Latest news with #UnitedStatesFishandWildlifeService
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Yahoo
Condon landowner kills grizzly in self defense
A grizzly bear (Photo by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Endangered Species Program via FLICKR | Creative Commons license). A landowner in northwest Montana shot and killed a grizzly bear on June 3, after it reportedly charged at close range. According to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks the landowners was not harmed during the encounter. On the night of June 3, a man heard noises outside his residence in the Swan Valley between Condon and Seeley Lake and disturbances with his dogs and livestock. The man went outside to check on his animals and a grizzly bear charged at him. The man shot and killed the bear. According to FWP's grizzly mortality dashboard, the bear was a male grizzly. It was the sixth known grizzly death in the state this year and first in Flathead County. In 2024, FWP reported 29 grizzly deaths from conflict management, self-defense, train or car accidents, poaching incidents or accidental take from mistaking a grizzly for a black bear. The dashboard was launched last year to help the agency increase transparency and educate Montanans on why grizzlies are killed or die when they are currently federally protected. Earlier this year, the federal government rejected petitions from Montana and Wyoming officials seeking to delist the species and return them to state management, a proposal that is likely to gain traction under the Trump administration. Montana is bear country. Grizzly bear populations continue to become denser and more widespread in Montana, increasing the likelihood that residents and recreationists could encounter them in more places each year. Avoiding conflicts with bears is easier than dealing with conflicts. Here are some precautions to help residents, recreationists and people who work outdoors avoid negative bear encounters: Carry bear spray and be prepared to use it immediately. Travel in groups whenever possible and make casual noise, which can help alert bears to your presence. Stay away from animal carcasses, which often attract bears. Follow food storage orders from the applicable land management agency. If you encounter a bear, never approach it. Leave the area when it is safe to do so. Keep garbage, bird feeders, pet food and other attractants put away in a secure building. Keep garbage in a secure building until the day it is collected. Certified bear-resistant garbage containers are available in many areas. Never feed wildlife. Bears that become food conditioned lose their natural foraging behavior and pose threats to human safety. It is illegal to feed bears in Montana. For more information and resources on bear safety, visit
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Mushroom foragers kill grizzly bear near Choteau
A grizzly bear (Photo by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Endangered Species Program via FLICKR | Creative Commons license). Two Montana men foraging for mushrooms in the north-central part of the state shot and killed a grizzly bear on May 21, after it reportedly charged them at close range. According to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the two men were not harmed during the encounter. The two local landowners were picking mushrooms about a mile north of Choteau on Wednesday evening when they came across the adult female grizzly bear, which charged them. The men shot and killed the bear at close range. 'I spoke to John and Justin shortly after the incident and they were both still shook up,' Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Director Christy Clark said in a press release. 'They told me their story and it was clear it was very traumatic. What's important here is they're OK.' FWP officials said the female grizzly killed had a cub of the year with her at the time of the encounter, and the agency is attempting to capture the cub. This is the fourth known grizzly bear mortality in 2025, according to FWP's grizzly mortality dashboard, and the second grizzly death in Teton County this spring. The other mortality in Teton County is listed as under investigation, but FWP at the time described it as self defense. The dashboard was launched last year to help the agency increase transparency and educate Montanans on why grizzlies are killed or die when they are currently federally protected. Earlier this year, the federal government rejected petitions from Montana and Wyoming officials seeking to delist the species and return them to state management, a proposal that is likely to gain traction under the Trump administration. Bears are active along the Rocky Mountain Front and in areas around towns like Choteau, Ulm and Cascade. If you are experiencing conflicts with bears, please call your local FWP bear specialist. You can locate their contact information here. As bears emerge from hibernation throughout the spring, FWP officials remind all Montanans heading into frontcountry or backcountry terrain to always carry bear spray, travel in groups, make noise, and keep garbage, food and other attractants in secure bins or buildings
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Montana faces opportunities, challenges, for energy transition
