Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks seeks several changes for 2010 wolf hunting season

The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks department has released its proposal for this year's gray wolf hunting season. It includes numerous changes, including an increased quota, a longer open season and a possible archery-hunting season.

FWP wildlife managers are seeking to increase the statewide quota to either 186 or 216 wolves, up from the 2009 quota of 75 animals. They would also like to create 14 wolf hunting units in three zones, and allow subquotas in some areas during the early season backcountry hunt, including the area directly north of Yellowstone National Park.

"In a word, it’s all about balance," said Ken McDonald, FWP’s chief of wildlife. "Smaller and more wolf management units represent lessons learned from the 2009 hunting season. Some areas contributed more to the harvest than expected and prevented us from addressing management needs in other areas. We want to adjust that to ensure a widely distributed harvest and yet still target areas where we’re seeing impacts on prey, like elk and deer, and where recurring livestock depredations are anticipated."

The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission will meet Thursday in Helena to consider the proposal. If approved, a public comment period expected to run through June 14 will follow. A final decision is scheduled to be made July 8.

Free admission offered during National Parks Week

National Parks Week begins Saturday and runs through April 25, and to celebrate, all 392 national parks nationwide will offer free admission.

Parks will also offer additional activities as well as special offers on lodging, tours, food and souvenirs. A list of all special events and discounts, searchable by state or by park, can be found on the National Park Service website.

"We are rolling out the red carpet and inviting everyone to visit a national park and help celebrate National Parks Week," Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said in a news release. "Parks are fun and affordable destinations and great places to engage in healthy outdoor activities, whether for a few hours or a few days."

146 of the 392 national parks usually charge entrance fees ranging from $3 to $25. The fee free waiver does not include other fees collected, such as those for reservations, camping or use of concessions.

"National parks preserve our heritage, promote recreational experiences, and provide places for quiet refuge," said National Parks Service Director Jon Jarvis. "Most people live within a short drive of a national park so I encourage everyone to spend some time enjoying America's Great Outdoors during National Park Week."

-- Kelly Burgess

Photo: Panoramic view of the Grand Canyon. Credit: National Park Service

To follow this blog on Twitter, please visit @latimesoutposts

Visitation to national parks increases in 2009

Perhaps a sign of the economic times, or inspired by Ken Burns’ popular documentary series, “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea,” 10 million more people visited national parks last year than in 2008, a 3.9% increase.

More than 285.5 million people visited national parks during 2009, close to the all-time visitation record of 287.2 million in 1987.

The most-visited national park last year was the Great Smoky Mountains. At more than 9.4 visitors, it surpassed the second- and third-most-visited parks combined (Grand Canyon, 4.3 million and Yosemite, 3.7 million).

No matter the reason, it's great to hear that both American and foreign tourists took advantage of the opportunity to get outside and enjoy the natural treasures that make up the national park system.

The top 10 most visited national parks were:

  -- Great Smoky Mountains, 9,491,437 visitors
  -- Grand Canyon, 4,348,068
  -- Yosemite, 3,737,472
  -- Yellowstone, 3,295,187
  -- Olympic, 3,276,459
  -- Rocky Mountain, 2,822,325
  -- Zion, 2,735,402
  -- Cuyahoga Valley, 2,589,288
  -- Grand Teton, 2,580,081
  -- Acadia, 2,227,698

-- Kelly Burgess

Photo: Winter in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Credit: National Park Service

To follow this blog on Twitter, please visit @latimesoutposts.

Ken Burns' National Parks Series encore presentation begins Wednesday on PBS

The popular Ken Burns’ series, “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea,” begins its encore broadcast, with the first episode airing Wednesday on PBS.  It will then appear on consecutive Wednesdays through March 3.

Burns spent nearly a decade making the six-part, 12-hour documentary. With breathtaking cinematography, the series sparked the interests of many (myself included) to travel and visit the National Parks. 

Premiering last September, the series was the second most-watched on PBS during the last decade, reaching a total audience of 33.4 million viewers.

For local times and channels, please visit the PBS website.

-- Kelly Burgess

Photo: The Burns documentary includes a stop at Yellowstone National Park's Old Faithful geyser as part of its 12-hour overview. Credit: Craig Mellish / Florentine Films and WETA Washington

Note: To follow this blog on Twitter please visit @latimesoutposts

Safari Club appeals ruling that put grizzly bears back on threatened species list

Safari Club International is appealing a federal court ruling, which if overturned could lead to grizzly bear hunting near Yellowstone National Park.

