Montana

Montana Audubon Center brings in program to teach about raptor conservation

Published

6 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.

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Related Topics:Audubon billings cody conservation Featured hawk Montana raptor

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Montana

Montana Lottery Powerball, Lotto America results for July 8, 2026

Published

1 hour ago

July 9, 2026

Press Room

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

Here’s a look at July 8, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from July 8 drawing

12-29-37-43-55, Powerball: 18, Power Play: 4

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from July 8 drawing

17-26-31-32-37, Star Ball: 01, ASB: 02

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from July 8 drawing

03-13-16-17, Bonus: 10

Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from July 8 drawing

06-27-33-44-69, Powerball: 23

Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Montana Cash numbers from July 8 drawing

08-16-17-22-27

Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from July 8 drawing

16-18-43-48-50, Bonus: 01

Check Millionaire for Life 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.

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Montana

Montana signs onto data center energy cost protection pledge

Published

11 hours ago

July 8, 2026

Press Room

Montana signs onto data center energy cost protection pledge

HELENA, Mont — Gov. Greg Gianforte is backing a new effort to keep data centers from driving up Montanans’ power bills.

This week, Gianforte announced Montana is signing on to the Ratepayer Protection Pledge — an initiative endorsed by President Trump.

Several major technology companies like Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle, and XAI first signed the pledge back in March.

The pledge comes as data center development continues to grow — raising questions about how much new energy will be needed and who will pay for it.

NBC Montana spoke with Julia Haggerty, professor of geography and department head of earth sciences at Montana State University, about whether Montana’s power grid is ready for that growth.

“Not without resolution of significant transmission bottlenecks and massive amounts of new generation. So, while our grid is adequately, relatively adequately equipped to serve the needs of our current load base, it’s definitely not equipped to accommodate the new demands without a lot of expansion,” she said.

According to the pledge, data center developers will pay for new power generation, and infrastructure needed to support their operations.

“It does align with ongoing regulatory efforts to ensure that the cost of new generation associated with data centers is borne by the developers of those data centers and not customers,” Haggerty said.

The governor’s office says Gianforte’s support of the pledge is designed to encourage responsible data center investments while protecting Montana ratepayers from long-term costs.

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