The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
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Montana filed a notice of appeal Friday of the September decision by the federal district court in Missoula to re-instate endangered species protection to grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. "Grizzly bear recovery and conservation is an amazing success story that's taken decades of hard work and dedication. The science is clear that grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem are recovered," said Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Director Martha...
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking applicants to fill three volunteer positions on the Region 3 Citizen Advisory Committee. FWP is interested in selecting members from a pool of candidates who represent a variety of interests and communities within the region. Preference may be given to candidates from underrepresented areas of the region. Terms will begin upon selection in February 2019. The Citizens' Advisory Committee helps FWP achieve its goals by sharing...
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking public review and comment on the following proposals: 2019 elk shoulder seasons, 2019-2020 Biennial Wildlife Management Area Public Use Rules and 2019 mule deer season changes in some districts in Region 5. 2019 elk shoulder seasons FWP proposes to maintain the current season structure in all districts with performance-based shoulder seasons, including early and late seasons for the 2019 license year. This means the shoulder seasons wo...
Helena – Increased law enforcement patrols in Lewis & Clark County will begin during the weeks leading up to Christmas and lasting over New Year’s Day to keep Montana’s roads free of impaired drivers. The Lewis & Clark County Sheriff’s Office, along with other area law enforcement agencies, encourage all drivers to drive sober this holiday or find a sober ride. “There is zero tolerance for impaired drivers in Montana,” says Sheriff Leo Dutton. “Plan your sober transportation if you plan to drink, and offer to be the design...
MISSOULA – Expenditures from outfitted and guided experiences contribute to a large amount of the state's tourism revenue, according to a new report from the University of Montana's Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research. In 2017, spending on outfitters and guides rose to the fourth highest spending category by nonresident visitors to the state, topping out at nearly $374 million, or 11 percent, of all visitor spending. Only fuel, restaurants and lodging outpaced the ou...
HELENA – The Montana Department of Transportation will host a public open house Thursday, Dec. 13 to discuss two projects located on Lincoln Road between Applegate Drive and Interstate 15 north of Helena. The open house will be held at the Jim Darcy Elementary School Gymnasium, 990 Lincoln Road W., near Helena. Community members are encouraged to stop by anytime between 4 and 6:30 p.m. The open house is the public’s opportunity to: Discuss and comment on improvement options for the Lincoln – Applegate Intersection proje...
HELENA - The Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest is excited to announce that all fourth graders are eligible for a free Christmas tree permit through the Every Kid in a Park (EKiP) Initiative. For everyone else, Christmas tree permits are $5, and each family may purchase up to three permits for Christmas trees on Forest Service and BLM lands. All 4th grade students, who have their EKiP Pass (or paper voucher), can visit a Forest Service office to receive their FREE Christmas tree permit! Christmas tree permits are...
Montana's general big game hunting season closed Sunday, Nov. 25 with deer and elk harvest totals recorded at west-central Montana's two hunter check stations on par with recent years. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) reports that the numbers at the hunter check station near Darby were up slightly from last year, with 169 elk, 33 mule deer and 69 white-tailed deer tallied, compared to 159, 22 and 68, respectively last season. At the hunter check station near Bonner, a...
MISSOULA – As part of the nationwide search for America's best-loved novel on the PBS-sponsored "The Great American Read," a panel of seven Montana literary experts set out to determine the state's best-loved novel through "The Great Montana Read." "'The Great Montana Read' is an exciting collaboration, encouraging conversation and celebration around the Treasure State's rich literary tradition," said Sarah Aronson, host of Montana Public Radio's "The Write Question." Aronson...
State and local public health officials are participating in U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week Nov. 12-18, 2018, which is an annual one-week observance to raise awareness of the importance of appropriate antibiotic use to combat the threat of antibiotic resistance. The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services and its partners are encouraging all Montanans to work closely with their healthcare providers to reduce the use of antibiotics. DPHHS is part of a statewide...
Kalispell, MT - Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks regional staff have received reports of a rare sight in northwest Montana. Residents have recently documented sightings of woodland caribou near the U.S.-Canada border. The multiple sightings include the potential for a bull and a cow in separate locations. Caribou, members of the deer family, are native to northwest Montana but have almost completely disappeared from the contiguous United States over the last half century. Woodla...
HELENA-The Helena - Lewis and Clark National Forest is hosting a winter holidays family fund nature crafts night Tuesday Nov. 27 from 4-6 p.m. at the Forest Service office in Helena. Families can create distinctive winter holiday decorations out of pinecones, boughs twigs and berries and other "natural décor" at any of about a dozen craft stations that will be set up for the event. Families are invited to enjoy creating their own holiday decorations out of the forest's...
Big game harvest in west-central Montana maintained a steady pace through the fourth weekend of the general hunting season, bringing totals in line with average. At the hunter check station near Bonner, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) biologists and University of Montana student volunteers have checked 61 elk, 31 mule deer and 202 white-tailed deer so far this hunting season. Bonner's elk total is lower than last year's 76, but higher than the five-year average for...
