The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
Sorted by date Results 76 - 100 of 155
The long awaited bridge dedication is finally just ahead. The US Forest Service and Montana Mountain Mushers have joined together to dedicate the new bridge across Beaver Creek Road, near Lincoln. The sign commemorates Race to the Sky and its beginnings through today, Jack Beckstrom's part in seeing the race happen and history of the race. There will be representatives from the organizations to speak briefly about the bridge/sign. Everyone is invited. The US Forest Service,...
Road closures remain in effect near Dalton Mountain The Helmville-Gould Trail (#467) and Forest Service roads 1829 and 4128 on the Lincoln Ranger District remain closed south of Lincoln to accommodate the Dalton Timber Sale. Forest Service Road 1829-C is closed through the end of the year, but according to the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, they are working with the contractors to reopen many of the roads and trails each weekend for visitors....
HELENA, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte today announced the launch of the inaugural Governor's Youth Hunting Story Contest, open to Montana youth and apprentice hunters ages 10 to 17. "Hunting is a proud tradition in Montana that will be carried on by the next generation," Gov. Gianforte said. "To celebrate our hunting heritage, I invite Montana's youth and apprentice hunters who harvest an animal this year to be a part of the first-ever Youth Hunting Story Contest." "We'll r...
This year FWP will continue chronic wasting disease surveillance in specific areas known as Priority Surveillance Areas in north-central, central, southwestern, and south-central Montana. • Carcass disposal requirements: Carcass parts, such as brain, eyes, spleen, lymph glands, and spinal cord material, should be left at the kill site when possible. If the animal is transported for taxidermy or meat processing, the brain and spinal tissue must be bagged and disposed of in a C...
OVANDO – Wildlife officials euthanized two grizzly bears this week that were responsible for at least 10 conflicts in the upper Blackfoot Valley over the past two months. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks wildlife specialists reported that the conflicts began in mid-July in the Ovando and Woodworth areas where the bears broke into three grain sheds. FWP worked with the property owners to install an electric fence at all sites to prevent more issues. The bears moved on from that i...
An estimated 600 people visited Lincoln Friday Sept. 16 and Friday Sept. 17 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the designation of the Scapegoat Wilderness....
MISSOULA - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is providing notice to people living or recreating in the vicinity of Rogers Pass that a grizzly bear has been relocated in the area. The Service assumed grizzly bear relocation responsibilities from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, in certain circumstances, following a recent change to Montana law. The Service has coordinated with relevant land management agencies during this process. This bear has been relocated from...
Ask first to hunt on private land Don't wait until it is too late. Hunters who haven't already asked permission from private landowners to hunt need to do so as soon as possible. Montana law requires hunters to obtain permission for all hunting on private land. Whether pursuing upland game birds, coyotes, gophers or any other wildlife, hunters must have permission from the landowner before hunting on private property. This also includes entering private land to retrieve...
HELENA – Are you ready for hunting season? FWP can help. In addition to the following hunting forecast, FWP provides online information about hunting access, including our popular Block Management Program. Through the program, we coordinate with landowners to provide hunting access to more than 7 million acres of private land. The interactive Hunt Planner map allows users to look at information for various species, including hunting districts and regulations. The hunt p...
Grizzly bears have the potential to be found anywhere in the western two-thirds of Montana (west of Billings), and their distribution is denser and more widespread than in previous years. Some areas with dense concentrations of grizzly bears are very accessible to hunters, especially during the archery season. Keep these precautions in mind when hunting in grizzly country: * Carry and know how to use bear spray. Keep it within easy reach and be prepared to use it immediately....
HELMVILLE - "Sitting around crackling campfires and hunting camp dinner tables listening to Jack Hooker tell stories of adventures was a great privilege I had during the years I worked at the Whitetail Ranch," said Rebecca Ondov. "His philosophy on life empowered him to train horses and mules not merely in an arena, where the fence draws a line as to how big the wreck can be, he trained them to be sound work animals in the high country of the wilderness, where the unexpected...
BUTTE – The Bureau of Land Management's Butte Field Office is in the beginning stages of analyzing motorized access for BLM-managed public lands in north Lewis & Clark County. The field office has posted an inventory of existing travel routes in the area. Public comment at this stage is referred to as scoping and will help guide a Travel Management Plan and Environmental Assessment analyzing motorized access of public lands in the North Lewis and Clark County Travel M...
MISSOULA - Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is taking a new approach to the fishing regulations review and development process by moving to a two-year review cycle. One of the first steps in the process is to consider what changes people would like to see. These ideas will help inform specific fishing regulation proposals that will be out for public comment in late August. Meetings to hear more about the process and to help inform ideas that could be considered for the 2023-24...
