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Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking public input on how it should move forward with developing shooting ranges throughout the state. An online survey is open now to gauge public interest in shooting ranges and public opinion on what should be included when considering the development of new shooting ranges or improvement to existing shooting ranges. This 10-minute survey will help gather detailed information to guide efforts throughout the next five to 10 years. FWP recently launched a Shooting Range Development...
The new school accreditation rules in ARM 10.55 took effect on July 1, 2023. School accreditation standards include rules on curriculum, class sizes, teacher and staff qualifications, Indian Education for All, and student learning assessment to ensure all students receive a quality education. The new accreditation process has three steps: 1) Assurance Standards To determine the assurance standards levels a 4-point system will be utilized: Family and Community Engagement, Professional Development, Academic Programming...
Working with the 68th Legislature, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) and the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) simplified licensing requirements on state lands as part of Governor Gianforte’s Red Tape Relief Task Force. The two agencies consolidated the conservation license and state lands recreational use license into one annual conservation license, supporting the maintenance of places like fishing access sites (FAS), wildlife management areas (WMA). On Montana school trust lands, conserva...
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is kicking off the biennial hunting season-setting process earlier to allow for more public engagement and greater transparency. Public involvement will begin in June and end in November. In the past, public involvement happened primarily in December and January. Scoping meetings will take place around the state from June 15 to July 15. FWP Region 7 has scheduled two public meetings: Thursday, July 6 from 6-8 p.m. at FWP's Miles City...
Beginning this week, elk hunters interested in how Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks manages elk will get a chance to weigh in on the new draft elk management plan. The plan will be available on FWP’s website at fwp.mt.gov/aboutfwp/public-comment-opportunities/draft-elk-plan. The public is invited to comment on the plan; deadline for comments is July 31. “We’re anxious for public input on this new draft plan, particularly on the hunting district objectives and the suite of management tools we have laid out,” said FWP Directo...
While the population remains strong, wolf numbers did again fall slightly in 2022, according to the 2022 Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Wolf Report. "We're meeting the legal requirement to reduce wolf numbers and we're doing it at a measured pace we know will keep the population healthy, sustainable, and above recovery levels," said Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Director Dustin Temple. The estimated wolf population for 2022 was 1,087 wolves. This is down 56 wolves from 1,143...
Montana income taxpayers may notice extra money in their bank accounts or a rebate check in the mail next month. The Montana Department of Revenue will begin issuing rebates of 2021 individual income taxes to over 530,000 qualifying Montana taxpayers beginning July 3. The department anticipates distributing most rebates by August 31. Best of all, taxpayers do not need to apply for the rebate. “Montanans overpaid their taxes, and we’re giving it back,” Governor Greg Gianforte said. “I look forward to getting this money b...
Beginning this week, hunters can sign up for leftover licenses and permits that were not distributed by the drawing through MyFWP on the FWP website. The resulting Surplus License List will be randomized with hunters at the top of the list contacted via email with instructions to finalize their purchase within a specified time. To be placed on the Surplus License List, resident and nonresident hunters can sign up through the MyFWP portal. This process requires hunters to keep their email address current in their ALS record....
The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation recently deployed a Type 2 hand crew comprised of 22 wildland firefighters to Alberta, Canada, via the Northwest Wildland Fire Protection Agreement (Northwest Compact). “The State of Montana is happy to lend a hand to our neighbors to the north,” said Cory Calnan, Deputy Fire Protection Bureau Chief. “We as Montanans have greatly benefited from the convenience of the Northwest Compact and the ability to receive resources from Canada and other partner states when...
Agricultural producers and landowners in Montana interested in conservation opportunities for their land in exchange for yearly rental payments can find many possibilities through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (Continuous CRP). This option offers conservation benefits similar to others, like General and Grassland CRP, but also offers unique flexibility and several program choices. “Creating sound conservation and climate-smart options for the agricultural community are...
Average gasoline prices in Montana have risen 3.6 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.66/g Sunday, according to GasBuddy's survey of 615 stations in Montana. Prices in Montana are 19.2 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and stand 125.5 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has fallen 1.6 cents in the last week and stands at $3.87 per gallon. According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Montana was priced...
While large swarms of grasshoppers or mosquitoes have been typical summer fair for the region over the past few years, they are being joined by another group this year: miller moths. In recent weeks, area residents may have noticed that there has been a significant increase in the moth population, and while they may not be the most harmful insect around, their presence has certainly been noticed. According to Montana State University entomologist Dr. Robert Peterson, it has been a combination of factors that have allowed the...
Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen announced on Friday that 2024 Annual Report filing fees will be waived for all Montana businesses. The elimination of the Annual Report filing fee will result in millions of dollars in savings for Montana businesses. “Our Montana businesses work hard to provide services and products to their communities, and I want to make it easier to do business in Montana,” said Secretary Jacobsen. “I previously cut registration fees in half for Montana businesses, and our state has exper...
