Environment

Local hikers, hunters and more shared their personal backcountry experiences at a rally in Missoula last week as the U.S. Forest Service considers a major policy change for roadless lands.

Fourteen black bears were killed last week following an investigation at a Bozeman-area home. Game wardens say the bears had stopped relying on natural foods and were completely unafraid of humans.

“Unprecedented.” That’s the word wildlife managers keep using to describe bear conflicts in Red Lodge. “This year has really been kind of off the charts in terms of conflicts,” says Chrissy Webb, a spokesperson with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.

More than 900 bison owned by American Prairie are at the center of a national debate. The Bureau of Land Management wants them off of federal grazing allotments in northeast Montana. A judge says they can stay temporarily. MTPR's Caroline Weiss sat down with Montana PBS reporter Matt Standal to learn more.

The Environmental Protection Agency announced changes to lead cleanup in Butte, as work continues to clean up toxic legacy mine waste in the city. The decision cut the threshold that triggers cleanup of lead in soils within priority residential areas by nearly a third.

State officials confirmed a case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, or HPAI, in a small, commercial flock of Ravalli County chickens Thursday; Glacier National Park officials Thursday announced that Tularemia was detected in a beaver.

Wildlife officials killed a grizzly bear Tuesday evening near Augusta in response to livestock depredation. Three cattle carcasses were found in the area. Officials say all were killed by a grizzly bear.

Pollution from mining activity in British Columbia is ending up downstream in Montana and Idaho, threatening the health of these shared waterways. A new film by the Idaho Conservation League highlights Indigenous communities impacted by it and solutions in the works. MTPR’s Caroline Weiss caught up with the director, Jennifer Ekstrom.

State wildlife officials Tuesday released more information on Montana's latest bear attack. According to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, evidence collected at the site of the incident confirms a hunter was attacked by a grizzly bear Monday morning.

A Montana man was attacked by a bear Monday morning while he was archery hunting near Augusta.