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Couple build unauthorized house in Glacier National Park

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Couple build unauthorized house in Glacier National Park


California couple John and Stacy Ambler are in the midst of a legal fight to keep their home after building it without permission in Glacier National Park in Montana.

Newsweek contacted the Amblers’ legal team, the Flathead Conservation District’s legal team, and the Friends of Montana’s Streams and Rivers for comment via email.

Why It Matters

National parks in the United States are under constant pressure from environmental damages. While the Ambler house is small, allowing it to remain could have major ramifications for how construction in national parks is handled in the future.

The case could also set a precedent for how these kinds of disputes are handled.

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What To Know

The Amblers built their home on the McDonald Creek, in Flathead County, Montana, but they quickly faced opposition over environmental issues.

“Glacier National Park did not ‘allow’ the construction on this private property,” the Flathead Conservation District said in a January 2024 court filing. “Glacier National Park has no regulations related to construction on private property. There are rigorous rules related to construction within Glacier National Park (and all federal lands), none of which were complied with by the plaintiffs…The plaintiffs obtained no valid permit, contract or agreement with the United States.”

The Amblers are now facing a federal lawsuit after suing the Flathead Conservation District, arguing that private inholding properties inside the national park are immune from state law as they are a federal jurisdiction.

According to Cowboy State Daily, the Amblers’ home is located in an area where there are no floodplain designations from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) because it wasn’t mapped. Due to this, the county is limited to regulate floodplain development.

The Amblers’ new neighbors, who were annoyed at the loophole that they used to try and continue building the home, organized the Friends of Montana’s Streams and Rivers (FMSR), which campaigns to protect the integrity of the park’s streams.

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The Cowboy State Daily reported that the house can be seen from a nearby bridge, where neighbors keep tabs on the property as they continue to organize against it.

Glacier National Park in Montana is seen on October 19, 2023. California couple John and Stacy Ambler are in the midst of a legal fight to keep their home after building it without permission in…


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What People Are Saying

Rob Farris-Olsen, an attorney representing Friends of Montana’s Streams and Rivers, said in a statement to the Cowboy State Daily: “It’s frustrating. There’s no continuity of regulation between downstream and upstream. For Wyoming, there’s not a lot of inholdings within Yellowstone. And the ceding of the Grand Tetons to the feds, that was very different than Glacier. I’m not really sure how much of an effect this will have on future Wyoming cases. However, it creates this regulatory void for a lot of inholdings because there’s no building permits necessarily.”

What Happens Next

The case remains ongoing in federal court. If the Amblers are successful, the court could grant them immunity from state law, allowing them to keep the house.

Do you have a story we should be covering? Do you have any questions about this article? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com.

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Griz outlast power outage, surge to big win – University of Montana Athletics

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Griz outlast power outage, surge to big win – University of Montana Athletics


The power went out inside Dahlberg Arena on Wednesday evening, delaying the opening tip of the Montana men’s basketball game by nearly two hours. Once the electricity returned to campus, the Grizzly men lit things up inside Dahlberg Arena.
 
Montana reached the 100-point mark for the third time this season, winning 102-46 over the Salish Kootenai Bison.  The Grizzlies improved to 6-5 on the season with the win.
 
As a team, Montana shot 70.5 from the floor and 44.0 percent from three-point range. It’s the first time since 1968 that Montana has shot over 70 percent from the floor in a game. It’s also the 5th best shooting percentage by a D-I team this season.
 
Money Williams had a double-double, his third of the season, finishing with 10 points and 11 assists. It’s the second time in Williams’ career that he has finished with 10 assists in a single game.
 
He wasn’t the only Grizzly to reach double figures in the assist department. Tyler Isaak recorded his first career double-double with a new career high 10 assists to go along with 16 points. It’s the first time in program history that two different players have recorded 10 or more assists in the same game.
 
It was a highly efficient night for Isaak, who played just 24 minutes and went 6-of-7 from the floor.
 
It was a complete team effort for Montana with 10 of the 11 players dressed scoring in the contest. Connor Dick (15) and Amari Jedkins (13) both scored career highs in the victory.

 
The Grizzlies had seven players reach double figures, the most in a single game in program history. Te’Jon Sawyer (13), Brooklyn Hicks (13), and Tyler Thompson (11) joined the previously four mentioned players in double figures.
 
The assists played a big role in that with Montana sharing the ball plenty. They recorded 30 team assists on the night, the second most in a game in program history. The Grizzlies had a 5:1 assist-to-turnover ratio on the night.

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The Grizzlies held Salish Kootenai to just 27 percent shooting and a 6-of-30 (.200) mark from three-point range. Montana’s size played a huge factor on the night as the Grizzlies outrebounded the Bison 47-25 and outscored them 60-20 in the paint.
 
Montana scored 16 points off dunks as they broke out into the open court on several occasions for highlight reel slams. They also owned a 22-0 advantage in fastbreak points.
 
Montana jumped out to a 13-2 lead before the first media timeout and never looked back in win. They set the tone early from the three-point line, opening the game 4-of-7 from the arc to help build the early lead.
 
It was a balanced first half offensively and the Griz were able to go on five individual runs of at least six straight points with nine different players scoring in the opening 20 minutes. The Grizzlies went 8-of-17 from the arc and shot 65.5 percent from the field in the first half.
 
Williams’ 8th assist of the opening half went to Amari Jedkins. The Grizzly forward knocked down a corner three to send Montana into the halftime break ahead 50-17.

 
The Grizzlies didn’t let up in the second half, going on two separate 12-0 runs and winning the second period 52-29 for the big victory.
 
Montana will get a week off before returning home next Wednesday night to face Montana Tech at 7:00 p.m. The Orediggers are 8-3 on the season.
 





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Live Updates: Montana State leads SFA 7-0 in the first quarter

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Live Updates: Montana State leads SFA 7-0 in the first quarter


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Frigid Friday – several inches of snow in parts of the area

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Frigid Friday – several inches of snow in parts of the area


A band of moderate snow has formed from the Cut Bank area, extending southeast across Chouteau, Fergus, and Judith Basin Counties. Be alert for low visibility and slick road conditions. Icy conditions continue in Lewis & Clark and Broadwater counties, where snow fell on top of ice after some freezing rain overnight. Up to a 1/4″ of ice has been reported on cars and sidewalks. Freezing rain may mix in again this morning as milder air begins to move back in.

Today’s Forecast:

Frigid Friday, several inches of snowfall in parts of the area-Friday, December 12

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It will be a frigid today, with high temperatures in the 0s and lower 10s across central and eastern Montana, and mid to upper 30s in Helena.

The snow band will continue throughout the day, bringing several inches of snow to areas east of I-15. The band of snow will gradually push east tonight, impacting Blaine, Phillips, and Valley counties overnight. Snow showers taper off by Saturday morning.

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Expect difficult driving conditions through Saturday morning, especially east of I-15 and into the mountains.

Arctic air slowly retreats north on Saturday. Temperatures start off in the -10s to near 0 on the Hi-Line and in the 0s for central Montana, then climb to the 0s and 10s for the Hi-Line and 10s to 20s in central Montana by Saturday evening.

Meanwhile, it will be a pleasant weekend in Helena with temperatures in the low 40s. A gusty breeze develops on Sunday, as temperatures warm nicely into the low to mid 40s in central Montana and into the 30s in northeast Montana.

Looking ahead to next week, mild and windy conditions kick off the workweek, followed by active weather returning midweek.

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