Category: Native Fish

(From Montana Trout Unlimited) Please thank Governor Bullock for vetoing bad water bills and supporting important measures benefiting wild trout. Several water policy bills Montana TU spent much of the session trying to defeat or amend made it to Governor Steve Bullock’s desk. After thoughtful deliberation with state agency...

Montana FWP seems to have met with significant public opposition over their plan to suppress illegal walleye in Noxon Reservoir. In response, Region 1 said they “will most likely respond by drafting a new EA and providing more public inclusion.” Let’s make one thing perfectly clear; the population of...

Saving the Yellowstone Cutthroat in Yellowstone Lake Tuesday March 19, 2013 Flathead Valley TU will welcome Dave Sweet, Yellowstone Lake Special Project Manager for Wyoming TU for a program on efforts currently underway in Yellowstone Lake to recover the Yellowstone cutthroat. Dave was recently named a Conservation Hero by...

From the Flathead Beacon – 03/14/2013 Not long ago, the Flathead basin had the largest and healthiest population of native bull trout in the country with possibly 20,000 or more adult fish. Angler harvest of bull trout in the Flathead River system was 6,000 to 8,000 bull trout each...

August, 1998, 27 rail cars hauling barley and wheat went upside down, spilling their loads east of Essex, MT near Bear Creek, a tributary to the Wild and Scenic Middle Fork of the Flathead River. March 2011, 19 rail cars came unglued four miles west of Essex. One car...

Last week, Idaho Fish and Game held their annual “State of the Lake” meeting for Pend Oreille to discuss developments in the Fishery Recovery Effort on the lake during the past year and the news is pretty much all good for the Pend Oreille fishery. In 2006, IDFG began...

February 1, 2013 As the Montana Legislature rolls into February it’s still hard to determine what this legislative session portends for water, fish and recreational access to streams. So far, big picture items have revolved around fiscal matters, such as shoring up the pension system for state employees, modifying...

I was perusing the recent U.S. Geological report, on How Will Native Rocky Mountain Trout Fare with Climate Changes? Modeling forecasts consistently have demonstrated that the geographic ranges of Rocky Mountain trout species will shrink by some 20 to 90 percent over the next 50 to 100 years as...

There was news this morning of a minor BNSF derailment near West Glacier. The eastbound freight train was carrying Washington apples and frozen meat. No one was hurt and no cargo spilled. This is not big news in Northwest Montana. In fact derailed trains along the BNSF route are...

Conservation Alert from Montana Trout Unlimited 12 December 2012 Dear Flathead Valley Trout Unlimited Members and Friends, Weigh in today on crucial tribal water accord affecting instream flows across Western Montana! The State of Montana, federal government and Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes have reached a draft agreement that...