Full Text
2523 Klondike Court Missoula, MT 59808 December 9, 2009 Missoula Open Space Advisory Committee 600 Cregg Lane Missoula, MT 59801 Dear Committee Member: I would like to voice my support for acquisition of a conservation easement on the former Ryan Ranch in the North Hills, now owned by Allied Waste. Over the past five years, much of my free time has been spent trying to improve winter range for the North Hills elk herd. Even though I have removed barbed wire where it’s no longer needed, worked to make other fences safer for elk and deer to cross, and raised thousands of dollars to treat weeds that suppress the native grasses needed by elk, nothing I have done has increased the amount of winter range available for the North Hills elk. Allied Waste’s acquisition of the Ryan Ranch, coupled with the company’s quick decision to remove ¼ mile of sheep fence has made hundreds of acres of previously inaccessible winter range available. Sheep fence has a four-foot woven wire base with a strand of barbed wire a foot or so above the woven wire. It’s extremely dangerous for elk and deer that try to cross. I look forward to working on many volunteer projects in the next few years as sheep fence is removed (and replaced with wildlife friendly fence where necessary). A graduate student following the movements of radiocollared elk in the North Hills wondered why the elk always walked in a straight line along the face of the North Hills high above the landfill. When he checked, he found the sheep fence that bordered the Ryan Ranch. Radiocollar data confirms that elk are now using the property. I’m appreciative that Allied Waste is willing to donate such a large percentage of the value of the easement. As you’re considering acquiring elk winter range in the North Hills, I hope you will consider the need to control public access during the winter, much as access is controlled on Mount Jumbo. In addition, I would appreciate your recognizing the need to provide some forms of hunting access (bowhunting, for instance), not only to help control the growth of the North Hills elk herd, but also to assure that these elk living so close to town don’t lose their fear of people. Bert Lindler North Hills Elk, Bear, and Weed Volunteer Cc: Pelah Hoyt, Five Valleys Land Trust Vickie Edwards, Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks