Quick
01/25/2018
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) Region 7 has completed an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the purchase of two separate and distinct overlapping perpetual conservation easements totaling approximately 15,389.25 acres in Dawson and Wibaux Counties, Montana. The two Conservation Easements would function as a single, cohesive unit known as the Horse Creek Complex Conservation Easement (HCC CE). The Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) requires FWP to assess impacts to the human and natural environment. Formal public participation in the MEPA process was initiated with a public scoping process. Public scoping was conducted July-September 2017, wherein the public was asked to identify any issues and concerns related to this Conservation Easement proposal. The draft EA was released to the public December 19, 2017 with a 31-day comment period ending January 18, 2018. Utilizing the EA and public comment, a decision must be rendered by FWP which addresses the concerns and issues identified for this proposed action. FWP’s analysis supports purchasing the two separate and distinct overlapping perpetual conservation easements that comprise the HCC CE. After review of this proposal, it is our decision to accept the draft EA as supplemented by this Decision Notice and changes herein as final, and to recommend proceeding with the proposed Horse Creek Complex Conservation Easement. Noting and including the responses to public comments, the draft EA will become the final EA and together with the decision notice will serve as the final documents for this proposal.
(Region 7 - Decision Notices)
01/18/2018
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (hereafter, “FWP” or “the Department”) is seeking public comment on its proposal to purchase a Conservation Easement (CE) to protect wildlife habitat and ensure continued public access on the Rumney Cattle Company Birdtail property (hereafter, “the Birdtail”). The CE would conserve approximately 3,980 acres of primarily intermountain foothill grassland habitat in east-central Cascade County, approximately 13 miles northwest of Cascade, MT in deer/elk hunting district (HD) 421 (Figure 5). This proposal represents the proposed application of funds from FWP’s Habitat Montana Program and Deer and Elk Auction license accounts. Funds for the Habitat Montana program are generated from earmarked portions of big game licenses to be specifically used for the protection of wildlife habitat in Montana. As per terms of Habitat Montana funds, public recreational access is a mandatory component of land projects such as this. As prescribed by legislation, Auction license funds are to be used for the beneficial management of the individual species (deer and elk) and a portion of the funding is allocated to a capital account for habitat protection. The purpose of this CE would be to conserve important wildlife habitat by preventing subdivision, development, and other forms of habitat loss; perpetuate the agricultural lifestyle of the Rumney Cattle Company who would own the land under easement; and guarantee public recreational access to the property. The land would remain in private ownership and on state and county tax rolls. The primary traditional use of the land is cattle production which would remain under terms of the proposed CE. The CE would endure in perpetuity and would be enforceable upon any potential future owners of the property.
(Region 4 - Conservation Easements)
01/16/2018
FWP seeks public review and comment on its proposal to enter into a land exchange between FWP and Cross Canyon Ranch (CCR), a privately held property. FWP proposes to exchange approximately 460 acres of land currently within its Spotted Dog Wildlife Management Area (WMA, located NE of Deer Lodge), for approximately 438 acres held by CCR. The exchange would consolidate each entity’s holdings and facilitate management of both the ranch and the WMA. Of special importance to FWP is the opportunity to create passage and enhance public access between the eastern and western portions of the WMA (between the headwaters of O’Neill Creek to Spotted Dog Creek), which currently is hindered by checkerboard boundaries. All exchange parcels are located in T9N, R8W, in Powell County. While the number of acres is not equal, the overall value of the lands being exchanged is comparable. A draft environmental assessment (EA) has been prepared describing this proposal. FWP will hold a public hearing in Deer Lodge on Wednesday, February 7 at 7:00 p.m. at the Deer Lodge Community Center (Cottonwood Street, north of the County Courthouse) to discuss the proposal, answer questions and take public comment.
(Region 2 - Acquisitions, Trades & Leases)
01/16/2018
The State of Montana is seeking public input on the following draft document prepared jointly by the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the Natural Resource Damage (NRD) Program: Draft Update Prioritization of Tributaries in the Upper Clark Fork River Basin for Fishery Enhancement, dated January 2018. This plan identifies priority areas in the Upper Clark Fork River Basin to focus fish habitat protection and enhancement efforts. It will be used to guide future expenditures of NRD settlement funds. A 30 day public comment period is being held on this draft document from January 16, 2018 through February 14, 2018. These documents will also be the subject of informational meetings to be held at the following locations: Wednesday January 17, 2018 1:00 to 4:00 pm at the Deer Lodge Elks Club; Friday January 26, 2018 11:00 to 1:00 pm at DNRC Building, 1539 11th Ave., Helena, MT, Room 110 “Montana Room.” The deadline for comments is February 14, 2018 through the NRD website.
