Under the proposal, portions of the West Reservoir Project would occur in Jewel Basin recommended wilderness area and core grizzly habitat, where forest officials describe a need to improve forest health and restore whitebark pine
Even non-hunters would benefit from having a setter around to maintain a warm spot on the couch
Wildlife and conservation groups say commissioners didn’t properly notice the proposal, denying an opportunity for public comment
Evidence of the contagious neurological disease in the Flathead Valley first emerged last fall; this is the first detection of chronic wasting disease by wildlife officials with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes
A multi-year infrastructure improvement project in the Swiftcurrent Valley will restrict personal vehicles in the park’s popular Many Glacier area, prompting park officials to devise a temporary, limited shuttle service to accommodate visitors
Some of us live for winters in the desert like this, with quail cavorting about like they just found paradise
Calling the project “ill-conceived” and framing it as a “clearcut” in lynx habitat, the four conservation groups say Flathead National Forest’s plan to reduce wildfire hazards on 9,000 acres of forest around Tally Lake violates federal law
In a highly anticipated move that generated immediate backlash against the Biden administration, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommended establishing a single distinct population segment encompassing grizzly bear habitat in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho
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.
Things look pretty good in western Montana the first week of January from a snowpack standpoint
The effort had been supported by some conservationists as one of the most significant forest preservation efforts in decades
The Flathead National Forest had hoped to complete a draft plan and environmental assessment by fall 2024 and make it available for public review. Instead, resource managers on Jan. 6 published a “proposed action” document setting forth user capacities and scheduled a pair of open houses for later this month.
Local, state, tribal and federal agencies detected and prevented 42 mussel-infested boats from entering the Flathead watershed through over 100,000 boat inspections in 2024
Department of Livestock and FWP join Gov. Gianforte in suing the park over its plan to increase the park’s bison population and increase tolerance for bison presence outside of park boundaries
Delisting is a sign of success
Federal regulators on Friday afternoon published a record of decision approving a cleanup remedy for the contaminated aluminum plant property near the Flathead River. Federal and state regulators estimate that the actual cleanup activities, once initiated, will take two to four years to complete.
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
