Projects
GNESA has undertaken several projects, including:
- Reducing human and grizzly bear conflicts and preventable bear deaths
- Continuing proactive efforts for safe transport of those hazardous materials that pass through the Middle Fork Corridor
- Improving corridor communications and emergency response coordination
- River clean-up projects
- Conservation Planning for private lands within the corridor
- Education and information to the two million annual visitors to this area
- Comprehensive mapping
GNESA, working with its partners, has installed "critter gitters" on each end of all the trestles in the corridor. These have been tested with grizzly bears and proven to be an effective deterrent. 
These devices are 128-decibel aversive sound devices activated by motion and infrared heat.
Some Current Projects . . .
- Living with Wildlife
- Avalanche Hazards Discussed
- Benefits of Conservation Easements
- Habitat Conservation Plan
- Stream Permitting
The good news is the Middle Fork of the Flathead River and its corridor between East and West Glacier is some of the most scenic country and outstanding wildlife habitat in the world. Grizzly and black bear, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, elk, deer, wolves, bald and golden eagles, cutthroat and bull trout and countless other species live and call this home. So what can we do to enjoy and safely coexist with wildlife?
The key to living with wildlife is learning to understand them. Mother Nature controls wildlife populations through the availability of food and shelter. Animals will take advantage of any source of food and shelter. Understanding their feeding habits and other behavioral patterns will help you live with wildlife.
What is attracting wildlife to your yard? Food -- Bears, raccoons, skunks, gulls, ravens and other species are attracted to garbage, pet food, dirty barbecue grills, bird feeders, compost piles and other food sources.
Neighbors who feed deer and bear naturally increase the number of deer and bear in the neighborhood. The result is not only damage to landscape and gardens, but also increased hazards to public safety. Urban deer may attract mountain lions and will increase the number of automobile/deer collisions.
There is a vast amount of information available to help you prevent and control wildlife damage. Your best sources of information are local nurseries and garden centers, county extension offices, animal control personnel, and FWP offices.
Living with Wildlife publications can be obtained at Living with Wildlife: http://www.fwp.state. mt.us
Representatives from several agencies and organizations have been meeting recently to discuss a coordinated approach to dealing with avalanche safety in the Middle Fork of the Flathead River Canyon near Essex.
Steep mountains and heavy snowfall in this area near Marias Pass creates favorable conditions for avalanches like the ones that derailed fifteen BNSF railroad cars and spilled snow across Highway 2 in late January of 2004. Officials from BNSF, Glacier National Park, USGS Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Montana Department of Transportation (DOT) and Flathead National Forest have been compiling historic data on avalanches in the area and the snow conditions that leads to them in hopes of better understanding, monitoring and perhaps predicting these dangerous conditions in the future.
The group is developing several draft strategies for dealing with avalanches. As a part of this proactive approach, Glacier National Park has initiated an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that addresses several preventive measures. A draft plan will be released in the late summer of 2005. For more information contact: Mary Riddle (mary_riddle@nps.gov).
Benefits of Conservation Easements:
| For Landowners | For the Community |
|---|---|
| Ensures natural and/or timber and agricultural values of your land are preserved | Protects open space, wildlife habitat, natural, cultural and historical resources |
| Provides options to help transfer land to the next generation | Helps preserve timber land, agriculture, and a rural setting |
| May offer substantial tax savings on income and estate taxes | Saves sensitive environments |
For more information on conservation Easements, contact the Flathead Land Trust * P.O. Box 1913 * Kalispell, MT 59903 (406) 752-8293 |
|
| www.flatheadlandtrust.org * e-mail: flt@bigsky.net | |
The BNSF, in consultation with the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), is preparing a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) which will clarify the activities associated with the operation and maintenance of the railroad which may affect grizzly bears.
In 1991 BNSF entered into an agreement with state and federal agencies in the Middle Fork Flathead River corridor to form GNESA. GNESA fosters a positive working relationship among industry, government and conservation interests.
In cooperation with GNESA. BNSF has implemented an operating protocol that includes several railroad operation and maintenance procedures intended to minimize train/bear incidents and ensure a rapid response and removal of attractants from the railroad right of way. The company is interested and motivated to operate the railroad in a manner that promotes good stewardship and conservation of grizzly bears in the Middle Fork Flathead River corridor.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service is encouraged by Congress under Section 10 of the Endangered Species Act to enter into partnerships with non-federal entities whose actions may impact the habitats of listed species.
The HCP is intended to promote good stewardship of railroad operations in the Middle Fork Flathead River Corridor, with an emphasis on conservation of the Grizzly bear.
Public scoping meeting(s) were held in Kalispell and Browning in the winter of 2005. A draft HCP will be available for public review during the fall of 2005. For more information on the HCP process contact Tim_Bodurtha@fws.gov.
GNESA, in cooperation with the Flathead Conservation District, is in the formative stages of developing a Web site that can assist applicants in gathering information necessary to acquire environmentally based stream permits in Montana.
The concept behind the site is to create a Web-based application that can be accessed via the Internet to assist in obtaining all the relevant permits needed for a specific stream project. Current laws make the permitting process confusing, and it is easy to overlook a permit due to the overlapping jurisdictions of federal, state, and local regulators. This application would take the guesswork out of permitting and allow applicants to obtain necessary permits, and also identify key individuals within the permitting agencies, along with phone numbers, e-mail, etc.
GNESA proposes to create a pilot application for Flathead County and test the concept for one year. If the pilot site is successful, the application could be expanded to the entire state.
For more information, contact Larry Van Rinsum with the Flathead Conservation District (752-4220 or fcd@digisys.net) regarding this concept and how you can participate. We believe a Web-based application which streamlines governmental processes will lead to higher satisfaction among project managers and better compliance with important environmental regulations.