Dry as a bone

Fire conditions in western Montana couldn't be much worse.

Rivers closed to fishing

More bad news on Montana waters, as Fish, Wildlife and Parks moves to close rivers to fishing to protect wild trout. See the story here and here.

Firehole fish kill

High temps are killing fish in the Firehole river in Yellowstone NP. Let's hope this isn't a sign to come for Montana rivers, though I'm not optimistic.

Check the latest conditions on Montana rivers here.

Sign of the times

Residents of Georgetown Lake are fighting a subdivision that will increase the housing density along the lake shore.

Go for it, MWF

Montana Wildlife Federation officials are contemplating a ballot initiative that would affirm once and for all the public right to use highway easements to access rivers at bridge crossings.

The legislature's failure to pass such a law in either the 2005 or 2007 sessions — combined with the intransigence of the Montana Stockgrowers Association, which isn't helping its membership one bit by continuing to stick a finger in the eye of Montana hunters and anglers on this issue — may mean it's time to bypass Helena. Such an initiative would easily pass, I predict.