Montana Untamed

Moose were nearly exterminated in Montana in the early 1900s, with their population estimated to have numbered around 100 animals. Now their populations are estimated at somewhere between 9,800 to 11,700 animals A 10-year study conducted by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks into the state’s moose population has provided greater insight to the animals. The study was conducted

Snow-dusted peaks towered in the background, cows lowed in the expansive rangeland and cowboys on horseback moved heifers and steers off trailers. There wasn’t a film camera in sight, but it sure looked, sounded and felt like a scene straight out of the hit television show "Yellowstone.” And Wes Seward certainly looked the part donning his black cowboy hat and worn-in c

It’s the limestone cathedral of the Smith, the caddis hatch on the Madison, the rushing emerald water of the Flathead that draw more and more people to the arterial waterways of Montana’s wild country. That’s just to name a few. Anyone who’s spent time on a river in Montana in the past decade probably saw a variety of people using the waterways.  Especi

The series starts with five billboards outside Livingston, Montana and from there it winds through the half-century saga of the Endangered Species Act. The Wide Open, podcast and radio series from Montana Public Radio and the Montana Media Lab tells the story of our changing relationship with the landmark environmental legislation and how it reveals as much about living with each o

Two years after the public learned of a controversial plan to drastically expand Holland Lake Lodge in western Montana’s Swan Valley, a new suitor is trying to purchase the historic lakeside lodge in far northern Missoula County.  A wealthy businessman originally from Great Falls and a partner teamed up to make the purchase. But after overwhelming public opposition to th

The 16th Biennial Scientific Conference on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem held at Big Sky recently covered a wealth of topics about the region, which includes southwestern Montana. Brett French, outdoor editor at the Billings Gazette, attended one day of the three-day event. From that, he’s written stories regarding the pressures facing the region that national park and fo

For at least a decade, a pair of great gray owls have made their nest each spring in the top of a broken cottonwood tree trunk on the Blackfoot-Clearwater Game Range northeast of Missoula. They fledge chicks almost every year, and they’ve become increasingly popular with wildlife photographers — including professionals — who appreciate the nest’s easy access

Next year, for the first time in more than 100 years, farmers and ranchers across Montana’s Hi-Line region will face a summer without irrigation water. Normally, water from the St. Mary River is diverted into the Milk River, which runs through north-central Montana towns like Havre and Malta.  But the infrastructure that moved the water failed in June, and it won’t

Pronghorns, also called antelope, are one of the coolest animals in Montana. They have lived in North America since the last ice age when woolly mammoths and cheetahs roamed the region. Those animals are gone, but the pronghorns remain. For four years Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks scientists, aided by graduate students, conducted a study of eight pronghorn populations across t

On July 18, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks reported a member of its staff had killed a male grizzly bear that had been raiding homes, businesses and garbage cans in the Gardiner area for weeks. Repeated attempts to trap the 15-year-old bear were unsuccessful. The bear was shot while in the Yellowstone River, about 4 miles north of Gardiner and the North Entrance to Yellowstone