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Following some changes to the mountain lion license structure by the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission that are now in effect, lion hunters are urged to review the regulations before purchasing a license. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks offers three types of lion licenses for sale: a general mountain lion license, a limited special mountain lion license (application only by July 22, 2022), and an unlimited special mountain lion license. You may only purchase or apply for...
Mid-Rivers Communications is offering $93,000 in scholarship funds for Eastern and Central Montana students. The Mid-Rivers Fund for Education, funded by unclaimed capital credits from members, has awarded over $560,000 in scholarships to area students. In 2023, Mid-Rivers will award 36 competitive and 18 drawing scholarships. Scholarship categories reflect the mission and values of the Cooperative and its members. This year’s scholarship program has three categories: • Dawson Community College/Miles Community College Sch...
Cold, wet weather settled into southeast Montana on Saturday and Sunday, making for a challenging opening weekend of the general hunting season. Traffic was a bit slower than usual at area check stations Sunday, and harvest success rates were down a bit due to winter weather conditions. But for the most part, hunters took the weather in stride and looked forward to more time in the field. Hysham check station Even with the cold and wet weather, most of the metrics for the...
The 2022 general election is Tuesday, Nov. 8, and as absentee ballots have already gone out, odds are that scores of Montanans are already busy filling in their votes. If you're not registered yet, are planning to vote at the polls, or are still confused about what election laws may or may not be in effect right now, Montana Free Press has endeavored to make things a little easier with our 2022 Election Guide. And since the legal landscape has been such a moving target this...
Due to ongoing misuse of State Trust Land associated with recreational shooting – including public safety concerns, shooting debris left on site, and concerns that private property will be further damaged – the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation announced that two new firearm restrictions will be implemented on the affected lands in Gallatin County. Restrictions go into place on November 12 of this year, with an additional seasonal restriction going into place in the spring of 2023. The mix of temporary and yea...
The Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame & Western Heritage Center (MCHF & WHC) recently announced their 15th class of inductions into the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame. The inductees were chosen from a field of candidates nominated by the general public. Inductees are honored for their notable contributions to the history and culture of Montana. “The Hall of Fame exists to honor those who have made an impact in their part of the state and represent Montana’s authentic heritage for future generations,” said DuWayne Wilson, MCHF & WHC p...
For rural businesses looking to expand, purchase equipment or launch their business, Eastern Plains Economic Development Corporation (EPEDC) would like to announce that the State of Montana has been awarded $60 million dollars in federal funds to assist small Montana businesses with expansion and job creation. The MT SSBCI Loan Participation program will be used to assist existing Montana businesses that need additional funds to stabilize, pivot, expand, or re-start their business and to assist new Montana businesses...
Miles Community College will be holding the First Interstate Athletic Hall of Fame induction banquet on Saturday, October 22. This year’s event will include a social hour, dinner, and hall of fame induction ceremony. The banquet will begin at 6 p.m. at the Town & Country Club in Miles City with a no-host social hour with dinner served at 7 p.m., followed by the induction ceremony. Montana radio personality Rocky Erickson of Rocky Erickson Sports will emcee the event. This year’s Hall of Fame class includes former Miles Com...
University of Montana law professor and Montana Constitution expert Anthony Johnstone has been nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as a judge for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the White House said Friday. Johnstone is currently the Helen and David Mason Professor of Law at the University of Montana's Blewett School of Law, and he published a book on the Montana state Constitution this year. His past experience also includes serving as an attorney in the Montana...
SOUTHEAST MONTANA Multiple years of drought have taken a toll on bird numbers. While harvest in 2021 was around average, this year’s lek counts are down compared to 2021. Poor recruitment last year, little available habitat and some severe late snowstorms have had an effect on birds. This year will be very similar to 2018. The area is coming out of a tough drought and has received moisture this year. The habitat looks great compared to prior years, which is good news. The bad news is that the low bird numbers, paired with g...
In the coming weeks, anglers will have several opportunities to comment on fishing regulation proposals for the 2023/24 regulation booklet. FWP Region 7 will host a public meeting in Miles City on Wednesday, Sept. 7 at Miles Community College, Room 106, beginning at 7 p.m. These proposed changes to fishing regulations were developed by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks staff after working with the public on identifying what changes were needed in the current regulations. In all, 42 proposals for the 2023/2024 Montana Fishing...
Olivia DeJohn laughs as she chalks up having found a classroom she loves so early in her teaching career to serendipity. She teaches second grade at Missoula's Paxson Elementary School, a job she quips "fell into my lap." She did her student teaching at Paxson while getting her master's degree at the University of Montana and, as a result, was asked to serve as a long-term substitute for an educator who had to go on leave. "Originally when I heard second grade, I was like,...
The Montana Department of Livestock recently completed a training exercise to improve response to a foreign animal disease in a Montana swine herd. The four-day event was conducted in partnership with the National Pork Board and the Montana Pork Producers Association and involved a simulated detection of African Swine Fever (ASF); a swine disease that has recently been detected in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Traditional methods of disease control such as quarantine, vaccination, and early marketing are insufficient to...
