Outdoor briefs: Caribou make an appearance in Montana
Rarely-seen caribou spotted in Montana
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks regional staff have received reports of a rare sight in northwest Montana.
Residents have recently documented sightings of woodland caribou near the U.S.-Canada border. The multiple sightings include the potential for a bull and a cow in separate locations.
Caribou, members of the deer family, are native to northwest Montana but have almost completely disappeared from the contiguous United States over the last half century.
Woodland caribou herds once stretched from central British Columbia to Idaho, Montana and Washington. The decline in population is largely attributed to high mortality linked to habitat fragmentation, alteration, loss of old growth forest, and subsequent predation impacts. Woodland caribou are now protected in the United States and British Columbia.
Caribou have been known to roam from the Selkirk and Purcell mountain ranges in southern B.C into Montana, Idaho and Washington but the occurrences have become increasingly rare.
Caribou are similar in size to mule deer but have different coloration, large round hooves and unique antlers. Even cow caribou can have visible small antlers.
After confirming reports of the recent sightings, Montana FWP contacted wildlife biologists in British Columbia and informed them of the sightings. FWP will continue to work closely with partners in British Columbia on the conservation of the species.
BLM burning slash piles near Wise River, Clancy
The Bureau of Land Management’s Butte Field Office will burn slash piles during the upcoming months on public lands near Wise River and Clancy.
The slash piles to be burned near Wise River are located in the Tie Creek, Jimmie New, Spring Gulch and LaMarche Creek areas. The Clancy area piles are on the north side of the Lump Gulch Road.
The piles will be burned when the ground is snow-covered or when the surrounding fuels are wet enough to minimize the potential for unwanted fire spread. Burning will take place only when weather conditions and forecasts allow for adequate smoke dispersion.
The timing of these burns is dependent on weather and fuel conditions. The prescribed burns will be implemented by fire managers from the BLM.
For more information about these burns, contact Greg Campbell at the Butte Field Office at 406-533-7608.
Reminder on snowmobile-use date changes
In March 2018 a travel plan errata was signed to revise authorized use-dates for snowmobile use in the Little Belt, Castle, and (a portion of) Crazy Mountain ranges on the east-side of the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest (HLC).
The Errata was developed to clarify the language specific to the type of snowmobile travel and associated use-dates that was written in the 2007 Travel Management Plan Record of Decision for the Little Belts, Castles, and north-half of the Crazies. The direction, as specified in the errata, specifically states that “snowmobile use cross country, and on roads and trails, is authorized only during the period Dec. 1 – May 15 of each year.” This clarification was necessary to improve safety conditions and avoid conflicts between wheeled vehicles and snowmobiles using the same routes at the same time.
Specifications of authorized snowmobile use on national forest system lands were needed due to the ambiguity related to early snow and road conditions for wheeled vehicles — terms that were described, but not clearly defined in the 2007 travel management plan and Montana State Law. The Errata more clearly defined the use as it relates to those terms, and extended the use-dates to May 15.
For more information, the Errata to the 2007 Travel Management Plan Decision is posted on the Forest website at: www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=16648. Click on the “Decision” tab to read the Errata.
Navigation to the project document is: www.fs.usda.gov/hlcnf and then click “Land and Resources Management,” “Projects,” scroll to the bottom and select “Project Archive” and then from the list, select “Little Belt, Castle, North-Half of Crazy Mountains Travel Management Plan.”
If you have questions about authorized snowmobile use in these mountain ranges, contact the Belt Creek White Sulphur Springs offices at 406-236-5511 (Neihart) or 406-547-3361 (White Sulphur Springs).
Proposal to add cabin to Recreation Rental Program
The Helena–Lewis and Clark National Forest is seeking public comments on a proposal to add the newly-acquired AT&T Cabin to the recreational rental program with a new fee of $45 per night.
The AT&T Cabin is located southwest of Helena on the Helena Ranger District. This proposal would enable the cabin to be available for public rental, adding to the Forest’s popular recreation rental program.
The proposed fee of $45 per night is consistent for other fee sites with similar levels of amenities and capacity and providing high-quality recreation experiences. If approved, this cabin will be available for advance reservations through www.recreation.gov.
All comments about this fee proposal need to be submitted by Friday, Dec. 7, 2018. For more information, questions or to provide verbal comments about this fee proposal, contact Rory Glueckert at 406-495-3761. Comments can also be submitted via regular mail to: Helena–Lewis and Clark National Forest, ATTN: Recrecation Fee Proposal, 2880 Skyway Drive, Helena, MT 59602; or by email to r1recfee@fs.fed.us.