FWP signs stolen from sites near Whitehall
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks game wardens are seeking information on signs that were stolen from two FWP sites near Whitehall.
Between December and April, signs were stolen from Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park and Limespur Fishing Access Site. Some were general traffic signs, and others displayed information specific to the sites.
Anyone with possible information about these thefts should visit myfwp.mt.gov/fwpPub/tipmont or call the FWP violation reporting hotline at 1-800-TIP-MONT. They can also contact the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office at 406-225-4075. Informants may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000.
Lewis & Clark Caverns offers summer programs
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Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park is kicking off its summer interpretive programs this month with talks that highlight the flora, fauna and night skies of Montana’s first state park.
Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park is a popular hiking destination.
The park’s Saturday evening events will each begin at 8 p.m. at the campground amphitheater and last about an hour. Join park ranger Ramona Radonich for the following programs:
- June 3: Birds of a Feather: See what birds make their home at Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park. Binoculars will be available.
- June 10: Flower Power: An in-depth discovery of the beauty, structure and survival of wildflowers.
- June 17: Night Skies at Lewis & Clark Caverns: Stories behind the stars and constellations of Montana’s night sky
- June 24: Three Dog Night: A tribute to three cool canines — wolves, coyotes and foxes.
In the event of adverse weather, these programs will move to a sheltered area. Notification of a change in location due to weather will be posted on the signboard at the amphitheater entrance 30 minutes before the program starts.
Guided hikes are planned for the first two Sundays in June. Bring water, sunscreen and sturdy shoes for some quality time outside. Both hikes will begin at 9 a.m.:
- June 4: Bird Hike: Meet at the Main Visitor Center before heading afield to watch and listen to the park’s feathered friends. Binoculars will be available.
- June 11: Flower Hike: Meet at Greer Gulch picnic area for a hike to discover what’s blooming at the caverns.
Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park is about 15 miles southeast of Whitehall, along Montana Highway 2. For more information about the park, visit stateparks.mt.gov/lewis-and-clark-caverns or call 406-287-3541.
FWP seeks info on grizzly shot and killed
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks game wardens and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are seeking information on a grizzly bear shot and killed.
The bear was killed in the South Fork of the Bull River area near Berray Mountain off Forest Road 2272 (Berray Mountain Road) north of Noxon in Sanders County.
The bear was discovered May 24. Wildlife officials investigated the scene and determined that the bear had gunshot wounds and was killed on the evening of May 16. The adult male grizzly was collared for research purposes and had no history of conflicts.
No more information is available at this time.
Wildlife crimes like this one are often solved because of leads provided by the public. Anyone with information should call 1-800-TIP-MONT (1-800-847-6668). Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward for information leading to a conviction.
Bowhunter advisory panel to meet in Great Falls
The Hunter and Bowhunter Education Advisory Committee will meet at the University of Providence in Great Falls June 6 and 7.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Director Hank Worsech listens to public comment during a meeting of the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission in 2021.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Director Hank Worsech has convened the committee to look at improving the hunter and bowhunter education programs. This will be their first meeting.
The panel will look at strategies for recruiting new volunteer instructors, implementing field days for online students, and improving landowner relations and hunter ethics within the curriculum.
FWP solicited applications for the committee and chose 23 members representing all parts of the state. The group will review the manuals, online programs and field day outlines, and develop actionable recommendations for Worsech and the hunter/bowhunter education staff to implement.
Starting in 2024, FWP will require a field day for all hunter and bowhunter education students under 18, including those taking the course online.
For more information, contact Greg Lemon at 406-444-4038 or via email at glemon@mt.gov.
Family fishing day is Saturday
Families can kickoff their summer of outdoor activities by attending the Great Falls Family Fishing Day event scheduled for 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at Wadsworth Pond Park in Great Falls.
The event is typically the largest fishing clinic in the state and features a series of short educational stations on fish identification, knot tying, casting and fly tying, followed by open fishing for all who attend. Youth who take part and complete all education stations are eligible for a rod/reel fishing outfit donated by the Great Falls Chapter of Walleyes Unlimited (limited supplies).
After the event ends, youth and adults may stay at the pond and continue to fish until sunset on June 4 without a fishing license, as a condition of the educational license exemption provided for the event by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.
Family Fishing Day is a cooperative effort to teach basic fishing skills and encourage participation in the outdoors by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks along with volunteers and support from Montana Walleyes Unlimited, Montana Trout Unlimited, Sun River Watershed Group, City of Great Falls Parks and Recreation Department, and Red Horse Squadron at Malmstrom Air Force Base.
For more information, contact the Great Falls FWP Region 4 Office at 406-454-5840.
Applications accepted for lease programs
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is again accepting applications for its Habitat Conservation Lease Program.
A habitat conservation lease is a voluntary, incentive-based agreement between FWP and private landowners in which the landowner commits to specific land management practices that protect priority wildlife habitat.
In turn, FWP pays landowners a one-time per-acre fee for the lease. These agreements will have a term length of 30 and 40 years.
As it has for decades, FWP is still pursuing conservation easements and land purchases where support from landowners, local officials and the community exists. The lease program is an addition to the conservation tools already available to landowners.
Last year FWP received few applications for the program and has since made changes to the program to make it more appealing to landowners. These changes included increasing the payment level and providing a new buy-out option for landowners who wish to replace the conservation lease with a permanent conservation easement.
A supplemental environmental assessment was completed on the changes to the program earlier this year. It can be found here.
The initial focus of the conservation lease program is prairie and pothole wetland habitats, with a priority on sage-grouse core areas and other plains habitats recognized by FWP as high priority for wildlife.
In areas critical to sage-grouse, these leases ensure habitat protections to keep populations healthy and allow the bird to remain off the Endangered Species List.
The Habitat Conservation Lease Program potentially could protect up to 500,000 acres in the next five years.
“Beyond protecting important habitat, this program will also be another tool to help keep family farms and ranches on the landscape, which will ensure our vital open spaces stay that way well into the future,” FWP Director Hank Worsech said in a news release.
Habitat conservation leases maintain native habitats by protecting them from specific disturbances that would alter their integrity, including tillage, energy development, building construction, and wetland filling or draining. Normal agricultural operations and noxious weed control will not be impacted.
Public access also will be part of the lease, but the details would be specific to each agreement.
Funding for the conservation lease program includes earmarked Habitat Montana funds, Pittman-Robertson funds and other sources dedicated to specific habitat types (e.g., wetlands). The Habitat Montana funds will be matched by federal funds at a 25/75 ratio, meaning every dollar of Habitat Montana money would be matched by $3 of federal money.
More information and applications for the program are available on the FWP at https://fwp.mt.gov/conservation/habitat/habitat-conservation/lease-program. The deadline for applications is July 14.
— Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks