Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) seeks public review of its proposal to conduct forested habitat restoration treatments on approximately 372 acres of the Blackfoot Clearwater Wildlife Management Area (BCWMA), in Powell County about 8 miles west of Ovando. Forest restoration would focus on returning forest conditions to within the historic range of variability by mimicking natural disturbance typical of the forest type and disturbance regime. The treatments would enhance aspen habitats, open up canopy for improved forage production, and improve forest resiliency by reducing fire risk and beetle infestation risk. Treatments would include salvage logging of mountain pine beetle infected trees, commercial thinning, fuels reduction (thinning, piling, and burning), prescribed burning, and removal of encroaching conifers within aspen clones.
We apologize for the short notice, but there will be a field tour explaining and touring part of the project area on Tuesday, May 24, 2016 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (meet at the Boyd Ranch Headquarters* on the BCWMA). For further information on the tour, please contact wildlife biologist Scott Eggeman at phone 406-531-6759 or seggeman@mt.gov.
The EA may be obtained by mail from Region 2 FWP, 3201 Spurgin Rd., Missoula 59804; by phoning 406-542-5540; by emailing shrose@mt.gov; or by viewing FWP’s Internet website http://fwp.mt.gov (“News,” then “Recent Public Notices,” beginning May 23).
Comments may be made on FWP’s website or may be directed to Sharon Rose at the mail, phone or email addresses above. Comments must be received by FWP no later than 5:00 p.m. on June 20, 2016.
*At the junction of MT Hwy 200 and Woodworth Road, go north 1.3 miles on Woodworth Road, then turn west (left) at the gate into the WMA; proceed about ½ mile west to the HQ. (The junction of MT Hwy 200 and Woodworth Road is located on MT Hwy 200, about 6 miles east of Clearwater Junction or 8 miles west of Ovando.)
