Your Community Builder
Your Community Builder
Sorted by date Results 251 - 275 of 745
SOUTHEAST MONTANA Multiple years of drought have taken a toll on bird numbers. While harvest in 2021 was around average, this year’s lek counts are down compared to 2021. Poor recruitment last year, little available habitat and some severe late snowstorms have had an effect on birds. This year will be very similar to 2018. The area is coming out of a tough drought and has received moisture this year. The habitat looks great compared to prior years, which is good news. The bad news is that the low bird numbers, paired with g...
In the coming weeks, anglers will have several opportunities to comment on fishing regulation proposals for the 2023/24 regulation booklet. FWP Region 7 will host a public meeting in Miles City on Wednesday, Sept. 7 at Miles Community College, Room 106, beginning at 7 p.m. These proposed changes to fishing regulations were developed by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks staff after working with the public on identifying what changes were needed in the current regulations. In all, 42 proposals for the 2023/2024 Montana Fishing...
The Montana Department of Livestock recently completed a training exercise to improve response to a foreign animal disease in a Montana swine herd. The four-day event was conducted in partnership with the National Pork Board and the Montana Pork Producers Association and involved a simulated detection of African Swine Fever (ASF); a swine disease that has recently been detected in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Traditional methods of disease control such as quarantine, vaccination, and early marketing are insufficient to...
Are you ready for hunting season? FWP can help. In addition to the following hunting forecast, FWP provides online information about hunting access, including our popular Block Management Program. Through the program, we coordinate with landowners to provide hunting access to more than 7 million acres of private land. The interactive Hunt Planner map allows users to look at information for various species, including hunting districts and regulations. The hunt planner interactive map is a great way to access our block...
On Aug. 12, a large contingent of the McDonough family gathered under a shady new day-use shelter atop a breath-taking overlook at Makoshika State Park. They were there to share family memories of time spent at the park, and to dedicate the McDonough Pavilion that they had helped to fund in memory of Russell and Dora McDonough. The family, some of whom are based in Glendive, donated $70,000 for the project. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks contributed $15,000 and significant s...
Last summer, wildfires burned half of John Bailey's 25,000-acre ranch in Rosebud County. With much of his pasture up in smoke, Bailey had to purchase hay to help feed his cattle. He says he spent about $90,000 on hay this past winter as a result of drought and fires in 2021. He also had to replace fencing and change his herds' grazing patterns to accommodate the burns, an expense of time and money. "Oh my God, I thought I'd never have to deal with this in my lifetime again,"...
On Tuesday, Governor Gianforte announced meat processed in Montana facilities more than doubled in the last fiscal year. “Montana meat processors continued their strong momentum, more than doubling the amount of meat processed over the last year,” Gov. Gianforte said. “This news is a testament to the Montana work ethic, and it’s a strong signal that our targeted investments in local processing are working.” According to data collected by the state’s Department of Livestock Meat and Poultry Inspectors at state-inspe...
On Tuesday The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it will invest $25 million this year for the Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) On-Farm Conservation Innovation Trials program. Through CIG, partners work to address our nation's water quality, water quantity, air quality, soil health and wildlife habitat challenges, all while improving agricultural operations. The On-Farm Trials component of CIG supports widespread adoption and evaluation of innovative conservation approaches in partnership with agricultural...
Visit Southeast Montana announces the new Executive Board of Directors for 2023. Sabre Moore, chair, represents Carter County; Jessica Malone, vice-chair, represents Powder River County; Morgan Belveal, secretary-treasurer, represents Musselshell County; and Jeff Ewelt, past-chair, represents Yellowstone County. Other members of the Visit Southeast Montana Board of Directors include Beth Epley (Fallon Co.); Vicki Leesburg, Amber Malenovsky and Angela Mendoza (Custer Co.); Norm...
President Joe Biden announced his intent to appoint five U.S. Department of Agriculture regional positions, including three Farm Service Agency State Executive Directors and two Rural Development State Directors. Maureen Wicks has spent over 30 years working for and representing Montana farmers. From 1985-1995, Maureen was involved in WIFE (Women Involved in Farm Economics) and served as its Hi-Line Chapter president. In 1998, Wicks became the first woman elected to the Liberty County Farm Services Administration, where she...
The U.S. Postal Service raised the price of mailing a first-class letter effective Sunday. A “forever” stamp now costs 60 cents. In addition to the two-cent price increase on first-class stamps, other postal services will also cost more. The list includes: The additional ounce rate for single-piece First-Class letters will increase by $0.04, from $0.20 to $0.24. The metered mail rate for First-Class one-ounce letters will increase by $0.04 from $0.53 to $0.57. Postcard stamps will increase by $0.04 from $0.40 to $0.44. Intern...
Seats are still available for an in-person Hunter Education class scheduled for July 22-24 in Miles City. To register, visit https://register-ed.com/programs/montana/32-montana-hunter-education-classroom-course. There is no cost to participate, but students must be at least 10 years of age by the time class starts. Once registered, students must pick up study materials at the Miles City Fish, Wildlife & Parks office by Friday, July 15. They should read the manual and complete...
A new resident of Fallon County was found recently – after being missing for millions of years – but unlike the popular Jurassic Park movie franchise, this dinosaur from the distant past is from the Cretaceous Period. And, unlike the latest Hollywood movie, it will not be rampaging through the county. The fossilized remains of a Triceratops skull were discovered in June by a visiting group of students and scholars in a local geological formation. According to Devin Sch...
