Montana

Kayaking in Montana? Don't Forget This Lawful Step

Published

2 years ago

June 22, 2024

Kayaking in Montana? Don't Forget This Lawful Step

My wife and I love watching the TV series Yellowstone Wardens. Animal Planet/Discovery produces the series. The reality show is a camera crew following Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Game Wardens as they go about their day in Regions 1 through 7.

Most of the action in the series occurs during hunting season. It amazes me how many hunters either don’t know (or refuse to obey) the simplest rules of hunting in Montana.

Photo by Leonhard Niederwimmer on Unsplash

Summer in Montana means hitting the rivers and lakes.

Some episodes of Yellowstone Wardens are filmed during the summer, and in these episodes, most of their encounters with the public occur on the water. With thousands of locals and out-of-staters enjoying our lakes and rivers during our short summer season, the wardens have their hands full.

In one episode we recently watched, much of the footage was filmed near Canyon Ferry, where the wardens spent most of their day inspecting watercraft for invasive species, checking for unapproved fishing bait, and valid fishing licenses. They also pulled over a handful of kayakers.

If you kayak in Montana, you’re required to stop at watercraft checkpoints.

Wildlife officials in Montana are very concerned about invasive species, particularly mussels. Boaters know they must stop at any watercraft inspection station they encounter.

If you think a kayak isn’t a boat, you’re wrong in the eyes of the law. Kayakers are required to stop too. ALL watercraft from boats and jet skis to kayaks, canoes, rafts, and paddleboards must stop at the checkpoint or risk a ticket. There are additional rules and regulations for bringing a watercraft to Montana from out of state. See them HERE.

12 Horror Movies Inspired By Real Events

It always feels a little scarier knowing something like this really did happen.

Gallery Credit: Emma Stefansky

LOOK: The decline of pay phones in every state

Gallery Credit: Stacker

Source link

Click to comment

Montana

9K residents without power in Flathead Co.

Published

11 hours ago

March 21, 2026

Press Room

9K residents without power in Flathead Co.

KALISPELL, Mont. — Flathead Electric reports more than 9,000 customers in Flathead County are currently without power.

Officials say the outage is due to a transmission service disruption from Bonneville Power Administration.

Their outage map currently shows 9,700 outages.

The BPA outage is also affecting Lincoln Electric customers Eureka, Rexford and Trego. Close to 6,000 outages are reported on their outage map.

BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT

NBC Montana will continue following this story for updates.

Source link

Montana

Montana finalizes 2026 primary candidate list

Published

23 hours ago

March 20, 2026

Press Room

Montana finalizes 2026 primary candidate list

HELENA, Mont. — Montana’s 2026 primary election ballot is taking shape after a busy candidate filing period that drew hundreds of hopefuls.

Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen and the Montana election team finalized the list of candidates after 380 total candidates filed between Feb. 17 and March 4. Of those candidates, 19 withdrew from their races.

Six independent candidates are still waiting to qualify via petition before being added to the general election ballot.

The following was sent out by the Office of the Montana Secretary of State:

Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen and the Montana Election Team have completed ballot certification for Montana’s 2026 Primary Election, finalizing the list of candidates who will appear before voters on Tuesday, June 2.

Pursuant to Montana law, county election administrators certify local candidates for the primary ballot in their respective counties, while the Secretary of State’s Office certifies the names and designations of statewide and state district candidates, including candidates for federal, legislative, and certain judicial offices.

The Montana Commissioner of Political Practices (COPP) notified the Secretary of State’s Office and the county election administrators of any candidate(s) whose name(s) may not appear on the ballot pursuant to Montana law.

“The ballot certification process is a key step in ensuring Montana’s elections are accurate, secure, and transparent,” said Secretary Jacobsen. “I’m grateful to our state election officials and the county election administrators and their teams across the state for their hard work preparing for the 2026 Primary Election.”

A total of 380 candidates filed with the Secretary of State’s Office during the candidate filing period (Tuesday, February 17 – Wednesday, March 4). Several candidates withdrew from their respective races, while Independent candidates are pending petition requirements to qualify for the general election ballot.

Filings with the Secretary of State’s Office included:

United States Senator: Twelve total candidates filed for the office, though one withdrew and one is pending petition requirements. Five Democrats, three Republicans, and two Libertarians will appear on Montanans’ Primary Election ballots. One Independent candidate must meet Montana’s petition requirements.
United States Representative: Sixteen total filings in the 1st and 2nd Congressional races.
1st Congressional (MT-01) Ten candidates submitted paperwork for the Congressional seat – four Democrats, four Republicans, and one Libertarian. One Independent candidate must meet petition requirements. The incumbent did not file for re-election.
2nd Congressional (MT-02) Six candidates submitted filing paperwork, including the incumbent, who is the lone Republican to file for the race. Three Democrats and one Libertarian filed, while one Independent also submitted their paperwork for the race and is pending petition requirements.
Public Service Commission: Seven candidates will appear on the ballot for the two PSC seats.
PSC District 1: Two Republicans and one Democrat will appear before voters for the open seat.
PSC District 5: The incumbent is one of three Republicans to file for the seat, while one Democrat also filed.
Supreme Court Justice: Two candidates filed for the Supreme Court Justice No. 4 race – Judge Dan Wilson was the first to file for Montana’s high court, and Judge Amy Eddy followed suit later the same day.
District Court Judge: Thirteen candidates submitted filings, including several judges currently on the bench.
Legislature: The majority of candidate filings were for Legislative seats, where 329 total filings were submitted to the Secretary of State’s Office, nearly 130 of which came on the opening day.
Montana State Senate: Sixty-six candidates qualified for the 2026 Primary Election, including more than 10 incumbents.
Montana State House: A total of 235 candidates qualified for the 2026 Primary Election. Three Independent candidates are pending petition requirements. Dozens of incumbents filed for re-election.