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Birdtail Conservation Easement Protects Key Wildlife Habitat

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Birdtail
Photo by Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks

The strong partnership between hunters and landowners is the foundation of why Montana has incredible public wildlife resources along with a strong agricultural sector of the state’s economy.

Hunters know that landowners provide private habitat that benefits wildlife and landowners need hunters to manage wildlife numbers. It works – and it has been that way for decades.

The Birdtail Conservation Easement is an excellent example of this working relationship. The project will protect 3,980 acres of the Rumney Cattle Company ranch northwest of Cascade. This quality habitat consists of mountain foothills grasslands with mixed in shrublands and riparian areas. It includes a mile and a half of Birdtail Creek, as well as the Birdtail and Lionhead buttes. It’s excellent for mule deer, elk, white-tailed deer, and sharp-tailed and mountain grouse. This week the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission unanimously approved the project.

The easement protects the land from subdivision and development. It also includes a hunter access component, which will provide quality hunting opportunity for the public.

Habitat Montana hunter license dollars are funding the $2.35 million easement. This program uses a small portion of hunting license fees to pay for conservation easements, fee title purchases, and fishing access sites. It’s Montana’s premier conservation program, and it helps bring in matching federal and private dollars to fund projects.

Birdtail is an exemplary project that will benefit the landowner, hunters, and wildlife. It’s exactly what Habitat Montana is meant for, and the Montana Wildlife Federation is proud to support this project. 

Nick Gevock is the conservation director for the Montana Wildlife Federation.

Madison River Rules

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Sonya fish3 A plan to limit the number of fishing outfitters on the Madison River tops a busy agenda this month for the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission.

State managers are considering a proposal that would cap the number of guided fishing boats allowed on the Madison. The plan would be similar to limits on the Big Hole and Beaverhead rivers that were instituted over a decade ago to address social issues related to crowded use on certain days.

The move is expected to be controversial, with some outfitters and guides objecting to limits on the use of the Madison.

The Commission will also consider final approval of an updated plan to manage Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). The fatal neurological disease was first detected in Montana last fall in Carbon and Liberty counties, and FWP biologists responded quickly with special hunts to better assess the disease.

Several land deals are also on the agenda, including a trade with the Cross Canyon Ranch of land in the Spotted Dog Wildlife Management Area near Avon, a 160 acre parcel to buy in the Dome Mountain WMA in the Paradise Valley, the Birdtail Conservation Easement near Cascade, and in addition to the Garrity Mountain WMA west of Anaconda.

There are also a couple new fishing access sites on the agenda, including the Selway Bridge in Dillon and the Little Muddy Creek on the Missouri River just downstream from Cascade.

Commissioners will also consider management actions on FWP lands, including grazing leases for the Beartooth and Aunt Molly WMAs.

The public can comment on agenda items, and can also comment at any of the seven regional headquarters via video. Audio of the meeting is available on the FWP website by going to www.fwp.mt.gov.

The Montana Wildlife Federation will attend the Commission meeting to represent the interest of hunters, anglers and wildlife enthusiasts. 

The meeting begins at 8:30 am, Thursday, April 19 at 1420 East Sixth Ave., in Helena at the Montana FWP headquarters.

Nick Gevock is the conservation director for the Montana Wildlife Federation.

FWP Launches Habitat Improvement Program

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bird One of the areas where hunters and landowners came together last year in the state Legislature was the need to improve wildlife habitat on public and private lands.

With that shared goal, the Montana Wildlife Federation joined Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, agriculture groups and others to support House Bill 434. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Kelly Flynn, R-Townsend, sets up the Montana Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program. It passed and was signed by Gov. Steve Bullock with bi-partisan support.

That was the easy part. The hard work comes now as diverse interests come together to build this program. Here’s how it works.

The bill requires that FWP establish a committee with agriculture groups, hunters and other interest to review grant applications. The money can come from the Habitat Montana program, as well as federal Pittman-Robertson dollars. Grants require matching funds from the applicant. And they are reviewed and approved by the Fish and Wildlife Commission.

All of these measures are meant to ensure that projects to control weeds or make other habitat improvements are worthy, and will benefit specific native wildlife species. They will go through a public review with ample public comment. And they will require the buy-in from local interests to make them successful.

