Environment

For the last 25 years, intrepid groups of teens have set out to explore, document and preserve some of the most fragile ecosystems around Montana: caves. Ahead of National Cave Week, Montana Public Radio’s Ellis Juhlin joined them for a trip deep into the Judith Mountains.

Montanans could see their power bills spike this year, but by how much is still up for debate. Utility regulators Tuesday heard public comment on NorthWestern Energy's latest request to hike electricity rates. The hearings are scheduled to run through June 20.

Amid ongoing federal efforts to revitalize the timber industry, an annual intertribal timber symposium took place in Montana last week.

Missoula urban foresters the last 10 months clearing debris left by a powerful storm that tore through the region last July.That storm and another in August destroyed thousands of trees in western Montana. Now, volunteers and grant dollars are helping fill in that lost canopy.

For decades, people have been trying to find the ivory-billed woodpecker, convinced it’s still out there, despite many – including the federal government – claiming it’s gone extinct. But some avid birders are convinced it still exists. Some think they’ve seen it. Today: A bird lost to extinction, or maybe just the deep, dark Southern hardwood forest. The search for the ivory-billed woodpecker.

Five grizzly bear deaths have been confirmed in Montana so far this year. Montana ranchers may qualify for meat processing settlement funds. Deer ticks, carriers of Lyme disease, detected in eastern Montana

Sixteen young Montanan’s made headlines when they sued the state – and won – for failing to act on climate change. Republican state lawmakers lambasted the decision. They fast tracked a suite of bills during the 2025 legislative session to limit the ruling's impacts.

New laws signed by Gov. Greg Gianforte set aside tens of millions in marijuana revenue for conservation and wildlife habitat improvements, including the construction of wildlife crossings over busy roads.

The Milk River Project provides drinking and irrigation water to thousands of people along the Hi-Line. After a catastrophic failure in 2024, managers say irrigation will soon be restored in part. And, a lawsuit filed by conservation groups alleges water quality violations in Big Hole River management.

Grizzly bears in the Northern Rockies could soon be managed as a single population if a proposed federal rule is finalized. That could make it harder to remove federal protections for bears in the future. The public comment period, which ends May 16, has generated a lot of input.