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Covering the Bitterroot Valley – “Where Montana Begins!”
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Volume XXXV, Number 29
Extreme winds
Established 1985 – Locally owned & independent
Wednesday, February 5, 2020
Assessing climate change in Montana and the Bitterroot By Michael Howell
Bitterrooters got a chance recently to hear the latest update from one of the leading authors of the 2017 Montana Climate Assessment, not only about how climate change is affecting Montana, but how it is affecting the Bitterroot valley and Hamilton in particular. According to some parameters such as average annual temperature and precipitation, Hamilton is trending at a different rate or even in a different direction than a lot of other places in the state. The Montana Climate Assessment (MCA) is an effort to synthesize, evaluate, and share credible and relevant scientific information about climate change in Montana with the citizens of
the state. The motivation for the MCA arose from citizens and organizations across the state who expressed interest in receiving timely and pertinent information about climate change, including information about historical variability, past trends, and projections of future impacts as they relate to topics of economic concern. Apparently, that initial public interest remains high as more Bitterrooters showed up for the latest climate update than the venue at the Forest Supervisor’s Office in Hamilton could hold. The update was being provided by Bruce Maxwell, Director of the Montana Institute on Ecosystems at Montana State University. As all the chairs quickly filled, people began lining up along the walls. While some sat on the floor up
Bruce Maxwell, Ph.D. front surrounding the speaker, the standing crowd spilled into the adjoining hallways to the point that some simply couldn’t hear and left. It was the Montana Institute See CLIMATE, page 3
Getting a handle on woody debris removal in the river
By Michael Howell
Wind gusts of up to 60mph pounded the north valley on Saturday, causing many downed trees, fences, signs and power poles, a flipped semi-trailer, power outages, and a fire near the Florence Bridge. Victoria Howell photo.
High winds wreak havoc
By Michael Howell
During last Saturday’s violent winds the community of Florence was temporarily sealed off to all traffic, according to Florence Fire Chief Charlie Lambson. At one point in the storm a power line came down across the highway blocking access into Florence. According to Lambson, all the back roads into Florence were also blocked by downed trees and power lines so that no traffic could enter for about two hours. He said it did cause a disruption in ambulance service. East of town along the river at the Florence Bridge, a downed powerline sparked a fire. The fire burned a couple of acres on the north side of the Florence bridge and on the west side of the river. The fire was mostly quenched by nightfall, although a tree did re-kindle and torch during the night. Lambson said it was a hectic day and the fire department responded to about 15 calls
for assistance. Only one was a fire, the others consisted of things like a gas leak, downed power lines and blocked roads, all mostly related to downed trees. Stevensville Mayor Brandon Dewey, who made hot chili available at Town Hall during the power outage, said that some downed trees knocked the power out for many of Stevensville’s residents for up to 14 hours. He said the Police Department went through the neighborhoods during the outage checking to see if anyone was at risk due to the outage. He said power was restored around midnight. According to the Montana Department of Transportation, the wind gusts caused a semi-trailer to flip near Stevensville, blocking all four lanes on U.S. Highway 93. Hamilton Fire Chief Brad Mohn reported that Hamilton did not see the kind of storm damage that occurred in the north valley. He said there were no fires reported and no blocked roads during the event. Wind gusts in the valley
County implements wage agreement with attorneys’ group By Michael Howell The Ravalli County Commissioners last week declared an impasse had been reached with the Ravalli Deputy County Attorney Association in contract negotiations and then voted to implement the wage portion of the last and final wage offer in the negotiations, but not the full contract, although Commission Chair Chris Hoffman said that he believed there was tentative agreement on the contract language outside the wages. In their motion, the Com-
missioners agreed to a 4.88% COLA increase for the RDCAA employees retroactive to July 1, 2019, a .25% base pay increase, 1% longevity increase and that the starting salary for a new employee shall not be less than $55,000 a year. Members of RDCAA recently filed a lawsuit against the county commissioners, claiming that the county illegally withheld the 4.88% COLA increase from their pay when it was being given to all other employees. See COUNTY, page 10
were clocked at up to 60 mph. But on the mountain peaks near Missoula the wind reached gusts of up to 100 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
Some federal, state and local government officials got together with some local fishing outfitters and others in the Bitterroot last week to discuss the issue of removing woody debris from the river. The meeting was organized and hosted by the Bitterroot Conservation District (BCD), the local agency that issues 310 Permits for doing any kind of activity that may disturb or alter the bed and banks of any natural perennially flowing stream. Other participat-
ing agencies included Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP), Ravalli County Flood Plain Administration, and the Bitterroot National Forest (BNF). All of these agencies have some jurisdictional authority related to the river, albeit a gray area in the law for some, when it comes to the issue of cutting up large logs that may be blocking the waterway. BCD Supervisor Kent Myers, who hosted the conversation, told the group that they were focusing on the upper West Fork,
but that the issue applies to the whole river. “We all know that there has been an ongoing issue with woody debris manipulation on the West Fork going back a number of years,” he said. “The issue is that this is largely unregulated and unauthorized work that’s being done in the stream and it’s not necessarily being done in a way that is beneficial for the function of the stream and the habitat in the upper West Fork. See RIVER, page 16
Mill Creek climbing closure in effect The Stevensville Ranger District has issued a reminder of the annual climbing closure in the Mill Creek area north of Hamilton to allow for nesting of cliff-dwelling raptors. Beginning February 1st, several climbing routes are closed to prevent disturbance to these known raptor nesting sites. On the north side of Mill Creek, the spring raptor closure will be the same as last year and includes the “Pie for Strength” climbing area. The closure will be expanded this year to include cliffs on the south side of the canyon due to the presence of
additional nests. (See map of the closed areas below.) Maps will also be posted at area trailheads and on the Bitterroot National Forest website. Forest Service Wildlife Biologists plan to visit the area later this spring to determine the presence or absence of birds using the nests. If the nests are not active, the restrictions will be lifted. The Bitterroot National Forest also reminds everyone of the continued moratorium on bolting in Mill Creek Canyon. The “No Bolting” moratorium prohibits the installation of any new
bolts and also prohibits expanding any of the current bolted routes in Mill Creek. Climbers should be aware that vandalism of bolts has been reported recently within the climbing area and they should pay close attention and inspect all bolt protection prior to use. Replacement of existing bolts for safety reasons is acceptable. The area is a popular destination for hikers, horseback riders, and in the last several years has become very popular with rock climbers. Forest officials remind climbers of their responsibility to regulate use and self-police
their activities by following the “Leave No Trace” and “Pack it In, Pack it Out” principles. Copies of the “Leave No Trace Climbing” brochure are available at all Bitterroot National Forest offices and at trailhead bulletin boards. The area will be monitored for compliance. To learn more about these simple climbing tips and recommendations visit www.fs.usda. gov/bitterroot. Click on Recreation and Climbing. For more information contact the Stevensville Ranger District at (406) 777-5461.