The Mineral County Resource Coalition is a diverse group of citizens who find resolutions to the complex issues facing natural resource management on public lands in Mineral County and other areas in western Montana.

The group meets at 10 a.m. on the first Tuesday of every month in the county commissioners conference room and the public is welcome.

At the Oct. 1 meeting, Superior District Ranger Abby Lane recapped the fire activity in her area of the Lolo National Forest. With a total of 97 fires. 64 were human caused affecting 29,000 acres. Thirty-three were caused by lightning. 

In the Missoula Dispatch Zone, there were 197 fires with 132 human-caused and 59 from lightning. Chris Gauger, Ninemile District ranger, said that 75-90% of our forest fires are human caused each summer. He reported three suspicious starts all within half a mile of each other on private property near the Ninemile headquarters that totaled 50 acres. 

“The difference between accidental and suspicious (human caused fires) are leads and pictures that neighbors have and report. Information on these and any other fires are appreciated by reporting at (406) 329-4814,” he said.

The Lolo National Forest will continue to offer free firewood for personal use but requiring the public obtain a free permit before harvesting. Forest officials are asking that the public call their local Forest Service office to obtain a hard copy permit to track harvesting and communicate important wildfire safety and collection information. Quantities up to 12 cords are authorized with a free use permit. Call 406-822-4233.

Autumn open burning has started, and Mineral County uses an online burn permit system. Anyone living in the county can get a burn permit at any time of day or night. Even on the day of the burn, people can obtain and activate a permit if conditions allow safe burning. Permits can be obtained for free or renew annually your old permit online, also free of charge, at app.egovmt.com/burnpermit/

Flat Creek mediation work continues outside of Superior. Willows from Savenac Tree Nursery in Haugan are being transplanted along areas of Flat Creek for vegetation restoration later this month. Trout Unlimited has been a wonderful partner in the project and Gauger said they are just as helpful on projects in his district. 

Trout Unlimited has contributed over $7 million in the local areas over the years and Petty Creek will receive extra attention 4 miles upstream from the confluence with the Clark Fork River to cool the water temperature for bull trout. It was suggested that a representative from Trout Unlimited  could attend the MCRC for an overview of their projects and to be applauded for their help.

Lane reported that the Little Joe Road is open and guardrails will be installed before the snow flies. It has been graded and will be graded again next spring. 

“It’ll be the best drive on the North Fork Road, ever,” she grinned. 

And that there are 750 runners entered in the 11 Miles to Paradise Run along Montana Highway 135 on Saturday the 5th with bussing scheduled from Missoula transporting participants to avoid parking congestion.

Ryan Klimstra, Missoula Area Biologist for Fish, Wildlife and Parks, stated that a new game warden for Mineral County has been hired but will not begin until the first of the year after completion of academy training. Game enforcement will continue to be covered by other wardens temporarily assigned to the county.  

Once the general hunting season begins Oct. 26, he will staff the Fish Creek Game Check Station that weekend and again the fourth, fifth and sixth weekends as there is very little activity or harvest the second and third weekends. 

The big focus for Region 2 this year is sampling as many animals as they possibly can for Chronic Wasting Disease. One case had been detected in this region near Deer Lodge last year, but it’s a hornet’s nest around Libby to the north so trying to get ahead of the curve that appears inevitable is their goal. Five collection dumpsters are again distributed in the county for carcasses to be disposed of as it is illegal to dump them in the woods. 

“If we are not proactive on this issue of CWD, we can lose opportunities to get in front of this,” Kilmstra explained. “We do not want to have a culling process as it becomes a waste of resources with more meat going to landfills rather than to freezers.” 

He said that they are not reinventing the wheel as they have “tons of information from other FWP departments and getting samples is a huge step in the right direction.”  

He asked everyone to inform hunters that sampling is free. He can be reached at (406) 431-0362 to make arrangements.