As fire season heats up across Montana, officials say people living in areas prone to wildfires should be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice.

As much of the nation broils under a scorching heat wave, Montana is emerging from days of heavy precipitation and unseasonably cool temperatures. Experts say that could lower the fire potential in the state this summer.

Missoula is the first, and only, city in Montana to manage parks without the use of pesticides. While the city has piloted this approach in several parks, some residents would like to see the efforts expand.

Montana has some of the largest intact grassland ecosystems in North America. And that same land is also cattle country. Collaborations and innovative techniques that try to bring biodiversity back – from the soil to the sky – are on the rise in Montana, finding a way to try to balance running cattle, saving birds, and maintaining the last of the prairie.

Knapweed and leafy spurge don't have many fans in these parts. Nobody makes the drive from Texas to pose with them and post the photos on Instagram. Invasive species aren't usually something to celebrate, because they can wreak havoc on native ecosystems in ways impossible to undo. But other invaders have gotten a much warmer welcome. One listener wonders why some non-native species – like brown trout and rainbows – are so valued in Montana.

Eight-hundred acres of western Montana habitat is now protected from future development. A new conservation easement helps anchor a safe passage for wildlife to move between valleys.

The U.S. Forest Service has faced budget and staffing cuts under the Trump administration, and a new analysis shows those cuts are impacting how much land the agency is able to treat to prevent wildfires.

It’s tempting to assume Montana’s summer wildfire season is going to be severe following our windy, dry and warmer-than-average winter. The official outlook released last week, however, paints a more nuanced picture.

A federal appeals court rejected a suit filed by 22 young Montanans that challenges several executive orders signed by President Trump in early 2025.

Mountain goat populations have been on the decline in Montana for 70 years. Researchers are working to learn more about the nimble climbers, which means going where the goats go – and that's easier said than done. But no mountain is too high, no weather too extreme to stop us from answering this week's question: What happened to the mountain goat population in the Bitterroot Mountains?