Missoula city committee gives nod to Rattlesnake Wilderness dam removal
McKinley Lake is one of eight lakes in the Rattlesnake Wilderness that feed Rattlesnake Creek and once served as Missoula’s municipal water source.
Environment
Funding from Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation to restore burned Washington habitat
The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and its partners allocated more than $1 million in grants across Washington to enhance wildlife habitat and restore landscapes charred by wildfire.
Amid a massive American clean energy shift, grid operators play catch-up
For the better part of the past century, the American electric power system evolved around large, mostly fossil fuel power plants delivering electricity to residences, businesses and industry through a network of transmission and distribution wires that collectively came to be called the electric grid.
To address safety, Missoula County plans parking, trail, bus stop at Sha-Ron
Commissioners approved an agreement with the Montana Department of Transportation to build a shared-use path and bus stop at the Sha-Ron Fishing Access site near East Missoula.
New research shows the lasting devastation of wildfires
A study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found shocking effects from wildfires as the season turns, proving that rampant summer burns go beyond havoc on habitats.
Groups want DEQ to halt Bull Mountain’s mine permit
Environmental groups from Montana have petitioned the Montana Department of Environmental Quality to revoke operating permits for a coal company with ties to Russia and an embattled energy company, as well as criminal activity by recently departed executives.
More bears reported in Missoula this year as they search for food
On Thursday, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks bear biologists appealed to the public once again to get rid of anything around their homes that could attract bears, because bears are acting noticeably different this fall.
Flathead Forest extends Lake Holland comment period under flood of protest
As of Wednesday, two weeks into the public comment period, more than 1,500 people have submitted comments on the proposal. More than 600 were added just since Tuesday.
D.C. judge reactivates drilling lease in sacred Badger-Two Medicine
Calling 40 years of permit delays a federal judge issued his second ruling giving Louisiana-based Solenex LLC the go-ahead to build roads and do exploratory drilling on a 6,200-acre lease in the heart of the Badger-Two Medicine area.
Smoke hangs heavy over western Montana, prompts air quality alerts
The air quality in Hamilton has reached “very unhealthy” levels while Missoula remains listed as “unhealthy,” though a change in weather patterns could reveal the western Montana sky, at least temporarily.