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Environment

Montanans ask why state bears brunt of Bakken waste, while North Dakota reaps riches

June 22, 2018

More than a decade into the Bakken oil boom, the state of North Dakota, where the vast majority of the boom is concentrated, still does not have a single landfill licensed to accept radioactive oilfield waste. Montana does. Oaks Disposal operates a landfill 26 miles northwest of Glendive that has taken in nearly 350,000 tons of oilfield waste of all kinds since it opened in 2013.

Investigators: Firefighters needed more ‘tools’ in defense of Sperry Chalet

June 21, 2018

The four firefighters assigned to Sperry Chalet the night it burned in an ember storm were traumatized by the historic

Grizzly that mauled wildlife tech was one of Cabinet’s oldest; acted defensively

June 21, 2018

One of the oldest grizzly bears in the Cabinet Mountains of northwest Montana was identified as the bear that attacked

Gianforte’s bills to remove wilderness study status from Montana lands get hearing

June 21, 2018

Rep. Greg Gianforte on Thursday defended his bills to remove the wilderness study designation from 800,000 acres of public lands in Montana,

City Council committee places support behind $15M bond, perpetual stewardship levy

June 20, 2018

Supporters of conservation and open space cited the economic value of public lands and Missoula's growing population when urging members

State, federal agencies delay grizzly bear conservation strategy for Northern Continental Divide

June 20, 2018

State and federal agencies still haven’t signed onto a plan to manage grizzly bears in north-central Montana, but that’s OK

AG Fox joins Montana to lawsuit defending state mining laws from EPA proposal

June 18, 2018

Attorney General Tim Fox joined Montana to a lawsuit involving a coalition of states looking to rebuff a draft rule

Human activity pushing mammals to grow more active at night, global study finds

June 17, 2018

Mammals worldwide are becoming more active at night due to human activity such as agriculture and hunting, according to a

Booming use prompts rewrite of Flathead River management plan

June 15, 2018

The rubber and plastic comes in the form of kayaks and rafts, and they are coming by the thousands –

FWP Commission approves $900K Fish Creek land deal

June 14, 2018

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks intends to capture a few more squares of the property checkerboard that makes up the

Tribes, Montana FWP struggle to control Yellowstone bison hunt

June 14, 2018

Although not without incident, the tribal bison hunt outside Yellowstone National Park is running more smoothly. But that could change

Colorado wildfire cuts off cities of Durango, Silverton from tourists

June 14, 2018

A 27,000-acre wildfire burning in southwestern Colorado has cut off the cities of Durango and Silverton from their annual tourism

Forest Service wants to log 5,600 acres, replant 16,000 burned by Rice Ridge fire

June 13, 2018

The Lolo National Forest wants make the best of last year's 160,000-acre Rice Ridge fire by logging some trees. This

Leading scientific journal says rate of Antarctic ice loss has tripled

June 13, 2018

Melting Antarctic ice has raised global sea levels by more than a quarter of an inch since 1992, with 40

Grizzly bear dies after eating insecticides in open garage

June 13, 2018

A young grizzly bear that had been frequenting homes in north-central Montana died after getting into insecticides in an open

Dick Anderson Construction wins $4.08M contract to begin rebuilding Sperry Chalet

June 12, 2018

The National Park Service on Tuesday awarded a $4.08 million contract to Dick Anderson Construction of Great Falls to begin

Hunter kills grizzly he mistook for a black bear; second grizzly shooting death

June 12, 2018

An out-of-state hunter mistakenly shot and killed a grizzly bear in the Swan Valley after confusing it with a black

Forest Service chief approves salvage project for Sunrise fire on Lolo

June 11, 2018

The U.S. Forest Service is reviewing 14 recent wildfires to conduct post-fire salvage operations in western Montana, including five on

Crews break through Big Drift, set stage for opening Glacier’s Going-to-the-Sun Road

June 8, 2018

Brian Paul opened the door of his 20,000-pound rotary snowplow Thursday morning and climbed down to dry pavement. The cab has

Frenchtown mill: EPA says dangerous levels of dioxins didn’t wash into Clark Fork

June 8, 2018

Dangerous levels of dioxins and other deadly contaminants from the defunct Smurfit-Stone mill site did not wash into the Clark

Smith River copper mine receives draft air pollution permit

June 7, 2018

The proposed Black Butte copper mine near White Sulphur Springs moved one step closer to reality this week when the

Daines lauds Forest Service decision to salvage dying timber from Sunrise fire

June 6, 2018

The interim chief of the U.S. Forest Service this week signed the first determination to remove dead and dying timber

Legislators need $6.5M yearly to inspect boats for mussels, frustrated by funding woes

June 5, 2018

Members of the Legislative Environmental Quality Council are growing increasingly frustrated as they try to find ways to raise the

Approaching ‘carbon bubble” could wipe trillions from global economy

June 5, 2018

Mass unemployment, public disenchantment with institutions, a restless body politic – these are some of the features of a brave

Zinke requests $12M to reconstruct Glacier Park’s Sperry Chalet

June 4, 2018

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Monday requested $12 million for the reconstruction of Glacier National Park’s Sperry Chalet, which was

