The Livingston Enterprise, March 3, on combatting invasive species in the Yellowstone River and Montana:
Boaters and fly flingers all over Park County are getting the itch.
Mother Nature has given us a few promising days already in 2017, when wind speed and temperature cooperated just enough to make for an outstanding day on the Yellowstone River.
And with daylight savings on the horizon and spring just a few weeks away, there are more great days ahead.
And now the sobering truth: Last year the Yellowstone River suffered an unprecedented fish kill that closed a huge section of the river, to the bane of many local businesses, anglers, restaurants, hotels and fishing guides, among others.
For weeks, dead whitefish floated belly up and down the blue-ribbon fishery.
Sure, we should all continue anxiously anticipating the next boating season, but the real reality is that discussions about future summer fishing seasons on the Yellowstone must also include the possibility of future fish kills, river closures and responses to such events.
What do we do moving forward, and what’s the plan for those who make a living in an industry that’s dependent on fishing and floating the big river?
To begin with, if it’s not already, the mantra “clean, drain, dry” should be incorporated into the lifestyle of all river people.
That is, we should all make it a habit after leaving the river to clean our boats and fishing gear (preferably with warm, soapy water) drain our gear and let it dry before the next trip.
This is no small matter. Climate change is here, it’s impacting the Yellowstone River and it’s going to take our combined effort to preserve its health.
Officials with the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks say fish die-offs and river closures will likely happen in the future, now that the microscopic parasite linked to the fish kill exists in the Yellowstone.
This pesky parasite causes Proliferative Kidney Disease, which wildlife biologists say ultimately caused the lion’s share of last year’s whitefish kill-off.
Boaters can take year-round precautions to battle PKD by following the “clean, drain, dry” guideline.
And it’s not just PKD we’re up against.
Invasive mussels were discovered last year in the Treasure State, and FWP has since created a new bureau tasked with managing the detection, prevention and control of the aquatic invasive species.
The state’s new Aquatic Invasive Species Bureau will operate in the agency’s Fisheries Division.
Here in Park County, local stakeholders value perhaps more than anyone moving forward the importance of a more comprehensive approach. That’s because last year’s closure had a significant impact on the community, and we want our friends and neighbors who make their living on the river to have stability and some sense of certainty for the future.
Since last year’s closure, representatives from Park County, the Livingston Area Chamber of Commerce, outfitters, FWP, anglers and other river users have been preparing to deal with PKD and the possibility of future river closures.
A number of public meetings on the topic are planned in the coming months, and anyone who believes they have something to contribute to the effort should make it a point to attend.
The first such event, a town hall meeting, is at 5 p.m. March 29 at the Park County Fairgrounds. Additional meetings are being organized on the issue.
The finger-pointing and frustration stemming from last year’s closure is understandable, to an extent. Tensions ran high in the weeks following the Aug. 19 closure of a 200-mile stretch of the Yellowstone.
Sections of the river were reopened in the following weeks, yet the final closure wasn’t lifted until Sept. 22.
Anglers, outfitters, ranchers and irrigators all have a long history of working together in Montana - a fact that, unfortunately, seemed slightly fractured during the closure.
That can’t be the case moving forward.
There’s much to be discussed in the coming months and years as we work to combat invasive species, not only on the Yellowstone but across Montana.
Now’s the time to plan on attending some of the upcoming meetings, get involved on the issue and work through the difficult discussions.
Editorial: https://bit.ly/2n2S4yW
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The Bozeman Chronicle, March 3, on legislators’ move to get rid of protections for grizzlies:
The thriving population of grizzly bears in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming is one of the greatest wildlife recovery stories in our nation’s history. The species numbered fewer than 150 bears in the greater Yellowstone region in the 1970s. Today there are estimates that as many as 700 to 1,000 specimens in the area.
The success is due to the efforts of biologists and protections accorded by the Endangered Species Act. But now there are legislators in Helena who, for purely political reasons, want to stick their noses into the process.
Last week the Republican-controlled state House of Representatives passed a resolution, on a largely partisan vote, urging Congress to remove all legal protection from the species in Montana. Currently, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is recommending removal of Endangered Species Act protections from grizzlies in the greater Yellowstone region. But the agency has made no recommendations with respect to the species in the northern Continental Divide or the Yaak-Cabinet regions of Montana that grizzlies are also known to inhabit.
Some of those lawmakers supporting the resolution said grizzly bears are a menace to public safety and livestock, and that delisting is necessary so people can fight back without fear of federal prosecution.
