The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
Sorted by date Results 1 - 14 of 14
Life is returning to the upper Beartrap and the Mike Horse. At a glance, the two narrow valleys that were once home to most of the mine waste in the Upper Blackfoot Mining Complex still seem like a barren moonscape of gray dirt, littered with downed trees and woody debris. A closer look reveals that four years of remediation, restoration and ongoing re-vegetation is paying off as native plants take hold along the reconstructed creeks and on the hillsides. Work to continue the...
Lincoln's Erin Dey is nearly hidden by a giant puffball mushroom she found on private land south of Lincoln. The mushroom, which measured 25 and a half inches across and more than six feet around, weighed in at 51 pounds. Dey said when she first spotted the mushroom from a distance its sheer size made her think it was a goat lying in the grass. Giant Puffballs (Calvatia gigantea) typically grow to be from 4 to 20 inches in diameter and while it's certainly huge, it may not be...
Hunters interested in participating in "game-damage" hunts on private land or possible management seasons this year have from June 15 to July 15 to register online with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Hunters from this roster may be identified for three types of hunts: game damage, management season and dispersal. The roster is used by FWP to efficiently respond to landowners in the prevention or reduction of damage primarily caused by deer, elk and antelope. Prospective...
DNA results show mysterious canine is a wolf The canine creature shot in Montana a month ago that captured the curiosity of the nation is actually a gray wolf. DNA from the animal, which was shot legally by a rancher near Denton on May 16, was tested at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service forensic laboratory in Ashland, Ore. The lab compared the animal's DNA with thousands of other DNA samples from wolves, coyotes and dogs. The conclusion was clear – this animal is a gray w...
Annie Allen and Lisa Gibson paint a mural on the doors of the Lincoln Community Hall as part of the hall's centennial celebration. Allen and Gibson donated their time and talent for the project, which Allen said used images of mountains, streams and life from the area. "Our original sketch was altered due to the interst in the water element of our valley," Allen said. She said the painting seems to be well accepted with people stopping everyday they were painting to watch and...
Friday June 15th is being called the unofficial start of fishing the Blackfoot River. Word got out that the river had dropped over 14,000!!!! cfs in the last several weeks, with the water clearing at below 5,000 cfs flow. And the big news: the salmonflies were being spotted from Russell Gates on up the river. With that, rafters were lining up at Harry Morgan FAS to float down the river. Downside: at 5,000 cfs the river is still pretty fast and some were finishing their...
The trip from Sao Paulo to Orlando, Fla. was the ultimate misery. My feet were swollen and wept and burned the entire ten hours of the trip. Every seat on the plane had a TV screen where the passengers could watch a small icon of the plane as it traveled over the entirety of Brazil and the Caribbean. The icon didn't seem to move and I avoided looking at because I didn't need any more frustration. But a lady in front of me watched it constantly. Every time I came out of my...
A drenched Ben Weaver and Keenan Deplanks made their way down Beaver Creek Road during Saturday afternoon's downpour as they continue toward Helena on the Tour Divide. Weaver and Deplanks made the trip over Huckleberry Pass Saturday after Weaver performed a live concert in Ovando Friday night as part of his "Music for Free" project in honor of the 20th anniversary of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route Trail. Unlike the ride into Lincoln, the concert caught a break in the...
A group of local quilters are creating bed coverings for a project near Superior that's designed to give service members returning from deployments a place to rest and heal. Tom and Debi Logan are creating the Red Lions Project on 164 acres surrounded by the Lolo National Forest in honor of their son, Marine Cpl. Joseph Logan. Joey Logan served in Afghanistan with HMH 363, the Red Lions, as a crewmember on Irontail 06, a Marine CH-53D Sea Stallion heavy-lift helicopter. He...
Every so often, I jot down a list of the things that discourage me about our country. There's the widespread disregard for our core values of tolerance and mutual respect, for instance. Our declining national optimism. Our relaxed attitude toward fixing our election machinery, overseeing financial institutions, and making sure that our key democratic institutions and processes are working effectively. There's wage stagnation, income inequality, a high poverty rate, failing inf...
Ronda Dee Ray, 42, Great Falls, passed away June 9, 2018 at home unexpectedly. A Celebration of Life was helds Friday, June 15 at 11 a.m. in the Rose Room Chapel at Croxford Funeral Home. Ronda was born in Great Falls, Montana on April 1, 1976. She was raised here in Great Falls where she became a construction worker. Ronda was a jack of all trades. She loved working with her hands and construction was definitely her forte. Ronda had many hobbies and interests of which she...
The new minerals administrator for the Lincoln and Helena Ranger Districts began work at the Lincoln Ranger Station last Monday to help the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest to better manage their mining program and be more responsive to people interested in mining on public land. On the Lincoln Ranger District, Beach Hastings takes over the minerals administration duties from Luke Shimer, who will now focus on the range management and weed control programs. "Minerals adm...
U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen granted a motion to remand the Stonewall Vegetation Project to the Forest Service for completion of a supplemental environmental analysis but also vacated project's Record of Decision signed by Helena-Lewis and Clark Forest Supervisor Bill Avey in 2016. Through seven years of analysis and collaboration, government agencies and local organizations, including the Lincoln Restoration Committee, helped developed the project to improve forest...
In my letter to the editor dated May 30 in the BVD, I was only asking for transparency. Let the people of Lincoln know what is going on. I want the Rodeo Club to stay in Lincoln and to prosper, as does everyone else. The majority of the people in Lincoln are of the age that they cannot climb the hillside, so they do not partake of the rodeo, so you are losing attendance. To answer your question, I have never put on a rodeo. If I did, I would keep the people informed of the expenses and the profits. I know there are hidden...
