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After 20 Years of Lawsuits, Wolverine Listed as Threatened
Doug Chadwick was dancing in his living room in Whitefish. the wolverine as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Only about 300 wolverines exist in the Lower 48, mostly in the Northern Rockies and Northern Cascades, and the snow-dependent species is threatened by climate change, low genetic diversity, habitat fragmentation and an increasing human footprint, the service found.
Outrage in Wyoming Erupts Over Public-Land Auction
There’s a 640-acre parcel of magnificent, state-owned public land in Wyoming that’s set for auction tomorrow unless the state changes its mind. Simply put, this small inholding, known as the “Kelly parcel,” should never be privatized—never. It is one of the most awe-inspiring and important pieces of open space remaining in America. Within Grand Teton National Park, its borders include the National Elk Refuge and Bridger-Teton National Forest. Its value was appraised in 2022 at $62.4 million. However, the director of the Office of State Lands and Investment just recommended a starting bid of $80 million.
Lethal Rotenone Plan Aims to Trade Wilderness Rainbows for Cutthroat
Montana’s picturesque Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, just north of Yellowstone National Park, holds reams of recreational opportunities including hiking, backcountry skiing and fishing. The latter is due to the human introduction of rainbow trout beginning in the 1930s across the wilderness area, including in Hidden Lake, which flows into Buffalo Creek.
Glory is not Just in the Going
To slow down and take in the wonder of Nature is to recognize the spirituality and wonder of our environment. I was driving down Montana’s Highway 89 recently to one of my favorite spots: Cottonwood Bench Road. Making my way through a tree-heavy section known as “Deer Alley” near my home in Clyde Park, I saw wild turkeys in the road just ahead of me. I immediately put on my emergency lights, as I always do when I see wildlife close to the driving lane, and stopped to watch two adult turkeys and about a dozen small ones running all over the place—maybe a first exploration away from their home territory.
Breeding Pair of Eastern Owl Species Spotted for First Time in Grand Teton
The full-bodied, baritone hoots of barred owls are an iconic sound of wooded swamps across the southeastern U.S. These birds—comparable in size to great horned owls—can be found in every state east of the Mississippi River says the National Audubon Society. So, when wildlife biologists heard a pair...
The Evaporation of Water in the West
Bozeman is growing at breakneck speed. As its population ripples outward, the city looks to combat supply and demand challenges with a new water conservation plan, the first of its kind in Montana. CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Bozeman's 2013 Integrated Water Resources Plan called...
With CWD finally confirmed in Yellowstone National Park, Predators Could be Yellowstone's Salvation
The mule deer staggered as he tried to follow the timeless instinct telling him it was time to go. The aspen leaves were yellowing, nights getting longer. Other members of the Upper Shoshone herd had already started their 60-mile trek back through the Absaroka Mountains to their wintering grounds west of Cody, Wyoming. But even though he was only about four years old, his starved body wouldn’t work, and he was so thirsty. He had summered on the Promontory, a southern peninsula surrounded by Yellowstone Lake, but the water hadn’t been able to quench his thirst. Shaky legs splayed, he stood looking at the water, long ears drooping. Drool dripped from his mouth as he tried to focus. Finally, his legs buckled.
Montana unveils first wolf management plan update in 20 years
This year’s wolf quota was reduced from 450 to 313 following slight population decreases since 2020. In Montana, gray wolves are about as controversial as they are stunning. The canids were effectively eliminated from the state by the 1930s due to hunting, and were only reintroduced following their 1973 listing under the Endangered Species Act. Reintroduction efforts in Greater Yellowstone beginning in 1995 were successful and wolves were delisted in 2011. As a result, rather than the federal government, individual states manage wolf populations within their boundaries.
Yellowstone, Montana Officials Disagree on Bison Management
Montana and Yellowstone National Park have disagreed for years about how to manage Yellowstone bison. Those tensions recently ratcheted up. Once roaming the Great Plains in the tens of millions, the American bison is arguably one of the West’s most iconic species. After a near brush with extinction, roughly 20,500 Plains bison are now in conservation herds across North America, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a quarter of which call Yellowstone National Park home. Nearly a quarter million more live in commercial herds.
Wildland Firefighters: Slash and Burn?
