After wildfires flared up this summer across a drought-stricken West, some frustrated Americans want to see agencies doing things to reduce the threat. But as a National Forest Foundation panel revealed, the most effective actions aren’t what some expect or want. On Monday, the National Forest Foundation hosted an online panel of fire experts to discuss how fires burn - … [Read more...] about Scientists: Science-based management, fire-resistant homes can offset wildfires

We could see it so clearly—and indeed, Sunday, September 26, dawned a heart-crackingly gorgeous day. In golden afternoon sun, we board members of the Rattlesnake Creek Watershed Group joined our neighbors at RCWG’s annual fall festival, mingling, meeting, celebrating the season on the beautiful lawns of Ten Spoon Winery. People took turns cranking the ciderpress, to which … [Read more...] about Sustainable Missoula: Notes from a watershed group on the rise

https://youtu.be/qI1hJElAtAY U.S. Fish and Wildlife survey has documented grizzly bears in the southern end of the Bitterroot Valley. The first summer of the two-year Southwest Grizzly Bear DNA Project is over, and the results documented the presence of two grizzly bears near the headwaters of the East Fork of the Bitterroot River, according to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife … [Read more...] about USFWS survey documents grizzly bears in Bitterroot headwaters

For those wanting the state to take more action to preserve coldwater fisheries in southwestern Montana rivers, this summer demonstrated the need. But the governor has yet to heed their call for a task force to tackle the problem. This week, a panel of four advocates for Montana’s rivers, fish and the fishing industry discussed the effect of this summer’s heat and drought on … [Read more...] about Montana fishing advocates, businesses call for river preservation task force

The state of Montana wants to probe deeper into the spread of toxic chemicals from the Smurfit-Stone mill site and wants to know if Montanans have any other ideas of what scientists might look for. During the monthly Frenchtown Smurfit-Stone Community Advisory Group meeting last week, Brian Bartkowiak, environmental science specialist with the Montana Natural Resource Damage … [Read more...] about State plan seeks to find source, extent of highly toxic PCB at Smurfit-Stone site