TU backs off on access

Good news for Montana Trout Unlimited.

Montanans applied the pressure on national TU to get the organization to back off it's access proposal.

Bill would toughen poaching penalties

Sen. Larry Jent, D-Bozeman, has introduced three bills that would stiffen penalties faced by miscreants who poach in Montana.

The bills would make some poaching violations felonies, and allow FWP to hire more game wardens.

Feds propose delisting Yellowstone griz

Interior officials announced they want to remove Yellowstone's 500 or so grizzly bears from the endangered species list. The population is up from 136 to 312 bears when first listed in 1975. The bears also occupy 48 percent more habitat than at the time of listing.

House committee cuts Access Montana

A House committee has cut Gov. Brian Schweitzer's proposed budget for Access Montana from $15 million to $5.5 million.

FWP uses Access Montana funds to establish parks and fishing access sites.

Senators recover funding for Plum Creek land

Sens. Baucus and Tester have lined up $8 million to buy Plum Creek lands in the Blackfoot and Swan valleys.

Bitterroot access dispute settled

FWP and adjacent landowners settled their dispute over access at the Poker Joe river access site on the Bitterroot River.

Bighorn River flows

The Feds recommend minimum flows of 2,000 cfs in the Bighorn River this summer. Sen. Max Baucus wants a minimum of 2,500 cfs.

Unfortunately, there may not be enough water to meet either target.

Ruby River access fight simmers on

A Ruby Valley landowner has counter sued to block sportsmen and women from using county road right of ways at bridge crossings as river access points.

Bison battles

Gov. Brian Schweitzer and Rep. Denny Rehberg testify at a congressional hearing in Washington D.C. on bison management.

Flathead subdivision regs challenged

Biologists blast proposed subdivision regulations in Flathead County, saying conservation of wildlife habitat and protection of water quality "won't happen" under the plan.

Stuff it

Taxidermist convention comes to Missoula.

Bitterroot trout looking up

The skwala hatch got off to a slow start on the Bitterroot River last week. Cameron Watson caught this 18-inch cutthroat last Friday on a dry fly. But river flows shot up and down in the last week, putting trout in a funk.

Things may perk up next week if the river stabilizes.

TU to abandon access?

Trout Unlimited is considering a proposal that would prohibit local chapters and state councils from getting involved in stream access issues.

Montana TU has been actively involved in pushing Senate Bill 78, the Stream Access Partnership Bill, which was passed by the Montana Senate and awaits action in the House.

Wolves on the increase

Wolf numbers in Montana and the Northern Rockies continues to grow. Montana's wolf population is relatively stable compared to expanding populations in Wyoming and Idaho, however.

Snows arrive early

Snow geese are flocking to Freezeout Lake on their way to northern breeding grounds.

Mighty wind

A wind farm is planned for Norris Hill, about 12 miles north of Ennis.

Besides the obvious benefit of renewable energy, developers have said that these modern windmills spin slower than older models, so birds can see the blades and avoid a whirl in the food processor.

Bird mortality has been one of the primary arguments against wind-generated power.

Bitterroot River setbacks

Ravalli County commissioners are considering a committee that will make recommendations to the county planning department regarding building setbacks along Bitterroot Valley waterways.

So far there are 17 proposed members, but hunting and angling groups argue there should also be representation from Trout Unlimited, the Ravalli County Fish and Wildlife Association and other conservation groups.

Real estate and farming groups have already been included in the list of 17 representatives.

Flathead River funding still alive

A Columbia Falls lawmaker has kept alive funding for ongoing studies of the North Fork of the Flathead River. The North Fork is threatened by a proposed coal mine near its headwaters in Canada.

Fixing the spring

Trout Unlimited teams with a Paradise Valley landowner to restore portions of Armstrong Spring Creek which were damaged by flooding in the mid-1990s.

The creek is on private land which charges a rod fee to anglers, but is important spawning habitat for Yellowstone River trout.

March heatwave

While the warmer weather is nice, the Pineapple Express doesn't help Montana's snowpack. And the wind just sucks.

Ten Montana cities registered new record high temperatures on Monday.

Fishing for dollars

Mack Days is about to begin on Flathead Lake.

Dam debate

Wyoming and Montana continue to fight about water in Bighorn Lake and the Bighorn River downstream. The river is one of the best trout fisheries in eastern Montana. Wyoming residents want to keep water in the lake, while Montanans want to maintain flows in the river to protect the fishery there.

Access fight

Powell County goes to bat for citizens who want to keep Carten Creek Road open to the public. According to court documents, hunters and loggers have used the road for years to access BLM and state lands. Private property owners in the area want the road closed to the public.

Roadless debate motors on

Supporters of motorized recreation will rally in Missoula on Saturday against road closures in proposed wilderness areas.

Bears get busy

Yellowstone grizzly bears are beginning to stir. But griz on the Rocky Mountain Front seem to be sleeping in.

Sheep wars

Here's an interesting article from Great Falls Tribune outdoors editor Michael Babcock examining bighorn sheep management in Montana. The story takes a look at FWP's policy of relocating sheep from Montana herds that have grown beyond the department's population targets.

The story raises some important questions.

When sheep are relocated to other states trying to reestablish sheep populations, does that result in fewer bighorn hunting opportunities for Montanans? Or, are those herds likely to suffer die offs if the animals are not captured? Bighorns are notoriously susceptible to disease. If range conditions deteriorate due to over browsing by the critters, that problem is magnified. If Montanans want to control those populations through hunting, are there enough sheep hunters out there willing to pass on big rams to kill ewes? Breeding-age females are the biologically critical animals in population control. If you want to reduce a population you have to target females.

FWP budget in limbo

The budget of the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks is just one of the hands being played in the high-stakes poker game under way in Helena. Gov. Brian Schweitzer proposed a budget that would have funded 20 new positions for FWP. But as you probably know, the GOP controlled House killed Schweitzer's budget bill and replaced it with its own plan, which cut the governor's proposed spending increases and broke the bill up into six separate bills.

The GOP budget cuts Schweitzer's spending increase by $10.4 million, leaving room for about four new hires. Like the departments of Environmental Quality and Natural Resources and Conservation, "natural resource" agencies including FWP have not fared well in the House. A senate GOP leader says the party is unlikely to compromise on funding for these agencies.

Hunters may control elk in North Dakota NP

Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., has introduced legislation to give hunters, rather than sharp shooters, the chance to hunt elk in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. There are 750-900 elk in the park, with habitat enough to support a herd of 360.

It's a good idea. Let's hope Park officials give hunters a chance.

Snowpack gains in February

Montana snowpack is still below average, at 87 percent statewide, but grew by 7 percent in February. Still, with temperatures in the 60s in Missoula this week, there's no guarantee the water will still be there when we, and the fish, need it.

Sprawl in Madison Valley hurts wildlife

Not that this is any surprise. Another story published in January in the Montana Standard shows how sprawl hurts taxpayers in the wallet as well.

PCBs detected again in hatchery trout

Problems with PCBs continue to plague FWP fish hatchery in Lewistown.