Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Montana
Posted inDecember 11, 2017: Scorched Earth
Why Western wildfires are getting more expensive
This year’s fire season was the costliest on record, burning more than 9 million acres.
Posted inDecember 11, 2017: Scorched Earth
In a burning West, wildfire smoke threatens public health
Montana hospitals handled an increase of respiratory-related problems this year.
Posted inArticles
The Sprague Fire, as it happened
Seasonal Glacier National Park ranger Daniel Lombardi tracked the path of fire’s destruction in photos.
Posted inArticles
After Oroville, officials across the West review dam safety
The California dam’s spillways are ready for rain as safety officials prepare for future catastrophes.
Posted inArticles
A new national monument – in Zinke’s home state
Interior threatens to shrink boundaries at Western sites, but Badger-Two Medicine might get designated.
Posted inNovember 27, 2017: Profit and Politics
Photos that trace migrations through Yellowstone
Ungulates overcome highways, rivers and other barriers while roaming the region.
Posted inArticles
Hunters, it’s long past time we stood up for gun control
Hunting isn’t under attack, but our freedom from violence is.
Posted inNovember 13, 2017: Solace and Perspective
Deer at recess; Stranded in Kanab; A brain-eating mantis
Mishaps and mayhem around the region.
Posted inArticles
A water-bottling plant creates a rift in Montana
Opponents say a proposal is tilting Flathead Valley development toward corporate interests.
Posted inArticles
A glimpse of a family in the shifting West
A Montana family balances raising small children with the challenges of modern-day ranching.
Posted inArticles
‘Diabolical’ mussels begin their march into Montana
Divisions between state and tribal agencies could keep the door open for a most unwelcome visitor.
Posted inArticles
Farm-to-table beef relies on native grasses
A rancher focuses beyond his herds and gets to the root of sustainability.
Posted inOctober 2, 2017: Following Ancient Footsteps
Public land is the essence of freedom
A hunter reflects on the gut-level connection she has to the public land she traverses.
Posted inArticles
Confederate monuments are glorifications of inequality
A memorial comes down in Montana at the urging of American Indian leaders.
Posted inArticles
The West’s dramatic wildfire season, explained
A fire ecologist on how it happened, and why communities will have to adapt.
Posted inSeptember 4, 2017: The Elwha, Unleashed
Awake at night and listening to coyotes
Man-made sounds elicit a wild ruckus in the Bitterroot Valley.
Posted inArticles
Blame for wildfires gets pinned on ‘environmental extremists’
Montana’s lawmakers slight climate change as a main driver for the state’s blazes.
Posted inArticles
The fire season by the numbers
Fire agencies are preparing for the eclipse hordes, in the midst of a large fire season.
Posted inArticles
What I learned from Iraqi and Kurdish students in Montana
Seeing encounters between foreign students and rural Westerners was eye opening.