Idaho cancels Oct. 5 returned nonresident tag sale
From staff reports
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game has canceled the first of its two returned tag sales for nonresident hunters.
The agency said in a news release Thursday that Thursday’s sale was canceled because too few tags were returned and because of upgrades to its licensing system.
“We have concerns that we have such a small number of tags and some known system issues that could frustrate a lot of hunters, which we would like to avoid,” said Tara Reichert, Idaho Fish and Game’s license operations manager, in the release.
The agency’s licensing team is “working on critical system updates to ensure the licensing system is equipped to handle large volumes of buyer demand for all future tag sales,” the release said.
A second sale is planned for Oct. 19. Officials say the tags that would have been sold next week will be rolled into that sale.
Trails cleared at Idaho wildlife management area
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game announced Friday that 39 of 50 trails on the 32,000-acre Snow Peak Wildlife Management Area were cleared this summer through a partnership between the state agency, the Idaho Panhandle National Forest and the Montana Conservation Corps.
A grant from Idaho Parks and Recreation funded the work.
Idaho Fish and Game’s news release said logs were cleared from 39 miles of trails and another 22 miles were brushed out.
Forest Service horse packing crews helped get gear into spots that hadn’t seen trail work in more than a decade.
The release said the clearing effort has made it possible to hike or ride horses on several loops on the property, and that it will improve access for hunters and other outdoor recreationists.
The Snow Peak WMA allows nonmotorized use only. Forest Service roads along the St. Joe River and fanning out from the town of Avery bring people to the WMA’s trailheads.
Hunter kills grizzly outside of Yellowstone National Park
A hunter shot a grizzly bear on Tuesday after being charged in an area near the northern border of Yellowstone National Park.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks said in a news release Thursday that the hunter shot the bear at close range and in self defense. The hunter was not injured, FWP said.
FWP, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service went to the site and confirmed the bear’s death.
An animal carcass was nearby, and officials believe the bear was acting defensively.
USFWS is still investigating the bear’s death.
Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park hosting science, history week
The Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park will host its 20th annual Science and History Week this week with a series of livestreamed programs.
The park, which includes Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada and Glacier National Park in Montana, will offer virtual presentations on grasslands, bison, wildfires and archaeology from Tuesday to Friday.
Parks Canada and the National Park Service have teamed up to host a similar event each year since 2004, according to a news release.
Those who wish to attend can register by filling out a registration form at the Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center website.
Registration information and details on the presentation are available at www.nps.gov/rlc/crown/science_history_week.htm.
Glacier and Waterton were designated as the world’s first international peace park in 1932.