Montana

Montana to start trucking grizzlies into Yellowstone region

Published

2 years ago

January 9, 2024

Montana to start trucking grizzlies into Yellowstone region

Mike Koshmrl

(WyoFile) Fresh grizzly bear bloodlines are expected to arrive in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem this summer, adding genetic diversity to a population of animals that’s been isolated for a century.

The infusion of genetics will come from the North Continental Divide Ecosystem, and it will roll down the highway in the form of a slumbering grizzly or two.

Why truck in grizzly bears to a population last estimated at nearly 1,000 animals?

Montana and Wyoming — which have hashed out an agreement — are translocating bears as part of the effort to convince the federal government that they’re responsible stewards of a large carnivore species, which the states contend no longer requires Endangered Species Act protections.

“We’re trying to demonstrate to everybody, the courts included, that connectivity isn’t an issue that should impede delisting,” said Ken McDonald, wildlife division chief for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. “Until it’s happening regularly, naturally, we can cover this with human-assisted movements.”

The two grizzly bear populations aren’t far from each other — the leading edges are just 35 miles apart — but there’s never been a documented case of a Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem grizzly traveling to the Yellowstone Ecosystem and procreating. Grizzlies have gone the other direction, trekking north well into Montana, but that doesn’t accomplish the goal of creating gene flow into the isolated population.

Firm plans are in place to force the issue as soon as this summer. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has staffed up, adding two employees who will be used during the summer and fall to assist with the grizzly translocation project, McDonald said. Those expert grizzly trappers will be targeting animals with specific attributes.

“Ideally, it’d be a bear that has no history of any conflict,” McDonald said. “And ideally, a younger aged female.”

Two conflict-free females

Wildlife officials intend to move the bears as soon as mid-June, but no later than mid-August. “We don’t want to move them too late, when they’re not ready to den,” McDonald said. “So it’s a pretty finite window.”

Other parameters of the genetic augmentation pilot project are described in an appendix of Montana’s draft grizzly bear management plan. That document estimates the frequency of translocating grizzlies at two to four animals every decade.

The grizzly-moving operation in the absence of a natural dispersal is also a commitment included in the tri-state memorandum of agreement that Wyoming, Montana and Idaho struck to guide management of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem’s grizzly bears.

“In the tri-state MOA, we’re committed to translocating at least two grizzly bears from outside by 2025,” Wyoming Game and Fish Department large carnivore supervisor Dan Thompson told WyoFile.

Neither Thompson nor McDonald identified exactly where the Glacier-region grizzlies would be released, but there are some requirements and goals. It will need to be within the “demographic monitoring area,” which is a 19,278-square-mile zone in the Greater Yellowstone region’s core where bear numbers are estimated.

Ideally, McDonald said, the release site will be in a low-density grizzly bear habitat. Translocating the grizzly farther south — possibly into Wyoming — is another ideal, he said, because it’s farther geographically from where the bear will have been captured in Montana, and it’ll make the animal more likely to stay.

“We’ve been working with Wyoming on potential places,” McDonald told members of the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee’s subcommittee for the Yellowstone Ecosystem, which met in Jackson in November.

Although state wildlife managers have committed to translocating grizzlies into the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the current level of genetic diversity is not “in dire straits,” Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team Leader Frank van Manen said.

“We have a little bit lower genetic diversity than other populations, but it’s not declining further,” he said. “It’s moderate genetic diversity, is how I would classify it.”

The genetic augmentation appendix of Montana’s draft grizzly bear management plan calls the ecosystem’s genetic isolation a “long-term conservation concern.”

“The rate of inbreeding has been very low (0.2% over 25 years),” the document states, “and no inbreeding effects have been detected.”

Genetic concerns?

Nevertheless, U.S. District Court Judge Dana Christensen sided with environmental groups in 2018 on the question of genetic diversity, ending a short stint where the Northern Rockies states had jurisdiction over their Ursus arctos horribilis populations.

Thompson pointed out that genetic diversity was an issue decades ago when the Yellowstone region population was much lower and “bottlenecked,” but nowadays, with many times more bears, it isn’t much of a concern, he said.

