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Answers to your questions — big or small — about anything under the Big Sky.
An illustration shows a person standing on a mountain with the sky in the background shouting "why."
The Big Why (get it?) is part of MTPR’s commitment to community-led journalism, telling the diverse stories of Montanans like you.

Join us in this collaborative! Ask your questions about anything under the Big Sky and we’ll help dig up the answers.

No question is too big or too small for the Big Why. Let's see what we can discover together!
  • An oil company comes in, drills a hole and a well is born. But what if the well stops producing or the company in charge goes bankrupt, leaving behind holes that can be thousands of feet deep, spout toxic gasses and muck things up on the surface? These so-called 'orphan wells' are all over Montana.
  • "How's life? Are you liking life okay? Are you aware that you're living a really unusual life for a deer? I just got really curious because you can’t ask a deer how it’s feeling. So I thought I’d ask you guys and see if you had some insights."
  • The Ringing Rocks is a roadside attraction people have been visiting for a long time. It's a big heap of boulders that give off a resonant bell-like ringing sound when struck with metal; at least theoretically. A listener wants to know what makes these rocks ring.

How it works

The Big Why is sponsored in part by:


Your questions answered

The Big Why team

You
A curious Montanan
Reporter & Producer
News Director
Digital Editor
Capitol Bureau Chief
Northwest Montana and Statewide Health Care Reporter
Morning Edition Host and Reporter
Associate News Director
Environmental Reporter
Southwest Montana Reporter