April 2014
April 15, 2014
Dear Friends, 

Spring is arriving across the Crown of the Continent landscape. It's a dynamic and beautiful time of the year, and we hope you find some time to enjoy all the sights and sounds the Crown has to offer. It's been an active month for the people who live and work in the Crown, too, and we're pleased to share many recent activities and news stories in the sections below.  

 

We're also pleased to report that we've been making great headway in planning for our 5th Annual Roundtable Conference this September 10-12 in Waterton Park, Alberta. We've been working closely with a local planning team to pull together what we hope to be the most engaging, informative, and fun conference yet. We will post information about the conference, including a framework agenda, registration page, and lodging information on the Roundtable's website. Please watch for additional details in the May newsletter.
 
The Roundtables' Adaptive Management Initiative, in its second year of funding, supports climate adaptation projects throughout the Crown of the Continent. One of its main goals is to engage a diversity of stakeholders to share ideas.  Aside from this e-news, and the Roundtable's website and annual conferences, there are monthly hosted conference calls where participants and others can present their Crown projects. During the March call, Wendy Francis from Yellowstone to Yukon presented "Moving with Change: Advancing Adaptive Management by Helping Wildlife to Cross Highway 3." Here's a review of the webinar. 

If you have not yet, please take a moment to view the short new film on Roundtable on the Crown of the Continent, at 

http://youtu.be/_kcLhbfYasY. You can learn more from this media release.

 

As always, please be in touch if you have news or events you'd like to share in the next newsletter. 

Friends of the Crown
Friends of the Crown is an informal network of people and organizations that support the Statement of Values and Principles. 

Become a Friend of the Crown and join a network of organizations & individuals working to enhance the Crown of the Continent - 
"Common vision and values encapsulate the core identity of a culture. 

[We are] proud to support this effort to clarify critical land use and stewardship understanding in order to create a sustainable, resilient, and positive future for our collective communities in the Crown." 

- Friend of the Crown



Roundtable Leadership Team:
 
Clayton Matt
Culture Co-Chair, 
Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes 
 
Stephen Legault 
Conservation Co-Chair, 
Crown of the Continent Conservation Initiative
 
Anne Dahl
Swan Ecosystem Center
 
Ian Dyson 
Crown Managers Partnership,
Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development 
 
Shannon Frank 
Oldman Watershed Council 
 
Dorothy First Rider 
Kainai / Blood Tribe 

Heather Leschied
Wildsight
 
Alan Rollo
Sun River & Teton River Watershed Groups
 
Erin Sexton
Crown Managers Partnership, 
The University of Montana Flathead Lake Biological Station 
 
John T. Shannon 
U.S. Forest Service Regions 1 & 4 
 
Jim Stone
Blackfoot Challenge
 
Paul Travis
Glacier National Park Conservancy 
 
Melissa Weatherwax
Blackfeet Nation
 
Matthew McKinney
Roundtable Co-Director,
Center for Natural Resources and Environmental Policy
 
Gary Tabor
Roundtable Co-Director, 
Center for Large Landscape Conservation
Neighborhood News
Alberta community flooded after ice jam in Little Red Deer River. Flood season has already started in some parts of Alberta, after a major ice jam north of Calgary clogged the Little Red Deer River. Global News, April 11.
 
Calgary sports tourism industry honoured. The Calgary Sport Tourism Authority was recognized this week as the Sport Tourism Organization of the Year at the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance Prestige Awards. Calgary Herald, April 3. 
 
CSKT, FWP update lake trout consumption guidelines after mercury tests. Thousands of lake trout are being yanked out of Flathead Lake during Spring Mack Days, making it a good time to remind folks that there are guidelines for how many of them people should eat. Missoulian, April 9 

  

Lethbridge facility creates green energy by turning manure into megawatts. Lethbridge Biogas plant can power 2,800 homes, with more than half of its 'fuel' coming from livestock manure. Alberta Farmer Express, March 25.   

  

Study unveils mysteries of Madison aquifer. A new study into the mysteries of the Madison aquifer, the go-to source for quality water in northcentral Montana, has turned up new findings, including that it's replenished from a much larger area than previously believed. Great Falls Tribune, April 1.

  

Water can impact local economy, Chamber told. Alberta's watersheds can affect business in the region, says leader of the Oldman Watershed Council, especially in the southern Alberta where 80 per cent of the population has access to only 20 per cent of the Province's freshwater. Lethbridge Herald, March 6. 

 

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This section features stories and updates from people and groups working around the Crown. If you didn't get a chance to speak at the 2013 conference or weren't able to attend, it's not to late to share -- Submit your story today!
 
Updates and stories will be included on a first come, first serve basis.
Regional News
 
Land managers study effects of climate change on Crown of Continent. Glacier National Park's superintendent once lost a glacier at another park he supervised, and he advises fellow land managers at the Crown Managers Partnership Forum to get used to the feeling. The Missoulian, March 19.

