Good News for Grayling

The fish's population was previously critically low in the Upper Missouri River Distinct Population Segment. The Upper Missouri River runs through the state of Montana. After the past eight years of significant conservation efforts, aided by private landowners who cooperated on a volunteer basis, the federal organization has ruled today, August 18, that the efforts of conservation agencies and others to help the Arctic grayling population thrive have been enough to bring the fish significantly out of danger, enough that it no longer needs the protection of the ESA for the present time. The fish will no longer be classified as endangered under the ESA.

Private owners of land voluntarily worked with federal agencies through a Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances to improve conditions for the Arctic grayling. The CCAA has helped start over 250 conservation projects to protect the grayling in the past eight years. They have done things like improving irrigation techniques that affect waters where the fish live to improve the grayling's habitat. The grayling's population has at least doubled since 2006 because of the CCAA's efforts.

"This is a prime example of what a CCAA can do, not only for wildlife, but also for sustaining the way of life in rural ranching community," said Service Director Dan Ashe in a USDA press release. "The conservation progress for Arctic grayling would not have been possible without the amazing support we have received from willing landowners and other partners in the Big Hole River and Centennial valleys."

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Fall Driving in Yellowstone Not to be Fun

Yellowstone road constructionYellowstone National Park is giving visitors to the park this fall a heads up on some significant road construction work that will result in long detours.

The National Park Service says the road work involves two sections of Yellowstone's Grand Loop Road that will be closed due to construction after the Labor Day holiday weekend.

The road linking Old Faithful with West Thumb and Grant Village will be closed for the season starting on Sept. 2.

In addition, the road from Mammoth Hot Springs to Norris will be closed starting Sept. 14.

The road construction will cause detours that will add up to two hours or more along parts of the route.

Googling Montana

By Bill Muhlenfeld

Bill MuhlenfeldBill Muhlenfeld is owner and publisher of Distinctly Montana magazine and other publications. He lives in Bozeman with his partner, Anthea, and always finds time to enjoy the great outdoors, when he is not writing about it....

What's in a name? 

Well, if the name is Montana, quite a bit.  While googling "Montana" does bring up the Treasure State first in its search, more casual searches often overturn other cyber-rocks uncovering Joe Montana, Hannah Montana (sans twerking) and French Montana (who is he, anyway?).  This is especially true if the search involves news, videos or images, where Google seems a bit mnemonically challenged.

It seems that Montana could really never be called something else, though names were floated before statehood--"Shoshone," "Lincoln"--and there was a even move in the 1930's to lop off a piece of the state along with parts of Wyoming and South Dakota, to create a new state-"Absaroka."

For me, as likely for you, this annoyance is tolerable. Let's face it, Joe, Hannah and French are temporary obfuscations. The word "Montana" mostly conjures searches that relate to the Distinctly Montana masthead--Adventure.  Inspiration. Spirit.

That's enough for me.

Chokecherries Charm Montana's Big Bears

Grizzly bearThe Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks reports that several grizzly bears have been seen along rivers and streams east of the Rocky Mountain Front, and they asks residents to keep bear attractants contained.

"The bears are in the river bottoms following the chokecherry crop," Mike Madel, a bear-management specialist with FWP, said in a press release. "There have not been any reports of bear-human conflicts."

But bears could be drawn to populated areas by unsecured garbage cans, the smell of pet food, bird feeders, and even dirty barbecue grills.

"When bears encounter human-supplied food sources, they often have a hard time returning to natural food," Madel said. "Then, a conditioned bear will travel miles to get to a garbage can."

In June, three young grizzly bears attacked and killed two calves at the Schuler ranch along the Teton River north of Carter, about 30 miles north of Great Falls.

One of the bears was captured and relocated west of the Continental Divide. The other two bears were last seen moving west on the Teton River.

MORE>>>KTVQ

Earthquakes! Eruptions! Evacuations!

Yellowstone VolcanoYellowstone National Park and the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory posted a brief article online Friday titled "A Short Statement Regarding Recent Rumors" to help dispel rumors that have begun circulating -- again -- about a possible eruption of the Yellowstone super-volcano, reports of mass evacuations, and other such issues.

The YVO staff wrote:

We have received enough concerned emails and phone calls that we've spent some time tracking down a few of the statements made on various "alternative Internet news sources."

1) First, everyone should know that geological activity, including earthquakes and ground uplift/subsidence is well within historical norms and seismicity is actually a bit low at present.

2) Concern over road closures is much overblown. There's been one road closure of a small side road - just over three miles long - that was closed for two days. As one can imagine, it is not easy to maintain roads that pass over thermal areas where ground temperatures can approach those of boiling water. Roads at Yellowstone often need repair because of damage by thermal features as well as extreme cold winter conditions.

3) The park has not been evacuated. This one is pretty easy to verify by everyone. If the Old Faithful webcam shows people, or if news articles are coming out about a hobbyist's remote control helicopter crashing into a hot spring, Yellowstone is certainly open for business.

4) No volcanologists have stated that Yellowstone is likely to erupt this week, this month or this year. In one recent article, a name was attributed to a "senior volcanologist", but that person does not appear to exist, and a geologist with that name assures us that he did not supply any quotes regarding Yellowstone.

5) Finally, we note that those who've kept track of Yellowstone over the past decade or so, have seen a constant stream of "predictions" regarding imminent eruptions at Yellowstone. Many have had specific dates in mind, none had a scientific basis, and none have come true.

We will continue to provide updates on geological activity at Yellowstone, and educational materials to help understand the science around Yellowstone monitoring.

Montana News>>>KBZK

Teepee Capital of the World

Native AmericansA mini metropolis of teepees sprawls across the parched plains, and in the early hours of the morning the first to rise are the children.

They have an important job to do.

"We'd wake up in those tee-pees, and we were pretty happy to slip the bridles off the horses and ride bareback to the river," remembers Jim Real Bird, today a man of 58.

"We'd take the horses to the river to drink water -- that was our first job as young boys."

Each August, the rolling hills surrounding Little Big Horn River in Montana are transformed into the "Tee-Pee Capital of the World," with over a thousand tents and hundreds of horses converging for the Crow Fair and Rodeo.

Started over a century ago in 1904, the four-day festival is one of the largest gatherings of Native Americans in the country, with spectacular traditional costumes casting a luminous kaleidoscope of color beneath a brilliant blue sky.

It's also an important training ground for the next generation of rodeo stars.

"It's one of the largest Indian rodeos within the United States of America," explained Real Bird, who today teaches youngsters how to hold on for dear life in the arena.

Montana News>>>KBZK