation-reliant” and “conflict-prone” species.
Late last month, FWP Director Dustin Temple formally adopted a 326-page outline for how the state will address conflicts between bears and people, approach an eventual trophy hunt and respond to the state’s growing — and dispersing — grizzly population.
The Statewide Grizzly Bear Management Plan represents the agency’s attempt to thread a narrow needle. With this plan, FWP is striving to reassure federal wildlife managers that it will be a responsible steward of a species that was hunted nearly to extinction in the not-too-distant past while also demonstrating its responsiveness to the concerns of Montanans living with grizzlies — some more willingly than others.
Kudos to Roger Sullivan for spotting this one. In his words…
Today’s story in Beacon reporting status of IJC referral re Kootenai/Elk pollution and includes some history:
In 1985, for example, a reference to the IJC centered on the transboundary water quality implications of a proposed coal mine on B.C.’s Cabin Creek, located north of Glacier National Park near the confluence with the North Fork Flathead River.
In that case, the fight against the Cabin Creek coal mine galvanized communities spanning the international boundary and forged a grassroots alliance that became the North Fork Preservation Association. The IJC ultimately recommended that the coal mine should not be approved or receive regulatory approval in the future,” setting the stage for broader protections on the North Fork Flathead River in Montana.
This spring, the North Fork Flathead River outfitter and guide permits up are up for renewal. The public comment deadline for this project is October 18!
The “Dear Interested Party” letter, quoted below, has the essential details, including instructions on submitting comments and a link to a project website containing additional reference material.
Dear Interested Party,
The Flathead National Forest is seeking public input on the renewal of five existing priority outfitter and guide special use permits on the non-wilderness portions of the North and Middle Forks of the Three Forks of the Flathead Wild and Scenic River. Flathead National Forest and Glacier National Park jointly manage the North and Middle Forks of the Flathead River within the project area. Flathead National Forest is the lead agency and administers the five outfitter-guide permits being considered for renewal. The project area does not include the South Fork or the Middle Fork upriver of the Bear Creek River Access Site as renewals within the Great Bear Wilderness are included in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex Outfitter and Guide Permit Reauthorization Project.
Permitted outfitting and guiding assures that the public has reasonable access to high-quality recreation opportunities. Given the skill and equipment needed to run these rivers safely and responsibly, many users require and prefer the services of an outfitter. Outfitters and guides on the North and Middle Forks promote and teach river and bear safety practices, resource protection (such as the proper fishing techniques), river etiquette, and the unique attributes of this Wild and Scenic River. These permits are a part of both sharing and protecting this national resource.
Additional project information is available at the project Web site: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=66916. You may submit project-specific comments, within the scope of the proposed action, by October 18, 2024. Because of the large amount of research regarding natural resource practices and methods, if you cite literature in your comments, please provide us with a complete bibliography and a copy of the referenced materials.
Please submit any comments, concerns, or suggestions regarding the implementation of this proposal electronically at: comments-northern-flathead-hungry-horse-glacier-view@usda.gov with “North and Middle Fork Flathead River Outfitter and Guide Permit Renewal Project” in the subject line. Acceptable formats include MS Word, RTF, or PDF.
Or mail comments to the following address:
Robert Davies, District Ranger
P.O. Box 190340
Hungry Horse, MT 59919
We look appreciate your interest in the management of the Three Forks of the Flathead Wild and Scenic River and look forward to hearing from you.
Here’s the latest on Montana’s plan for managing grizzlies at the state level. Detailed plan information is located at the FWP’s “Grizzly Bear Management and Conservation” page.
The text of the official September 11 press release . . .
HELENA – Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has released a final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) analyzing potential environmental impacts from the statewide management of grizzly bears.
Issuing the final EIS is a key step in a process that started in December of 2022, when FWP originally released the draft EIS for two months of public comment. The draft EIS went out for an additional 30 days of public comment in February of this year to ensure partner agencies, affected county governments, and tribal agencies had a chance for review.
“We’ve been intentionally very thorough in our process and review of the impacts to the human environment of statewide grizzly bear management,” said FWP Director Dustin Temple. “This is a crucial process step that yet again shows the state and FWP are ready to take over grizzly bear management ensuring the future viability of grizzlies in Montana.”
FWP analyzed two alternatives in the final EIS. Alternative 1, the “no action” alternative, would represent the status quo. Under this alternative, managing the ever-increasing number of bears statewide, and particularly in areas outside identified recovery zones, would continue to lack a coordinated approach.
