Drought conditions are getting worse across much of Montana and it’s going to take above-normal springtime snow and rain to break out of the spiral.
That’s what experts told members of the governor’s Drought and Water Supply Advisory Committee Thursday during their first meeting of the year.
Pockets of extreme drought have gripped the Lincoln area and the Blackfoot watershed.
Severe and moderate drought is reported across most of western, southern and northeast Montana. Abnormally dry conditions dominate almost all the state.
There are two noteworthy exceptions: areas of Glacier and Musselshell counties report no drought.
Experts are taking a wait-and-see stance before making any drought predictions this summer.
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About a third of Montana is public land. A new survey by the University of Montana’s Crown of the Continent and Greater Yellowstone Initiative suggests most Montanans want to keep it that way. Eighty-five percent of Montanans polled said they would support a ban on the sale or transfer of public land. -
From the slopes of Whitefish, researchers are using ski resorts to gather valuable data – and seeds, that could help restore forests. In some regions of Montana, over 90 percent of whitebark pines have died. -
The U.S. Forest Service wants to reserve timber harvests from three national forests in Montana for processing at local lumber mills. It’s relying on an 80-year-old law to do so. Montana Free Press environmental reporter Amanda Eggert has been following the plan for a “sustained yield” of timber from three national forests in Montana and joined MTPR’s Austin Amestoy with more. -
Montanans are being told to eat less fish in some areas of the state. A new report from the Montana Department of Environmental Quality says high levels of PFAS are present in fish in the Fort Peck Reservoir, the East Gallatin River, the Missouri and the Clark Fork, among other locations. -
Snowpack in the West typically reaches its peak in early April but that hasn’t happened this year. Drought persists, setting up conditions for wildfires and low water supply. This warm, snowless winter points to a warming climate and trouble for Montana farmers. -
Education nonprofits and advocates say the state isn’t investing enough in Montana’s schools. Earlier this month, they proposed a $1.7 billion plan to state lawmakers that would boost education funding.
