The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
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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 moose. The first workshop will be Wednesday, Oct. 25, at the Billings FWP office (2300 Lake Elmo Dr.) from 5-7 p.m. A second workshop will be held in Harlowton on Wednesday, Nov. 1, at the Montana Department of Transportation weigh station parking lot from 5-7 p.m. Registration is required. To register a...
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 chronic wasting disease. FWP strongly recommends that hunters receive a negative CWD test result before bringing their deer, elk or moose to a meat processor or donating it to a foodbank. While it is not a requirement, FWP is asking hunters to have a negative CWD test result in hand before bringing their a...
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. Applications for permanent seasonal positions will be accepted from Oct. 19 through Nov. 22, and applications for temporary positions will be accepted from Oct. 26-Nov. 8. All applications must be submitted on www.usajobs.gov. "If you enjoy working outside and want to serve on an exceptional team, we'd l...
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 to consider signing up for the Apprentice Hunter Program. The apprentice hunter program allows people ages 10 and older to hunt as apprentices with a mentor for two seasons without completing a Hunter Education course. Fish, Wildlife & Parks highly recommends that interested people visit the website a...
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 dirt road. It's late August, and Missoula District Ranger Crystal Stonesifer and members of the district's fire management team stand outside their pickup truck and look over the mounds of woody debris, evidence of treatments being applied to the forest to slow future wildfires. The piles indicate...
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 "cowboy" culture most prefer, according to an audit the Legislative Audit Division released last week. The audit, which was completed at the request of the bipartisan Legislative Audit Committee, also highlighted communication issues, waning morale and concerns about a lack of trust between the...
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 Sept. 12. The hunter was walking along a shelter belt hunting for upland birds on private land when he was charged by the bear, which based on evidence of the animal found at the scene is believed to be an adult male. The hunter fired twice with his shotgun at less than 15 feet, hitting the bear at l...
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. The free group outings combine education with wilderness experiences on public lands. Participants can graze on wild berries, marvel at constellations, summit a peak, and write poetry, all in the name of conservation and community. "Thanks to our amazing volunteers, we're offering fall Wilderness Wal...
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 Improvement Program grants approximately $1 million annually for projects to improve and restore Montana's wild fish habitats. The 14-member citizen review panel meets twice a year to review proposals and recommend projects to the Fish & Wildlife Commission for funding. Review panel members are a...
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), Montana (9) and Washington (10) suffered more acres burned than most of the United States in 2022, all ranking in the top ten states of acreage burned in 2020 to 2022 (rank refers to 2022). Utah (21) and Wyoming (22) trailed slightly behind. Despite the ongoing fire danger and consequences,...
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 more than a century. Grizzly bear numbers and range continue to expand, particularly in areas between the Northern Continental Divide and the Great Yellowstone ecosystems. Over the last couple of months, FWP staff have confirmed grizzly bear sightings in the North Hills and Grizzly Gulch areas near H...
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 Scenic Trail. The CDTC Community Feedback Survey period is open through the end of July 2023, and individuals, tribal representatives, organizations, and businesses in the CDT landscape are encouraged to participate. Contributions from the survey will help guide the next phase of community-centric cons...
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 fwp.mt.gov/public-notices/news/2023/jun/0630-2023-draft-elk-management-plan-ea. The deadline for comments is July 31. Earlier this month, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks released the 2023 Draft Elk Management Plan for public review and comment. The deadline for comments on the plan is also July 31. While t...
HELENA – Working with the 68th Legislature, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) and the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) simplified licensing requirements on state lands as part of Governor Gianforte's Red Tape Relief Task Force. The two agencies consolidated the conservation license and state lands recreational use license into one annual conservation license, supporting the maintenance of places like fishing access sites, wildlife m...
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 Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission will make a final decision on draft language proposed by FWP to for new rules and to amend current ARM rule 12.9.1401. The language was drafted after Senate Bill 295 passed during the 2023 Legislative Session and became law. The law clarifies how Montana will manage g...
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 mission of the committee is to advise FWP on snowmobile grooming issues related to funding, provision, development, renovation, maintenance, management, usage and promotion of snowmobile trails. Agenda items include: Snowmobile Program Standard Budgets Grooming grants Training/Education Topics 2023 l...
HELENA-When recreating on Montana's waterbodies this spring, summer and fall, be on the lookout for harmful algal blooms (HABs) that can occur on Montana's reservoirs and lakes. While not all algal blooms contain toxins, the blooms can impact human health and the health of freshwater ecosystems. Report suspected HABs at HAB.mt.gov to help others be alert and prevent illness. How to identify a HAB: A coloration or scum on the surface of the water that can look like grass...
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 public land. At its meeting on June 8, the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission approved 49 Elk Hunting Access Agreement (EHA) applications, which will allow access to a half million acres of private land. In addition to this, in 2023 FWP staff worked with landowners to open up 540,000 acres of i...
HELENA – Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will kick off the biennial hunting season-setting process earlier to allow for more public engagement and greater transparency. Public involvement will begin in June and end in November. In the past, public involvement happened primarily in December and January. FWP will conduct scoping meetings around the state from June 15 to July 15. FWP staff will look to hunters to provide broad input on regulation changes they'd like to see. S...
Spring is in full swing and bears are on the move across western Montana, and the activities of a distinctive female Grizzly and a pair of three-year-old subadults in the Lincoln Springs area have been a cause for concern among residents there. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks bear management specialist Jamie Jonkel said the bear has been seen in the area for some time and has never been collared, but for the first time this year she's been seen coming up onto porches....
WILDERNESS WALKS HOSTED BY WILD MONTANA'S WILD DIVIDE CHAPTER Keeping the Divide Wild: The Lincoln Prosperity Proposal Tuesday, June 6 Webinar Join us online to learn how the Lincoln Prosperity Proposal will permanently protect the wild Continental Divide around Lincoln. We'll converse with Wild Montana Federal Legislative Director Zach Angstead to get grounded in the basics of the proposal and hear what makes this landscape so special. We'll also hear from partners in the...
GREAT FALLS, Mont., May 1, 2023 - If you have ever wished to spend an entire summer on the forest, here is your chance! Recreation staff from the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest are once again recruiting volunteers to serve as campground hosts for the Many Pines and Dry Wolf Campgrounds located in the Little Belt Mountains and Thain Creek Campground located in the Highwood Mountains. "Campground hosts provide their own trailer and occupy a prominent campsite in a...
HELENA, Mont. – April 24, 2023 - This year's celebration of World Migratory Bird Day will take place at Spring Meadow State Park from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on May 6. "Thanks to our partners at Montana WILD – Fish, Wildlife and Parks, we are excited to bring the event to a more accessible location so that more families can partake in the festivities," said Denise Pengeroth, wildlife biologist and organizer of the event. Highlighted activities this year include: • Live Raptor Show...
HELENA – Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking public comment on several proposals slated to go to the Fish and Wildlife Commission in June. Comment is open through May 11. After public comment, commissioners can offer amendments to the proposals as they see fit. The proposals and supporting documents, commissioner amendments and collected public comment are available on the commission webpage. The commission will make a final decision on these proposals at its meeting o...
HELENA – Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is looking for approval from the Fish and Wildlife Commission to move forward with a rule making process on administrative rules that address state management of grizzly bears. The request comes as the Montana Legislature considers Senate Bill 295. The bill would further clarify how Montana will manage grizzly bears once they are removed from the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Specifically, SB 295 speaks to issues of human safety, c...