A beaver dam slows the water of the Snake River, creating a beaver pond. (Photo by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, via Flickr) The future of energy will be bolstered by lessons from beavers, enthusiasm from lawmakers, and consultation with tribal nations. Those were some of the messages panelists shared Wednesday at the Clean and Affordable Energy Conference hosted by the NW Energy Coalition with an estimated 100 in attendance throughout the day. Patrick Yawakie, a lobbyist with the Blackfeet Tribe and conference panelist, said non-Native American companies and state agencies have a long history of failing to consult with tribes on energy. He said those entities have left tribes in the dark on development within their reservations. 'There needs to be much more transparent and regular conversations that are happening with the tribes and these entities,' said Yawakie, also co-CEO of Red Medicine, a civic engagement and lobbying organization. The conference focused on energy resources for tribal communities, reliability and transmission, and energy efficiency and housing. The NW Energy Coalition is an alliance of more than 100 organizations, utilities and businesses in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and British Columbia that promote clean, affordable energy. Panelist Gerald Wagner, with the Blackfeet Nation, shared the way the tribe is applying the way beavers work to help with water storage and, therefore, energy conservation. Beavers build dams, which hold onto water, and in Montana, spring runoff is taking place earlier, and the land is becoming arid more quickly, Wagner said. As a pilot project that mimicked the ways of beavers, the Blackfeet dammed a couple of smaller streams, he said. He said workers, 10 or 12 Native American youth, collected earthen material, such as rocks and willows, and then built a series of dams roughly 50 yards apart. The dams don't stop the water, but they slow it and allow storage. He said cameras took pictures of the dammed areas every 12 hours, and the effects were visible. 'The riparian zones came back, vegetation came back,' said Wagner, director of the Blackfeet Environmental Program for the tribe. The idea is part of the Blackfeet Climate Change Adaptation Plan from 2018, and the dams were installed as part of a pilot project around 2021, he said. They are good for a season or so, and then require patching. 'If you look at the beaver, they're always maintaining their structures,' Wagner said. The larger idea, he said, is to observe what is occurring in nature, and then apply the lessons toward green energy. He said the dams may result in less energy use because people don't have to look for water or buy it. 'If you've got it stored, your wildlife, your cattle, your horses have more access to the water,' Wagner said. Montana needs more energy transmission capacity too, and panelists discussed the work underway and how to expedite energy development so it doesn't take 15 or 20 years. Appropriate planning from the beginning is key, panelists said. Maranda Compton, an attorney and founder of Lepwe, said whether talking with communities or tribal nations, it's important to hear criticism and have dialogue about projects. Lepwe is a consulting firm providing advice and education to tribal nations and entities that seek to engage with tribes. Developers need to understand tribal nations are government entities with their own political processes and priorities, Compton said. 'Really understanding who in the government should be involved, what the tribe's strategies and goals are, and how your project can work with those strategies and goals I think is really, really important,' Compton said. Compton said a direct relationship between planning and development groups and tribal nations 'has largely been missing,' and more robust conversation is needed, well before permitting is underway. The energy summit took place on the heels of the 69th Montana Legislature, and Makenna Sellers, with the Montana Renewable Energy Association, said lawmakers see the need to increase transmission capacity, and they understand the urgency. 'State lawmakers are more open and proactive about how we can solve transmission than ever before,' Sellers said. 'I've never seen more unanimous interest and policy prioritization happening at the state legislature on transmission.' Sellers said some proposals didn't make it to the finish line this year, but Sen. Daniel Zolnikov, R-Billings, sponsored a study resolution that will look at how state government can help solve regulatory barriers. 'Lawmakers are very open minded to some creativity here … this was the first session that I've seen this with seriousness,' Sellers said. Senate Joint Resolution 21, to study the power grid, says competitive policies in some jurisdictions hinder transmission development, and as a result, hurt ratepayers and markets. It calls for an examination of a cooperative interstate compact. When it comes to energy conservation, Yawakie said homeownership also plays a role, especially on the Flathead Indian Reservation, where he lives. If people don't own their own homes, he said, they can't access programs such as those that help people install solar panels, and many tribal members live in poverty and in low income housing. 'Probably the biggest issue that lies on our reservation is the lack of homeownership to be able to access a lot of these (energy conservation) programs,' Yawakie said. Brant Johnson, with Grid United, talked about the North Plains Connector project, a high-voltage transmission line being developed to connect the eastern and western electric grids in Montana and North Dakota. Johnson described it as a 'giant extension cord' that can transport power in either direction and be moved whichever way the market needs. It's intended to improve the reliability of the electrical grid and provide electricity when people need more power, such as during extreme weather. 'The value is in trying to make a grid that's bigger than the weather,' Johnson said. 'The wind doesn't blow in Montana at the same time that it's blowing in North Dakota.' He said energy demand peaks in the east at different times than in the northwest, so the needs can counterbalance each other. He said more work remains, but the project is 'a nice start.' 'It did catalyze something,' Johnson said.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Yahoo