Hunters share with landowners the desire to combat noxious weeds. They crowd out native grasses, and that’s bad for native wildlife. They reduce the capacity of the land to provide forage for wildlife, and they almost always spread once they’re established in an area.

Working together, hunters and landowners forged this measure. It’s just another example that we share some common values and have an invaluable partnership when it comes to wildlife conservation.

That partnership will be essential to making the program work.

Nick Gevock is the conservation director for the Montana Wildlife Federation.

Building on Our Wildlife Management Areas

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FishCreek 3  Protecting important wildlife habitat is essential for hunting and angling opportunity. Montana’s strong system of Wildlife Management Areas is a big reason we enjoy the longest hunting seasons in the West, as well as superb wildlife watching.

In cases, small parcels of private land within or next to our WMAs can have big impacts on wildlife. Lands that get developed within a WMA can fracture habitat, impede wildlife movement and ultimately detract from the quality of these areas. That’s the case with a couple parcels in the Fish Creek WMA west of Missoula, along tributaries of the Clark Fork River.

Recently Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks purposed purchasing these two parcels, using Habitat Montana funds and other matching sources. The Montana Wildlife Federation strongly supports this effort to keep these lands from being developed and maintain the quality of Fish Creek as both wildlife habitat and spawning grounds for fish. Read the MWF Fish Creek Aquisition letter of support to learn more about this important issue.

 

 

Thousands of Species Face Extinction: But It’s Not Too Late to Act

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Long billed curlew.512x275.RobertBurton.FWS As many as one-third of America’s wildlife species are at increased risk of extinction, according to a new report by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), the American Fisheries Society (AFS), and the Wildlife Society (TWS).  NWF is America’s largest grassroots wildlife conservation organization, AFS is the professional association of fisheries scientists, and TWS represents thousands of wildlife scientists, managers, and educators.

“America’s wildlife are in crisis and now is the time for unprecedented on-the-ground collaboration,” said Collin O’Mara, president, and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. “Fish, birds, mammals, reptiles, and invertebrates are all losing ground. We owe it to our children and grandchildren to prevent these species from vanishing from the earth.”

Among the findings in Reversing America’s Wildlife Crisis: Securing the Future of Our Fish and Wildlife:

  • One-third of America’s wildlife species are at increased risk of extinction.
  • More than 150 U.S. species already have gone extinct.
  • Nearly 500 additional species have not been seen in recent decades and are regarded as possibly extinct.

But the news isn’t all bad. The report also describes how it is possible to prevent the further decline of America’s wildlife through concerted, collaborative efforts.

“Here in Montana, we know that we can prevent wildlife from becoming endangered by working together to protect and restore habitat,” said Dave Chadwick, executive director of the Montana Wildlife Federation.

Montana has numerous examples of successful species restoration efforts.  In 2014, the Arctic Grayling in the Big Hole River was kept off the federal endangered species list thanks to collaborative efforts by conservationists and ranchers in the Big Hole Valley.  The conservation efforts around the greater sage-grouse represent another success story in progress. In some cases, species have even been saved through interventions as simple as survey efforts that document their population status.

“Stopping the wildlife extinction crisis isn’t hard, it just requires a willingness to work together and put resources into conservation. Over the long run, preventing wildlife from declining will save money and help avoid political fights. Common ground is common sense.” said Chadwick.

Legislation currently pending in Congress would dramatically increase funding for preventing conservation efforts.  The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (H.R. 4647) would increase funding for the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks’ conservation efforts, providing about $29 million/year in new federal funds for the agency.  H.R. 4647 currently has 38 cosponsors, including Democrats and Republicans from all over the country. Rep. Greg Gianforte is not yet a cosponsor of the bill.

 

Jeff Lukas – MWF Elk Campaign Manager

Jeff Lukas

Conservation Director

Jeff Lukas is a passionate conservationist who has been fishing and hunting his entire life. Whether it’s floating a small stream chasing trout, pursuing elk in the high country, or waiting in a blind for ducks to set their wings, Jeff is always trying to bring more people afield to show them what we are trying to protect. He loves being in the arena, and he will never shy away from conversations about the beautiful and unique corners of Big Sky country.