Jewell urges ranchers, conservationists to support Land, Water Conservation Fund. With the Bob Marshall Wilderness serving as the backdrop, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., praised a group of ranchers and their conservation allies on Saturday for doing what, not too many years ago, was unthinkable. Missoulian, March 16. View a related article and photos from the Flathead Beacon, March 16. 

Climate change could turn focus on Prairies for food production. Experts in prairie agriculture say the industry needs to adapt so it can help meet the global demand for food. Calgary Herald, April 7.
 
Jumbo Glacier Resort faces down First Nation opposition. 
B.C. Supreme Court shoots down claim Ktunaxa Nation were not properly consulted. CBC News, April 4.
 
Prevent the spread of invasive species: Tips for ranchers. This article offers on nice review of methods for tackling invasive ranchland plants.  Drovers CattleNetwork, April 4. 

Alberta changes water level monitoring. In an attempt to avoid flood disasters like the one that hit southern Alberta last summer, Alberta's Forecasting Centre has changed the way it monitors water levels. Global News, April 8

Bullock asks U.S. Forest Service to focus restoration on 5.1M acres in state. Gov. Steve Bullock has asked the U.S. Forest Service to concentrate its restoration efforts on 5.1 million acres of timberland local advocates believe are most at risk from insect damage in the next 15 years. Missoulian, April 7.

Alberta pours nearly $1B into wildfire prevention. The Alberta government is bracing for hectic forest fire seasons this year and over the next decade by pouring nearly a billion dollars into prevention and firefighting. Edmonton Journal, April 1.

Coburn: North Fork protection should 'sunset' after 20 years. An Oklahoma senator who last week blocked passage of a bill protecting the North Fork of the Flathead River from energy development says he'd consider an amended bill, such as halting development for 20 years rather than forever. Ravalli Republic, April 8.

Salish Kootenai Tribes will acquire Kerr Dam via arbitration. Montana's Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) will become the first tribes in the nation to own a major hydroelectric facility. Indian Country Today Media Network, March 21. 

In Canada, citizen scientist volunteers vie to count the most animals British Columbia. Enthusiasts take to the outside each winter to produce a tally of every critter in the nearby stretches of the Peace River valley, from squirrels and foxes to elk and bull moose. Wall Street Journal, March 12. 

Travel Alberta optimistic about 2014. Local operators are readying for the upcoming tourist season and earlier this week they got an update from Travel Alberta through a road show. Lethbridge Herald, April 13.

Group estimates tourism added $3.62 billion to state's economy. The importance of travel and tourism to Montana's economy can, and has, been measured. Ravalli Republic, March 15.

B.C. LNG will have Province rival Alberta as energy exporter: Clark. Premier Christy Clark is projecting British Columbia will rival energy giant Alberta in terms of "contribution to Canada" once the province starts exporting liquefied natural gas to Asia. Huffington Post, March 31. 

Official status sought for 1,200-km Great Divide hiking trail. 

The Great Divide Trail has long been a scenic, but informal hiking route high in the Rockies between Alberta and British Columbia. Now, the association working on it would like to see it recognized as an official trail. Calgary Herald, March 24.  

 

B.C.'s high tech sector is a bigger employer than mining, oil and gas, and forestry. Despite B.C.'s abundant natural resources, the province's high technology sector employs more people than the mining, oil and gas, and forestry sectors combined. Straight.com, April 3. 

 

Listen to scientist visiting the Crown, Dr. Laura Hansen, speak about adaptations to climate change. Montana Public Radio, March 17.
Beyond the Region
UN scientific panel releases report sounding alarm on climate change dangers. If the world doesn't cut pollution of heat-trapping gases, the already noticeable harms of global warming could spiral "out of control," the head of a United Nations scientific panel warned. Huffington Post, April 3. Two sample responses from the Crown: The Canadian Press, April 3, and the St. Albert Gazette, April 2.  
 
In British Columbia, mulling the role of natural gas in a sustainable energy future. British Columbia finds itself at the forefront of the global debate on natural gas, and its role in the future of energy. Some 15 energy company consortiums are vying to build massive export terminals on the Pacific coastline of Canada's westernmost province, with an eye to shipping gas to energy-hungry Asia. The Energy Collective, April 2.
Publications and Resources
The Roundtables' Adaptive Management Initiative, in its second year of funding, supports climate adaptation projects throughout the Crown of the Continent. One of its main goals is to engage a diversity of stakeholders to share ideas.  Aside from this e-news, and the Roundtable's website and annual conferences, there are monthly hosted conference calls where participants and others can present their Crown projects. During the March call, Wendy Francis from Yellowstone to Yukon presented "Moving with Change: Advancing Adaptive Management by Helping Wildlife to Cross Highway 3." Here's a review of the webinar. 

The US Interior Department issued a strategy that will help advance landscape-scale, science-based management of public lands and wildlife.  It lays out key principles and actions necessary to successfully shift from a project-by-project approach to a broader landscape approach. 

Enjoy the first issue of the University of Montana's Crown of the Continent and Greater Yellowstone Magazine. You can view it cover-to-cover online right here.