Frankly, that argument defies sense, and this resolution quite simply injects politics into an area where it has no place.
We should all celebrate the success of the grizzly recovery. The presence of this species adds a unique dimension to the last wild places in the lower 48 states. And the bears are an economic asset that draw tourists from around the world.
The continued health of the species is vital to the interests of all Montanans. And that will depend on wise policy guided by the biologists who brought the bears back from the brink of extinction here in Montana.
State senators should scrap the resolution urging the delisting of all Montana grizzlies and stick to the issues we sent them to deal with - the repair of our roads and bridges and the success of our schools, colleges and universities.
Let’s leave the fate of the grizzlies in the hands of the scientists.
Editorial: https://bit.ly/2mfW92s
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The Billings Gazette, March 5, on giving local governments fuel tax money to fix roads:
Tax us, please!
That was the unusual, bipartisan, cross-state request from Montana business, labor, engineers, truckers, local and state leaders to the House Transportation Committee. A coalition of 50 supporters from as far as Kalispell, Shelby, Sidney, Billings, Bozeman and Missoula urged the committee to approve a long-term solution to the state’s dangerously deteriorating transportation system.
Why?
Montana has the third highest traffic fatality rate in the nation.
A new, independent study concluded that 30 percent of the state’s roads are in poor condition.
Statewide, more than 900 bridges are structurally deficient or obsolete.
The extra vehicle repairs, maintenance and delays on bad roads costs Montanans about $800 million annually.
Montana funds its highways with a user fee: a tax on every gallon of gas and on-road diesel sold in the state. That tax hasn’t been raised since 1994. The cost of building and maintaining roads has risen faster than volume of fuel sales, creating a gap in funding. Last year, the Montana Department of Transportation calculated the highway infrastructure needs for the coming decade to be $15 billion, while only $5 billion will be available.
Montana gets about $7 in federal highway money for each $1 in state-generated revenue. However, the state no longer has the money for that match.
House Bill 473 is a case study in how good legislation should be created. The Montana Infrastructure Coalition, a group of more than 150 Montana private and public entities, has been working on a plan for a transportation solution for the past couple of years. Rep. Frank Garner, R-Kalispell, a former police chief, courageously stepped up to sponsor this road and bridge safety bill that includes a fuel tax increase.
Gov. Steve Bullock is supporting Garner’s bill, which is endorsed by the Montana Association of Counties, the Motor Carriers of Montana, MDU Resources, Montana Contractors Association, AFL-CIO and other labor unions.
The money raised under HB473 would be used only for transportation safety. The fiscal note projects that the proposed increase of 8 cents per gallon of gas and 7.2 cents per gallon of diesel would generate $61 million next year. It would be split, with $35 million going to state roads, $2.75 million to maintain Montana Highway Patrol staffing and $23.5 million to be distributed to local governments for road work. The local government would be required to match $1 of every $5 in these road grants.
Although cities and counties are responsible for most of the miles of streets and roads in this state, they receive little fuel tax money now. Yellowstone County gets about $300,000 annually in gas tax money for its $8.6 million road budget, Commissioner John Ostlund told the Transportation Committee.
Billings City Councilman Richard Clark also testified in support of HB473, pointing out that the city has for 20 years talked about building a western route out of Billings Heights, but has never had the money.
Mayors of Missoula, Bozeman and Great Falls spoke of deferred maintenance lists that grow longer each year because there isn’t money to keep up.
Local governments have turned to property taxpayers to pay for road improvements. In Billings, voters years ago passed a bond levy to pay for three specific road projects. Property taxpayers have arterial street fees and other street assessments on their annual bills.
HB473 provides an alternative to reliance on property taxes; cities and counties would have fuel tax dollars for street construction and repair.
Nearly 40 percent of that tax money will actually be paid by the millions of out-of-state visitors who drive into Montana every year.
Let’s add up the return on the proposed 8-cent gas tax hike:
-Montana visitors pay about 40 percent.
-Federal highway funds to match every state $1 with $7 federal dollars.
-Cities and counties share in fuel tax revenues as an alternative to raising property taxes for streets.
-All the money is spent in Montana, creating jobs and, most importantly, safer transportation.
-The Highway Patrol doesn’t lose staff.
Let’s finally get ahead of road problems. If motorists pay a little more at the pump, all will be safer and save money over time. Ask your legislators to support HB473 when they return to Helena this week.
As Garner said, HB473 is “a long-term fix to a significant safety problem in our state. It will empower our local partners. It will keep the MHP working.”
Editorial: https://bit.ly/2mgdgBu
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