A proposed property tax cap and three other ballot initiatives supporters had hoped to put before Montana voters in November's general election are dead in the water after failing to meet signature-gathering thresholds, their respective backers have said. The failed proposals included CI-121, which would have amended the state Constitution to dramatically reconfigure Montana's tax system by capping residential property taxes. That initiative, sponsored by Bozeman attorney...
Governor Greg Gianforte recently announced the state is accepting applications for $5 million in grant funding to assist tourism reliant businesses impacted by flooding in Carbon, Park, and Stillwater Counties. “Last week in Gardiner, I met with the owner of a hotel who showed me an inch-thick stack of cancelations she’d received in the four days since flooding began,” Gov. Gianforte said. “Folks who rely on visitors for business are hurting, and these funds will help get them back on their feet as their communities recover a...
Stockman Bank has established the Montana Flood Relief Fund to assist those affected by record flooding across Montana this week. Thousands of residents and tourists have been trapped and isolated by the rising waters, which have also caused significant damage to roads, bridges and homes along area rivers and lowlands. Stockman has opened the Fund with an initial deposit of $10,000 and will then match each deposit, dollar for dollar, up to an additional $15,000. “I have not seen widespread flooding like this in my lifetime,...
After urging by U.S. Senators Jon Tester and Steve Daines and Congressman Matt Rosendale, President Biden today approved their request for a major disaster declaration as a result of severe weather and substantial rainfall. Yesterday, the Montana delegation sent a letter to President Biden urging him to approve the State of Montana’s request for the disaster declaration. “We are glad President Biden has approved the State of Montana’s much-needed major disaster declaration,” the Montana delegation said in a joint statement. ...
Low temperatures and persistent precipitation combined with an unusually high June snowpack to set the stage for historic flooding in southwest and south-central Montana this week. At least five rivers in Park, Carbon and Stillwater counties set all-time records for high flows, wiping out bridges and roads and sending entire buildings downstream in the process. Ed McIntosh, a meteorologist with Billings news station Q2, said a recent cycle of precipitation from the West Coast brought a significant amount of rainfall to...
As the state has received some much needed moisture, the Montana State Hail Program is reminding producers to make sure their crops are covered. With spring plantings wrapping up, staff is ready to assist producers with acquiring State Hail Insurance. Producers can insure crops against hail damage at the maximum coverage rate of $75 per acre for dryland and $114 per acre for irrigated land. Rates charged are a percentage of the insured amount and vary by county. A detailed list of rates by county and crop can be found on the...
Governor Greg Gianforte recently announced his appointment of Heather Perry to serve on the Tenth Judicial District Court, which includes Fergus, Judith Basin, and Petroleum counties. Perry fills the vacancy created by Tenth Judicial District Judge Jon A. Oldenburg’s retirement, effective July 2, 2022. “A graduate of Geyser High School and fourth generation rancher, Heather brings a wide breadth of experience and local knowledge to the court,” Gov. Gianforte said. “She respects the role of the court in interpreting laws, n...
On paper at least, Montana's newly drawn Eastern U.S. House district is Matt Rosendale's to lose. The incumbent U.S. congressman, elected to represent the whole state by a 12-point margin in 2020, had his re-election bid endorsed by former President Donald Trump in November and by the Montana Republican Party in February, four weeks before the deadline for candidates to file for the June 7 primary. With Montana's left-leaning university towns drawn into the Western district,...
Under an order issued Tuesday by the Montana Supreme Court, Election Day voter registration will once again be prohibited in the state. The order overturned a district court injunction from March that blocked portions of four new election administration laws affecting voter identification requirements, ballot collection and voter registration. Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen had requested a stay from the state’s high court earlier this spring as part of an ongoing lawsuit involving the four laws passed by R...
Montana Stockgrowers Association (MSGA) will be hosting their annual MidYear Meeting in Sidney, Montana, June 1-3, 2022 and invites Montana’s ranching community to attend. “We’re excited to be in Sidney this year for our MidYear Meeting,” said Jim Steinbeisser, MSGA President. “After a hard year of drought, we can’t wait to see everyone and have a little fun while discussing the issues most important to our industry.” The MidYear Meeting is one of two meetings held to set association policy that guides the Association t...
The Montana Association of State Grazing Districts (MASGD) conducted its Annual Meeting on May 16 in Lewistown, Montana. Along with the association’s annual business meeting, a new president and vice president were elected to lead the organization. Kevin Elias, of Chinook, was elected by the membership to the role of president. Deanna Robbins, of Roy, was elected to vice president. Both individuals will serve in their respective roles for two years. Llane Carroll, of Ekalaka, completed his term as vice president and was r...
The 69th Mid-Rivers Telephone Cooperative, Inc. Annual Meeting will be held on May 24, 2022, at the Garfield County High School Gymnasium in Jordan, Montana. Member registration will begin at 10:30 a.m., followed by the Business Meeting at 11:00 a.m. All members in attendance will receive a $10 bill credit. Drawings for door prizes including tablets, TV’s and cash will be held throughout the meeting. Mid-Rivers will hold a drawing for fifteen (15) $1,000 scholarships, awarded to students planning to attend a higher e...
