Bitterroot National Forest

The Bitterroot National Forest Tuesday re-opened the objection period for mountain bikes in wilderness study areas, following a court order to do so.

A handful of backcountry mountain bike, snowmobile and off-roading advocate groups filed a lawsuit challenging the Bitterroot Travel Plan.

The final plan closed roughly 62 miles of trails to mountain bikes in the Sapphire and Blue Joint Wilderness Study Areas that weren’t part of the initial draft plan, and therefore were not subject to public comment. The Forest’s 2016 travel plan remains in place.

As Montana's fire season winds to a close, crews are closing-in on the handful of fires still burning across Western Montana.

Federal land managers are planning controlled burns in the Bitterroot and Blackfoot Valleys.

The Bitterroot National Forest is planning to start prescribed burning projects as early as this week, depending on weather. Fire managers plan to burn 2,200 acres this fall.

Glacier National Park lifted evacuation warnings for portions of the park on Tuesday.

Recent rainfall has moderated activity on the Howe Ridge Fire, burning on the northwest side of Lake McDonald.

In Glacier National Park the Howe Ridge Fire is now estimated at more than 11,000 acres. Despite continued growth, though, fire managers say they’re making good progress shoring up protections along Going-To-The-Sun Road.

Rain in western Montana Monday did little to slow fire growth across the state.

"Well it’s a mixed blessing," said Jay Nichols, a spokesperson assigned to the Monument and Wigwam Fires burning south of Ennis. "So obviously wind isn’t a good thing, rain’s a good thing, but I don’t know that it will be a substantial amount of rain."

Congressman Greg Gianforte was in Montana Tuesday talking about wildfire. The Republican was in Hamilton holding a field hearing which started on an unusual note.

Updated and corrected: 5:35 p.m., 07/30/18

Twenty fires have flared up in the Kootenai National Forest, all caused by lightning from weekend storms.

Most of the fires are only burning a few acres, but the Davis Fire is now reported at 1,000 acres in size, according to a post on the Kootenai National Forest Facebook page. A fire spokesperson told MTPR Monday afternoon that the Davis fire was only 50 acres.

Update 5:45 p.m.

Fire mangers report little activity on the Bacon Rind Fire burning near Big Sky on the Gallatin National Forest. New flights show the fire at 393 acres, up  from around 340 acres yesterday, according to the fire's public information officer. Crews are monitoring the fire with an eye on forecasts calling for continued hot, dry weather. Mangers are working on plans for fighting the fire if it moves closer to Highway 191. 

UPDATE 6:00 p.m.:

The Wawa wildfire is no longer considered a threat to critical sage grouse habitat on the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge.

Winds have pushed the fire away from grouse habitat and firefighters have taken a more managerial position, allowing it to burn within the control lines the crews put up.