Nick Mott

In Montana, we're used to hitting the water in our tubes, rafts or waders and going wherever the river takes us. Anyone can recreate on streams in the state below the high-water mark — no matter who owns the land beneath them. This isn't possible in most of the country. How did we end up with such strong stream access protections, and what does the law's future look like?

If you've ever seen or experienced a pickup pull alongside or in front of you and then belch out a huge cloud of black or gray exhaust — well, you've just been coal-rolled. But why?

Major flooding in south central Montana has destroyed homes, roads and bridges. Reporter Nick Mott lives in Livingston, where the Yellowstone River crested around 11 p.m. last night. He describes what the town looks like today.

States neighboring Yellowstone National Park have eased rules on hunting wolves, resulting in the most being killed in nearly a century

Last year, two neighboring states loosened restrictions on hunting wolves outside Yellowstone, resulting in a spike in deaths. Locally that's politically popular, but biologists see problems.

The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission voted 3-2 to increase wolf harvest by allowing neck snaring and trap baiting statewide, night hunting on private land and other changes to the season. The new rules permit “aggressive” hunting measures not seen in Montana for decades.

Big wildfires create their own weather, and can even spawn tornadoes swirling with smoke and flame. Researchers are trying to determine how often they occur.

A state fish and wildlife committee Friday finalized regulations designed to reduce the wolf population in the state using a suite of new hunting tools not seen in Montana for decades.

Wildfires have torched almost 800,000 acres in Montana so far this year. But burns in eastern Montana’s grass and farmland and western Montana’s mountainous, timbered landscape behave very differently. Freddy Monares spoke to MTPR reporter and editor on the podcast Fireline Nick Mott about the different types of fires in Montana.

A state committee dedicated to regulating Montana’s wildlife is expected this week to finalize regulations that could expand wolf hunting to levels not seen in Montana in decades.