A black bear made itself at home – and settled in for a nap – on a mudroom shelf inside a Butler Creek home early Friday. Missoula County sheriff’s deputies were summoned by the startled homeowners at about 5:45 a.m. and, sure enough, found a bear that had locked itself inside the mudroom before climbing onto a shelf. When the bruin discovered it could not leave, it … [Read more...] about Black bear enters Butler Creek home, naps on mudroom shelf

More grizzly bears are moving into the Bitterroot Mountains, so state and federal agencies are finally reconsidering long-dormant plans for bear management. On Thursday, the Bitterroot subcommittee of the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee talked about how new grizzly bear sightings in southwestern Montana create some urgency for having a plan in place to deal with … [Read more...] about Bear managers: It’s time to write management plan for Bitterroot grizzlies

Missoula County this week renewed its contract with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality for state and federal funding to support local efforts to curb air pollution. The program has been in place since 1969 and is credited with improving air quality in the Missoula Valley, though challenges remain during fire season and the heavy smoke that often comes with … [Read more...] about State, federal funding to maintain Missoula County air quality, pollution efforts

The elk that normally occupy the slopes of Missoula’s North Hills will have a few less hunters pursuing them this fall. On Wednesday, the Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission spared no time in granting the request of FWP biologist Liz Bradley to reduce the number of elk tags for the area north of Missoula, especially in the Rattlesnake Wilderness and National Recreation … [Read more...] about After steep population decline, FWP reduces elk tags north of Missoula

https://youtu.be/IzEisFH9Eko (KPAX) While the Trump administration Wednesday unveiled its final rule to repeal Obama-era regulations on power-plant emissions, those watching the power and coal industries in Montana say the change ultimately may not make that much difference here. The rule, which erases Obama’s Clean Power Plan, requires power plants to cut 2005-level … [Read more...] about Rollback of greenhouse gas emission rules may have little Montana impact, observers say