The Montana Department of Revenue is mailing property classification and appraisal notices to all owners of residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural land properties. These notices are not tax bills. They include the department’s determination of market or productivity value and the taxable value for your property that will be used by your county treasurer to determine the property taxes owed for tax year 2023 and 2024. “It’s important that Montana property owners review this information,” said Brendan Beatty,...
Craig Anderson was officially confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the next U.S. Marshal for the state of Montana on June 7. The only thing left to do to make the appointment official is a sign off by the president, which is expected to be done with Anderson expecting to be able to start his new job in the coming weeks. Anderson was nominated as the next Marshal in November by President Joe Biden after receiving a recommendation from Sen. Jon Tester. "It's an honor and a privilege...
Property owners throughout Eastern Montana with environmental cleanup and revitalization needs may have an opportunity to secure funding resources following a $2.25 million grant issued recently to the Great Northern Development Corporation. At the end of May, GNDC announced its grant award from the Environmental Protection Agency, authorized under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will help fund “dozens of assessment, cleanup and redevelopment projects” on properties that require an EPA Brownfields Study. Properties requiri...
Just how religious is Montana? Given the highly personal nature of faith, there may be few concepts harder to quantify. However, the U.S. Religion Census makes an effort once a decade regardless, tallying the number of congregations associated with different denominations and their self-reported membership county-by-county across the nation. Notwithstanding the "God's County" nickname regularly applied to Montana's landscape by faithful and secular-minded residents alike, the...
On the night of June 12, 2022, a storm system began dumping rain on the Beartooth Range of northern Wyoming and southern Montana. Over the next 24 hours, about four inches fell on the still snow-covered peaks of the northern Rockies. The rain-on-snow effect drove a rapid loss of mountain snowpack. Because of this, streams and rivers quickly swelled out of their banks, and quiet mountain towns were slammed with flash floodwaters. Bridges, roads and homes in and around...
Mid-Rivers Telephone Cooperative, Inc. members gathered at the Richland County Event Center in Sidney, Montana, on Tuesday, May 23, 2023, for the Mid-Rivers Annual Meeting. Items of business included electing three Cooperative Trustees, informing members of the cooperative's financial performance and future plans, and awarding scholarships to area students. Kali Godfrey, Executive Director of the Sidney Chamber of Commerce, gave the welcome speech and thanked Mid-Rivers for...
Earlier this month, Montana's Board of Regents approved a series of tuition increases for resident and nonresident students on university system campuses over the next two years. For in-state students, that means the cost of higher education will grow 4% per year in 2024 and 2025. For out-of-state graduate and undergraduate students, the increase will be roughly 6%. As Deputy Commissioner for Budget and Planning Tyler Trevor told regents during their May meeting, the primary f...
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will host a Trapper Education Field Day on Sunday, June 18 from 8 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. at the Miles City Region 7 headquarters. To purchase a Montana resident Class C trapping license, residents aged 12 and older must now complete a Montana Trapper Education course or have purchased a trapping license in at least three prior years in Montana or another state. Non-residents are exempt from the trapper education requirement, as they cannot purchase a...
Makoshika State Park will host a 3-D Archery Shoot for youth and adults on Saturday, June 17 from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. The event will be in the park at the archery range, with concessions provided by the Glendive Lions Club. Shooting fees are $20 for adults 18 and older, $10 for youths 6-17, and kids 5 and under are free. All proceeds will go to support upkeep of the archery range and targets in Makoshika. Participants can come and go as they wish between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. There are no prizes and no scoring for this event....
The switchback road at Makoshika State Park is closed to vehicle traffic following formation of sink holes after the most recent rain event. This public safety closure will remain in effect until further notice. There is currently no access to the new picnic shelter, the amphitheater, some trails and primitive camping sites located above the switchback. Hike/bike traffic is still permitted at this time. The Makoshika Visitor Center, Canes Campground and other facilities below the switchback are open normal hours of operation...
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is again accepting applications for its Habitat Conservation Lease Program. A habitat conservation lease is a voluntary, incentive-based agreement between FWP and private landowners in which the landowner commits to specific land management practices that protect priority wildlife habitat. In turn, FWP pays landowners a one-time per-acre fee for the lease. These agreements will have a term length of 30 and 40 years. As it has for decades, FWP is still pursuing conservation easements and land...
After a closer review of the licenses that were mistakenly over-drawn last week, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is going to allow the drawing to stand for one bighorn sheep license type and two moose license types. For sheep license 482-20 the quota was supposed to be 15, but FWP mistakenly allocated 20 licenses to hunters. For moose licenses 270-50 and 341-50 the quota was two, but FWP mistakenly allocated three. In these three circumstances, the number of licenses drawn are within the quotas set by the Fish and Wildlife Com...
