Environment

With the respiratory season around the corner many Montanans are getting their annual flu shot, but humans aren’t the only ones getting their vaccines ahead of the winter. Biologists are trying to protect bats from a deadly disease.

The proposed Sheep Creek mining exploration located near the pristine headwaters of the Bitterroot River continues to draw intense scrutiny. A mining company is eyeing rare earth elements that are used for many technological applications. They are seeking federal and state approval to explore what’s below ground. Local community groups are monitoring the area’s water quality in case the project moves ahead, looking to ensure it stays clean.

State wildlife officials met last week to vote on new regulations and an easement. After lots of discussion and public comments, the Montana Fish & Wildlife Commission ruled on a variety of action items, from fishing regulations to frogs to motorboats.

More than a dozen Montana organizations are suing the state’s utility oversight board over climate concerns. They argue that by not accounting for climate change, the Public Service Commission's decisions can have major environmental, economic and health impacts for Montanans.

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.