NewWest.Net Bozeman

Conversations with Missoula Artists: Meet Jason Bohman

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:20:28 MDT

Missoula is home to a plethora of artists who express themselves in a variety of media. Alexia Beckerling is venturing into the studios and performance venues of a handful of local artists and bringing back multimedia glimpses into their creative worlds. In this episode, meet Jason Bohman, a "music fusion" artist who paints on stage with the Miller Creek band.

Wolf Protections Restored in Northern Rockies, Hunting Halted

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:45:17 MDT

A federal judge in Missoula ordered today that gray wolves in the Northern Rockies be returned to the endangered species list, effectively halting planned fall wolf hunts in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy granted the preliminary injunction to reinstate Endangered Species Act protections for the northern Rocky Mountain gray wolf, as requested by the twelve conservation organizations that filed suit in April to reverse the delisting. "It's an incredibly important first step," said Suzanne Asha Stone of Defenders of Wildlife, one of the plaintiffs. "It's literally the difference between life and death for hundreds of wolves in the region."

Turbines Cropping Up at Huge Montana Wind Farm

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:26:20 MDT

Spain-based NaturEner officially (not literally) broke ground Thursday on the first phase of a 210-megawatt wind farm on the hills between Cut Bank and Shelby, the Great Falls Tribune reports. The $500 million, 140-turbine wind farm, the first phase of which is scheduled to be completed by October, will be Montana's largest. The only other of similar scale is Judith Gap (at 135 MW).

Carter's Brewing: Riding the Rails of Instant Success

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 18:07:59 MDT

Carter's Brewing of Billings is on the rails, right out the back door, in fact. At Carter's, one of Montana's newest breweries, it's not only about making craft beer, but also about railroads and trains. If you're into railway culture and history, and happen to enjoy great microbrew, add this taproom to your pub crawl.

Severely Burned Forests: One of Nature's Best-Kept Secrets

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:37:16 MDT

As summer wildfire season begins in earnest throughout much of the West, it's important for the public and policymakers to recognize the important role that severely burned forests play in maintaining wildlife populations and healthy forests. Severely burned forests are neither "destroyed" nor "lifeless." From my perspective as an ecologist, I have become aware of one of nature's best-kept secrets -- there are some plant and animal species that one is hard-pressed to see anywhere outside a severely burned forest.

Competitive Fishing Can Benefit All Anglers

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:48:37 MDT

If you've been reading the outdoor section of NewWest.Net over the past week, you'll know I've been writing about the experience of being in my first fishing tournament, the Governor's Cup Walleye Tournament on Fort Peck Reservoir. One reason I haven't been in a tournament long ago is some false impressions I had about competitive fishing, mainly my concern that it had a negative impact on fishery. Based on my limited experience, it seems that the opposite is true. Now, I believe more tournaments would mean more fishing and bigger fish for all anglers.

The New Crystal Ball for Firefighters

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:00:36 MDT

Mark Finney mouses around a computer screen and up pops an elaborate map of where the Carey Fire in Northern California is burning. Overlaid in splotches of color, he sees, more importantly, where it's likely to grow. "What we can do here and what it'll show you is mind-blowing," he says. The map is the product of the Forest Service's innovative computer-modeling program called Fire Spread Probability (or FSPro), a program Finney began developing in 2005 "to take a more strategic look at fire management." Today, its predictions are informing fire managers on how -- if at all -- to suppress hundreds of blazes around the country. Tools like Finney's are becoming increasingly important for fire managers dealing with two big shifts in firefighting that can seem contradictory: The first being the recognition that some fires are good for the forest ecosystem and therefore, not every fire should be actively controlled. The second being the push to aggressively suppress fires to protect the ever-increasing number of homes sprouting up in the Wildland-Urban Interface.

My Day with a Rancher: Standing on the Same Turf

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:43:31 MDT

Last week I spent two days with 20 ranchers and 2 journalists. Everyone except the journalists wore boots and pants. Everyone except the journalists was up early. At times I felt totally out of place, yet right at home. I know I come from a different breed, a more urban outlook. That is why I was nervous to attend the Undaunted Stewardship tour with the Montana Stockgrowers Association, knowing I would be on a tour bus, eating three meals a day with folks that I didn't think I would have much in common with, nor really know what to discuss. As a journalist, of course I'm going to undertake the challenge, and I sure didn't expect to be so enthralled, tutored and standing on the same ground as my weathered neighbor.

The Dwindling Appeal of Parks

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:42:08 MDT

The Economist has a report on declining national park visitation. Yosemite, on which the report focuses, has seen numbers drop nine of the past 13 years. Dispelling dominant thinking, The Economist writes that the drift away from nature is not to be blamed on television, video games and the internet, but, at least in part, on conservationists themselves. They're waging a broad battle against development that's limiting amenities in and around national parks. Here's the whole story.

Wilderness for Wild Gallatin Range

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:12:23 MDT

The Gallatin Range extends south of Bozeman to Yellowstone National Park. It is one of the West's most spectacular mountain landscapes and one of the most vulnerable, unprotected wildlands in Montana. The range is approximately 75 miles and averages 20 miles wide. It contains 10 peaks over 10,000 feet with Electric Peak (10,969 feet) the highest. The lower slopes are forested with aspen, Engelmann spruce, lodgepole pine, Douglas fir, intermixed with many flower-studded meadows. The higher crest of the range is alpine tundra, carpeted with wildflowers in mid summer. Covering more than 520,000 acres, it's one of the largest unprotected roadless areas left in the lower 48 states.