Amid unprecedented development pressure, conservation easements have kept vast tracts of northwest Montana’s timbered landscape open to the public. But after the largest sale of the region’s timberland to a private buyer in recent history, the owners of Flathead Ridge Ranch have emerged as the unlikely gatekeepers to 126,000 forested acres of prime hunting habitat.

A selection of the Beacon's best imagery from the past year

From a profile of an aerial stuntman to the consequences of a struggling timber industry to a Blackfeet member becoming a movie star, here are a few of our best stories from the last year

From backcountry cooking with Chef Dan Moe to Swift Creek Cafe's Turkish eggs, here are a few entrees, restaurants and local chefs we dished on over the last year

The closure of mental health crisis centers in the Flathead Valley has created a backlog of criminal cases involving mentally ill defendants, overwhelming the courts and leading to a growing waitlist for evaluations and treatment at the Montana State Hospital. According to experts, incarceration is the default for mentally ill defendants.

Last month, Missoula-based runner Evie Tate lowered the women’s record at the 50-mile Le Grizz footrace for the first time in nearly four decades. But even as a new generation of athletes rewrites the record books at one of the oldest ultramarathons in the world, they’re preserving the race’s rich tradition while supporting the nonprofit Glacier Institute.

Amid transformational shifts in Montana’s economy, community colleges are growing local programs for rural and tribal students, rising to meet workforce needs while expanding what it means to pursue higher education

Republican Tim Sheehy, Gov. Greg Gianforte and Rep. Ryan Zinke win as part of Republican sweep in Montana

As bull trout populations in the Bob Marshall Wilderness plummet to their lowest levels in more than 30 years, fisheries managers are seeking to limit angling opportunities originally introduced to promote the iconic species

In the Flathead Valley, Halloween celebrations boost spooky shoulder-season spending; a ninth-generation psychic finds currency in the clairvoyant; plus, Market Metrics and Financial Corner

Land and wildlife managers, timber companies, hunters, and conservationists have stitched together a checkerboard of vulnerable working forests, using easements to protect private timberland from development. With a critical piece of the puzzle coming up for final land board approval, advocates say a new model of forest management is taking shape.

A complete and ongoing updated guide to the candidates running for state House and Senate in the Flathead and Tobacco Valleys in 2024

Montana's above-average winter wheat and hay harvests were a bright spot for Flathead Valley farmers growing more reliant on landowners to lease property for production as developers gobble up open space; plus, Market Metrics and Financial Corner

Richard McAtee, a local outfitter whose repeated infractions in Montana were at the center of tensions that led to a Spotted Bear district ranger’s ouster, no longer holds a valid special use permit on the Flathead National Forest

A new report shows visitors spent $372 million in communities near Glacier National Park in 2023, infusing $554.5 million into the local economy — slightly more than the previous year. But tourism officials and hospitality leaders say that while goods and services may cost more, visitors’ spending habits appear to be trending down.