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Flathead Indian Reservation Seeks Public Input on 2024-2025 Bird Hunting Regulations
The Flathead Indian Reservation Advisory Board calls for public comments on 2024-2025 hunting seasons, aiming for a balanced approach to wildlife management and conservation.
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01 Mar 2024 14:29 EST
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The Flathead Indian Reservation Advisory Board has initiated a public commenting period for the draft 2024-2025 hunting seasons, shooting hours, and limits concerning migratory waterfowl, pheasants, and gray partridge for non-member hunters. This move invites hunters and conservationists alike to participate in the wildlife management process, ensuring a balanced approach to hunting and conservation on tribal lands.
Seeking Public Engagement
With the intention of fostering greater community involvement in wildlife management, the Tribal Wildlife Program Manager, Kari Kingery, has made the draft regulations available for public review. Individuals interested in contributing their perspectives on the proposed hunting seasons, shooting hours, and limits can obtain a copy of the draft regulations by reaching out directly to Kingery. This proactive approach emphasizes the importance of public opinion in shaping wildlife management policies on the Reservation.
How to Submit Comments
Comments on the draft regulations are being accepted through various channels until Sunday, March 31. Stakeholders can express their views by sending their feedback directly to the CSKT Wildlife Management Program via mail or email. Additionally, a public meeting is scheduled to take place in Polson, Montana, allowing for face-to-face discussions and further inputs on the proposed regulations. This inclusive strategy aims to gather a wide range of opinions and suggestions, ultimately contributing to more comprehensive and effective wildlife management practices.
Impact on Conservation and Hunting Communities
The draft 2024-2025 hunting seasons, shooting hours, and limits are set against the backdrop of preserving biodiversity while accommodating the interests of the hunting community. By engaging the public in these discussions, the Flathead Indian Reservation Advisory Board seeks to strike a balance between conservation efforts and hunting activities. This collaborative approach not only ensures the sustainable management of wildlife resources but also reflects the community’s values and priorities.
The public’s active participation in the commenting process represents a pivotal step towards achieving a consensus on hunting regulations that are both ecologically responsible and culturally sensitive. As the deadline for comments approaches, stakeholders are encouraged to contribute their insights, helping to shape a future where wildlife conservation and hunting traditions coexist harmoniously on the Flathead Indian Reservation.
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‘It’ll take years’: Panhandle residents contemplate rebuilding their lives after the fires
‘It’ll take years’: Panhandle residents contemplate rebuilding their lives after the fires
KERA | By Rachel Osier Lindley
Published March 1, 2024 at 4:29 PM CST
“We found several cattle that were burned severely, but they weren’t dead yet,” she said. “It was, it was just gruesome. That’s probably been the toughest, darkest moments we’ve had. We had to shoot a bunch of cattle yesterday.”
As of Thursday, the full herd hadn’t been accounted for.
“My husband and my two boys are out on the ranch trying to still find live cattle and pen the ones that we find. And everyone else is working on what to do with the ones that have passed away,” she said.
LISTEN • 2:59
As the wildfires in the Texas Panhandle continue leaving scorched homes, barns and livestock in their wake, some residents are beginning to glimpse what recovery will look like when the blazes are finally extinguished.
Tatum Pennington and her husband live in hard-hit Hemphill County. Their ranch, located outside the town of Canadian, is usually home to between 250 and 300 head of cattle.
“Right now, we would be at the height of calving season. So we’ve had a lot of babies and mamas that have passed away,” she said.
When the Smokehouse Creek fire, the largest of the blazes, got close to her house on Tuesday, Pennington evacuated the area with her children and dogs.
Since returning, she has been cleaning up — and seeing an outpouring of community support.
“I’ve had so many people come out,” Pennington said. “The basketball and football boys and their coaches came out and helped chop down trees, clean up … haul burnt, destroyed stuff out of our yard.”
Her family was without power until volunteers from her church brought by a generator on Thursday morning. As the machine rattled on outside, she surveyed the burnt landscape and described the devastation the fire caused to her family’s ranch.
“We found several cattle that were burned severely, but they weren’t dead yet,” she said. “It was, it was just gruesome. That’s probably been the toughest, darkest moments we’ve had. We had to shoot a bunch of cattle yesterday.”
As of Thursday, the full herd hadn’t been accounted for.
“My husband and my two boys are out on the ranch trying to still find live cattle and pen the ones that we find. And everyone else is working on what to do with the ones that have passed away,” she said.
State authorities said a full assessment of the destruction can be completed after the fires die down. But it’s unclear when that will be. Dry and windy weather is expected to return this weekend after a brief period of cooler temperatures and rain and snow blanketed the area.
