Independently reported news stories of Montana's people, land, water and wildlife.
A recent news story revealed that the federal government spent more than $2.7 billion (yes, that’s billion, folks, with a “b”) to fight wildfires during the 2017 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 1. Montana itself has spent in excess of $400 million to cope with this year’s disastrous fire season.
Read MoreSecretaries of the Interior are called to be public stewards. On behalf of all Americans, they oversee our great national heritage of forests, grasslands, fisheries, national parks, wildlife, waterways, and mineral wealth.
Congressman Ryan Zinke, if approved for his nomination to that post, will have the opportunity to prove himself in the long line of great stewards that have preceded him. I wish him well, but there is cause for concern.
Read MoreWhen I was an employee in Yellowstone National Park decades ago, the behavior of some tourists earned them the codename “touron” – part tourist, part moron. Today, the National Park Service needs to do more to save others from earning that name.
Read MoreThe following was written by Conrad landowner Joe Perry. Last week, Perry received the Montana Neighbor Award for decades of conservation work to provide wildlife habitat and hunter access.
I am a farmer/rancher and landowner. I am also a hunter, angler, and recreationist. Each of these terms describe part of me, but I am the sum total of all. I’ve welcomed as many hunters to my property as I could and never changed a dime. Now, after 40 years, I have retired. Over the years, I watched hunting opportunity deteriorate from “hunt where you want but be respectful” to being either tightly controlled or no-access. I want to address the causes of this change candidly from the perspectives of both landowners and hunters/recreationists.
Read More(This guest editorial was submitted by the board of the Montana Sportsmen Alliance.)
We find the press being put out by Fish, Wildlife & Parks touting the shoulder seasons to be disturbing, at best. FWP and even Gov. Steve Bullock have promoted these seasons as successful. Our question is “By what metric?”
Read MoreOver a century ago, you would have had a hard time finding grizzly bears in much of Montana. They were driven to near extinction in the state by the late 1800s, at one point reduced to living in less than 1 percent of their range in the lower-48 states. But, thanks in large part to their listing under the Endangered Species Act, they are making a comeback.
Read MoreI recently saw a different side of hunting through another hunter’s eyes and was dismayed as I came face-to-face with an attitude I’d only read about.
I'm a hiking hunter, partly because I enjoy being out in it and partly because I was trained that way. But my dad wasn't my teacher. In the 1970s, most dads didn’t think of taking their daughters hunting, even in Montana.
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