Independently reported news stories of Montana's people, land, water and wildlife.
FORT BENTON – Climate-change activist Leonard Higgins received a deferred sentence Tuesday for his part in an October 2016 effort to bring attention to climate change by shutting down pipelines carrying Canadian tar-sands through four U.S. states.
Read MoreA bill that would require the monitoring and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions produced in Montana may not get a fair hearing due to a capitol room swap.
On Wednesday, Sen. Mike Phillips, D- Bozeman, was to present Senate Bill 190 to the Senate Natural Resources committee. Recognizing that climate change is worsening and will cause hardship for many Montanans from farmers to fishing guides, the bill would direct the Board of Environmental Review to develop rules for reducing and capping greenhouse gas emissions in the state.
Read MoreWhile polls repeatedly show that a majority of Montanans value open lands for recreation, hunting and fishing, some have assumed that those in the east - where private property predominates - cared less. Now a new poll finds that eastern Montanans don’t think too differently from those in the rest of the state.
A bipartisan team of pollsters asked the opinions of more than 500 Montanans on everything from energy sources to public land issues between Sept. 1 and Sept. 8. They found that overall, a majority supports renewable energy; phasing out Colstrip instead of fighting to keep it open; funding public-land access programs; and protecting rivers with federal designations.
Read MoreYou’ll never know how many rocks look like mountain goats until you’re trying to find a goat in Glacier National Park.
As bison are to Yellowstone National Park, mountain goats are the iconic species of Glacier Park. Their image appeared on early posters advertising the park, and tourists flock to photograph the goats that frequent Logan Pass. So some find it concerning that, just like the glaciers, mountain goats might be dwindling in Glacier Park.
Read MoreThe Obama administration’s final proposal for an annual budget would allocate $13.4 billion to the Department of the Interior for everything from wildfire suppression to funding for scientific research. But with a Republican-led Congress in an election year, parts of the budget could fall by the wayside by September.
Read MoreA number of passions have their “porn”- photos or films of epic adventures that most will never experience. For the next few weeks, Montanans will cast off their lined Carhartts and cabin fever and get a taste of summer while watching the 2016 Fly Fishing Film Festival with other angling fanatics.
But amid the documentaries showing men perfecting marlin fishing off the Virginia coast or howling over bass fishing in Guyana, one film steps back a little from the fish fetish to present a call to action.
Read MoreHunters, wildlife advocates, religious leaders and those concerned about climate change have one thing in common: they don’t like environmental destruction caused by coal. But economic factors rather than protests will probably be coal’s undoing.
Read MoreThe 2015 water year has ended, and the next has begun, but neither look good for Montana’s water supply.
On Thursday, the Governor’s Drought and Water Supply Advisory Council heard the details of the toll that this hot summer took on water in most of the state. The implications for next year are bad, because the forecast is for a hot, dry winter.
Read MoreI have returned refreshed, but my trip did nothing to reduce my concern over what climate change is doing to Montana and the planet.
I hiked in on the Rocky Mountain Front south of Glacier National Park near Dupuyer. We had high temperatures of mid-80s going in and the heat increased each day. But the 90-plus temperatures that Montana has endured since June have already taken their toll.
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