Montana On The Ground

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

Army Corps rushes to build questionable bypass for pallid sturgeon

July 27, 2016 by Laura Lundquist

Federal conservation money is about to be squandered on a rushed dam project in eastern Montana that will do little to save an endangered fish, according to conservation groups.

Thursday is the final day for public comments on a proposed Army Corps of Engineering modification of Intake Diversion Dam on the Yellowstone River northeast of Glendive. Based upon events at recent public meetings and the accelerated decision timeline, conservation groups doubt the agency is interested in what they have to say.

State Parks mistake prompts legislative audit request

July 20, 2016 by Laura Lundquist

Fish, Wildlife & Parks is scrambling to resolve a land issue that could threaten federal funding, but its efforts could now be delayed by a legislative audit.

FWP may need to come up with about $7 million, either in cash or property value, to trade for part of West Shore State Park, FWP Chief of Staff Paul Sihler told the legislative Environmental Quality Council on Wednesday. If that’s not possible, the department could lose as much as $27 million in federal Pittman-Robertson money, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

Trapping quotas prompt new fisher managment plan

July 13, 2016 by Laura Lundquist

Biologists don’t know how many fishers exist, but Fish, Wildlife & Parks refused to freeze the trapping of the elusive animal.

After considering reducing the fisher quota to zero in May, the FWP commission accepted a modified proposal that would create four management units for fishers and allow trapping mainly in the Bitterroot unit.

Wolf quota near Yellowstone Park remains at two

July 13, 2016 by Laura Lundquist

Montana hunters and trappers can still kill only two wolves north of Yellowstone National Park.

On Wednesday, the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks commission decided against a FWP effort to assuage elk hunters by increasing the quota in wolf management unit 313 near Gardiner.

Bill favoring unregulated exempt wells rises again

July 12, 2016 by Laura Lundquist

State politicians are again proposing to allow subdivisions to dig hundreds of household wells to exploit groundwater without regulation, in spite of a court ruling to the contrary.

On Tuesday, a legislative committee voted to consider a potential bill that wouldn’t restrict exempt wells in the state unless they are connected together, such as for a subdivision water system.

Bullock promotes public-land support, tourism

July 11, 2016 by Laura Lundquist

Montana’s largest economic driver – agriculture – has an entire state department dedicated to it. Now, Montana’s governor wants to add a new state office to promote part of the second largest: recreational tourism.

On Monday, in front an audience of about 40 sportsmen, outdoors enthusiasts and parents, Gov. Steve Bullock continued his statewide tour promoting the need for Montana to be more active in maintaining and improving public lands and public access. Not only does public land recreation contribute billions to the state economy but it makes Montanans happy.

Beaverhead hydropower project given new life

July 08, 2016 by Laura Lundquist

A Montana dam is one step closer to producing power after several delays and some political wrangling.

Last week, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission released yet another environmental assessment for a hydropower project on the Clark Canyon Dam on the Beaverhead River south of Dillon.

Ruby River case upholds recreational stream access

July 06, 2016 by Laura Lundquist

Montana’s stream access laws have become a sparring point in this year’s gubernatorial race, so it’s fitting that one of the larger lawsuits in recent history appears to be settled, with Montana on the winning side.

Two weeks ago, a Madison county judge supported the cause of stream-access proponents when he ruled that the public was allowed to use a strip of land to either side of a road and bridge across the Ruby River. That was the final piece of a much larger case that the Public Land/Water Access Association filed a dozen years ago against media billionaire James Cox Kennedy after he tried to deny public access to the Ruby River, in this case via the Seylor Lane Bridge.

Livestock Board struggles with grizzly bear depredation

June 24, 2016 by Laura Lundquist

The Board of Livestock seemed more like the Board of Grizzly Bears on Friday as concerns about carnivores filled most of the morning’s agenda.

Livestock producers on the northern plains have had to deal with more grizzly bears this year so they don’t want to lose management tools and want more say in the bear’s management, according to Livestock Board members.

Judge: Forest must weigh grazing allotments vs. bighorn sheep

June 22, 2016 by Laura Lundquist

The Beaverhead Deerlodge National Forest must level the playing field for bighorn sheep when evaluating grazing allotments in the Gravelly Mountains, according to a federal court judge.

Last week, Butte federal District Judge Brian Morris concluded that the Beaverhead Deerlodge National Forest didn't follow laws related to public process and preservation of wildlife habitat when it allowed sheep grazing to continue near bighorn sheep in the Gravelly Mountains of southwestern Montana.

