Tag Archives: Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks

Grizzly released in Whale Creek area

September 18, 2013Newsgrizzly bears, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parksnfpa

Montana FWP gave a nuisance grizzly the North Fork treatment a few days ago, dropping it off somewhere up the Whale Creek drainage where, hopefully, it will stay out of trouble . . .

Wildlife officials relocated a young female grizzly bear near Whale Creek in the North Fork after the animal rummaged through food in an open vehicle, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

FWP Grizzly Bear Management Specialist Tim Manley captured the grizzly near Spotted Bear after it had gotten into food attractants. The bear was originally captured several years ago as a cub along with an adult female and a sibling near Coram after they were eating apples, according to FWP.

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Grizzly bear population and recovery

August 7, 2013Environmental Issues, Newsgrizzly bears, Montana Fish, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, North Fork Preservation Association, Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem, Rick Macenfpa

Well, now, the NFPA got some ink. The Flathead Beacon’s Tristan Scott did a good write-up on Rick Mace’s presentation at the July 27 NFPA annual meeting concerning grizzly bear research and management over the past several decades. John Frederick even gets a quote . . .

Biologists who have spent years counting grizzly bears in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem say the species is on the road to recovery. With the public comment period on a post-delisting bear management strategy having drawn to a close Aug. 1, Endangered Species Act protections could be removed as early as next year.

At the North Fork Preservation Association’s annual meeting last month, attendees heard a presentation from Fish, Wildlife and Parks biologist Rick Mace. The presentation gave a 30-year history of grizzly bear conservation in western Montana.

Mace traced the history of research and management from the 1970s to the present, and talked about the science of counting bears and population trends of bears in the NCDE.

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NFPA Annual Meeting to be held on Saturday, July 27

July 23, 2013Newsgrizzly bears, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, NFPA Annual Meeting, North Fork Preservation Association, Rick Macenfpa

On Saturday, July 27, the annual meeting of the North Fork Preservation Association will be held at the Sondreson Community Hall at Whale Creek. At 7:30 pm Rick Mace, a North Forker and bear biologist for Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, will present his program entitled “A 30 year history of grizzly bear conservation in Western Montana: How far have we come?”

The 7:30 pm program is preceded by a potluck at 5pm and election of officers at approximately 7 pm when people are finished eating.

Everyone is invited.

Montana FWP approves Coal Creek habitat improvement project

July 9, 2013Environmental Issues, Newsbull trout, Coal Creek, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, westslope cutthroat troutnfpa

As expected, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has approved the “South Fork of Coal Creek Habitat Enhancement Project” . . .

State fisheries managers approved increased spawning of westslope cutthroat trout and bull trout and habitat improvements on the South Fork of Coal Creek in Flathead County.

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North Fork Preservation Association annual meeting features presentation by Rick Mace

July 7, 2013Newsgrizzly bears, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, NFPA Annual Meeting, North Fork Preservation Association, Rick Macenfpa

The North Fork Preservation Association’s annual meeting will be held on, Saturday, July 27 at Sondreson Hall.

Events kick off with a potluck at 5:00 p.m. The NFPA will supply burgers and sausages. Bring anything else that might be tasty. (Note that the webmaster is fond of rhubarb pie. Just saying.)

The business meeting is at 7:00 p.m. — or a bit earlier if everyone is done eating.

The main program begins at 7:30 p.m. with a talk by Rick Mace, biologist for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and a North Fork landowner. He will give a presentation titled “What We Are Learning About Grizzlies from Catching Them in the North and South Fork”.

Montana wolf season comment period extended due to website outage

June 25, 2013Environmental Issues, NewsMontana Fish Wildlife and Parks, wolf hunt, wolf managementnfpa

If you haven’t commented on the proposed regulations for the 2013-2014 wolf hunt, you’ve got a short extension . . .

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has extended the comment period for the proposed 2013-14 gray wolf season until Wednesday at 5 p.m.

According to Ken McDonald, FWP Wildlife Division administrator, the department’s public website has been down due to technical difficulties since midday Saturday, and the comment period had been scheduled to close Monday.

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Grizzly bear monitoring continues in Glacier Park

May 30, 2013Environmental Issues, NewsGlacier National Park, grizzly bear research, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parksnfpa

Now in its ninth year, an interagency grizzly bear study led by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks will be active in Glacier National Park. Here’s the press release . . .

A long-term interagency program to monitor grizzly bear population trends in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem will continue at Glacier National Park this year.

Bait stations, automated cameras, and traps are used to capture and monitor grizzly bears within the park. Bait stations and trap sites are marked with brightly colored warning and closure signs. Visitors are asked to respect posted signs and not enter sites where grizzly bear traps or bait stations are present.

Glacier National Park wildlife biologists attempt to maintain a sample of up to 10 radio-collared female grizzly bears out of an estimated population of 300 grizzly bears living in the park. Trapping efforts will continue through October at various locations throughout Glacier National Park.

The interagency grizzly bear monitoring program began in 2004 and is led by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Participating agencies include: National Park Service, United States Forest Service, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, and the Blackfeet Nation.

Montana’s state parks to be overseen by dedicated board

April 30, 2013NewsMontana Fish Wildlife and Parks, parks commissionnfpa

In a long-overdue change, starting July 1, Montana’s state parks will be overseen by a dedicated commission, independent of the fish and wildlife commission . . .

Montana’s state parks will be overseen by a board dedicated to parks and recreation issues under a law signed Monday that will divide the duties of the former Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission.

During a signing ceremony at Pictograph Cave State Park near Billings, which boasts Native American rock art dating to the time when Cleopatra ruled Egypt, Gov. Steve Bullock said the five-member commission will improve efforts to care for natural and historic areas that he described as crucial to preserving Montana’s outdoor heritage.

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