Montana

Montana Audubon Center brings in program to teach about raptor conservation

Published

3 months ago

January 18, 2026

Press Room

Montana Audubon Center brings in program to teach about raptor conservation

Hayden is an adult male Swainson’s Hawk who was rescued after he was hit by a car on an Idaho highway.

See Hayden:

Montana Audubon Center brings in program to teach about raptor conservation

“They’re not able to return to the wild, and because of that, we are able to take them in as rescues. We use them in educational programs to teach folks about the incredible wildlife that we have right in our own backyard and give folks an opportunity to see a lot of these species up close,” said Melissa Hill, Buffalo Bill Center of the West’s Live Raptor Program Manager.

He now lives at the Draper Natural History Museum in Cody as part of their raptor experience, helping educate visitors about the birds of prey that call the Western US their home.

On Saturday, Hayden and those from the museum came to the Montana Audubon Center in Billings to teach a lesson in conservation.

“We’re trying to get people to be more knowledgeable about raptors and raptor migration. It’s a really cool and rare opportunity to get a live hawk here,” said Montana Audubon Center Events Coordinator, Halei Akins.

“That might kind of create a spark that will make them interested in wildlife around the globe and hopefully start thinking about some of the actions that we take on a daily basis that we don’t think about could have a big impact on the entire world around us,” said Hill

The aim is to teach attendees to the lesson on how to prevent raptors like Hayden from dying of human-related causes in the wild.

Those from the program say using alternatives to lead ammunition, paying attention behind the wheel, and not using poison to kill rodents are some of the best ways to help.

“Anything that is going to make the world a better place for us typically makes it a better place for wildlife as well,” said Hill.

Those at Montana Audubon say the goal of this event and all of their events are to inspire Montanans to give a hoot about birds and all wildlife.

“When the community is more in touch with our ecosystems and the outdoors in general, they tend to be more involved. And we hope that especially for the kids coming out here, it makes a difference in their mindset and in their connection to the world around us,” said Akins.

Source link

Related Topics:Audubon billings cody conservation Featured hawk Montana raptor

Click to comment

Montana

The ugly truth behind ‘restoring Montana values’ • Daily Montanan

Published

3 hours ago

April 12, 2026

Press Room

Restoring Montana values.

When you hear that term, your ears should perk up. This phrase isn’t folksy nostalgia; it’s shorthand for something else. It’s Republican code. It’s an old trick. Take one of grandpa’s old slogans and use it to mean something else. Usually something vile. Something about 50 or 100 years past its sell-by date.

Republicans like to talk about restoring “Montana values.” It’s like they are promising to bring back nickel candy. They aren’t. It sounds harmless, even virtuous. Let’s be clear: It isn’t.

So, what does “Restoring Montana Values” mean today in Republican speak? It means a never-ending stream of unconstitutional laws intended to deny certain groups of Montana citizens their constitutional rights. But, they won’t say that out loud. These laws are consistently unconstitutional. And, here’s the subterfuge – Republicans blame our nonpartisan judges. Not the legislature. Not the governor. Not the unconstitutional laws. Just the judges.

Republicans continue to adopt laws that violate basic freedoms under our Constitution. There is a pattern. Our courts find these bills to be unconstitutional. So, Republicans claim that the problem is woke, out-of-control, radical, liberal judges. (Whew! It’s hard to fit all that outrage into one sentence.) They blame all of the world’s problems on the judicial branch. What Republicans are doing is making “Montana Values” a campaign slogan for something sinister. It’s an attack on the independence of our judicial branch.

Republicans have a “solution.” Restore “Montana Values” by getting rid of our nonpartisan judges. Make judicial elections red team vs. blue team. Not more justice. Just more bad politics.

To be clear – when the legislature knowingly passes bills that violate the Constitution, and our judges find them unconstitutional – that has nothing to do with politics. That is the role of judges. It’s called judicial review. It dates back to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1803 in Marbury vs. Madison.

Republicans have gone so far as to attack Chief Justice John Marshall (and the unanimous court). They claim that the Supreme Court got it wrong. Courts do not have the power to find legislative actions unconstitutional. They are trying to erase 223 years of legal precedent.

State Sen. Tom McGillvary from Billings is a high priest in the “Blame the Woke Judges Order.” He has lectured on why the Supreme Court got it wrong in Marbury vs. Madison. I am sure that McGillvary prayed about it, but it might have helped if he had gone to law school and actually studied the Constitution. Bold. Or, just dishonest. You get to decide.

Republicans’ attack on judicial review just doesn’t ring true. It’s like proclaiming that the person with the fewest points is the winner of the Scrabble game. You can smell that argument; it isn’t perfume.

Blaming judges for doing their jobs. That is the antithesis of Montana values.

The real issue is why Republicans want to deny people their constitutional rights. Could there be anything more inconsistent with Montana values than that? Our Constitution is the foundation of our law. It is the social contract between the people of our great state. Our Constitution isn’t just the law; it’s how we treat each other; how we value every person; and how we respect the rights of all people. Violating our Constitution is totally inconsistent with Montana Values.

Montana has a libertarian streak. Independence is a good thing. You don’t have to agree with me or even like me for us to get along and be good neighbors. People get to believe what they believe and pretty much do what they want, so long as they don’t hurt someone. But, there is a line. You can’t deny people their Constitutional rights. That is over the line.

If Republicans want to restore Montana values: Easy. All they have to do is honor and follow the Montana Constitution.

In 1972, 100 Montana citizens crafted our Constitution. Delegates sat in alphabetical order, not by party. Pragmatism bent party loyalty to build a consensus. It’s not a Republican constitution or a Democratic constitution. It isn’t woke or fascist. It’s ours. Eighty-nine out of 100 delegates approved. Montana citizens –not Republicans; not Democrats. Montanans.

And then, in June of 1972, Montana citizens voted to approve the new Constitution. It holds our values.

Republicans want to deny some Montana citizens their Constitutional rights.

Well? That’s not Montana values.

Source link

Montana

Montana Lottery Powerball, Lotto America results for April 11, 2026

Published

15 hours ago

April 11, 2026

Press Room

The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at April 11, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from April 11 drawing

06-47-49-53-60, Powerball: 06, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from April 11 drawing

01-21-26-29-32, Star Ball: 06, ASB: 03

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from April 11 drawing

05-06-07-30, Bonus: 04

Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Montana Cash numbers from April 11 drawing

18-20-26-37-39

Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.

Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.

Source link