Under Alternative 2, FWP’s proposed alternative, FWP would adopt and implement the 2024 Statewide Grizzly Bear Management Plan, which would provide needed clarity about where grizzly bear presence is a management objective and address issues related to connectivity between core grizzly bear recovery zones. If approved, the statewide plan would guide grizzly bear management across Montana. This includes grizzly bears located in recovered ecosystems, grizzly bears in areas not yet recovered, and the places in between.
The final EIS addresses issues and concerns raised during the public comment period. All new information and analysis supplied during the comment period were used to prepare the final EIS and FWP’s response to comments received on the draft EIS.
To view the final EIS, please visit the FWP grizzly bear management webpage.
From the press release . . .
HELENA – The wolf population in Montana remains healthy, according to the 2023 Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Wolf Report. Increased harvest during the 2023 wolf season has not yet resulted in an estimated decline to the statewide total. However, FWP biologists expect to see a moderate decline in wolf numbers next year resulting from the increased harvest in early 2024.
“We are committed to following the law to reduce wolf numbers to a sustainable level, which means ensuring Montana has a healthy state managed population,” said Quentin Kujala, FWP Chief of Conservation Policy. “The statewide wolf population estimate for calendar year 2023 is approximately 1,100 wolves, similar to 2022. However, we are seeing declines in the estimated number of wolves and wolf packs in Regions 3 and 4, which suggests the combination of hunting, trapping, and conflict management removals can effectively reduce wolf numbers.” Continue reading Montana FWP releases 2023 wolf report; population strong despite increased harvest
The proposed National Old-Growth Amendment is making steady progress. It is designed to protect forests that are “…in late stages of stand development, as identified by tree size, canopy layers, large dead woody material, species composition, and ecosystem function.”
The amendment is currently in the stage of accepting comments on a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Comments are open until September 20, 2024.
A brief overview is available as a PDF document.
Visit the project website for more details.
Excellent summary of the current status of the suit challenging the Flathead Forest’s rules for decommissioning roads . . .
A federal judge in Missoula issued a June 28 order recognizing that logging roads intensify pressure on grizzly bears and can displace them from their habitat even if forest managers have closed the roads to motorized use and deemed them “impassable,” an ineffective standard the agencies employ when approving new roadbuilding for timber projects on the Flathead National Forest.
Barring an appeal from the plaintiffs, the ruling concludes a legal saga that began in April 2019 when two local conservation groups, Friends of the Wild Swan and Swan View Coalition, sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the Flathead National Forest (FNF) over the road-building provisions in FNF’s revised forest plan. The new ruling by U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen acknowledged that grizzly bears have learned to avoid roads — even closed roads — and are often displaced from habitat that features them. The ruling builds upon a favorable decision for conservation groups in March, when a federal magistrate found that the FWS and FNF failed to lawfully examine the impacts to grizzly bears and bull trout from motorized trespass on closed roads.
Although Christensen acknowledged that the ongoing chronic problem of ineffective road closures and unauthorized motorized access can negatively impact grizzly bears, he stopped short of prohibiting approval of any future timber projects under the revised plan as currently written. Instead, Christensen remanded the provisions of the plan that violated the Endangered Species Act back to the agencies for further consideration.
From the official joint press release . . .
Release Date:
Kalispell, MT, May 6, 2024 — The Flathead National Forest and Glacier National Park are working together to reengage in the Comprehensive River Management Plan (CRMP) for the three forks of the Flathead River. “We are bringing on a new project leader who brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in Wild and Scenic River planning” says Rob Davies, Hungry Horse-Glacier District Ranger. “Our aim is a cohesive interdisciplinary, interagency team with aligned vision, working together on a plan for all the three forks, now and going into the future”. Our new team leader has experience with river management plans from across the nation and joins us from the U.S. Forest Service Washington Office’s Wilderness, Wild and Scenic Rivers Program.
The Flathead National Forest began the planning effort in 2018 and released a proposed action in 2019, which included public scoping and a series of public meetings. While plan development experienced periods of delay in 2020 and again in 2023, the Flathead National Forest and Glacier National Park continued to analyze public input from the 2019 public engagement efforts and work towards drafting a plan for the next phase of public participation. Continue reading Glacier Park and Flathead Forest restart management planning for Three Forks of the Flathead River — finally
A more nuanced discussion of the lawsuit over some road provisions in the Flathead Forest Plan . . .
U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen DeSoto March 12 recommended that two local environmental groups partially prevail in their claims against the Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over road management on the Flathead National Forest.
The recommendations, if they hold, could drastically alter the way the Forest Service manages closed roads in the future.