The World War One Centennial Commission – along with the Pritzker Military Museum & Library, the Society of the Honor Guard of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the National Cathedral, The American Legion, and Veterans of Foreign Wars – has announced a nationwide bell-tolling on Nov. 11 as a solemn reminder of the sacrifice and service of veterans of the Great War, and all veterans. "Bells of Peace: A World War One Remembrance" encourages citizens and organizations across the...
HELENA, MONT., November 6, 2018-The Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest offices will be closed on Monday, November 12th in observance of Veterans Day; offices will reopen on Tuesday, November 13th. Whenever Forest Service offices are closed, firewood permits and/or forest visitor maps can be purchased at one of the following locations, during their regular business hours: Augusta: Allen's Manix Store Choteau: Rex's Food Farm *Elliston: Elliston Store Great Falls: Scheels...
HELENA –As hunting season unfolds, forest and wildlife officials want to share some tips and rules with recreationalists to help minimize their chances of encountering bears this fall. All who want to enjoy the outdoors need to be sure to learn and follow an area's food storage order requirements. Beginning in July 2018 the entire Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest has adopted food storage orders to help provide for public safety. Food storage orders decrease the p...
Hunter activity and harvest picked up in the third weekend of the general big game season in west-central Montana. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks reports that after a slow start to the season, the Bonner check station is now showing 2,625 hunter trips and the Darby station is reporting 2,144, inching within 10 percent and 4 percent of hunter activity reported at this time last year. Elk harvests of 50 checked at Bonner and 95 at Darby remain below the marks of 63 and 112 at...
Two of Montana’s many veterans, Randy LeCocq and John Driscoll, military history authors, will be travelling around Big Sky Country promoting their new book, The Battle of the Bulge: A Montana perspective. LaCocq and Driscoll will be making their presentations in the public libraries at Billings, Bozeman, Butte, Glasgow, Great Falls, Helena, Kalispell, Miles City and Missoula, between November 7, the day following Election Day, and November 20, two days before Thanksgiving Day. Local details are being released by each L...
HELENA – The Montana Highway Patrol will receive a significant federal grant to combat meth trafficking. On Oct. 25, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that its Office of Community Oriented Policing awarded the MHP a $946,981 grant for anti-meth activities. Montana was one of only nine states to receive such a grant. "The meth epidemic is killing Montanans and wreaking untold damage upon our children, families, and tribal nations," Attorney General Tim Fox said. "This g...
Continued mild weather contributed to lower than usual hunter activity and harvest through the second weekend of hunting season in western Montana. "Weather is always the driving factor in big game harvest, especially early in the season," said Mike Thompson, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Region 2 Wildlife Manager. "When the weather is fairly warm, and we have rain instead of snow, deer and elk don't move much, making them harder to spot and track." This is the first year...
Local food pantries across the state are preparing to receive donations from the Hunters Against Hunger program. The program, a partnership between FWP and the Montana Food Bank Network, allows hunters to donate a portion or all of their legally harvested big game animals to be processed free of charge. The meat is then provided directly to a local food pantry in the area. Since its inception in 2014, over 130,000 pounds of meat has been donated through the program and distrib...
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks reminds hunters that mountain lions are also in pursuit of prey this time of year and are most active at dawn and dusk. Lions feeding on a kill are potentially dangerous and should never be approached. A feeding lion in defense of food may suddenly become aggressive. Lions cover unconsumed portions of their kills with soil and litter. These food caches should also be avoided. Any lion that appears to be habituated to or acting aggressively...
Helena – Lewis and Clark County has awarded a construction contract, through a competitive request for proposals process, to Sletten Construction Services of Great Falls for the renovation of the Lewis and Clark County Law Enforcement Center. Apart from the voter approved remodel bond issue, the contract will also include minor renovations to the new Law and Justice Center, located in the old Blue Cross Blue Shield headquarters building at 406 Fuller Ave. This building will become the new location for the Helena Police D...
Missoula - The State of Montana, Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, opened bids on the Boulder Lowlands II Good Neighbor Authority Timber Sale today as part of a growing state-federal partnership to increase management activities and restoration outcomes on federal lands in Montana. Sun Mountain Lumber submitted the winning bid to purchase the sale located north of Butte in Jefferson County. Approximately 2.25 million board feet of dead and dying lodgepole pine from 375 acres will be removed within the Boulder...
Come join us at Montana WILD for one of Helena's largest Halloween parties! Montana WILD is pleased to announce it will be hosting the 2018 Howl-O-Ween FunFest on Sunday, Oct. 14, from 1 to 4:00 pm. Bring your kids for fun, treats and educational activities. Formerly hosted by the Children's Trust Fund, this event is a free and safe celebration that is open to the entire community. It will feature a costume exchange along with a wide range of activities for youth of all ages...