As wildfires rage hotter and spread faster, federal wildland firefighters on Nov. 17 face fiscal pay cliff, slash in workforce. Wildfires have become an increasingly dire problem facing the American West over the past two decades as a combination of climate-related changes and inadequate forest management have created the perfect conditions for large, frequent burns. To extinguish these fires—and to proactively mitigate fire risk before burns start—we rely heavily on the work of roughly 19,000 federal wildland firefighters who are currently facing a steep pay cliff.
The Past 30 Years in Yellowstone, Part 2: Dan Wenk
EDITOR’S NOTE: Yellowstone National Park has undergone a litany of changes over its lifespan since 1872 when it was named the first national park in the U.S. It’s also witnessed incredible triumphs in the face of increasing visitation, devastating flooding, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the challenges associated with managing wildlife numbers, staffing and relationships with the three states in which it resides: Montana, Wyoming and Idaho.
To Protect a Section of Precious Land
A month ago, the Wyoming Board of Land Commissioners announced it was considering auctioning a 640-acre section of State Trust Land surrounded by Grand Teton National Park and Bridger-Teton National Forest. This has sent antennae of concern skyward among Teton County residents. Why?. Because Grand Teton National Park surrounds it,...
Ecosystem Engineers: Wyoming Beavers Deployed to Repair Wetlands
In Wyoming, land managers are relocating ‘nuisance’ beavers to enhance riparian areas. Their dams can even curb wildfires. Crews of furry, buck-toothed trail crews may be the future of repairing streamside erosion. Beavers, and their penchant for building dams using sticks, mud and stones, have been effective in helping vital wetland areas retain and purify water for centuries. In fact, many of the flat, willow-dominated landscapes in valleys across North America today were formed by the trickledown effects of beaver dams.
Dan Stahler: Yellowstone Wolf Project's New Alpha
The new lead biologist for the Yellowstone Wolf Project is following big footprints. He’s taking cues on resilience from mentors, science and the wildlife he studies. For biologist Dan Stahler, flying over Yellowstone National Park in search of wildlife never gets old. Recently, as he helicoptered over a land painted with aspen yellows and whortleberry reds, he spied an animal moving through the trees: cougar.
Bridging the Divide: How to decrease wildlife-vehicle collisions
Now is the time to implement wildlife accommodation measures on our local highways. That’s the key takeaway from the U.S.-191/MT-64 Wildlife and Transportation Assessment recently published by the Center for Large Landscape Conservation and Montana State University’s Western Transportation Institute. According to a 2022 National Park Service report...
The Past 30 Years in Yellowstone, Part 1: Cameron Sholly
EDITOR’S NOTE: Yellowstone National Park has undergone a litany of changes over its lifespan since 1872 when it was named the first national park in the U.S. It’s also witnessed incredible triumphs in the face of increasing visitation, devastating flooding, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the challenges associated with managing wildlife numbers, staffing and relationships with the three states in which it resides: Montana, Wyoming and Idaho.
Seen from Above
In his essay, Todd Burritt writes on mountain climbing, sense of place, and the second edition of 'Select Peaks of Greater Yellowstone'. In seeking to understand the motivation of the climber, the non-climber can take their choice of riddles. It was almost a century ago that George Mallory sought Everest's summit, “because it's there.” Did his words become more profound, or less, when he died for the same reason? In 1967, Art Davidson opted for an unprecedented winter ascent of Denali so he might “eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in peace.” But it doesn't matter which version of the story one chooses, the basic facts remain: Getting to the top requires time, expense and risk. And for what?
A Small Exercise in Hope for Greater Yellowstone
In trying to rid an area of invasive plants, MoJo columnist Susan Marsh explains how even small acts of conservation count. For the past couple of years, I’ve participated in “Thistle Thursdays” during which a group of volunteers spends the morning attempting to tamp down the steady march of musk thistle along a popular trail near Jackson, Wyoming.
MOJO RISING
A letter to readers from the Mountain Journal Board of Directors. EDITOR'S NOTE: Many of you have heard the rumors that Mountain Journal is closing its doors. This is not currently the case. Please read the below letter from MoJo's Board of Directors. We value you, our readers, allies and supporters, and look forward to taking the next steps together.
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