Category Archives: Environmental Issues

Bears translocated to Yellowstone ecosystem exploring new territory, map shows

December 13, 2024Environmental Issues, Newsgrizzly bear recoverynfpa

Augmentation grizzly bear movements, 2024

This is pretty interesting. This past summer, Montana FWP translocated a couple of adult grizzlies from the Middle Fork Flathead to the Yellowstone area. Here’s what happened . . .

The lines on the map look like the doodling of a toddler. The pink line makes big loops that sometimes overlap. The green line is wound so tightly, it just looks like a big blob. Though they sometimes get close to each other, they seldom intersect.

The lines show the movements of the female grizzly bear (pink) and male grizzly bear (green) that were relocated from the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE) to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) this past summer. Both ecosystems have populations of grizzly bears that have surpassed recovery goals. However, the translocation effort was designed to help increase the genetic diversity of the GYE population, which has been isolated from nearby populations for many years. It’s an effort that may be repeated in the future, depending on how close the two populations eventually grow.

“This just jump starts what very likely will also happen naturally,” said Ken McDonald, head of Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ Wildlife Division.

Continue reading . . .

Group petitions Fish and Wildlife Service to revise grizzly recovery plan based on new report

December 11, 2024Environmental Issues, NewsChris Servheen, grizzly bear recoverynfpa

Grizzly bear in early fall - Montana FWP — Grizzly bear in early fall – Montana FWP

Kudos to Randy Kenyon for spotting this one . . .

A petition has been submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by 15 environmental groups, urging a revision of the 1993 Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan based on a new report by former grizzly recovery manager Chris Servheen. The report argues against delisting grizzlies from the Endangered Species Act and suggests managing them as a single metapopulation in the Northern Rockies. Servheen highlights significant population growth since the species was listed in 1975, but notes ongoing threats, including human-caused deaths and habitat loss. The petition emphasizes the need for stronger regulations and education to promote coexistence between humans and grizzlies. It critiques current state policies that may harm grizzly populations and calls for a collaborative recovery framework involving Tribal, State, and Federal agencies. The report stresses that successful recovery requires connectivity between isolated populations to enhance genetic diversity and resilience against climate change. The petition aims to influence decisions on grizzly protections expected by the end of January.

Read full article at the Daily Montanan . . .

Human-bear conflicts kept local grizzly specialists busy this year

December 7, 2024Environmental Issues, Newsbear management, Justine Valieres, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, Montana FWPnfpa

Grizzly bear near Trail Creek in North Fork Flathead region, Montana. April 11, 2017 - by Diane Boyd — Grizzly bear near Trail Creek in North Fork Flathead region, Montana. April 11, 2017 – by Diane Boyd

Local grizzly specialist Justine Vallieres is featured in this excellent article on human-bear conflict management efforts this year. A couple of North Forkers and the Bear Smart program get a mention, too . . .

Even though grizzly specialist Justine Vallieres responded to fewer human-bear conflict calls in northwest Montana this year compared to last, she filled what little downtime that afforded her by ramping up her education and outreach curriculum.

“We’re pushing preventative measures and trying to set as few traps as possible,” Vallieres, a wildlife conflict management specialist for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP), told members of the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC), who gathered for their annual winter meeting on Dec. 3 and 4 in Choteau. “I can set trap after trap after trap, but if the unsecured attractants are still there, the problem will keep recurring.”

For Vallieres, pushing preventative measues meant installing more electric fences, observing that residents seem more willing to entertain the idea of non-lethal conflict prevention as a means to secure their livestock and grain. She also delivered 18 talks and attended six educational events, all the while keeping up with a steady stream of conflict calls related to grizzly and black bears.

Continue reading . . .

Feds adopt lynx recovery plan

November 28, 2024Environmental Issues, NewsCanada lynxnfpa

Canada lynx sitting - USFWS — Canada lynx sitting – USFWS

Just in time for Thanksgiving . . .

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this week released a final recovery plan for Canada lynx, a threatened, snow-adapted species partial to northern forests.

Recovery plans are sometimes called “roadmaps to recovery.” Federal wildlife managers use them to outline risks to a threatened or endangered species’ survival and identify objective criteria for measuring recovery efforts.

Threats to Canada lynx that USFWS identified in its recovery plan include a reduction of habitat in the western U.S. that’s capable of sustaining populations of resident lynx and a warming climate that’s reducing the wintertime conditions lynx rely on to hunt snowshoe hare, a rabbit that accounts for most of the lynx’s winter diet.

Continue reading . . .

New Montana wolf trapping regulations up for consideration

November 12, 2024Environmental Issues, Newsgray wolves, trappingnfpa

Gray wolf - John and Karen Hollingsworth, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — Gray wolf – John and Karen Hollingsworth, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

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.

Continue reading . . .

Montana unveils its plan for managing grizzly bears

October 16, 2024Environmental Issues, Newsgrizzly bear management, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, Montana FWPnfpa

Grizzly Bear - Montana FWP — Grizzly Bear – Montana FWP

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.

Continue reading . . .

IJC Appoints Board of Experts to Study Mining Pollution in Elk-Kootenai Watershed

October 2, 2024Environmental Issues, NewsElk-Kootenai watershed, IJC, International Joint Commissionnfpa

An aerial view of Elkview Operations, one of Teck Resources’ sprawling metallurgic coal mines, in British Columbia on August 30, 2022. Hunter D’Antuono – Flathead Beacon

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.

Continue reading . . .

Flathead River outfitter and guide permits up for renewal; comments due by Oct 18

September 18, 2024Environmental Issues, NewsFlathead River Corridornfpa

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.

FWP releases final EIS for statewide grizzly bear management

September 12, 2024Environmental Issues, Newsbear managementnfpa

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.

Montana FWP releases 2023 wolf report; population strong despite increased harvest

July 31, 2024Documents, Environmental Issues, NewsMontana Fish Wildlife and Parks, wolf harvestnfpa

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 →