Greetings, Beacon Nation! Tristan Scott here, wishing you all a warm Monday afternoon after a bracing start to the work week. As the frost recedes and the sun peeks out from its gauze of cloud cover, the Beacon’s newsroom staff is doing our best to jumpstart the week by sharing critical news and information from throughout the Flathead Valley, including shining sunlight on the local effects of the federal government shutdown.

For many of us, the federal budget apparatus and the institutions it nourishes may appear to function on autopilot in the initial days and weeks following a shutdown. But the early-indicator lights aren’t so easy to ignore in gateway communities to Glacier National Park, which on Saturday closed the alpine section of its famed Going-to-the-Sun Road due to winter weather. Whether the road reopens before the snow flies in earnest remains to be seen, particularly since the Department of the Interior furloughed all but the park’s most essential workers on Oct. 1.

Unrelated to the government’s shutdown, the cooler temperatures that October ushered into the Flathead Valley have also had a chilling effect on the region’s dry fly fishing, although on sunny days fish will still rise to tiny dries. Our native westslope cutthroat trout have mostly moved toward their wintering areas, which for Middle Fork fish means their tributaries. Look for them near the mouths of tributaries in mellow runs. Most cutthroat trout on the North Fork are migratory, moving to Flathead Lake for the winter. You’ll find them on the lower stretches. The large October caddis that emerged in September have also not been as active lately, but the world of trout fishing did deliver a bright fin-flash of economic news.

More on that as we hook into the rest of the Daily Roundup.

In the 33 years since the late Robert Redford brought us “A River Runs Through It,” Montana’s fly-fishing tourism industry has grown by magnitudes. After spiking by 60% in 1992, the year the movie was released, the Treasure State’s seemingly indefatigable pastime has endured a 280% increase in nonresident fishing pressure while also surviving drought, reduced streamflows and warming water temperatures. And while studies have predicted that future climate change may cost Montana $192 million per year in revenue by 2080, a new report from the University of Montana’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) in partnership with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) reveals that angling is still a blue-ribbon boon to the state’s economy.

According to the report, in 2024 more than 450,000 anglers spent a combined $1.27 billion in fishing trips in Montana, with the lion’s share of that spending generated by nonresident cold-water trout fishers. Cold-water fishing (mostly for trout) was responsible for about $1.1 billion in trip-related expenditures, with more than 70% of that coming from nonresident anglers.

“Montana’s amazing angling opportunities are no secret, but this research shows just how important fishing is to communities and businesses around Montana,” FWP Director Christy Clark said in a prepared statement.

While the total economic output was lower for warm-water fishing, it still supports steady economic activity on a more local level, according to the report. Warm-water species include northern pike, walleye and bass, angling for which generated more than $170 million in expenditures, with two-thirds of that coming from Montana residents. These trips are typically more frequent and localized, the report notes, making them an important economic driver for rural communities that may not see other tourism activities.

“The large economic impact of fishing reflects the high quality of Montana’s fishery resource and related services,” according to BBER Director Jeffrey Michael. “The biggest spending categories are accommodations, outfitters and guides, and restaurants, which support thousands of Montana jobs.”

The study found the following:

Cold-water Fishing 

• Supported 14,355 jobs
• Generated $385.3 million in personal income
• Contributed $828.4 million in value-added
• Resulted in $1.35 billion in total output
• Nonresidents accounted for more than 70 percent of cold-water-related spending

Warm-water Fishing 

• Supported 1,623 jobs
• Generated $41.9 million in personal income
• Contributed $90.7 million in value-added
• Resulted in $147.6 million in total output
• Two-thirds of warm-water spending came from Montana residents

View the full report here.

Now let’s get caught up on the rest of the Daily Roundup.

What You Can Buy for About $2,500,000: In Romy Caro’s latest real estate roundup, she features a Victorian home on Flathead Lake in Dayton; a 46-acre luxury estate in Kalispell’s West Valley; and a Whitefish residence in the Elk Highlands neighborhood. See all the listings here.