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The Citizens Advisory Council members for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Region 7 gathered on August 21 at Water Plant Park in Miles City to discuss current topics occupying the agency. Attendees heard updates on big game and upland bird populations in the region, the Block Management Program, conservation easements, warden staffing, paddlefish and pallid sturgeon activity and educational outreach. The CAC is a 10-member volunteer panel that provides the agency with input on...
BOZEMAN, Mont. – Tom Watson recently assumed the position of state conservationist for USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Montana. In that job, Watson will be responsible for NRCS operations within the state, including the administration of conservation technical assistance to private landowners, conservation financial assistance programs, conservation easement programs, the Natural Resources Inventory, water supply forecasting, soil survey mapping, and t...
HELENA – Every year in Montana, millions of dollars and other personal assets go unclaimed. And every year, the Montana Department of Revenue encourages individuals and businesses to check whether some of that might be theirs. The unclaimed property can come from a variety of sources such as forgotten bank accounts, uncashed checks and money orders, insurance policy payments and unused gift certificates, as well as stocks, bonds and the contents from safe deposit boxes. By law, the Montana Department of Revenue holds u...
MontanaPBS will host U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives candidate debates this fall. Democratic incumbent Sen. Jon Tester and Republican Montana Auditor Matt Rosendale will discuss issues in Missoula as they face off for a seat in the U.S. Senate on Saturday, Sept. 29. Republican incumbent Rep. Greg Gianforte will debate Democratic challenger Kathleen Williams on Saturday, Oct. 6, in Bozeman. Both debates will broadcast at 7 p.m. across the state on MontanaPBS and will be studio-based without a live audience. Monta...
A few important dates remain for hunters looking for license for this upcoming hunting season: • On Aug. 6, hunters can buy over-the-counter and surplus B licenses (antlerless) for deer and elk. • On Aug. 9, general antelope and antelope B drawing results will be available. • On Aug. 13, surplus general antelope, antelope B and antelope archery 900-20 licenses go on sale. • On Aug. 15, antelope archery season opens for the 900-20 license. The 900-20 archery antelope licenses were drawn on July 16. These licenses allow b...
Helena – The Montana Department of Revenue this week mailed 2018 livestock per capita fee bills to livestock owners. Payment is due by May 31. Livestock owners can pay online at ReportYourLivestock.mt.gov or by mail with a check. March 1 was the deadline for livestock owners to report livestock they owned as of February 1. If owners already paid their 2018 fees when they reported their livestock, they will not receive a bill. All Montanans benefit from programs funded by per capita fees. Livestock producers benefit from p...
Mid-Rivers Communications is proud to announce the recipients of 27 Scholarships to students from the Cooperative’s service area. Six $1,500 scholarships were awarded to students planning to attend either Dawson Community College or Miles Community College, and 20 $1,000 scholarships were awarded to students planning to attend a four-year college or university, community college or tech school in the fall of 2018. One $10,000 Excellence in Education scholarship was also awarded to a local student. A $1,500 Dawson Community C...
The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission met April 19 and made the following decisions: • The Commission adopted the department’s Fiscal Year 2020/21 budget p priorities to work toward for the 2019 legislative session. For more information, contact Dustin Temple. • The Commission approved the Missouri River Broadwater Bay no-wake zone. • The Commission approved a mandatory kill and reporting for Kootenai River brown trout below Libby Dam in an effort to limit or eliminate non-native brown trout in that reach of the river in a...
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. – Combat Raider, a large force exercise involving various military aircraft, is scheduled to begin May 15 in the Powder River Training Complex, and will conclude May 17, 2018. These LFEs provide joint and coalition training under realistic scenarios that replicate combat operations against modern threats. During this period, people living under the PRTC military operations areas can expect to see multiple types of aircraft utilizing the areas simultaneously. There is also potential for loud n...
BOZEMAN, Mont., April 16, 2018–The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has set a June 1, 2018, application cutoff for agricultural operators to be considered for 2019 conservation program funding through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. NRCS provides funding and technical assistance to help farmers and ranchers implement conservation practices that provide environmental benefits to help sustain agricultural operations. Conservation program p...
As Montanans of all ages continue to take an interest in learning archery, more Bowhunter Education instructors are needed to accommodate that interest in coming years. Currently, Fish, Wildlife & Parks Region 7 has around 30 Bowhunter Education volunteer instructors to serve a population spread over 11 southeastern Montana counties. In 2017, these instructors certified around 140 people, including online students who are required to complete a Bowhunter Education field day. F...
(MILES CITY, Mont.) – Bring your favorite fossil, rock, artifact or relic to any of the upcoming Artifact Roadshows in Miles City or Ekalaka and see if a professional can help answer your questions. April is “Montana Archaeology Month” and the Bureau of Land Management is supporting the Montana Archaeological Society with several public events for Big Sky history enthusiasts. BLM archaeologists will be available at the annual Artifact Roadshows where the public is welcome to bring items from their personal collections to be...
MISSOULA – Last year 12.5 million visitors contributed nearly $3.4 billion in travel spending, according to a recent report from the Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research at the University of Montana. But the 2017 fire season may have stifled the state’s potential gains. Forty-seven percent – or 5.8 million – of visitors traveled to the state in the third quarter from July through September and spent 52 percent of the $3.4 billion. Travel groups spent an average of $130.75 per day, for a total of $1.7 billion during...
