Blackfoot Valley Dispatch - The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980

HELENA – Wolf trapping and snaring in Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks administrative regions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, and in Hill, Blaine, and Phillips counties won't start until... — Updated 11/29/2023

HELENA, Mont. – November 24, 2023 – It is the most wonderful time of the year on the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest!  Once again, our Forest Service offices and distric... — Updated 11/29/2023

RESPECT ACCESS WHILE UTILIZING BLOCK MANAGEMENT AREAS Oct 23, 2023 8:31 AM MILES CITY – Although most hunters respect the land, property and wildlife they are hunting, a minority... — Updated 10/25/2023

Newly bound by a settlement between a wolf advocacy group and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the seven-member Fish and Wildlife Commission charged with "wise management" of the s... — Updated 10/25/2023

MISSOULA –The 2023 Montana big game general hunting season opened Saturday, Oct. 21, and hunters in the west-central part of the state found warm fall weather and a few less... — Updated 10/25/2023

The Legislature's major zoning reforms to increase the supply of affordable housing in Montana have made a lot of news, but there was also another significant pillar of our pro-hous... — Updated 10/18/2023

HELENA - Although most hunters respect the land, property and wildlife they are hunting, a minority do not. Yet these few bad actors lead to frustration from private landowners and... — Updated 10/18/2023

HELENA – Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus was first detected in wild birds and domestic poultry in Montana in spring 2022. While HPAI cases in wild birds did decline over... — Updated 10/18/2023

BILLINGS – Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is offering two free instructional workshops for hunters to learn how to collect chronic wasting disease samples from deer, elk and... — Updated 10/10/2023

HELENA – Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks along with the Montana Department of Health and Human Services are advising hunters to have their deer, elk and moose tested for... — Updated 10/10/2023

HELENA, Mont. – Oct. 4, 2023- The Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest is seeking motivated candidates to help manage our forests, recreation facilities, trails, and more.... — Updated 10/10/2023

Good time to apply for apprentice program HELENA – Montana's two-day, youth-only deer hunt is coming up Oct. 19 and 20, and general deer season opens Oct. 21. Now is a good time... — Updated 10/5/2023

On an unassuming hillside in the Lolo National Forest outside Missoula, tall piles of dead branches and hand-thinned small trees dot the forest floor on either side of a winding dir... — Updated 10/2/2023

Wardens working for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks described a shift toward enforcement and administrative tasks that has moved the division toward a "cop" culture versus the... — Updated 10/2/2023

GREAT FALLS – A hunter shot and wounded a grizzly bear on Tuesday near Freezout Lake Wildlife Management Area near Fairfield. The surprise encounter happened on the morning of... — Updated 9/19/2023

Helena – This year, Wild Montana will offer a fall Wilderness Walks season for the first time as part of the organization's effort to provide year-round educational opportunities.... — Updated 9/11/2023

HELENA – Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking a current high school student to fill a two-year term on the Future Fisheries citizen review panel. FWP's Future Fisheries... — Updated 9/11/2023

As the summer heat intensifies, peak fire season is migrating north, but the critical practice of prescribed burning continues to avoid the western states. Oregon (4), Idaho (5),... — Updated 8/9/2023

HELENA – This year Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has confirmed grizzly bear sightings in several places where grizzlies haven't been seen in recent years, and in some cases... — Updated 7/19/2023

GOLDEN, CO (JULY 5, 2023) - The Continental Divide Trail Coalition is conducting a widespread survey of communities and stakeholders connected to the Continental Divide National Sce... — Updated 7/10/2023

HELENA – A draft environmental assessment of the 2023 Draft Elk Management Plan is now available for public review and comment. The draft EA is available on FWP's website at... — Updated 7/10/2023

HELENA – Working with the 68th Legislature, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) and the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) simplified licensing... — Updated 6/28/2023

HELENA – Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking public comment on amendments to Administrative Rules of Montana addressing grizzly bears. At its meeting on Aug. 17, the... — Updated 6/28/2023

HELENA – The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Snowmobile Advisory Committee will meet in Helena on June 23, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Montana WILD, 2668 Broadwater Ave. The... — Updated 6/20/2023

HELENA – This hunting season, two Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks programs will open up access to more than a million acres of private and inaccessible or under accessible... — Updated 6/20/2023