Federal judge reinstates Badger-Two Medicine oil leases

September 25, 2018Environmental Issues, NewsBadger-Two Medicine, oil leases, Solonexnfpa

A D.C. District Court judge reinstated a set of disputed oil leases in the Badger-Two Medicine region. The saga continues. Expect an appeal . . .

The government’s decision to cancel an oil and gas lease in the Badger-T
wo Medicine area of Montana was “arbitrary and capricious” and the lease should be reinstated, a federal judge says.

In a ruling issued Monday, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia reiterated what he said in a previous order in the case in which he criticized the government for first delaying implementation of the lease for 29 years before finally canceling it.

Read more . . .

Also read…
Ruling Gives Sacred Montana Tribal Lands Back to Industry (Wilderness Society)

Judge restores protections for Yellowstone Grizzlies, scuttles hunting

September 24, 2018Environmental Issues, Newsbear hunt, Endangered Species Act, greater Yellowstone ecosystem, grizzly bear recoverynfpa

Grizzly Bear Sow and cubs - NPS photo, Tim Rains — Grizzly Bear Sow and cubs – NPS photo, Tim Rains

Here’s an excellent article by the Missoulian’s Rob Chaney on today’s ruling by U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen restoring federal protection to Yellowstone area grizzlies . . .

A federal judge returned Yellowstone-area grizzly bears to Endangered Species Act protection and effectively blocked grizzly hunting seasons in Wyoming and Idaho on Monday.

“Although this order may have impacts throughout grizzly country and beyond, this case is not about the ethics of hunting and it is not about solving human- or livestock-grizzly conflicts as a practical or philosophical matter,” U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen wrote at the start of his 48-page ruling. “This court’s review, constrained by the Constitution and the laws enacted by Congress, is limited to answering a yes-or-no question: Did the United States Fish and Wildlife Service exceed its legal authority when it delisted the Greater Yellowstone grizzly bear?”

Christensen ruled the agency did err by failing to consider how delisting the estimated 750 grizzlies in and around Yellowstone National Park might affect survival of another roughly 1,200 bears in five other recovery areas. He wrote Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) also acted arbitrarily and capriciously in analyzing threats to the Yellowstone bears.

Read more . . .

Also read . . .
Grizzlies Saved: Court Stops Trophy Hunt of Yellowstone’s Iconic Bears (Earthjustice)

House District 3 Candidate Forum, October 4

September 6, 2018Action AlertsCandidate Forum, North Fork Forumnfpa

A note from NFPA President Debo Powers . . .

Please vote in the November elections. This is a crucial time for supporting public lands and environmental protections, and many other important issues

The North Fork Forum has organized a candidate’s forum at the Community Hall for Montana House District 3 (which is the North Fork’s legislative district) on October 4 at 6:30. Please attend.

House District 3 Candidate Forum!

Since the summer of 2017, The North Fork Forum has facilitated regular community discussions about the U.S. Constitution and related issues. Our goal has been to create a community dialogue that can bridge the political divide that is now so apparent in our government/political system. As we look forward to the upcoming elections, it seems only natural to continue this dialogue process!

As part of that continuing effort, we are hosting a candidate forum in advance of the 2018 midterm elections for the Montana State House of Representatives.

As you likely know, Polebridge is represented in House District 3 (HD3) by incumbent Democrat Zac Perry, who is being challenged by Republican Jerry O’Neil and Libertarian Shawn Guymon. HD3 also includes Columbia Falls and parts of Hungry Horse. All three candidates have accepted an invitation to attend our candidate forum!

We hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to come get to know your candidates! The event will be moderated by Nicky Ouellet, the Flathead Valley Reporter from Montana Public Radio! Each candidate will have an opportunity to respond to questions submitted by the community. More details will follow, but for now, please save the date!

Thursday, October 4, 2018 at 6:30 pm!
Sondreson Community Hall
Please bring a snack to share!

Questions? Email Kenna Halsey at kenna@ecometrixsolutions.com or call 971-244-8500

My wild and scenic dream wedding

September 6, 2018NewsAmerican Rivers, North Fork Flathead River, wedding, Wild and Scenic Rivers Actnfpa

Kascie Herron's North Fork Wedding — Kascie Herron’s North Fork Wedding

It seems Kascie Herron, who several of you may know from her activities with American Rivers, got married on the North Fork this summer . . .

No one ever tells you how fast it all goes by – the ceremony, photos, reception, eating, dancing, crying, laughing. The act of getting married will forever be a blur in my memory. All of it except the river.

My husband, Dan, and I were married on June 30 on the North Fork of the Flathead River in northwest Montana. The North Fork was designated a Wild and Scenic River in 1976. Its headwaters begin in Canada and flow south to its confluence with the Middle Fork Flathead, forming the western boundary of Glacier National Park. There are many reasons we chose this place to declare our lifelong commitment to one another. After all, our love for one another grew out of our love for rivers.

Read more . . .

Grizzly delisting faces faces many challenges

September 6, 2018Environmental Issues, Newsbear hunt, delisting, Endangered Species Act, grizzly bear recovery, trophy huntingnfpa

Sow grizzly bear spotted near Camas in northwestern Montana. - Montana FWP — Sow grizzly bear spotted near Camas in northwestern Montana. – Montana FWP

The current court challenge to the Wyoming and Idaho grizzly hunt is only the tip of the iceberg . . .