Sisters’ childhood playground opens with new public trail in South Hills

June 4, 2018

The newly opened Barmeyer Trail meanders through a wooded flank of the South Hills, emerging on a spur overlooking the

State, federal wildlife agencies seeking information on shooting death of Kootenai griz

June 1, 2018

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks are seeking information on the shooting death of

Montana, feds agree on habitat conservation plan for grizzlies, lynx, bull trout

May 30, 2018

A few more timber projects may move ahead on Montana state forests, even where they are in critical habitat for

FWP: Montana wolf population stabilizing at new, post-hunting levels

May 29, 2018

Montana’s wolf population has decreased by as many as 300 animals since the state instituted an annual hunt, but biologists

Montana tribes push state to restore wild bison herd

May 25, 2018

Montana’s tribal nations will no longer wait for state officials to decide whether bison will be allowed to roam free

EPA: Impacts of high water on Smurfit berms reveal “no imminent threat”

May 25, 2018

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency dispatched a member of its emergency response team to Missoula this week to analyze a

Keystone XL foes ask federal judge to revoke pipeline permits

May 25, 2018

Anti-pipeline plaintiffs presented oral arguments Thursday in Great Falls federal court in a lawsuit against the federal government seeking to

Wyoming approves grizzly bear hunt outside Yellowstone, Grand Teton parks

May 24, 2018

This fall, Wyoming will allow a trophy hunt of grizzly bears, its first in 44 years. On Wednesday, the commission

National Park Service sounds alarm on dramatically rising sea levels

May 23, 2018

The National Park Service predicted in a new study that sea levels will rise up to two feet before the end

FWP issues warning after floater drowns in swollen Smith River

May 22, 2018

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks issued a warning Tuesday afternoon after a Billings man drowned while floating the Smith River

NRA executive director named CEO of Missoula’s Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation

May 22, 2018

The Missoula-based Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation has a new president and CEO. Kyle Weaver is joining RMEF after a long

‘No blank checks’: New Forest Service chief says firefighting must become more efficient

May 21, 2018

As Vicki Christiansen inherits an agency hamstrung by the skyrocketing cost of fighting wildfires, the interim chief of the U.S.

Judge fines 15-year-old boy $36.6M for starting Columbia River Gorge wildfire

May 21, 2018

The 15-year-old boy who admitted sparking a massive wildfire in the Columbia River Gorge by lobbing firecrackers into a ravine

Snowmobilers seek Trump’s help in gaining access to proposed Great Burn Wilderness

May 21, 2018

Thwarted in the courts, snowmobile groups from Montana and Idaho are asking President Donald Trump to open proposed wilderness areas

Missoula County flooding reaches financial threshold; disaster proclamation signed

May 18, 2018

Missoula County commissioners signed a disaster proclamation this week, saying the cost of local flooding has reached a financial threshold

Study: Holding global warming to 2.75 degrees Fahrenheit saves most species

May 18, 2018

The report is the first to examine how species across the globe would benefit from restricting global warming to 2.7

Brewing, fishing businesses join rally in Missoula to support I-186 mining initiative

May 17, 2018

Several business owners rallied in Missoula on Thursday to support a proposed ballot initiative that would require new mines in Montana to

Glacier Park: Sperry Chalet will be rebuilt within its historic stone walls

May 17, 2018

Glacier National Park will rebuild the iconic Sperry Chalet dormitory, beginning this summer and with the endorsement of Interior Secretary

Contractors to burn logging debris on Mount Sentinel; ‘substantial’ smoke possible

May 17, 2018

If you see smoke on Mount Sentinel over the next week, it’s likely from city contractors burning logging debris. Missoula’s

Montana groups file suit against Interior’s oil and gas leases on public lands

May 16, 2018

The suit, filed Tuesday in Great Falls District Court by Earthjustice and the Montana Environmental Information Center on behalf several landowners, accuses

Conservation groups file suit in Missoula to stop Custer-Gallatin logging project

May 16, 2018

Two conservation groups filed suit against the U.S. Forest Service in Missoula District Court on Tuesday for authorizing logging on 11,000 acres

Survey: Feds falling short on protecting the environment; Americans split on solutions

May 15, 2018

A majority of Americans think the federal government is not doing enough to protect the environment, the Pew Research Center

Missoula City Council members thank hundreds of volunteers aiding flood response

May 15, 2018

Missoula City Council members on Monday thanked the hundreds and hundreds of local businesses and volunteers who have helped flood

Clark Fork River above and below Missoula a sight to behold as warnings widen

May 14, 2018

The Clark Fork River above Missoula will remain in the moderate flood stage, at least until Wednesday when the high

UM study: Losing the world’s largest trees would degrade forests and carbon capture

May 14, 2018

The largest 1 percent of trees in mature forests make up 50 percent of the planet's forest biomass, and losing

Flathead Lake’s Bridge to Nowhere in limbo after judge orders removal

May 13, 2018

A District Court judge has ordered the removal of Flathead Lake's Bridge to Nowhere, but appeals are possible and, besides,