Montana
Alberton's Montana River Guides a leader in river safety
The Covid-induced tourism boom to Montana introduced a new audience to the Clark Fork River. For two summers, boats, tubers, kayakers, paddleboarders and river boarders had campgrounds and fishing access sites clogged.
That visitation surge has settled, but once tasted, more people are using the incredible water resources today, and who can blame them?
Most water recreation can be done with common sense safety but whitewater rafting is best done with an experienced company unless the person behind the oars has been safety certified. That’s because it’s a far cry from rowing with your buddies from Forest Grove to the Big Eddy Fishing Access sites casting flies all afternoon.
There are several rafting companies that specialize in whitewater rafting with experienced guides that will make an incredible memory for families with lots of fun, laughter and the stories they share. The shuttle back to your vehicle is happy rafters telling their favorite parts of the day.
“The Alberton Gorge is one of the most beautiful sections of river in Montana and during the summer it has incredible scenery and whitewater opportunities. It’s our specialty! But our scenic wildlife viewing floats on gentle water are becoming more popular. And these are the heart and soul of Montana River Guides,” said Mike Johnston who started the company in 1994.
Montana River Guides has certified whitewater rescue instructors and they have been training search and rescue, fire departments, and rafting companies for many years from as far away as Costa Rica and India. They are affiliated with the Whitewater Rescue Institute and every guide is trained in swiftwater rescue. They are so secure that they are the Discovery Channel’s only choice for whitewater safety.
The foundation of the rafting company is family-oriented whitewater rafting and picturesque river floating.
“We’ve always been off the beaten path, a little bit, being in Alberton,” Johnston explained. “And the longer we’ve had our company, the more we appreciate that we are not near a national park as it’s not near as crowded. That we’re not in a part of Montana that gets overwhelmed with tourism.”
However, the business has been growing steadily as more people move into Missoula and the Spokane and Coeur ‘d Alene areas as those are the repeat customers which are a huge chunk of revenue.
“A lot of our customers are local people and families,” Johnston said. “And then their visiting friends and families come and try it out. They come back year after year. But we also have a lot of tourists who used to drive through the area but have realized there’s a lot of stuff to do here for all ages so it’s almost a destination.”
Something Johnston shares that he’s noticed in his 30 years of taking people rafting is heartening.
“Families today not only include kids and maybe grandparents, but more and more people ask about floating with their dogs. We accommodate it whenever we can. Of course, we can’t do it in big whitewater but on the scenic floats on the Blackfoot or other rivers we float, we have different sized life jackets designed especially for dogs and we’ve never had a bad experience.”
Just to ensure that other rafters might not be dog-people, the requesting party must rent the entire boat, which happens anyway with so many friends and family members.
Johnston is a director of the Mineral County Chamber of Commerce as a personal supporter of local businesses but also to refer his visitors to other local establishments. Where to eat, spend the night, play pool, fill propane tanks, campgrounds that are nearby, etc. Float information and scheduling is done online at montanariverguides.com.
Montana
Escobar, Jayapal, Members of Congress Call on Camp East Montana to be Shut Down – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) – joined by Representative Pramila Jayapal, the Ranking Member of the Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee, and 22 other Members of Congress – sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons calling for the immediate closure of Camp East Montana in El Paso. They cite urgent humanitarian concerns following multiple deaths in custody, documented unsafe conditions, and serious deficiencies in medical care.
This marks the fourth letter Congresswoman Escobar has sent to DHS and ICE leadership. The previous three letters have gone unanswered.
The letter can be found in its entirety below and here.
“Secretary Noem and Acting Director Lyons:
We are urgently calling on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS or the Department) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to shut down Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas.
Camp East Montana has been operational for six months, and at least three people have died at the site since December 2025: Francisco Gaspar-Andres, Geraldo Lunas Campos, and Victor Manuel Diaz. The El Paso County Medical Examiner has officially ruled Lunas Campos’ death a homicide, citing “asphyxia due to neck and torso compression.”
Camp East Montana was constructed in a matter of weeks and opened before construction was complete and it does not have enough federal staff on-site to provide adequate oversight. Over the last several months, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, in whose district this facility is located, has sent multiple letters to DHS and ICE regarding concerns about the conditions at Camp East Montana, and has received no responses.
According to detainees, there have been constant and consistent problems at the facility since it opened, beginning with the facility’s poor construction and poor ambient temperature control. Upon opening, the drinking water at Camp East Montana tasted foul and made some detainees sick. Detainees continue to be served inadequate meals, including food that is rotten or frozen; last fall, the facility was also consistently failing to make dietary accommodations for detainees. Detainees have shared that they have sporadic access to outside spaces and recreational areas, and that their dormitory pods are cleaned only once every eight days, despite pods housing up to 72 people at a time. Laundry services are not consistent, and people are washing their clothes in the facility showers. Additionally, the facility experiences flooding and sewage backups when it rains, leading to stagnant water.