BOZEMAN – Just like ranchers across Montana, Montana State University student Caleb Bowey kept a watchful eye on heifers on a late February day, waiting for one to give birth. "Most of these are due tomorrow," said Bowey of the dozen pregnant cattle hanging around the front of the calving barn. "But you can only guess. When it happens, it happens." That's when Bowey and other MSU students jump into action, leading a heifer into the warmth of the barn, pulling a stuck calf out...
The Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame (MCHF) is seeking nominations for the 2018 Hall of Fame induction round. Every year, the MCHF honors living and historical figures that have made notable contributions to Montana’s western heritage. “We invite people from across Montana to identify those in their communities who are most deserving of inclusion in the hall of fame,” said Bill Galt, board president. “Nominations are open and welcome from the public at large.” 2018 marks the eleventh year of honoring inductees. The Board of...
compiled/edited by Rick and Susie Graetz, University of Montana, Department of Geography Authors' Note: This piece is excerpted from a report Clyde Fickes wrote in May 1944. It appeared in "Volume 1 – Early Days In The Forest Service." His words are excerpted with light editing. Fickes retired from the U.S. Forest Service in 1947. He died at age 103 on Dec. 29, 1987 – from an accident on the dance floor. I applied for work on the old Lewis & Clark National Forest in the spr...
Landowners have until March 15 to submit applications to Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks for enrollment in the Unlocking Public Lands Program. Through this program, landowners who agree to allow access for all general recreational use, including hunting, fishing, trapping, hiking, bird-watching, and other uses compatible with the use of public lands, for a majority of the year (at least 6 months and 1 day), are entitled to receive a $750 annual tax credit per contract. Landowners may have a maximum of four contracts per year...
On February 22 or 23, 17 antelope traveling on railroad tracks were struck by a train near Moon Creek, west of Miles City. Most of the antelope were killed on impact, but six animals were still alive and had to be dispatched by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. “On years where we get lots of snow, antelope sometimes start using the railroad tracks as travel routes,” said FWP Region 7 Warden Captain Jack Austin. “Once on the tracks, they can’t get off because the snow is so deep on the sides.” Austin went to inspect the scene...
Recently, Circle resident Jerry Schillinger filed for the Republican nomination to Montana Senate District 19. District 19 encompasses Garfield, McCone, Prairie, Carter, Fallon and most of Custer and Powder River Counties. Schillinger, a fourth generation McCone County farmer/businessman, cited the importance of preserving individual freedoms and opportunity. With an accounting degree/CPA, extensive farm business career, and having served on many boards including McCone...
Snow had been falling almost continuously for a week, and it was very cold. The temperature had only risen to minus 18 degrees. Finally, late in the day, the snow and wind stopped, skies cleared rapidly, and as the sun set the temperature plummeted. Early the next morning, on Jan. 20, 1954, the Montana and continental 48 states' record cold temperature of minus 70 degrees was observed at a mining camp near the Continental Divide a short distance from Rogers Pass near Helena....
MONTANA – On Monday, Governor Steve Bullock signed an executive order to protect net neutrality in Montana by requiring that successful recipients of state contracts adhere to internet neutrality principles. Standing alongside a group of computer science students at the same high school he attended growing up, Governor Bullock said, "for as long as you, or I, or anyone in this room has used the internet, we've had certain expectations about how things work. We've had access t...
The Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame & Western Heritage Center (MCHF & WHC) extends an invitation to all to attend the Annual MCHF Induction Ceremony & Western Heritage Gathering, Saturday, Feb. 3, 2018, at the Best Western Heritage Inn in Great Falls. “We are excited to be celebrating our 12th anniversary of inductions into the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame,” said MCHF & WHC President Jeff Bolstad. “We are honored to celebrate those who embody the qualities of our Montana communities and way of life. If you are proud of your Monta...
From a cluster of old buildings just off Interstate 15 at Monida Pass, a dirt road winds its way through dry, windswept hills before easing down into southwest Montana's high and remote Centennial Valley. If it weren't for one of the gems of the National Wildlife Refuge system – Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge – very few travelers would make their way through this nearly 40-mile-long valley. Cattlemen first ventured into the place in 1876, establishing what are now...
HELENA, MONT. - Fifty-four Montana wildland firefighters and 16 wildland engines are headed to California to assist in firefighting efforts. The state of Montana received a request from the California Office of Emergency Services Tuesday afternoon to provide critically needed firefighting resources to support the firefighting effort in southern California. Governor Bullock authorized support for California, charging the Montana Disaster and Emergency Division (MT DES) with the task of recruiting local firefighting teams. "We...
Hunters visiting FWP Region 7 wrapped up their 2017 big game season on November 26, with all check stations reporting good weather, respectable harvest rates and ample opportunities to harvest game. With minor variations in weather over the weeks, the theme of the 2017 season has been plentiful deer, plenty of chances to bag something, and hunters generally pleased with their time afield. Ashland check station Closing day was much quieter at the Ashland check station compared to previous check stations this season. Hunters ag...