While most stories about last week’s grizzly bear court hearing trumpeted the last-minute suspension of trophy hunts in Wyoming and Idaho, the lawsuit had nothing to do with the legality of grizzly hunting.

And while it did focus on whether grizzlies in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem still need federal protection, the eventual decision will affect a far larger landscape. That points up a conundrum of the Endangered Species Act: It’s one challenge to recover a species, but quite another to delist it.

U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen didn’t render a decision from the bench on Thursday as many expected he might. But he did grant a 14-day restraining order blocking Wyoming and Idaho from starting their grizzly hunts on Saturday.

BREAKING: Judge suspends Wyoming, Idaho grizzly hunts

August 30, 2018Environmental Issues, Newsbear hunt, Endangered Species Act, grizzly bears, Idaho, Wyomingnfpa

Grizzly bear sow with three cubs - NPS photo — Grizzly bear sow with three cubs – NPS photo

In response to oral arguments by a coalition of wildlife advocates, U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen just granted a 14-day temporary restraining order suspending grizzly bear hunts in Wyoming and Idaho while decides whether the federal government should reinstate federal protections for the bears.

Recommended reading for more background . . .

Groups Seek Temporary Restraining Order to Stop Grizzly Hunt (Sierra Club)
Wildlife Groups Press Judge to Nix Grizzly Hunts in Rockies (Flathead Beacon)

Fire status meeting at Sondreson Hall, Aug 28, 6pm

August 26, 2018Fire Information and Status, NewsCoal Ridge Fire, Whale Butte Firenfpa

Heads up! There’s a community meeting at Sondreson Hall on Tuesday, August 28, at 6:00pm, to discuss area fire control efforts.

Fire personal will provide an update on current fire conditions and then spotlight the containment features they have added for the future.

As before, BYOR (bring your own refreshments) — plus a little extra. If it goes like the last time, the firefighters will ensure there are no leftovers.

Comment submitted to the Department of Interior regarding proposed changes to Endangered Species Act rule-making

August 25, 2018Documents, Environmental IssuesEndangered Species Actnfpa

On August 25, 2018, the NFPA submitted the following statement to the Department of Interior during the comment period on their proposed changes to Endangered Species Act rule-making.

ESA
Docket No. FWS-HQ-ES-2018-0007

On behalf of the Board of Directors for the North Fork Preservation Association, we stand for a strong Endangered Species Act.

We believe that it is important to keep the “blanket 4(d) rule” in place, that automatically grants all species listed as Threatened protection from harm, harassment, injury and death.

If the current proposal moves forward, already vulnerable species would only be protected if and when your agency decides to undertake a specific rulemaking process. Not only would this increase the rulemaking workload for your agency, but Threatened species would be left waiting for protection that may never happen.

We believe that a strong Endangered Species Act is in the best interest of humans and wildlife. While some exploitative industries would benefit from this change because they could continue to disregard threatened species, this change is not in the interest of the rest of us.

The Endangered Species Act is one of the most cherished pieces of legislation in our country’s history and should not be weakened. Please keep this vital rule to protect our Threatened species in place.

Sincerely,

Debo Powers, President
North Fork Preservation Association
Polebridge, Montana

More fires expected, Naficy says

August 20, 2018Environmental Issues, NewsCameron Naficy, wildland firenfpa

NFPA member Cameron Naficy’s fire research got some ink in the Hungry Horse News . . .

Following a 2017 fire season that saw significant burning in Glacier and Waterton parks, with Kenow and Sprague wildfires, scientists and researchers have been hard at work determining what the fires mean for both parks as another fire season starts cooking.

Fire ecology was the subject of a presentation by the University of Columbia’s Cameron Naficy recently at Science and History Day in Waterton. According to Naficy, recent wildfire studies have changed the scientific community’s understanding of how fire affects the Glacier and Waterton region.

“The crown of the continent ecosystem has higher fire resiliency than we were expecting,” he said. “What we have found is that, historically in this area, a high-severity fire regime will transition into a mixed-severity fire regime.”

Read more . . .

Fish and Wildlife Commission advances proposed grizzly bear population objectives for public comment

August 20, 2018Environmental Issues, Newsgrizzly bear recovery, Montana Fish and Wildlife Commissionnfpa

Grizzly Sow with Two Cubs - Wikipedia en:User Traveler100 — Grizzly Sow with Two Cubs – – Wikipedia en:User Traveler100

From the official press release (see also Grizzly rule-making process goes to public) . . .

Public hearings scheduled in Kalispell, Missoula, Great Falls, Conrad

The Fish and Wildlife Commission has approved language for a proposed administrative rule that would codify population objectives for grizzly bears in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE).

The decision on August 9, 2018 sets into motion a public comment period that will run from Aug. 24 through Oct. 26. Public hearings will be held in Kalispell, Missoula, Great Falls, and Conrad. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks staff will explain and answer questions about the proposed population objectives at the hearings and take public comment.

The population objective is for NCDE, which is one of six designated recovery areas for grizzly bears in the lower-48 states. Grizzly bears in the NCDE are currently listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, although they have met their recovery criteria and may be proposed for delisting in the future.

The NCDE subcommittee of the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC) released a revised conservation strategy for grizzly bears (found here) earlier this summer. This document summarizes the commitments and coordinated efforts made by the state, tribal and federal agencies to manage and monitor the grizzly bear population and its habitat upon delisting.

Continue reading Fish and Wildlife Commission advances proposed grizzly bear population objectives for public comment →