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Environment

Montana news covering wildlife, public lands, natural resources and more.

Bear Attacks Mountain Biker In Southern Montana, Authorities Say

By • May 26, 2020
Grizzly bear. Stock photo.
iStock

BILLINGS, Montana (AP) — A mountain biker was attacked by a grizzly bear Monday near the southern Montana community of Big Sky, according to authorities.

Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks spokesperson Morgan Jacobsen told the Billings Gazette that the man was able to walk away and find help. He was airlifted to a hospital with injuries to his face and back and is stable in critical condition.

UM Researcher Studies How Living Things Affect The Atmosphere

By Breanna McCabe • May 26, 2020
UM Associate Professor Ashley Ballantyne talks about studying the intersection of Earth's living creatures and its atmosphere in May 2020.

University of Montana Associate Professor Ashley Ballantyne is a bioclimatologist.

“And what that means is I study how the biosphere and the atmosphere interact,” Ballantyne says.

The biosphere is Earth’s surface layer that contains all life: humans, plants, animals, microbes and soil. The biosphere has a disproportionately big impact on the atmosphere above it, according to Ballantyne.

Glacier Park's Stoneflies Occupy More Habitat Than Once Thought, Researchers Say

By • May 22, 2020
Researchers survey for stoneflies in the backcountry of Glacier National Park, Sept 1, 2019. Two species of stonefly were listed as "threatened" due to warmer water, drought and diminishing meltwater from vanishing glaciers.
Nick Mott / Montana Public Radio

Aquatic insects living at high elevations in Glacier National Park may be more resilient to impacts from climate change than was once thought. That's according to a study published this week. Populations of various other species are still expected to decline and potentially go extinct.

Initial Bond For Central Montana Copper Mine Set At $4.6M

By • May 22, 2020
Black Butte Copper Project, project facilities site plan.
Montana DEQ

Operators of a central Montana copper mine will be required to post a $4.6 million bond before construction can begin, according to state officials. The Independent Record reported it will be the first of multiple bonds the company will need to pay to mine near White Sulphur Springs.

Judge Nixes Bid To Stop Coal Sales That Trump Revived

By • May 22, 2020
The moratorium on major new coal leases on federal land that the Obama administration announced today, is either long-overdue or the latest offensive in the ongoing war on coal. That depends on whom you ask.
BLM

A judge threw out a lawsuit Friday from a coalition of states, environmental groups and American Indians seeking to revive an Obama-era moratorium against U.S. government coal sales on public lands in the West.

U.S. District Judge Brian Morris said President Donald Trump's administration had fixed its initial failure to consider the environmental impacts of ending the moratorium.

Wildlife Services Will Limit Use Of Cyanide Traps In Montana

By • May 19, 2020


A federal agency agreed to temporarily limit how and where it kills wildlife that threaten livestock in Montana. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reached the settlement in federal court with WildEarth Guardians May 14.

New Areas of Montana Seeing Cases of Chronic Wasting Disease

By • May 19, 2020

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks on May 19 announced the first suspected case of chronic wasting disease in a new area in the southwest corner of the state.

Public Comments Open For Potential Expansion Of Stillwater Mine

By • May 18, 2020

The state of Montana released its draft environmental assessment for a waste disposal facility expansion at a hardrock mine in south central Montana and now seeks public comment.

Montana Spring Water Storage 'Normal' Heading Into Fire Season

By • May 18, 2020


A new report from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation is tentatively hopeful about Montana’s spring water outlook heading into fire season.

Yellowstone, Glacier Leaders Urge Flexibility, Restraint As Parks Prepare To Reopen

By • May 18, 2020
Area Closed sign and barricade in front of a national park sign.
Breanna McCabe / MontanaPBS

The National Park Service is beginning to test public access in some of its parks across the country, and Yellowstone National Park will allow visitors to enter the park through its Wyoming gates beginning Monday, May 18. Glacier National Park remains closed, but both parks prepare to open access in Montana in the coming weeks.

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