the Burlington-Northern Environmental Stewardship Area (BNESA), along with an
organization to administer its operation.
In the agreement, BNSF and the signatory agencies acknowledged the importance of balancing the interests of commerce, agriculture, transportation, natural
resources, and wildlife and acknowledged the nationally significant qualities of the
corridor. Specifically, the parties agreed to pay particular attention to the operation
and maintenance of the railway because of the areas importance to populations of
threatened and endangered species. The parties committed to working cooperatively
with affected jurisdictions to plan and implement emergency responses to derailments, including providing and placing emergency response equipment to expedite
response times and prevent spilled materials from entering rivers and streams. The
agreement tasked wildlife biologists from the Montana Department of Fish,
Wildlife, and Parks (MFWP) with determining specific sections of track that were
hazardous to grizzly bears or sections where bears frequently crossed the tracks or
otherwise congregated. BNSF committed to rapid spill response and placement of
cleanup material at key points for ready access to these resources; to strict adherence to operating speed limits, and use of continuous welded rail, welded turnouts,
and concrete ties to improve rail integrity; the erection of fences at key locations
determined by MFWP wildlife biologists; and special training and educational
programs for BNSF personnel working in the corridor conducted by the appropriate
agency. The BNESA agreement also established a conservation trust fund to be
used for the protection of critical grizzly bear habitat and movement corridors,
placement of a grizzly bear management specialist to serve as a coordinator in the
area, provide education and resolution of management issues and bear conflicts, and
research to evaluate the effectiveness of operational changes and develop new
techniques to minimize grizzly bear mortalities. Additional actions implemented by
BNSF included the regular use of a vacuum truck that picks up spilled grain along
the tracks, and every spring after the snow melts, BNSF crews pick up carcasses
along the tracks and dispose of them in safe areas. They have also used
motion-sensitive electronic noise makers on trestles to discourage use by bears, and
experimented with electric fencing and electric “track-mats”. It is difficult to assess
the success of these efforts in absolute terms, but we do know that even as the
number of bears in the ecosystem has increased substantially (Mace et al. 2012), the
numbers of bears hit and killed along the railroad tracks has dropped significantly;
only four grizzly bears were killed between 2010 and 2015, compared to the
six-year running average of 11.
As the BNESA organization grew, its name was changed to the Great Northern
Environmental Stewardship Area (GNESA) to reflect its broader mission and
purpose beyond just the BNSF railroad. The GNESA organization grew to include
representatives of the more than 20 state, tribal, and federal agencies having land
management authority within the GNESA corridor (GNP, U. S. Forest Service,
MFWP, Montana Department of Transportation, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
Flathead Conservation district, and Blackfeet Indian Nation), private land owners,
utilities (Flathead and Glacier Electric Cooperatives, Northwestern Energy), and
county officials. Over the next several years, GNESA facilitated additional actions
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J.S. Waller
organization to administer its operation.
In the agreement, BNSF and the signatory agencies acknowledged the importance of balancing the interests of commerce, agriculture, transportation, natural
resources, and wildlife and acknowledged the nationally significant qualities of the
corridor. Specifically, the parties agreed to pay particular attention to the operation
and maintenance of the railway because of the areas importance to populations of
threatened and endangered species. The parties committed to working cooperatively
with affected jurisdictions to plan and implement emergency responses to derailments, including providing and placing emergency response equipment to expedite
response times and prevent spilled materials from entering rivers and streams. The
agreement tasked wildlife biologists from the Montana Department of Fish,
Wildlife, and Parks (MFWP) with determining specific sections of track that were
hazardous to grizzly bears or sections where bears frequently crossed the tracks or
otherwise congregated. BNSF committed to rapid spill response and placement of
cleanup material at key points for ready access to these resources; to strict adherence to operating speed limits, and use of continuous welded rail, welded turnouts,
and concrete ties to improve rail integrity; the erection of fences at key locations
determined by MFWP wildlife biologists; and special training and educational
programs for BNSF personnel working in the corridor conducted by the appropriate
agency. The BNESA agreement also established a conservation trust fund to be
used for the protection of critical grizzly bear habitat and movement corridors,
placement of a grizzly bear management specialist to serve as a coordinator in the
area, provide education and resolution of management issues and bear conflicts, and
research to evaluate the effectiveness of operational changes and develop new
techniques to minimize grizzly bear mortalities. Additional actions implemented by
BNSF included the regular use of a vacuum truck that picks up spilled grain along
the tracks, and every spring after the snow melts, BNSF crews pick up carcasses
along the tracks and dispose of them in safe areas. They have also used
motion-sensitive electronic noise makers on trestles to discourage use by bears, and
experimented with electric fencing and electric “track-mats”. It is difficult to assess
the success of these efforts in absolute terms, but we do know that even as the
number of bears in the ecosystem has increased substantially (Mace et al. 2012), the
numbers of bears hit and killed along the railroad tracks has dropped significantly;
only four grizzly bears were killed between 2010 and 2015, compared to the
six-year running average of 11.
As the BNESA organization grew, its name was changed to the Great Northern
Environmental Stewardship Area (GNESA) to reflect its broader mission and
purpose beyond just the BNSF railroad. The GNESA organization grew to include
representatives of the more than 20 state, tribal, and federal agencies having land
management authority within the GNESA corridor (GNP, U. S. Forest Service,
MFWP, Montana Department of Transportation, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
Flathead Conservation district, and Blackfeet Indian Nation), private land owners,
utilities (Flathead and Glacier Electric Cooperatives, Northwestern Energy), and
county officials. Over the next several years, GNESA facilitated additional actions
300
J.S. Waller