Montana On The Ground

Independently reported news stories of Montana's people, land, water and wildlife.

FWP slates shoulder-season hunts for 44 elk districts

December 11, 2015 by Laura Lundquist

Pilot projects to test the new elk shoulder seasons are barely a week underway, but Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is already planning more than 10 times as many shoulder seasons next year.

At Thursday’s FWP commission meeting, Big Game Chief John Vore ran through an extensive list of elk hunting districts where shoulder seasons would be opened as early as August 2016 and run through the following March. The shoulder seasons would be effective for the next four years, although Vore said the commission could terminate a season at any time.

FWP creates kill order for Swan Lake walleye

December 10, 2015 by Laura Lundquist

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has put a hit out on introduced walleye in Swan Lake.

At Thursday’s FWP commission meeting, commissioners unanimously approved a regulation requiring anglers to kill any walleye they catch in Swan Lake, report the incident and then turn the carcass in to FWP for analysis.

Hunters question landowner list in Townsend-area management hunt

December 09, 2015 by Laura Lundquist

Thanks to increased effort this year from wardens and landowners, elk hunting east of Canyon Ferry was a little less chaotic. But some hunters questioned whether one landowner is playing loose with the rules.

Tempers flared often in 2014 after limited access to hundreds of elk in Hunting District 392 east of Canyon Ferry resulted in shootouts involving dozens of hunters and repeated hunter-landowner conflicts. This year, landowners and Fish, Wildlife & Parks worked to ease the situation by handling the hunt differently.

Grizzly bear committee to improve guidelines in advance of delisting

December 08, 2015 by Laura Lundquist

The 25-year-old Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee realized it has long overlooked some important aspects of doing business. Now it’s working on giving its members clearer guidance, which they’ll need if grizzly bears are delisted.

On Tuesday in Missoula, the 23-member Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee wrestled over how to compensate for chaos both within the committee and without after members voiced the need for better definition of the roles of the executive committee and the regional subcommittees that have been attempting to recover the grizzly bear for a quarter century.

Oil and gas lease would help Montana kids learn to fish

November 30, 2015 by Laura Lundquist

States can’t usually sell oil and gas leases located in other states, but thanks to a gift, Montana will take advantage of North Dakota’s boom and use the lease money to help kids learn to fish.

Mining company, BNSF put Tongue River Railroad on hold

November 25, 2015 by Laura Lundquist

A few weeks after Arch Coal indicated that it might declare bankruptcy, a subsidiary transportation company has asked that the permitting of the Tongue River Railroad be suspended.

On Tuesday, the Tongue River Railroad Company asked the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to suspend the permitting process for a rail spur that would allow Arch Coal to ship coal from the proposed Otter Mine to Colstrip and points west, according to a company release.

Interior Department to cancel Badger Two Medicine leases

November 23, 2015 by Laura Lundquist

In a win for tribal cultural rights, the U.S. Department of the Interior said Monday that it intends to cancel an oil and gas lease on national forest land in the Badger-Two Medicine region. The cancellation could be finalized by the end of the year, but a District of Columbia federal court must sign off on it.

Swan-Blackfoot group renews collaborative wilderness bill

November 19, 2015 by Laura Lundquist

Residents of the Blackfoot and Swan valleys want to designate more wilderness around them, but they say it would be part of a bigger plan to preserve their lands and rural way of life.

On Wednesday night, more than 100 people packed into the Missoula Public Library conference room to learn about a renewed push by the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project to add 83,000 acres of wilderness to the Bob Marshall, Scapegoat and Mission Mountain wildernesses.

**Photo credit: Terry Tollefsbol / NPS**

Grizzly bear poached near Seeley Lake

November 18, 2015 by Laura Lundquist

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks seek information on the poaching of a male grizzly bear in the Swan Valley.

The bear was found dead about 10 miles north of Seeley Lake along Highway 83 on Nov. 6. Investigators retrieved the carcass and discovered the bear had died about two weeks ago – between Nov. 3 and Nov. 5 - of a gunshot wound. The bear has been sent to the FWP laboratory in Bozeman for further analysis.

Grizzly bears are protected under the Endangered Species Act so intentionally poaching a grizzly bear is a federal felony.

FWP and the USFWS ask that anyone with information on the killing call 800-TIP-MONT. Callers may remain anonymous and may earn a reward of up to $2,000 if the tip leads to a conviction.

More groups oppose coal as international demand drops

November 17, 2015 by Laura Lundquist

Hunters, wildlife advocates, religious leaders and those concerned about climate change have one thing in common: they don’t like environmental destruction caused by coal. But economic factors rather than protests will probably be coal’s undoing.

Update: BLM extends comment period for mining ban

November 17, 2015 by Laura Lundquist

The Bureau of Land Management has extended public comment on plans to ban any new mining on critical sage grouse habitat.

Legislative committee OK's damage-hunt rule changes

November 16, 2015 by Laura Lundquist

A legislative committee approved changes to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Park’s damage-hunt rule, but some legislators echoed the public’s confusion over the difference between damage hunts and the new shoulder seasons.

On Monday, the Environmental Quality Council heard FWP Public-Private Lands Coordinator Alan Charles summarize proposed changes to the damage-hunt rule and additional revisions made in response to public comment.

FWP commission appeals for LWCF reauthorization

November 13, 2015 by Laura Lundquist

The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks commission has thrown its support behind the reauthorization of the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund.

On Thursday, commissioners unanimously approved a letter urging Montana’s congressional delegation to revive the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Landowners speak out against shoulder seasons

November 12, 2015 by Laura Lundquist

The new elk shoulder seasons will be tested in a handful of pilot projects this winter, but the seasons are getting pushback from the very people they were supposed to help: landowners.

On Thursday, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks commissioners approved five hunting districts for a late elk season this year but rejected FWP’s recent inclusion of a sixth district partly because of opposition from landowners in the district.

Old lawsuit resurrected to save the Badger-Two Medicine

November 10, 2015 by Laura Lundquist

The federal government has two weeks to either cancel an oil and gas lease in the Badger-Two Medicine area or allow exploration to proceed. In the meantime, people are working in both the courts and Congress to stop the drilling if it’s approved.

After Solonex LLC sued to force federal land agencies to halt a 21-year suspension of its oil exploration lease, District of Columbia District Judge Richard J. Leon in July ordered the Department of the Interior to set a schedule for issuing a decision. That decision is due by Nov. 23.

Dems push back against anti-ESA riders

November 09, 2015 by Laura Lundquist

Republican leaders have stepped up their attacks on the Endangered Species Act. But with more species needing protection, Congressional Democrats have taken a stand against such efforts.

On Thursday, 25 Senate Democrats sent a letter to Pres. Obama protesting the large number of appropriations riders that seek to strip many of the protections in the Endangered Species Act. The riders would block federal protections for gray wolves, greater sage grouse, lesser prairie chicken, and numerous other species.

Utah Congressman unveils curtailed LWCF bill

November 05, 2015 by Laura Lundquist

Since September when Congress allowed the 50-year-old Land and Water Conservation Fund to lapse, Montana’s conservation groups, sportsmen and land trusts have pushed for reauthorization while anticipating efforts to change the law. Those efforts took form on Thursday when Utah Rep. Rob Bishop introduced his bill to vastly change LWCF funding priorities.

After leading Congressional opposition that killed the LWCF in September, Bishop unveiled his ideas of what the LWCF should be in the House Natural Resources Committee Thursday morning.

Whitefish Range project hinges on FWP approval

November 04, 2015 by Laura Lundquist

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks wants to finalize two conservation easements that would preserve open land near Whitefish and complete a legacy purchase aided by the now-dead Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Last week, FWP published a draft environmental study that is critical for securing easements on more than 10,000 acres in the southern Whitefish Mountains.

Wilderness leaders debate priorities for future management

October 29, 2015 by Laura Lundquist

One of the men who made the Wilderness Act a reality implored wilderness managers not to lose sight of their top priority: keeping wilderness wild.

“Let’s take wildness for what it is,” said former Wilderness Society executive director Stewart Brandborg. “Right now, we’re facing a crisis in wilderness. A lot of people this meeting are discussing degrees and varieties of wilderness. Let’s take the word “wild” and live by it as the initial sponsor intended.”

Walleye planted illegally in Swan Lake

October 29, 2015 by Laura Lundquist

Bucket biologists have taken it upon themselves to plant walleye in Swan Lake. Fortunately, two fish were caught, and if the culprits are caught, they could end up paying a hefty fine.

Region 1 Fisheries Manager Mark Deleray said FWP biologists caught the walleye during gill-net sampling last week. Both measured about 17 inches long, and Deleray didn't know how long they'd been there or how many more might be in the lake.