GA man sentenced in largest-ever bird mount trafficking case
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WSAV) — Wednesday, a federal judge in Brooklyn, N.Y., sentenced two men for trafficking protected birds and eggs into the United States in violation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Dr. John Waldrop of Cataula, Georgia, was ordered to pay a $900,000 fine — one of the largest-ever for an ESA case — and serve three years of probation. Toney Jones of Eufala, Alabama, was sentenced to six months of probation. Waldrop pleaded guilty in August 2024 to conspiracy to smuggle wildlife and ESA violations, while Jones pleaded guilty to an ESA charge. According to court documents and statements made in court, Waldrop amassed an extensive collection of 1,401 taxidermy bird mounts and 2,594 eggs which included: Four eagles protected by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, 179 bird and 193 egg species listed in the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and 212 bird and 32 egg species covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). This included incredibly rare specimens like three eggs of the Nordmann's Greenshank, an Asian shorebird with only 900 to 1,600 remaining birds in the wild; no North American museum has any Nordmann Greenshank eggs in their collection. Waldrop forfeited his collection. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Lab examined the items and determined it to be the largest seizure of bird mounts in their 37-year history. The ESA requires that all wildlife imports be declared to USFWS and have required permits, including species protected by CITES. The USFWS Office of Law Enforcement in Valley Stream, New York, conducted the investigation as part of Operation Final Flight. The operation focused on the trafficking of protected birds into the United States. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources assisted with the investigation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
GOP lawmakers unleash proposal to reverse Biden's 'ill-informed' policies crippling crucial industry
EXCLUSIVE: Republican lawmakers are introducing legislation to undo a method used by the Biden administration to limit the ability to produce oil. The "LIZARDS Act of 2025" would remove the dunes sagebrush lizard from the endangered species list, as proponents of the bill argue that it was used by the Biden administration to limit energy production in places like Texas' Permian Basin — a hub for the American oil and gas industry. The legislative effort is being led by Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, and Rep. Tracey Mann, R-Kansas. "Former President Biden spent four years fulfilling his promise to kill the fossil fuel industry one horrible policy at a time – including listing the dunes sagebrush lizard under the Endangered Species Act, a direct attack on our hard-working men and women in the energy sector," Pfluger said in a statement. Gop Lawmaker Seeks To Slam Brakes On Biden's 'Woke And Wasteful' Ev Tax Credit "This listing, along with many others, was completely misguided and repudiates significant private conservation efforts in West Texas," he added. In addition, the duo is also sending a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum asking the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to remove both the lizard and the lesser prairie chicken from the list. Read On The Fox News App "Reversing these listing would recognize the success of local conservation efforts and restore regulatory certainty for the communities and industries that depend on access to these lands," the letter states. Az Senate Leader Urges Burgum To End Biden-obama Land Grabs Of Uranium Sites The service added the dunes sagebrush lizard to the list in May 2024, and the lesser prairie chicken was listed in 2022. "From day one, President Biden used every tool in his toolbox to trample on the livelihoods of America's energy and agricultural producers," the Republican lawmaker said in a statement. Energy Sec Wright Outlines Day-1 Priorities: Refilling Spr, Nixing Bidenesque Appliance Rules, Nuke Updates "His administration continuously ignored the facts on the ground and decided federal bureaucrats were better equipped to manage these populations than local citizens. Our bill restores power back to the local communities most impacted by these decisions and removes the regulatory handcuffs put on them by the Biden Administration. We look forward to working with President Trump and Secretary Burgum to reverse these ill-informed listings and unleash the American energy dominance 77 million Americans voted for this past November." The Trump administration has made major energy policy changes, including scrapping certain regulations on Alaska, declaring a national energy emergency, and signing a Congressional Review Act to end a tax on natural gas article source: GOP lawmakers unleash proposal to reverse Biden's 'ill-informed' policies crippling crucial industry
