Past management practices have reduced the genetic diversity of Montana’s forests, limiting their ability to adapt to climate change. The public and private scientists who released the 2017 Montana Climate Assessment last week said “genetic diversity largely determines a species’ ability to survive extreme events and adapt to changing conditions.”

Montana’s average annual temperatures have increased 2-3 degrees since 1950 and are projected to warm 5.6-9.8 degrees by the end of the century, 32 scientists from the public and private sectors said in the first Montana Climate Assessment, released Wednesday.

A fund established by the Missoula County Office of Emergency Management and held in trust by the local chapter of the United Way has received nearly $90,000 in donations to help those impacted by the summer fires.

While recommending that 10 national monuments be downsized or opened to development last month, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke also suggested protection for 130,000 acres in Montana’s Badger-Two Medicine area. Considered sacred land by the Blackfeet Tribe, the Badger-Two Medicine lies within the Lewis and Clark National Forest and shares boundaries with the Bob Marshall Wilderness, Blackfeet Indian Reservation and Glacier National Park.

The head of Department of the Interior called for changes to 10 U.S. monuments that would lift restrictions on activities such as logging and mining, and shrink the footprints of at least four of the sites, the Washington Post reported.

The historic Sperry Chalet in Glacier National Park burned to the ground two weeks ago, but Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said rebuilding the popular backcountry dormitory was among his “top priorities.”

Missoula County granted a developer's request to build a 30-lot subdivision on 52 wooded acres in Seeley Lake this week, despite concerns over wildfire and the lack of a centralized sewer. One commissioner said the old way of thinking is no longer valid and a new model may be needed when reviewing rural subdivisions

A meadow just south of Seeley Lake that serves as a key migration corridor for wintering elk and draws a number of other species, including one of special concern, was added to Missoula County's network of conservation easements this week.