(Region 2 - Development, Improvements, and Enhancements)
01/12/2018
On February 13, 2018, at 2:00 p.m., the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (department) will hold a public hearing at the Fish, Wildlife and Parks Headquarters Building, 1420 East 6th Avenue, Helena, Montana, to consider the proposed adoption of administrative rules pertaining to the Wildlife Habitat Noxious Weed Program. The Wildlife Habitat Improvement Act was established by the 2017 Montana Legislature through passage of HB434. The Act (MCA 87-5-8) authorizes $2 million annually, in the form of grants, to improve priority wildlife habitat through noxious weed management on both public and private lands. The Act also requires FWP to develop administrative rules for the Program. Please note an omission that was discovered after the proposed rules had already been published. NEW RULE V(3)(g) was intended to read as follows: “(g) project area provides access for public hunting. (0 to 15 pts)” The word “hunting” was mistakenly omitted during editing but is intended by FWP to be included for consideration in the proposal.
(Headquarters - Rules)
01/12/2018
On February 6, 2018, at 2:00 p.m., the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (department) will hold a public hearing at the Fish, Wildlife and Parks Region 1 Office, 490 North Meridian Road, Kalispell, Montana, to consider the proposed adoption of an administrative rule pertaining to a pilot program for aquatic invasive species in the Flathead Basin. On February 6, 2018, at 2:00 p.m., the department will hold a public hearing at the Fish, Wildlife and Parks Region 2 Office, 3201 Spurgin Rd, Missoula, Montana, to consider the proposed adoption pertaining to a pilot program for aquatic invasive species in the Flathead Basin. Please see the proposal notice for more information.
(Headquarters - Rules)
01/05/2018
Milwaukee Fishing Access Site Acquisition Decision Notice
(Region 3 - Decision Notices)
01/05/2018
Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking public comment on the Future Fisheries project, 016-2018 Rock Creek Realignment. A pdf of this document can be found below. The Program tentatively plans to provide partial funding for these projects, contingent upon approval being granted by the Fish & Wildlife Commission. Comments will be accepted until 11:59PM, February 4th 2018. A ½ mile reach of Rock Creek that flows through Big Hole Grazing Association (BHGA) property was captured by an irrigation ditch sometime between 1960-1979, making the existing channel into a high-flow channel. The irrigation ditch has become the primary channel fish habitat, but it is unstable with excessive erosion, poorly established vegetation, and limited fish habitat. This project would return the stream to the original Rock Creek channel and use the intact riparian corridor and floodplain to improve habitat and reduce sediment inputs as well as improve overall stream health and water quality. The goal is to improve fish habitat, stream function, and water quality to increase populations of Artic Grayling in the Big Hole drainage while using minimal construction.
(Headquarters - Restoration & Rehabilitation)
01/05/2018
Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking public comment on the Future Fisheries project, 013-2018 Poorman Creek Instream Flow. A pdf of this document can be found below. The Program tentatively plans to provide partial funding for this project, contingent upon approval being granted by the Fish & Wildlife Commission. Comments will be accepted until 11:59PM, February 4th 2018. Poorman Creek is a high priority stream and is listed as critical Bull Trout habitat. Low streamflow has been identified as a limiting factor in Bull Trout recruitment from Poorman Creek. Before the water rights to be acquired in this transaction were changed to instream flow 15 years ago, the stream would regularly dry up in the late summer/early fall. Trout Unlimited has worked with the water rights owner to increase flows in Poorman Creek, and now the Clark Fork Coalition would like to hold the title to the water rights and partner on restoration efforts. The purchase would be 18 cfs of instream flow with a minimum flow agreement. The goal is to permanently keep the stream reach from dewatering and retain valuable habitat for fish and aquatic species.
(Headquarters - Restoration & Rehabilitation)
01/05/2018
Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking public comment on the Future Fisheries project, 010-2018 Nevada Creek fish screening. A pdf of this document can be found below. The Program tentatively plans to provide partial support for this project, contingent upon approval being granted by the Fish & Wildlife Commission. Comments will be accepted until 11:59PM, February 4th 2018. Many projects have been completed in the Nevada Creek drainage and this project is intended to continue the momentum and continue improving populations of native species. In the project area, the existing diversion is a debris dam with logs, tarps, sandbags, and other materials that create a fish barrier during most flows. The diversion also creates a backwater effect that has altered Nevada Creek. This project would eliminate entrainment of trout with the fish screen installation (which allows diversion of 15 cfs), install a headgate and sluice gate, provide bed and bank stability, and restore fish passage. A grade control weir would be installed to allow diversion of water. The goal is to eliminate entrainment of trout down an irrigation diversion while providing fish passage and bed and bank stability within the stream channel. The FFIP support would be in the form of an existing fish screen purchased from a previous (and now cancelled) project.
(Headquarters - Restoration & Rehabilitation)
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