In brief

Hunters Education course starts Feb. 4

The Libby Hunters Education course will start Feb. 4. Participants must register in advance at fwp.mt.gov. The course is free of charge. For more information email billswaggerjr@hotmail.com.

Arbor Day Foundation giving away trees

Joining the Arbor Day Foundation is an ideal way to get in the mood for spring planting. Anyone from Montana who joins the Foundation in February 2016 will receive 10 free Eastern redbud trees to plant when the weather turns warm.

The free trees are part of the nonprofit Foundation’s Trees for America campaign.

“Redbuds will help beautify Montana for many years to come,” said Matt Harris, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “They will also add to the proud heritage of Montana’s  existing Tree City USA communities.”

KPFL expanding microchip program

Kootenai Pets For Life will offer microchips for pet animals on an on-going basis rather than once a month in an effort to make it easier for people to get the chips. Interested persons can call 293-4936 for an appointment. Microchips contain contact information on the owner of the animal and have been responsible for re-uniting lost and stray animals with their humans even from long distances.

Chamber dinner Feb. 6

The annual chamber of commerce fundraiser dinner is Feb. 6. Anyone interested in attending can purchase tickets at the chamber office.

Bullock, Fox urge BLM to reconsider ruling

Montana Governor Steve Bullock and Attorney General Tim Fox have separately requested the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to cancel its proposal to withdraw nearly one million acres of public land from potential mineral exploration and mining. Most of the land BLM proposes to withdraw is located in Phillips and Valley counties.

“From a legal perspective, the proposal is problematic for a number of reasons,” Fox said. “Ongoing litigation suggests BLM lacks the authority to make this withdrawal. But beyond the question of authority, the proposal is pointless since, by BLM’s own admission, only 4 percent of the land to be withdrawn has strong potential for mineral development. It flies in the face of reason to take such a broad action that’s scientifically unsupported and that needlessly adds to the voluminous federal regulations burdening Montanans.”

Bullock said although the mineral withdrawal is proposed by BLM to benefit the Greater sage grouse (sage grouse), the proposed action is not consistent with the State of Montana’s management plan for the protection of sage grouse and its habitat.  The proposed mineral withdrawal first surfaced in a memo from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that called for inclusion in the BLM Plans of a “Sagebrush Focal Area” and was developed with little regard for consistency with Montana’s efforts.

“There is no valid reason to withdraw almost a million acres of federal land,” said Bullock.  “Montana’s recent success to ensure the future conservation of sage grouse provides the groundwork so that the impacts to sage grouse from mineral exploration and mining can be addressed.”