Glacier Park plows heading toward The Loop

The Hungry Horse News reports that Glacier National Park plows should enter the alpine section on the west side of the Going-to-the-Sun Road this week. Crews were beyond Logan Creek and heading toward the West Side Tunnel and The Loop by the beginning of the week and running into two to four feet of snow on the road. On the east side, crews finished plowing the Many Glacier Valley roads and planned to plow the Two Medicine area this week. The Many Glacier Road is still not open to vehicles.  Read the full story here.

Elevated mercury levels found in Lake McDonald bull trout

The Hungry Horse News reports that the U.S. Geological Survey recently reported finding elevated mercury levels in bull trout in Glacier National Park’s Lake McDonald that could be harmful to the fish and predators that eat them. The study looked at mercury levels in fish across 21 national parks in 10 western states, including Alaska.  Read the full article here.

Officials warn about tax, utility scams

The Daily Inter Lake reports that the Internal Revenue Service and the state Office of Consumer Protection are warning the public of a number of recent scams targeting both individuals and businesses. A renewed warning from the IRS about a phone scam claiming targets owe money to the IRS was described by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration as “the largest scam of its kind,” generating reports of 20,000 contacts and losses from thousands of victims totaling more than $1 million.  Read the full story here.

Variety of events Saturday focus on climate change

The Daily Inter Lake reports that ayear after Glacier National Park was established in 1910, University of Montana Professor Morton Elrod lugged a large camera to a scenic point and snapped a photo of Jackson Glacier. An artist as well as a scientist, Elrod sold park images through his family postcard business. In 2009 scientist Lisa McKeon photographed the same scene. Side-by-side but separated by 98 years, the two images reveal a striking truth of climate change — a great glacier nearly gone in less than a century.  Read the full story here.

Abundant Winter Leads to Flood Concerns

The Flathead Beacon reports that the abundant winter that caused near-record snowpack across Montana is making a troublesome transition to spring. Rapid snowmelt is leading to widespread flooding and ice jams in rivers and streams, prompting the governor to seek a presidential disaster declaration. As seasonal temperatures begin melting unusually high levels of snow in the mountains, Gov. Steve Bullock last week asked the White House to issue a federal disaster declaration for Montana. The declaration would provide additional resources for cleanup and recovery from worsening flooding that is already damaging roads, bridges and other public infrastructure.  Read the full story here.

Collaboration Meetings to Focus on Geographical Areas

The Assessment of the Flathead National Forest is now complete and available on the Flathead National Forest Plan Revision website. The assessment evaluates existing information about relevant ecological, economic, and social conditions, trends, and sustainability and their relationship to the land management plan within the context of the broader landscape. (Please note: The assessment is organized into 2 parts, and includes 5 appendices.)

The public is invited to participate in the upcoming Flathead National Forest (FNF) Plan Revision Geographic Area Stakeholder Collaboration Meetings. All meetings will take place from 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM at the Flathead National Forest Supervisor’s Office, 650 Wolfpack Way, Kalispell, Montana.

  • Monday, April 21: Salish Mountains Geographic Area
  • Tuesday, April 22: Swan Valley Geographic Area
  • Wednesday, April 23: Hungry Horse, South Fork & Middle Fork Geographic Areas
  • Thursday, April 24: North Fork Geographic Area Continue reading →