Page 29 - Flathead Beacon // 4.8.15

FLATHEADBEACON.COM NEWS APRIL 8, 2015 | 29 The Roundup
From Beacon wire and news services
FLATHEAD
BIGFORK MAN FOUND GUILTY OF KILLING GRIZZLIES
A Bigfork man was found guilty of unlawfully killing three grizzly bears near Ferndale in 2014.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah Lynch on March 30 found Dan Calvert Wallen guilty on all three counts of kill- ing a threatened species.
Wallen will be sentenced in federal court on May 12. Grizzlies are protected under the Endangered Species Act. Each count carries a potential penalty of six months in jail and a $25,000 fine.
According to Brian Lakes, special agent with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, who investigated the incidents, Wallen shot the three bears after they consistently approached and entered a chicken coop at his residence.
On May 27, 2014, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Game Warden Chuck Bartos responded to a report of a man killing a grizzly. Court records state that Wallen admitted to shooting at the bear with a .22 rifle to scare it away from his chicken coop. Wallen told Bartos he was unaware if he hit the animal after it fled. Tim Clark, Wallen’s neighbor, contacted Wallen and said an injured grizzly was lying in the road behind their houses. Clark said the grizzly was seriously wounded and could only raise its head and front paws. Clark disposed of the grizzly by shooting it in the head with a .300 Remington rifle.
Investigators skinned the dead griz- zly and found two small holes had punc- tured its stomach.
FWP Bear Biologist Tim Manley had received a voicemail message from Wal- len’s wife stating the family was hav- ing problems with grizzly bears killing chickens. Wallen later reported that the grizzlies had killed more than 20 chickens in the days leading up to the incidents. The fence around the chicken coop was not electrified but there was a strand of barbed wire around the top. The grizzlies had smashed through the main door to the coop.
Manley contacted the family and asked if he could set up traps to capture the bears, and on May 28, while at the residence, Manley discovered a second dead grizzly in the brush near the loca- tion of the first dead grizzly, according to court documents.
Bartos interviewed Wallen about the second dead bear, and Wallen stated that he had chased away and later shot at the bears during a previous night when the animals had approached his chick- en coop while family and friends were around. Wallen stated two grizzlies had arrived and he first drove them off with
his pickup truck. After they came back, he told Bartos he fired several shots at the bears and they fled. Another griz- zly later emerged to pursue the chickens and Wallen said it was the bear he shot at and Clark eventually killed.
On June 4, another neighbor of Wal- len’s returned home from vacation and discovered a dead grizzly bear that had decomposed in the grass near her home. Bartos responded to the report and an investigation discovered the animal had been dead for roughly one week.
Court records state that investiga- tors determined each of the three griz- zlies was killed by bullets from a gun consistent with Wallen’s rifle.
Lakes, the FWS investigator, deter- mined that there was probable cause to charge Wallen with three counts.
WORK TO RESUME ON HIGHWAY RECONSTRUCTION WESTOFWHITEFISH
Crews are resuming construction on the Karrow to Mountainside recon- struction project along U.S. Highway 93 west of Whitefish.
Schellinger Construction plans to begin working April 13 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The crews will begin with pul- verizing existing asphalt and replacing dirt to ensure smooth roadways during construction. Then sanitary and storm drainage systems will be installed.
“We appreciate your patience and are excited to bring these improvements to your community,” Schellinger staff said in an announcement. “The Karrow to Mountainside project will deliver a wider highway better suited to meet the needs of the Whitefish community with new bike paths and sidewalks.”
The project is scheduled for comple- tion in July. This is the second phase of a major highway reconstruction project along the western corridor of Whitefish. The third phase will extend to mile post 133.
The two-lane highway was originally constructed in 1936. Over the decades as Whitefish and the surrounding area grew in population, traffic increased dramatically. The road wasn’t built to handle such high traffic volume, accord- ing to WGM Group, the Missoula-based firm that designed the Highway 93 re- construction project.
The first phase involved replacing the bridge over the Whitefish River and widening the highway west of the bridge to three lanes, with a turning lane in the middle.
For frequent updates, visit here. A public meeting will be held every Tues- day at 9 a.m. at 2005 Lion Mountain Road providing updated information on the progress.
Collectible, antique, and handmade tribal rugs from private rug collector: Mehmet Demircan.
Turkish, Kurdish and Persian
rugs & textiles
SALE, EXHIBIT & LECTURES
Turkish delicacies,
hors d’oeuvres & Baklava April 11th & 12th from 10 am to 6 pm at: the Wellness Resource Center, 725 6th Ave. East, Kalispell For more information call 206-310-6243
Bring in your rug and Mehmet will give you an appraisal along with historical facts about it’s origination
For up-to-the-minute news, visit flatheadbeacon.com