FWP considers upping mule deer tags in southeastern Montana

June 10, 2016 by Laura Lundquist

If you want to hunt mule deer this fall, then southeastern Montana is the place to go, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.

Mule deer populations have been struggling throughout the West, but not so in the prairies and grasslands of southeastern Montana. FWP Region 7 Supervisor Brad Schmitz said the mule deer population is almost 50 percent above the long-term average, based upon recent counts, and production of fawns over the past three years has been good. So Schmitz wants to head off a population surge by almost doubling the number of mule deer doe tags.

FWP, Livestock board may discuss anti-predator devices

June 09, 2016 by Laura Lundquist

A petition asking for a limit on use of anti-predator poisonous devices has been denied, but it’s still got livestock groups on the alert.

At the end of a brief Fish, Wildlife & Parks commission meeting Thursday, Zach Strong of the Natural Resources Defense Council expressed frustration over the commission’s rejection in May of an NRDC petition to limit trap threats to grizzly bears and other wildlife.

Tribes devise remedy for Yellowstone bison shoot-outs

May 25, 2016 by Laura Lundquist

To stop dangerous situations that are beginning to occur during the bison hunt outside Yellowstone National Park, treaty tribes may borrow a trick from water skiers.

Four tribes that have treaty rights to hunt Yellowstone bison came together in Missoula Wednesday to find a remedy for what Fish, Wildlife & Parks Region 3 Supervisor Sam Sheppard called the most unsafe hunt yet.

Sage grouse team chooses projects for mitigation bank

May 24, 2016 by Laura Lundquist

As Montana tries to preserve sage grouse habitat, agency leaders must decide which conservation projects would best help the bird in the future.

On Tuesday, the Sage Grouse Oversight Team met to review the first nine applicants for the new Sage Grouse Stewardship Fund Grant Program. The Stewardship Fund provides competitive funding for voluntary, incentive-based conservation on private lands in important sage grouse habitat.

O&G lease proposal adds threats to Teton, Milk rivers

May 23, 2016 by Laura Lundquist

The Bureau of Land Management is proposing a record-high number of parcels to be opened up to oil and gas leases along the Hi-Line. The problem is that many sit along important waterways.

The Montana-Dakotas BLM office just released an environmental assessment of 87 federal parcels covering almost 18,000 acres from Cut Bank to Glasgow that could be leased to oil and gas development. None of the parcels previously had leases.

FWP takes up boating-restrictions proposal

May 12, 2016 by Laura Lundquist

The soothing sound of a mountain stream is hard to hear over the roar of a powerboat, and one organization wants only the former on some of Montana’s streams.

On Thursday, the Fish and Wildlife commission gave a nod to nature when it voted to initiate a rule-making process related to restricting certain types of watercraft on several state streams.

Commission denies wolf-quota increase, forwards grizzly hunt

May 12, 2016 by Laura Lundquist

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks tried to justify a big jump in a Gardiner area wolf quota, but after lengthy public comment, the Fish and Wildlife commission didn’t buy it.

On a 3-1 vote, the commission decided against an FWP proposal to increase the quota in management unit 313 to six wolves, even though the six would be meted out over time. The period of September 4 through November 30 would have a limit of three wolves and another three would be allowed between December 1 and March 15.

Groups argue against grizzly delisting

May 10, 2016 by Laura Lundquist

On Wednesday, some people were still trying to rally eleventh-hour opposition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposal to delist the Yellowstone grizzly bear population. Wednesday marked the final day of the 60-day public-comment period for a USFWS proposal to remove the grizzly bear from the Endangered Species list,.

FWP proposes increased wolf kill north of Yellowstone Park

May 06, 2016 by Laura Lundquist

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is proposing a noticeable increase in the number of wolves that can be killed outside of Yellowstone National Park, a move that wolf advocates claim is political, not scientific.

When the FWP commission meets on Thursday, dozens of people will probably once again line up to oppose each other on specifics of Montana’s wolf hunt, namely a proposal to increase the wolf quota in management unit 313 to six. Currently, hunters and trappers can kill only two wolves in the area around Gardiner.

Hot, dry April robs Montana of summer water supply

May 06, 2016 by Laura Lundquist

Record warm temperatures in April when the last of winter’s snow should have been falling mean Montana’s streamflows will drop early again this year, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

The May 1 Water Supply Outlook is usually the best predictor of how Montana’s snow pack looks heading into the summer, and despite hopes in early April, the outlook doesn’t look good.