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A version of this article was first published in Mountain Journal, a digital magazine covering wildlife and wild lands in Greater Yellowstone. Arnold "Smoke" Elser is a storyteller, but he's not a big reader. In his office, tucked into a faded red barn built around 1900 in Missoula, Montana, an entire wall of shelves contains binders and books on wilderness policy and regulations. They're more work than pleasure for Elser; he waves them off with an air of modesty. It's the mules strolling by...
Rural planning official speaks out Missoula County's future: timber, tourism, or both? Last May 14, the Missoulian featured coverage of the timber industry's Great Northwest Log Haul. Tucked innocently, but perhaps prophetically, into a sub-headline underneath this story was the notation to look on the following page for information for possible recreational opportunities on Lolo Peak. Five months later on Oct. 14, Forest Service Chief F. Dale Robertson admitted that "fish, wildlife and recreati...
Almost an inch of rain fell on the Colt Fire on Sunday, Aug. 6, weakening the flames as firefighters make a final push to get full containment of the fire. More than an inch of rain reached parts of western Montana last weekend. Many fire crews got time to rest after monsoonal moisture came over the region on Friday, Aug. 4. Most fires still have residual heat and will burn as temperatures warm up into August. Colt Fire The Colt Fire was last measured at 7,179 acres on Aug. 4, with 25%...
Lolo National Forest have opened for public comment this month. The Wild and Scenic Rivers draft, and the Outstanding Remarkable Values Framework and Wilderness Inventory Draft are open for comment until May 16, 2023. "The Lolo National Forest Plan is about issues that are important to people," said Carolyn Upton, Lolo National Forest Supervisor. "We're interested in hearing from forest users about how they see the future of both the forest and the uses of the forest and about issues that are...
From Jenny Kauffman Condon Librarion The November Condon Library Book Chat is about “Down from the Mountain, the life and death of a grizzly bear” by Bryce Andrews We meet at the library at 1pm. Nov. 9. This is the description on the back of the book: An “ode to wildness and wilderness” (Outside), Down from the Mountain tells the story of one grizzly in the changing Montana landscape. Millie was cunning and a fiercely protective mother to her cubs. But raising those cubs in the mountains became harder each year as the climate warmed and peo...
Supports Tranel In my years as a wilderness advocate, I’ve come to profoundly appreciate the values we derive from the public lands around us. There are, of course, the products and incomes provided by drilling, mining, logging, and grazing. But more important than such commercial uses are the benefits we all freely enjoy: the opportunity to hunt and fish, the protection of watersheds and stabilization of climate, and the preservation of an untrammeled natural world. But we can’t assume public lands will always be here. The development pre...
POTOMAC - Two female grizzly bears were trapped Sunday, May 29 on private property up Twin Creeks Road. One was relocated to a remote area the next day and the other was euthanized in Missoula due to an old injury that led to a serious infection. According to the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks bear management team, on Wednesday, May 25 the two-year-old bears were in the Johnson Creek drainage moving east. The grizzlies remained close to homes along Highway 200. One bear was missing a foot....
After last year's Legislative session, and the FWP commission meeting this spring, hunters can expect to see some changes to the regulations this year. Consult the newest edition of the regulations each year, as they may change annually or add clarification for specific rules. The new license year began on March 1 so all anglers are now required to have their 2022 Fishing License. All regulations are available in print or at: fwp.mt.gov/hunt/regulations. This spring, black bear hunters will be...
The holiday season is quickly approaching and Christmas tree permits are now available online or for pick-up at Lolo National Forest office locations. “Finding and cutting a Lolo National Forest Christmas tree is a long-standing tradition and a wonderful way to spend time with family and friends on National Forest lands,” said Kate Jerman, Lolo National Forest spokesperson. “This year we are offering permits online through Recreation.gov or by outdoor pick-up at office locations for public convenience.” All Lolo National Forest offices will of...
OVANDO – Wildlife officials captured a grizzly bear in the Ovando area on Sept. 2 and relocated it to the north side of the Rattlesnake Wilderness the same day. The bear was captured after it repeatedly returned to an abandoned shed in search of grain and horse food. The 211-pound female grizzly did not have a prior history of conflicts. In fall, bears are increasingly active in preparation for winter denning and many conflicts involve bears getting into livestock feed and unsecured garbage as they search for food. Montana Fish, Wildlife & P...
Twelve years ago, while backpacking in broad daylight, I came around a shady bend in the trail, only to find a full moon beaming against a tree. "Oh, I'm sorry," the woman exclaimed, shuffling up her pants and waddling into the brush. "I'm sorry too," I replied, and not merely for the awkward encounter or the unmistakably human stench. Her business was clearly not done, and her side-eyed grimace urged me on. But as I think back on it now, I'm sorry I never circled back to talk about $#!&ing in t...
SEELEY LAKE - Seeley-Swan High School graduate Kyle Peltier plans to do the hike of a lifetime as he prepares for his trek that starts April 11 along the Pacific Crest Trail. The trail is 2,653 miles and goes from the Mexican border to the Canadian border. Hikers pass through multiple terrains along their journey including desert, rain forest and mountains. The Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA) estimates that the hike will take 133 days if the participant travels an average of 20 miles a...
The Nature Conservancy's (TNC) sale of 12,039 acres of former industrial timber land to the U.S. Forest Service will allow for more public access according to a press release. The sold area was part of a 2014 purchase representing the last industrial timber land in the Blackfoot. The land partially covers the Seeley Lake Ranger District as well as the Missoula Ranger District. The map was previously characterized by a checkerboard-like pattern representing public-private ownership created over...
