wildlife

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 collaborative group of state and federal agencies that manages grizzly bear recovery across the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem met this week. The group discussed bear conflicts, population numbers and how to manage a growing bear population with a smaller team.

In 2023 the Blackfeet Nation released bison into the Chief Mountain area along the border of Glacier National Park. The release was part of a plan to build a free roaming herd in a place bison had been absent from for more than 100 years. One listener wants to know where those bison are now.

In the '90s, whirling disease hit trout populations hard in Montana, at one point leading to a 95% decline in rainbow trout in the Madison River. It sparked concern among biologists, anger in tourist towns and even played a role in a murder mystery novel. It also inspired this week's question: What's happening with whirling disease and other threats to trout?

A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Forest Service to reexamine how a cattle grazing plan for areas north of Yellowstone National Park could impact grizzly bears.

Montana has one of the highest rates of wildlife-vehicle collisions in the country. House Bill 855, carried by Billings Republican Representative Katie Zolnikov, creates a way to fund wildlife crossings to fix the problem.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has published its final statewide wolf management plan. This is the final step in updating the 22 year-old document that guides how the agency manages wolves.

As grizzly bears continue expanding eastward outside of federal recovery zones, landowners are prepping for life with their new neighbors. Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks is hosting a series of Grizzly Bear Educational Workshops in central Montana.

The Mission Valley is home to abundant wildlife populations, and in the winter, it’s known as a hot spot for birds of prey. A group of researchers and birders is counting raptors to ground that reputation in hard data.

Montana wildlife officials this hunting season completed a record number of tests for Chronic Wasting Disease. Fish, Wildlife and Parks says it tested more than 9,000 samples since the fall, and 3 percent came back positive.