One of the biggest concerns with the Camp East Montana facility is the inadequate medical care being provided to detainees. Our offices have heard that only the most ill detainees are referred to the medical unit and that there are inconsistencies as to how soon after arriving detainees are able to undergo initial medical screenings. Detainees with chronic health issues who rely on regimented medications for their health have had difficulty accessing necessary medications, including blood pressure medication and insulin.
At least one of the deaths that occurred in ICE custody, the death of Francisco Gaspar-Andres, appears to partially be the result of poor medical care by staff at the facility. According to ICE’s own account, Gaspar-Andres sought medical attention from facility staff for increasingly serious symptoms, but was only transferred to an area hospital once his condition had severely deteriorated.
In addition to our concerns about poor medical care, we are also aware that detainees have experienced irregular access to their legal counsel, including instances of detainees having only two minutes allotted per phone call every 8 days, which is contrary to ICE’s Detention Standards on access to counsel, and that the belatedly created law library lacks adequate resources for the amount of people currently held at the facility. In January 2026, ICE announced the on-site death of Geraldo Lunas Campos “after experiencing medical distress.” ICE opened an investigation into the death, but did not provide a cause of death. However, The Washington Post later reported that another man detained at Camp East Montana had witnessed guards choking Lunas Campos when he refused to enter a segregated housing unit. Weeks later, the El Paso County Medical Examiner ruled that Lunas Campos had experienced “asphyxia due to neck and torso compression” and ruled his death a homicide.
Lunas Campos is the first detainee to die at Camp East Montana as a result of a use-of-force incident, but we are strongly concerned that he will not be the last if ICE is allowed to continue operating Camp East Montana.
ICE was given $45 billion in taxpayer dollars in the reconciliation bill, $1.2 billion of which were awarded to Acquisition Logistics, LLC, a company with no previous experience managing immigration detention facilities, to build and oversee Camp East Montana. However, in the wake of three deaths in custody so far, continued concerns about conditions at the facility, and ICE’s apparent disinterest in responding to oversight letters from Congress, we do not believe Camp East Montana is being run professionally or responsibly.
Camp East Montana must be shut down. For the safety of everyone at the facility, for an end to abuses to detainees, and for fiscal responsibility to the American people, the site cannot continue to operate. We are calling on DHS and ICE to move to immediately close operations at Camp East Montana.
We look forward to hearing from the Department promptly on this matter.
The other co-signers include Representatives Yassamin Ansari, Nanette Barragán, Yvette Clarke, Lloyd Doggett, Maxwell Frost, Jesús “Chuy” García, Sylvia Garcia, Daniel Goldman, Jimmy Gomez, Henry Johnson, Stephen Lynch, Seth Moulton, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Delia Ramirez, Andrea Salinas, Janice Schakowsky, Darren Soto, Rashida Tlaib, Paul Tonko, Lauren Underwood, Gabe Vasquez, and Nydia Velázquez.
Issues: Immigration
We recognize you are attempting to access this website from a country belonging to the European Economic Area (EEA) including the EU which
enforces the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and therefore access cannot be granted at this time.
For any issues, contact newsroom@abcfoxmontana.com or call 406-542-8900.
Where in California are people feeling the most financial distress?
Fitness trainer with 18 years of experience shares why exercise is crucial for kids: ‘Not just about health and fitness’
Movie Review: ‘Goat’ – Catholic Review
Video: Pakistan Launches Airstrikes on Afghanistan
Video: The Web of Companies Owned by Elon Musk
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
Where Iran’s ballistic missiles can reach — and how close they are to the US
Has India’s influence in Afghanistan grown under the Taliban?
Bill Clinton to testify before House committee investigating Epstein links
Read Judge Schiltz’s Order
Vulnerable House Dem lashes out at Trump’s ‘racist’ SOTU challenge: ‘That was uncomfortable’
-
World2 days agoExclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
-
Massachusetts2 days agoMother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
-
Montana1 week ago2026 MHSA Montana Wrestling State Championship Brackets And Results – FloWrestling
-
Oklahoma1 week agoWildfires rage in Oklahoma as thousands urged to evacuate a small city
-
Louisiana4 days agoWildfire near Gum Swamp Road in Livingston Parish now under control; more than 200 acres burned
-
Technology6 days agoYouTube TV billing scam emails are hitting inboxes
-
Denver, CO2 days ago10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
-
Technology6 days agoStellantis is in a crisis of its own making