other hot issues
Montana Audubon works on numerous issues that affect birds, other wildlife, and their habitats such as:
russian olive, Riparian Areas, and birds
Riparian areas are a small piece of the state, yet they provide Montana’s richest wildlife habitat. Specifically, cottonwood forests in Montana provide habitat for at least 150 of Montana’s bird species all or part of the year. One of the very real threats to this habitat is invasion by exotic plants, with Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia ) near the top of the list.  intergrade small.jpg)
In order to combat this problem, in August 2008 Montana Audubon and the Native Plant Society petitioned the Montana Dept. of Agriculture to list Russian olive as a noxious weed. In the last 3 years, the following has happened to our petition:
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In the Fall of 2009, the Montana Dept. of Agriculture (DOA) proposed designating Russian olive as a Priority 3 "regulated" plant. Although this proposal received much support, the Governor decided he wanted more opportunity for local governments and the public to comment on the issue, so:
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In the spring of 2010, the MT Dept. of Agriculture surveyed Montana counties and weed districts requesting their input on whether or not Russian olive should be regulated. Of the 29 counties that responded, 22 supported regulation as a Priority 3 plant, 2 counties (Treasure and Powder River) already regulate Russian olive as a noxious weed, and 6 counties opposed any regulation. Additionally, more than 60 members of the public weighed in favor of this decision. The results of this survey show support for a Priority 3 listing across Montana. s
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Currently the proposal is out for its third - and hopefully last - public comment period. We are close to the finish line on this issue and your comments are needed today!
Please write the Dept. of Agriculture TODAY supporting the designation of Russian olive as a "Priority 3" regulated plant. Comments must be received by Thursday, August 12, 2010 by 5 PM.
For more information about how to make comments, click HERE > >.
Russian olive, a plant native to southern Europe and western Asia, has been planted in Montana as an ornamental, for windbreaks, erosion control, and wildlife enhancement purposes. This tree is invasive and it is taking over riparian ecosystems, displacing native cottonwoods and willows on such rivers as the Marias, Missouri, Yellowstone, and Big Horn. If we lose cottonwood habitat along our rivers and streams, an important part of Montana’s wildlife habitat will be lost.
For more information you can download:
- Fact Sheet on Russian olive (pdf)
- Petition to list Russian olive as a Noxious Weed (pdf)
- Montana Audubon Russian olive Guidance Document (pdf)
The silver color of Russian olive makes it easy to spot on the landscape:
Pelicans, Cormorants and Fish
In May 2010, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) finalized a 10-year management plan for the Missouri River, from Three Forks to Holter Lake Reservoir (near Helena). The plan, titled Final Upper Missouri River Reservoir Fisheries Management Plan (see: http://www.fwp.mt.gov/fishing/management/upperMissouriRiverPlan.html), suggests that American White Pelicans and Double-crested Cormorants are significantly impacting fisheries on Canyon Ferry Reservoir, and that the FWP Fisheries Bureau should "[w]ork with [the] FWP Wildlife Bureau and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine the impacts of pelicans and cormorants to Canyon Ferry fish populations. Consider active bird management strategies if research shows significant impacts to fish populations.” FWP has indicated that keeping this item in the management plan only commits the agency to studying the impact of these birds on the fishery, stating that, “[a]ny proposal to implement population management measures will require an Environmental Assessment and provide opportunity for public comment. No management action will be taken without thorough research and evaluation of bird and fish interactions.”
Montana Audubon will continue to monitor this management recommendation. To see Montana Audubon's comments on this issue, click HERE >>.
More information on American White Pelicans and Double-crested Cormorants appears below. 
Pelicans
American White Pelicans are native birds that summer generally in the great plains and intermountain west, as far north as northern Alberta and Saskatchewan. They winter along the southern coasts of the United State through Central America.
Pelicans are colonial nesters, and breeding colonies typically are located on islands in lakes or reservoirs (to avoid mammalian predators). Colony sizes range up to 7,500 nests. The number of colonies, and the number of nests per colony, fluctuates from year to year. For example, Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge, located in northeastern Montana, had 1,690 nests in 1987 and 3,370 nests in 1989.
Information on the types of food consumed by pelicans is limited. From anecdotal and circumstantial evidence, it is clear that pelicans will east many kinds of fish, as well as amphibians and crayfish. Specific prey species documented by direct observation or by finding fish tags include: carp, suckers, chubb, trout, walleye, pike, and bigmouth buffalo. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has looked at the diet of pelicans on Canyon Ferry Reservoir. Of the pelicans tested, the majority of their diet (upwards of 90%) was carp and/or crayfish. These pelicans occasionally also ate rainbow trout, and a few other species.
In Montana, American White Pelicans are considered a Species of Concern. Species of Concern are native species that are at-risk due to declining population trends, threats to their habitats, restricted distribution, and/or other factors. This species is protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. Pelicans declined in the mid-1900s because they were vulnerable to the spraying of DDT, endrin, and other organochlorides in agriculture, as well as widespread draining and pollution of wetlands. Montana has only four places in the state where pelicans breed: Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge, Aarod Lake, and Canyon Ferry Reservoir.
More information about pelicans can be found at:
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Montana Field Guide at <http://fieldguide.mt.gov/detail_ABNFC01010.aspx>.
Cormorants
Double-crested Cormorants are native birds that are distributed widely across North America. These cormorants nest near the ocean, as well as in the interior of the United States and Canada. They winter along the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf of Mexico coasts.
Cormorants are colonial nesters. They generally build their nests in trees, on cliff faces, or on islands.
These cormorants mainly eat fish, although they also eats amphibians and crustaceans. Adults eat an average of one pound per day, usually comprised of small (less than 6 inch) bottom dwelling or schooling "forage" fish. According to a 2006 study conducted on Canyon Ferry, Double-crested Cormorants ate the following percentages of different aquatic species: 44% stonecat, 13.2% trout, 13.2 suckers, 15.5% dace, 6.6% sculpins, and 7.7% crayfish. Summarizing this information, the diet of Canyon Ferry cormorants contained approximately 87% nongame fish and 13% game fish (trout).
In Montana, Double-crested Cormorants have no special conservation status. However, this species is protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. Double-crested Cormorant numbers decreased in the 1960s due to the effects of DDT.
More information about Double-crested Cormorants can be found at:
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To Kill a Cormorant: Are double-crested cormorants overrunning their niche—or simply recovering from centuries of suppression? March 2009, Natural History Magazine, at: <http://www.naturalhistorymag.com/features/10298/to-kill-a-cormorant>.
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Montana Field Guide at <http://fieldguide.mt.gov/detail_ABNFD01020.aspx>.
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National Audubon Society:
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DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS at http://www.audubon.org/news/cormorant/qa.html.
- Conservation status at http://web1.audubon.org/waterbirds/species.php?speciesCode=doucor.