The Associated Press reports that the organization has asked the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a ruling made by U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy in September in Missoula, Mont., in which Molloy reinstated protected status to the Greater Yellowstone Area grizzly population -- estimated at 600 bears -- stating that lax protection from government agencies combined with climate change put the animals at risk.

Grizzlies had been listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act from 1975 until 2007, when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared them recovered and removed them from protection. The environmental group Greater Yellowstone Coalition filed a lawsuit to reverse this decision, which brought about Molloy's ruling.

Safari Club attorney Douglas Burdin said that grizzlies should be under state, rather than federal, jurisdiction.

If the decision is overturned, grizzlies would join gray wolves as two species recently opened to legal hunting in the region. Some gray wolf populations were removed from protection under the Endangered Species Act last May, leading to the first wolf hunting seasons in Montana and Idaho.

-- Kelly Burgess

Photo: A grizzly bear walks through a field at Yellowstone National Park. Credit: Terry Tollefsbol / U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Follow this blog on Twitter: @latimesoutposts

Montana's inaugural wolf-hunting season closes; it's deemed a success

Montana's inaugural wolf-hunting season came to an end this week and has been deemed a success by state wildlife officials.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks called for the season to close half an hour after sunset on Monday after receiving word that the statewide quota of 75 was nearly reached.

"We hit 72 of the 75 wolf quota with two weeks left before the season was originally planned to close on Nov. 29," FWP spokesman Ron Aasheim told the Billings Gazette.

A total of 15,600 wolf hunting licenses were sold, generating $325,859 for the state license fund.

"It was a successful season. We learned a bunch, and we'll learn more as we evaluate it," Aasheim said. "We know where wolves where taken by county. We know sex. We know age. We'll know the days hunted. It's a pretty sound information base."

One thing that will be studied further is the sustainability of the hunt.

Wolf hunting continues in Montana and Idaho, with each state reaching quotas and closing another zone

Wolf hunting continues in both Idaho and Montana, with each state announcing the closure of a second zone on Monday after reaching quotas.

Idaho Fish and Game has announced the closure of the McCall-Weiser zone in west-central Idaho, where the limit of 15 wolves has been reached. This is the second area closed in the state, with the Upper Snake zone meeting its quota of five earlier this month.

Thus far, 98 of the statewide quota of 220 wolves have been reported killed in Idaho.

In northwest Montana, the North Fork sub-unit, a small area located in what is called Wolf Management Unit 1, reached its limit of two wolves and will close to further hunting today at sunset. The rest of Unit 1 remains open, with 14 wolves left in the total zone quota of 41.

This is the second zone to end its wolf hunting season in Montana. WMU 3, which includes the northern border of Yellowstone National Park, quickly met its quota of 12 within a month of the hunt's opening Sept. 15.

National Parks to offer free admission on Veterans Day, Nov. 11

What better place than the wide-open spaces within a national park or wildlife refuge to reflect on the freedoms we enjoy and the sacrifices made by members of the armed services to protect those freedoms?

In honor of these heroes, all public recreation land managed by the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation will waive entrance fees for them and the general public on Veterans Day next Wednesday.

(This was reported previously by colleague Jane Engle in the L.A. Times travel blog.)

“The Department of the Interior is honored to offer this fee-free day to thank our nation’s service men and women,” Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in a news release. “The sacrifices and achievements of the brave men and women of our armed forces can never be understated. We invite all of our visitors to enjoy this fee-free day and take time out on this national holiday to remember our service men and women who are currently serving overseas in harms way. ”

Only entrance fees are waived. Fees associated with camping, lodging or other activities will be collected.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo of Yosemite's El Capitan and the Merced River by © Darrell Gulin/CORBIS

Wolf hunt closed in one Idaho zone after quota is reached

 

Idaho Fish and Game has announced the first area to be closed to wolf hunting, after the quota of five animals was reached in the Upper Snake zone in the eastern portion of the state.

The closed area borders Yellowstone National Park and Wyoming, where wolves are still protected by the Endangered Species Act.

All other portions of Idaho remain open to wolf hunting, with a total of 87 of the 220 statewide quota killed thus far.

Two other zones are nearing their limits. The McCall-Weiser unit has 14 of the 15 animal quota reported, and the Palouse-Hells Canyon zone, with a limit of five, has two predators taken.

The Southern Idaho unit, which is the largest, has yet to report any wolves shot toward the quota of five.

The season runs through Dec. 31 or March 31 depending on zone, or until each zone quota is met.

--Kelly Burgess

Photo: A wolf watches biologists in Yellowstone National Park after being captured and fitted with a radio collar. Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Montana's wolf hunt takes center stage with opening of general season

A story on Montana's wolf hunt that appeared in Sunday's Los Angeles Times provides colorful insight into wolf behavior and the controversy swirling around that state's first-ever hunt, especially as it pertains to wolves that utilize Yellowstone National Park.

It makes specific reference to Wolf 527, which was killed earlier this month by a hunter on Buffalo Plateau north of Yellowstone during a backcountry hunt that coincided with deer and elk hunts. Wolf 527, an amazingly cunning animal, was one of Yellowstone's famous wolves. She was of the Cottonwood Creek pack; the killing of four wolves from that pack fueled the controversy and caused Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials to rethink its strategy.

That special backcountry hunt was closed before the zone quota was reached, but hunting of wolves in general is deemed necessary by state wildlife officials as a tool of management. There are about 500 wolves in Montana and an overall quota of 75 has been established. The statewide hunt began Sunday.

Animal rights groups have so far been unsuccessful in efforts to halt the hunts in Montana and Idaho and have the predators placed back on the endangered species list.

If that were to happen, allowing wolf populations to further increase, there probably would be more interaction between wolves and ranchers and their cattle and livestock.

Kim Murphy's L.A. Times story cited the August slaughter by wolves of 122 purebred sheep on a ranch in Dillon, Mont., 180 miles northwest of Yellowstone.  That seemed an example of wolves killing for pleasure rather than need.

Wolves also are believed at least partly responsible for the decline of elk in the region. So while it's sad to read about the passing of legendary Wolf 527 -- and perhaps that specific hunt was a bad idea because it occurred in the remote backcountry -- wildlife officials seem justified in allowing limited hunting of wolves.

Many will argue this point, but you won't find a Montana rancher among them.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo: A tranquilized wolf is fitted with a radio collar as part of an effort to track the recovery of the endangered gray wolves that were reintroduced into Yellowstone in 1995. Credit: Daniel Stahler / National Park Service

Search-and-rescue operations in national parks numerous and costly, but effective

A new report that appears in the online journal "Wilderness & Environmental Medicine" includes some interesting statistics involving search-and-rescue operations in national parks.

Notably, they're costly and numerous, but effective. "Without the presence of NPS personnel responding to SAR incidents, one in five of those requesting SAR assistance would be a fatality," the report concludes. "Future research and the development of any prevention efforts should focus on the five NPS units where 50% of all SAR incidents are occurring."

The report, published by the Wilderness Medical Society, has a catchy title: "Dead Men Walking: Search and Rescue in U.S. National Parks." Its authors looked at the NPS' annual search-and-rescue reports from 1992 to 2007 and SAR statistics from all NPS units in 2005. Some key findings:

--From 1992 to 2007 there were 78,488 people involved in 65,439 SAR incidents. These included 2,659 fatalities, 24,288 injured or sick people, and 13,212 "saves," or saved lives.

--On average there were 11.2 SAR incidents per day at an average cost of $895 per operation. Total cost from 1992 to 2007: $58,572,164.

--In 2005, 50% of the 2,430 SAR operations occurred in five NPS units. Grand Canyon National Park (307) and Gateway National Recreation Area (293) reported the most. Yosemite National Park (231) was third.

--In 2005, Yosemite accounted for 25% of the total NPS SAR costs ($1.2 million); Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve ($29,310) and Denali National Park and Preserve ($18,345) had the highest average SAR costs.

--Hiking (48%) and boating (21%) were the most common activities that required search-and-rescue assistance. Hiking (22.8%) was the most common activity resulting in fatalities. Suicides (12.1%) were second. They were followed by swimming and boating (10.1% apiece).

Perhaps all of this will serve as a reminder to be extra careful while exploring our great national parks and to be thankful that there are emergency teams close by if we need them.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo: View of the Grand Canyon at sunrise. Credit: Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times

Montana closes backcountry wolf hunt near Yellowstone

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has decided to close wolf hunting in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, a small zone along the northern boundary of Yellowstone National Park.

At a meeting Tuesday, the five-member commission voted unanimously to close the remote area for the remainder of the season while keeping the statewide quota of 75 animals in place, reports the Associated Press.

Hunting had been suspended last week after nine wolves were killed surprisingly quickly since the season opened Sept. 15 in the backcountry zone. The area is located within what is called Wildlife Management Unit 3, which has an overall quota of 12.

State wildlife managers and commission members acknowledged a mistake in the decision to open the hunting season early near Yellowstone, and have characterized the nearly filled quota for the area as a learning experience.

The statewide general hunting season, including the rest of WMU3, opens Oct. 25.

--Kelly Burgess

Photo: A wolf watches biologists in Yellowstone National Park after being captured and fitted with a radio collar. Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Note: To follow this blog on Twitter please visit @latimesoutposts