Are you ready for hunting season? FWP can help. In addition to the following hunting forecast, FWP provides online information about hunting access, including our popular Block Management Program. Through the program, we coordinate with landowners to provide hunting access to more than 7 million acres of private land. The interactive Hunt Planner map allows users to look at information for various species, including hunting districts and regulations. The hunt planner interactive map is a great way to access our block...
On Aug. 12, a large contingent of the McDonough family gathered under a shady new day-use shelter atop a breath-taking overlook at Makoshika State Park. They were there to share family memories of time spent at the park, and to dedicate the McDonough Pavilion that they had helped to fund in memory of Russell and Dora McDonough. The family, some of whom are based in Glendive, donated $70,000 for the project. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks contributed $15,000 and significant s...
Last summer, wildfires burned half of John Bailey's 25,000-acre ranch in Rosebud County. With much of his pasture up in smoke, Bailey had to purchase hay to help feed his cattle. He says he spent about $90,000 on hay this past winter as a result of drought and fires in 2021. He also had to replace fencing and change his herds' grazing patterns to accommodate the burns, an expense of time and money. "Oh my God, I thought I'd never have to deal with this in my lifetime again,"...
On Tuesday, Governor Gianforte announced meat processed in Montana facilities more than doubled in the last fiscal year. “Montana meat processors continued their strong momentum, more than doubling the amount of meat processed over the last year,” Gov. Gianforte said. “This news is a testament to the Montana work ethic, and it’s a strong signal that our targeted investments in local processing are working.” According to data collected by the state’s Department of Livestock Meat and Poultry Inspectors at state-inspe...
On Tuesday The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it will invest $25 million this year for the Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) On-Farm Conservation Innovation Trials program. Through CIG, partners work to address our nation's water quality, water quantity, air quality, soil health and wildlife habitat challenges, all while improving agricultural operations. The On-Farm Trials component of CIG supports widespread adoption and evaluation of innovative conservation approaches in partnership with agricultural...
Visit Southeast Montana announces the new Executive Board of Directors for 2023. Sabre Moore, chair, represents Carter County; Jessica Malone, vice-chair, represents Powder River County; Morgan Belveal, secretary-treasurer, represents Musselshell County; and Jeff Ewelt, past-chair, represents Yellowstone County. Other members of the Visit Southeast Montana Board of Directors include Beth Epley (Fallon Co.); Vicki Leesburg, Amber Malenovsky and Angela Mendoza (Custer Co.); Norm...
President Joe Biden announced his intent to appoint five U.S. Department of Agriculture regional positions, including three Farm Service Agency State Executive Directors and two Rural Development State Directors. Maureen Wicks has spent over 30 years working for and representing Montana farmers. From 1985-1995, Maureen was involved in WIFE (Women Involved in Farm Economics) and served as its Hi-Line Chapter president. In 1998, Wicks became the first woman elected to the Liberty County Farm Services Administration, where she...
The U.S. Postal Service raised the price of mailing a first-class letter effective Sunday. A “forever” stamp now costs 60 cents. In addition to the two-cent price increase on first-class stamps, other postal services will also cost more. The list includes: The additional ounce rate for single-piece First-Class letters will increase by $0.04, from $0.20 to $0.24. The metered mail rate for First-Class one-ounce letters will increase by $0.04 from $0.53 to $0.57. Postcard stamps will increase by $0.04 from $0.40 to $0.44. Intern...
Seats are still available for an in-person Hunter Education class scheduled for July 22-24 in Miles City. To register, visit https://register-ed.com/programs/montana/32-montana-hunter-education-classroom-course. There is no cost to participate, but students must be at least 10 years of age by the time class starts. Once registered, students must pick up study materials at the Miles City Fish, Wildlife & Parks office by Friday, July 15. They should read the manual and complete...
A new resident of Fallon County was found recently – after being missing for millions of years – but unlike the popular Jurassic Park movie franchise, this dinosaur from the distant past is from the Cretaceous Period. And, unlike the latest Hollywood movie, it will not be rampaging through the county. The fossilized remains of a Triceratops skull were discovered in June by a visiting group of students and scholars in a local geological formation. According to Devin Sch...
A proposed property tax cap and three other ballot initiatives supporters had hoped to put before Montana voters in November's general election are dead in the water after failing to meet signature-gathering thresholds, their respective backers have said. The failed proposals included CI-121, which would have amended the state Constitution to dramatically reconfigure Montana's tax system by capping residential property taxes. That initiative, sponsored by Bozeman attorney...
Governor Greg Gianforte recently announced the state is accepting applications for $5 million in grant funding to assist tourism reliant businesses impacted by flooding in Carbon, Park, and Stillwater Counties. “Last week in Gardiner, I met with the owner of a hotel who showed me an inch-thick stack of cancelations she’d received in the four days since flooding began,” Gov. Gianforte said. “Folks who rely on visitors for business are hurting, and these funds will help get them back on their feet as their communities recover a...
