Conservation

The City of Missoula owns and manages 4,700 acres of conservation lands, 67 developed parks, 20 miles of commuter trails and 70 miles of unpaved natural trails.

The court found there wasn't enough data on sage grouse populations in the Grasshopper Watershed to support an injunction but said the feds likely violated an environmental law.

Biologists with Yellowstone National Park reported seeing the first grizzly bear of the spring season on Monday, according to a National Park Service press release.

The lawsuit follows the decision by the Department of the Interior last month to revoke protections of land alongside the Trans-Alaskan pipeline.

Even though the U.S. Forest Service may not be listening, Missoulians turned out to let the Trump administration know that they support the 25-year-old Roadless Rule.

Using a new tool, Republicans have revoked plans that restricted mining and oil production on federal lands in Alaska, Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming.

Mike Garrity writes, "The Forest Service recently amended its Forest Plan to eliminate legally-binding logging restrictions on 1.1 million acres of connectivity lynx habitat -- which is an area larger than Glacier National Park."

The measure is expected to bring in roughly $37 million per year by raising the state’s lodging tax from 1.5% to 2.75%.

Laura Lundquist (Missoula Current) Three national forests east of Missoula are proposing a plan to require continuous logging across almost a million acres of southwest Montana for at least the next decade. On Monday, the U.S. Forest Service released a draft plan for a Tri-Forest Sustained-Yield Unit, which would direct logging to occur on more than 925,000 acres across the Beaverhead-Deerlodge, H

Josh Liljedahl writes, "Montana’s roadless areas provide essential habitat for big game, protect cold, clean water for native fish, and afford Montanans with wild, uncrowded backcountry experiences that are the envy of the world."