“Probably tens of thousands of cattle [are] lost, that’ll be just personal estimate,” Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller told The Texas Newsroom Thursday. “We know that over 50 structures [have been lost]. Hundreds and hundreds of miles of fencing is going to have to be replaced.”
Two people have died in the fire, and Andy Holloway, the Hemphill County agent for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, told the Texas Standard Thursday that 10,000 cattle may have perished in Hemphill County alone.
Heather Helms, who drove from Oklahoma to Canadian to be with her family, got an up-close look at the damage along the way.
“It was heartbreaking. It was very heartbreaking to see,” she said. “I mean, you just don’t even realize that in a split of a second it can all be gone.”
Right now, Helms is focused on her father, who helped some of his neighbors evacuate after authorities told residents to flee their homes.
“I’m just waiting for my dad to get out of the hospital because he [inhaled] too much smoke so they’re keeping him for another day,” she said.
As of Friday morning, the Smokehouse Creek has consumed more than 1,078,000 acres and was only 15% contained, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. A separate blaze, the Windy Deuce in nearby Moore County, had covered 142,000 acres and was 60% contained.
Cooler temperatures and wetter conditions provided some help to firefighters Thursday. But the dry weather that helped fuel the fires earlier this week is forecast to return this weekend.
“As we go into the weekend, we are expecting to see higher winds, warmer temperatures again and lower humidity, which is kind of a recipe for fire spread,” Adam Turner, a public information officer with the Texas A&M Forest Service, said. “If any fires do start, with really high winds, you have a chance for pretty rapid spread.”
Regardless of when the smoke clears, the Penningtons said they aren’t going to let Mother Nature destroy their way of life.
“Wedust off and we just start building back, one step at a time. We take one problem at a time and find a solution and move on to the next,” she said. “It’ll take years. But that’s what we’ll do because that’s what Texans do. I mean, we don’t give up and we don’t lay down and feel sorry for ourselves. We just dust off and get right back after it.”
After all, the home on her family’s ranch has been in the path of at least three fires before.
“Two tornadoes, too,” she added. “And we’re still here.”
The Texas Newsroom’s Julian Aguilar contributed reporting from El Paso.
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Endangered Philippine Eagle Rescued: Call for Stronger Wildlife Protection Laws Intensifies
The rescue of a juvenile Philippine Eagle named Kalatungan, found in Bukidnon with injuries from air gun pellets, highlights the critical challenges faced in wildlife conservation efforts. Learn about the urgent need for enhanced regulations to protect these endangered birds.
29 Feb 2024 03:12 EST
Updated On 29 Feb 2024 05:04 EST
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The rescue of a juvenile Philippine Eagle named Kalatungan, found in Bukidnon with injuries from air gun pellets, has once again spotlighted the critical challenges faced in wildlife conservation efforts. This incident, reported by the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF), underscores the dire threats these endangered birds face, highlighting an alarming trend of injuries caused by illegal hunting practices. Despite existing regulations, the use of air guns, which remain unregulated under the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act, poses a significant threat to these majestic creatures.
The Predicament of Philippine Eagles
PEF’s alarming discovery of Kalatungan in a weakened and dehydrated state, with air gun pellets lodged in its body, serves as a grim reminder of the ongoing battle for survival these eagles face. Since 2019, the foundation has rescued 19 birds, with nine suffering from shooting injuries. This case has not only highlighted the vulnerability of the Philippine Eagle, declared the national bird, but also the urgent need for enhanced regulations and enforcement against the use of air guns in illegal hunting.
Legal Gaps and Conservation Efforts
The incident has sparked a renewed call for the closure of legal loopholes that allow the unregulated sale and use of air guns. As these devices are not classified as firearms, they fall outside the purview of the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act, creating a significant challenge in curbing illegal hunting practices. The PEF emphasizes the importance of stronger law enforcement and the need for community involvement, particularly from indigenous groups who play a critical role in forest conservation and monitoring eagle habitats.
Rehabilitation and the Road Ahead
Kalatungan is currently undergoing rehabilitation at PEF’s center in Malagos, with hopes for a full recovery and eventual release back into the wild. This incident serves as a poignant reminder of the fragile state of wildlife conservation in the Philippines and the need for a collective effort to protect these majestic birds. The PEF’s work, alongside indigenous communities, showcases a beacon of hope in the fight against illegal hunting and the broader challenge of wildlife conservation.
This recent rescue has not only brought to light the critical need for stricter wildlife protection laws but also the essential role of community involvement in conservation efforts.