Between 180 and 250 off highway vehicles, including side-by-sides, three- and four- wheelers, motorbikes, and the odd jeep, swarmed the hills around Lincoln over the weekend for Saturday's annual Memorial Day Fun Run and the Blackfoot Valley Optimists Club OHV Scavenger Hunt Sunday. While the Memorial Day Fun Run has been a fixture in Lincoln for many years, Chad Sutej introduced the Optimist Club's Scavenger Hunt last year, inspired by a similar ATV jamboree in Conconully,...
HELENA, Mont., June 28, 2022 - With over 2.8 million acres to explore and more than 30 developed campgrounds to choose from, the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest is a great place to celebrate Fourth of July. Before you head out, here are a few reminders: Campgrounds and Cabins: The Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest offers dozens of developed campgrounds for visitors to enjoy. Visit: https://go.usa.gov/xJFYA for a list of campgrounds and cabins. Our developed...
Mountain Bikers travelling the Great Divide Mountain Bike route for the 2022 Tour Divide have been a common sight in Lincoln since the race started June 10, but they're not the only folks on the trail. On June 3, Karen Selle and her son Doug Gnida of Edmonton, Alberta, set off from Columbia Falls to travel the route on horseback to travel as far south as they can, with an eye toward at least reaching Pie Town, N.M. Although the GDMBR is thought of as a bike trail, much of it...
In late May, the community of Ovando unveiled stickers listing the top six commandments for tent camping in bear country. The stickers are the latest effort by the town to ensure the safety of visitors after a young male grizzly bear killed cyclist Leah Lokan of Chico, Calif. last year. Lokan was camping in a tent near the Brand Bar Museum near the center of the town in the early morning hours of July 5 when the bear attacked her. Kathy Schoendoerfer, owner of the Blackfoot...
Just like the 4th of July celebration this past weekend, the start of summer is finally here with a bang, giving us hot weather days. The hot days seem to be consistently moderated with a cycle of thunderstorms, with cooler temperatures and rainfall. This cycle of storms will influence what kind of fire season we have as it did last summer. I'd like to report out a few key updates and speak to what the Lincoln Ranger District has in store over the summer. First, I'd like to...
HELENA-Don't let an encounter with a harmful algal bloom ruin an outing on a beautiful Montana summer day. Blooms can impact human health and the health of freshwater ecosystems. Harmful algal blooms most often occur in Montana's reservoirs and lakes, although water users should also be cautious about water flowing immediately downstream of a HAB. Common characteristics of HABs include green, blue, or gold coloration and the appearance of grass clippings or paint spilled on...
This has turned out to be a banner year for trumpeter swans in the Blackfoot watershed. The first swan sightings were reported in March, when swans began returning from their wintering grounds in Southwest Montana and Idaho. Spring and fall are challenging times of year to positively identify trumpeters because there are also tundra swans migrating through our area in those seasons. But by late April the tundra swans are headed to the arctic where they breed, and our resident...
HELENA – Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking public input on revisions to the statewide Elk Management Plan last adopted in 2005. FWP began work on the revised plan in 2020, when a citizen's group was convened to develop guiding principles for the new plan. FWP is seeking input on the existing elk population objectives and local elk management challenges that should be considered in the revision. The scoping period started several weeks ago, but meetings have been s...
seems to be passing very quickly with so many things to still get accomplished. The Board of directors and some of our members have been working all summer to accomplish several tasks needed done by our club. The last big job was getting Big Mountain Trail open over the top. Working with the Forest Service, the area was open to the public to get many loads of firewood, which was cut and laid on the side of the road. We were able to get enough wood moved to open the trail over...
A trip up Stonewall Mountain provided a chance to meet the goats that keep the lookout company....
HELENA – Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is accepting applications for its new Habitat Conservation Lease Program. A habitat conservation lease is a voluntary, incentive-based agreement between FWP and private landowners in which the landowner commits to specific land management practices that protect priority wildlife habitat. In turn, FWP pays landowners a one-time per-acre fee for the lease. These agreements would have a term length of 30 and 40 years. As it has for d...
HELENA, Mont. August 19, 2022 – Molly Ryan and Helen Smith have both been selected to join the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest's leadership team; Ryan will serve as deputy forest supervi-sor and Smith as the Belt Creek-White Sulphur Springs district ranger. "Both Ryan and Smith have dedicated their careers to navigating challenging natural resource man-agement issues while prioritizing local communities," said Forest Supervisor Emily Platt. "I am ex-cited to welcome the...