 
Where the Locals Go: Montana. The National Geographic Travel group announces a new online hub, "Where the Locals Go," dedicated to showcasing authentic, insider travel experiences from locals in the know. The Montana Office of Tourism has partnered with National Geographic Travel for Montana to be the first destination featured on the hub at the website. Read full story here. 
 
A new National Park Service report shows that approximately 2.2 million visitors to Glacier National Park in 2012 spent $172 million in communities near the park. That spending supported 2,754 jobs in the local area. View the report here.
 
New book on Crown of the Continent slated for spring release. Photographer Steven Gnam has been documenting the wildlife and landscape of the Crown of the Continent and other parts of North America for 12 years. His images, accompanied by essays from writers Douglas H. Chadwick and Michael Jamison, will explore the importance of the Crown for wildlife as well as humans. Published by Braided River, check here for an update on the availability of this work. 

  

National Geographic to revise and reprint Crown of the Continent Geotourism MapGuide. National Geographic Maps and the Crown of the Continent Geotourism Council are undertaking the first revision in six years of the Crown of the Continent Geotourism MapGuide.They will print 200,000 revised copies of the map in May 2014, which will be made available to visitors at no cost by the Crown of the Continent Geotourism Council and its partners in Alberta, British Columbia and Montana. CrownoftheContinent.net will continue to serve as the web-based interactive version of the printed Destination Map. 

See the US Fish and Wildlife Service training catalog for conservation professionals. The Service's National Conservation Training Center offers several courses throughout the year on topics such as climate change vulnerability assessment, invasive species management, and policy development.

  

USDA's Climate Hubs: Providing Targeted Solutions to Modern Challenges. Extreme weather conditions are impacting farmers, ranchers and forest owners, to the detriment of their bottom lines, food supply, and the future security of farm economies. USDA has created a strategy to assist producers and land managers with seven regionally-located Climate Hubs to act as repositories of data and offer the practical, science-based tools needed to adapt and succeed in the face of a changing climate. USDA Secy Visack Blog, February 5 .
Announcements
 
 
For groups seeking assistance with trails, fencing, and weeds, please contact Clifford Kipp, manager of the Northern Rockies regional office of the Montana Conservation Corps, who is building schedules for the 2014 crews. Visit the MCC website, or contact Clifford at the Kalispell office at (406) 755-3619.
 
Flathead County is holding a public meeting on its Pre-Disaster Mitigation Plan at 625 Timberwolf Parkway in Kalispell on April 15, 1 pm. The public is invited to share ideas on how to mitigate effects of wildfire, flooding, and other hazards. For more information contact Cincy Mulroney at the Flathead County Office of Emergency Services at 406-758-5504.  
 
Montana Watershed Coordination Council holds a workshop on water quality monitoring from May 13-15. Held at Canyon Ferry Learning Center, this workshop is intended for individuals who are involved in restoration work and water quality monitoring or management. Register here.

Tourism marketplace coming to Canmore. Canada's 27th West Marketplace trade show for more than 300 Alberta and B.C. tourism suppliers and 120 international tour operators and wholesalers from Europe, Asia Pacific and the Americas, will be held in Canmore on November 17-12, 2014. Find more here.
 
Alberta to host World Economic Forum on climate change in April. Alberta will play host this spring to a World Economic Forum on energy and climate change. The event, to be held April 24-25 in Lake Louise, will bring in more than 100 global leaders from the worlds of business, academia, and government. Canadian Press, January 21,  2014.

 

The USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station is pleased to announce a new webinar series, Invasive Plants - Issues, Challenges, and Discoveries. This free interactive series, which includes seven webinars, will provide attendees with cutting-edge information about invasive plants and their management.   

 

Save the date for the 2nd North America Congress for Conservation Biology to take place July 13-16, 2014 in Missoula, Montana.To learn more about key dates for this event, visit the conference website.

 

The 2nd annual First Stewards Symposium is slated for July 21-23 in Washington, DC. Panels of tribal leaders and tribal and Western scientists will examine how native people and their cultures have adapted to climate change for thousands of years, and what their future--and that of the nation--may hold as the impacts of climate change continue. See the website for details.

 

Find more about Under Western Skies 3 to be held September 9-13, 2014 at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta. The theme is environments, technologies and communities. See the conference website.

 

UM lecture series to explore water. Titled "Western Rivers: Connecting Landscapes and Livelihoods", the 16th annual community lecture series at the University of Montana will bring together professors across several disciplines, including humanities, law, and science to discuss historical, legal, and conservation issues around the topic of water. The Missoulian, January 12, 2014.

 

Save the date for The Columbia River Basin: Learning from Our Past to Shape Our Future to be conducted in Spokane, Washington on October 21-23, 2014. Check here for updates.

 

 For more upcoming events, visit these comprehensive calendars:
The Roundtable on the Crown of the Continent provides a monthly newsletter to help connect people and organizations to news and events around the Crown. 
 
If you have an event or news item, an update from your group, or just a great picture to share, please send that information to Sue@climateconservation.org by April 28 for inclusion in the May 2014 newsletter.