FWP report on Region 1

This week we'll wrap up 2011 happenings in Region 1 by summarizing comments of Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials at a recent Citizens Advisory Committee meeting.

Wildlife

According to Region 1 wildlife manager Jim Williams, black bear populations are healthy, with grizzly bear numbers exceeding 1,000 in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem.

Forty-four packs of wolves, averaging seven animals per pack, have been charted in Region 1. A 15-to 17 percent reduction is expected due to hunting. Wolf research is funded by sale of nearly 16,000 wolf hunting licenses statewide. No deer or elk money is used.

Elk recruitment has suffered. Hunters saw few calves. Bugling excites wolf howling. White-tailed deer numbers are still down. A mild winter and births of multiple fawns will help rebuild the population. Mule deer numbers remain very low, but the reason is still a mystery.

Moose are getting hammered by wolves. One Libby pack eats only moose, forcing moose into steep areas where calves have a hard time moving around.

Fisheries

FWP fish biologist Jim Vashro reported bull trout redds in the Swan and Lake Koocanusa drainages are down, necessitating going back to catch-and-release bull trout fishing.

Genetically-pure westslope cutthroat trout face continued hybridization pressures from non-native species. Walleyes, an illegal introduction, continues to spread in the Noxon Reservoir.

Fishing access sites

According to Todd Garrett, fishing access management has been transferred from the Parks Division to Fisheries.

New and/or improved access sites include the Paradise access on the Clark Fork River, Paul's Memorial FAS on Lake Five, an improved boat ramp at Island Lake, improved parking at Blanchard Lake, and a host pad at Old Steel Bridge.

There are 11 family fishing ponds in Region 1, including the highly popular Pine Grove Pond near Kalispell. A 160-acre parcel south of the Old Steel Bridge, owned by the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribe, will be developed by FWP. Boat ramp and wake problems are unsettled on Church Slough.

State parks

Region 1 has the most visited state parks in Montana, with visitation up 6 percent in 2011.

According to Region 1 parks manager Dave Landstrom, the new online campground reservations program is a "smashing success."

Sixty percent of reservations are by Montana residents; 16 percent is by Albertans. Some sites are held back for first-come first-servers.

Check out the face lift at Lake Mary Ronan State Park. Funding has been secured to extend the boat ramp at West Shore State Park.