Christmas tree permits from local National Forests are now available to purchase online through Recreation.gov. Details about designated cutting areas, dates and types of trees that may be cut may be found on Recreation.gov or visit the National Forest webpage where the trees will be harvested. The Forest Service decided to move permit sales to Recreation.gov as an added convenience for visitors, as well as to provide an alternative to in-person transactions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To purchase a Christmas tree permit, search for Lolo or...
SEELEY LAKE - The Nature Conservancy and U.S. Forest Service are excited to announce the finalization of a sale which will move 16,400 acres of former commercial timber lands into the public domain. The land, west of Seeley Lake, was characterized by the checkerboard pattern of public-private ownership that was created more than a century ago. This sale includes land from the 117,000 acres that TNC purchased from Plum Creek Timber Company in 2015. Over the last 30 years, TNC has purchased more t...
The holiday season is fast approaching and National Forest Christmas tree permits are now available for a cost of $5 at all Lolo and Flathead National Forest offices with a limit of three permits per household. On the Lolo, cash and personal check payments will be accepted at all office locations; however, credit cards are only accepted at Missoula and Ninemile Ranger Stations. Permits may also be purchased with cash or check at these three Missoula locations: Murdoch’s, 2801 W Broadway; Cabela’s, 3650 Brooks St and Bob Ward’s, 3015 Paxso...
Christmas tree permits are now available on the Lolo and Flathead National Forests. Permits are $5 per tree with a three tree limit per household. Permits on the Lolo are available at all District offices. Permits may also be purchased at Murdoch’s in Missoula, Bronc’s Grocery in Frenchtown, the Clinton Market east of Missoula, Conoco Feed and Fuel in Thompson Falls and the Bureau of Land Management Missoula Field Office, located at 3255 Fort Missoula Road. The Lolo National Forest Supervisor’s Office and Missoula Ranger District, located at 24...
Fire danger has been increased to EXTREME across most of northwest Montana and many areas went into Stage I or Stage II Restrictions. It is the public’s responsibility to “Know before you go” by visiting www.firerestrictions.us/mt for the most current information. This week was the hottest of the summer so far with temperatures hovering around 100° and high winds accompanying the cooler air last weekend. Scarce precipitation in the past month means that grasses and forest vegetation is continuing to dry and this trend is expected to contin...
POTOMAC - On the morning of July 15, lightning struck near Liberty Creek, southeast of Arlee, Mont. and caused a wildfire which spread toward Placid Lake, the Rattlesnake Wilderness and the Gold Creek drainage on the north side of Potomac. The fire is west of the Belmont and north of Morrison Peak and Sunflower. As of Sept. 5, the Liberty Fire was 22,360 acres and was 17 percent contained. There were more than 375 personnel working it. On the Liberty Fire, safety and containment are the goals....
Directions: Turn north off Highway 200 East onto Gold Creek Road No. 126 near Potomac. Take next left up unmarked Twin Creek Road No. 2117. Stay on main road until trailhead. Total time to trailhead parking is one hour by truck and one hour, 20 minutes with a horse trailer. To access trail No. 505, go past the trailhead to the right and left up the small rocky slope where trail 505 begins. This is also the trail to the junction of trail No. 513 to Shoofly Meadows. From this trail sign it is...
Connectivity-it's a hot buzzword when it comes to wildlife. But what does it really mean? At The Vital Ground Foundation, connectivity shapes our organizational vision. A dozen years ago, when the foundation moved from Utah to Montana and became a working land trust focused on grizzly bear recovery, it was connectivity that drew us quickly to the Swan Valley. "We don't need to save thousands and thousands of acres," explains biologist and Vital Ground trustee Douglas Chadwick. "We just need to...
GREENOUGH - In response to the Jan. 30, 2017 letter from the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation about the proposed Elbow Gravel Pit, I have several points to make and questions to ask. First of all, the location of this five-acre gravel pit is an offense to the wildness of the area. The extremely noisy and disruptive operation is proposed to be located in a major wildlife corridor between the Blackfoot-Clearwater Game Range and the Clearwater River and of course, on a larger scale, between the Bob Marshall Wilderness and the Rattl...
MISSOULA – Christmas tree permits are now available at a cost of $5 each at most Lolo National Forest offices. Permits may also be purchased at Bronc’s Grocery in Frenchtown, the Clinton Market and the Bureau of Land Management Missoula Field Office, located at 3255 Fort Missoula Road. The Lolo National Forest Supervisor’s Office and Missoula Ranger District, located at 24 Fort Missoula Rd., will extend hours for permit sales to include three Saturdays, Nov. 26, Dec. 3 and Dec. 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Superior Ranger District will begin...
Length: Approximately 4.5 miles one way Elevation: 6,374 feet at Fly Lake Usage: No stock, no bikes or motorized vehicles. Trail not completely cleared. Services: Parking at trailhead one hour from Hwy 200. Directions: Turn north off Highway 200 East onto Gold Creek Road near Potomac. Stay on main road heading toward the Gold Creek trailhead. Near mile marker 12, turn right heading five miles to the trailhead parking. Total time to trailhead parking is about a one hour drive from Highway 200....
MISSOULA & KALISPELL - Beginning Nov. 23, Christmas tree permits will be available at each of the Lolo and Flathead National Forest offices and from a variety of retail vendors in the area. A complete list of vendors can be found on the Forest’s website, www.fs.usda.gov/flathead and www.fs.usda.gov/lolo. Each permit costs five dollars and is valid for one tree. There is a maximum of two permits allowed per household. Commercial permits are not available. The Lolo National Forest Supervisor’s Office and Missoula Ranger District, located at 24...
