Governor Greg Gianforte announced his nomination of Henry “Hank” Worsech to lead the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (FWP) on Wednesday.
Two northwest Montana lawmakers are considering a number of bills that could moderately or significantly change the way Montana manages wolves.
Sen. Bob Brown and Rep. Paul Fielder, both Republicans from Thompson Falls, have drafted legislation ranging from including wolf licenses in big game combination licenses and expanding trapping seasons to reclassifying the animals as predators similar to coyotes, meaning they could be killed year-round without a license. Other bill proposals include legalizing snares for wolf trappers and allowing private reimbursement for those who successfully harvest a wolf.
âBasically every drainage you go into you find wolves and the packs just keep expanding,â Brown said of the areas he hunts. âWith elk and deer numbers, youâre not seeing them up in the hills. You might still see quite a few but theyâre pushed down out of the hills and onto private land.â
BOZEMAN â Governor-elect Greg Gianforte today announced his appointment of Amanda Kaster to lead the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.
âI campaigned on the promise of responsibly developing our natural resources while simultaneously protecting our environment, and with Amandaâs leadership, we will get this done. I look forward to working with Amanda to eliminate needless permitting delays, protect our environment, and create more good-paying Montana jobs,â Governor-elect Gianforte said.
Amanda brings a decade of experience working on energy and natural resources issues, most recently serving as the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management at the U.S. Department of the Interior. In this role, she directed the policy-related activities of the Bureau of Land Management, including timber management, non-energy solid leasable mineral development, oil and gas production and reporting, and administration of the grazing program.
Today is a historic day for Montana taxpayers, ranchers, farmers, and Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. Water is life, and the Compact honors our trust responsibilities, creates jobs, and prevents decades of costly litigation while investing in infrastructure and providing certainty to water users everywhere. I am proud to have led the effort to get this Compact signed into law, and I will continue working with the Tribes and water users to hold the government accountable and ensure it is implemented quickly and effectively.
Senator Jon Tester
After years of effort, our bipartisan bill that settles the century long CSKT water dispute is now law. This is a huge win for all Montanans. Our bill protects the water rights of all Montanans, saves taxpayer dollars, creates jobs, modernizes rural infrastructure, protects Montana agriculture and prevents costly litigation. Iâm very glad I could play a direct role in getting this done, and I thank President Trump for signing our
Editor s Note:
Char-Koosta News
PABLO â Time crawls by until itâs passed, then it has flown by. Such is the case of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Federal Reserved Water Rights Compact (FRWRC), officially known as the Montana Water Rights Protection Act (MWRPA).Â
After decades of discussions and official negotiations with the Montana Reserved Water Rights Compact Commission (MRWRCC), the CSKTâs FRWRC was signed into law by the president of the United States Sunday, December 27.
On Tuesday, December 29, the Flathead Nation Tribal Council unanimously voted to ratify the MWRPA.
What remains now is some perfunctory formalities, including a sign-off by the Secretary of Interior; appointment of a Federal implementation team; negotiation of agreements and process to allow for the transfer of federal settlement funds to the Flathead Nation for implementation and CSKT management; implementation of the FRWRC; and a Decree of Compact and CSKT water rights by