“We’ve demonstrated it is not an issue anymore,” Thompson said, “but (translocation) is another way to address the issues that some people have.”

Thompson made a “Star Wars” analogy out of environmental groups leveraging genetic diversity during the last round of litigation over grizzly delisting.

“It was the thermal exhaust port in the Death Star,” he said. “Opponents of delisting look for weaknesses and try to exploit them. We don’t feel that genetics are a weakness, but (translocation) is just another thing that we can do.”

There are indications that trucking animals into the Yellowstone region won’t placate groups opposed to the states having control over — and potentially hunting — their grizzly bear populations.

“My perspective would be that it undermines their claim of recovery, if they have to translocate bears,” said Matthew Bishop, a senior attorney with the Western Environmental Law Center who argued the last delisting litigation for WildEarth Guardians. “The goal should really be to get bears back in the Bitterroot (recovery area), and get some connectivity between subpopulations. Then maybe start thinking about delisting and recovery, but I don’t think we’re there yet.”

To address some parties’ concerns about genetic diversity, wildlife managers aren’t waiting for a grizzly bear from the Glacier National Park region, like this bruin pictured in Lunch Creek in 2017, to disperse to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. They plan to facilitate the movement in 2024. (National Park Service)

Retired U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grizzly recovery coordinator Chris Servheen told WyoFile he conditionally supports the step that state managers plan to take in 2024.

“I’m OK with them doing it in the interim until the bears are naturally connected,” Servheen said, “but I do not want trucking bears to be the alternative to minimizing mortality in the intervening areas. The optimum is for the bears to naturally connect.”

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Understanding the Pesticide Problem in Montana’s Waterways – Flathead Beacon

Published

5 hours ago

November 22, 2025

Press Room

Understanding the Pesticide Problem in Montana’s Waterways – Flathead Beacon

Are pesticides a problem in Montana’s waters? How many of these chemicals, which include insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and more, commonly used on lawns and farms alike, have made their way into our waterways? How can we still control pests and keep our waters clean for future generations? The Pesticide Stewardship Partnership Program (PSPP) is an ambitious initiative led by assistant research professor Dr. Rachel Malison at University of Montana, Flathead Lake Biological Station (FLBS) and is funded by a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant. The PSPP is working to answer these questions in western Montana — the headwaters of the Columbia River Basin. To chart a course for sustainable pest management in Montana’s future, Malison said, the program aims to build a network of partners, collect data to detect if pesticides are in Montana waterways, and to provide education on sustainable pesticide practices and alternatives, and more.

This story starts in the field. Big Sky Watershed Corps member Chloe Czachor, who is serving her term at FLBS with PSPP, carefully pulls her weathered FLBS expedition off a gravel road near Ronan, Montana. The nearby irrigation ditch will be her fifth sampling stop of the day, another step in her largely solitary journey to collect samples from western Montana waterways that will be used to test for the presence of pesticides. In its first year of sampling, the PSPP is aiming to collect around 650 samples from rivers, streams and other waters in Montana’s portion of the Columbia River Basin. Most of these waterways have never been sampled for pesticides before, Czachor said, and whether they are contaminated with pesticides is unknown.

Czachor unloads her gear from the back of the vehicle, including an instrument that measures water characteristics like temperature and pH, a large glass bottle and water-resistant notebooks, and carries the gear over to the ditch which eventually flows back into the river. The instrument’s probe goes in the water to start measuring while Czachor wades into the stream and fills the bottle with water. After writing in the site name and location, Czachor enters the instrument’s readings into the notebook before pulling it out of the water. Then, she hauls her gear back to the vehicle, finds the next stop on Google Maps and starts driving again.

Later, at the PSPP team’s base at the FLBS, Czachor unloads the coolers filled with water sample bottles from her latest sampling run. These samples will join hundreds of others that the PSPP has gathered so far from across western Montana. Samples are delivered once a week to the Montana Department of Agriculture Analytical Laboratory in Bozeman, which analyzes each sample for 103 pesticide compounds. This is only a fraction of the number of different pesticides used in Montana, Czachor said, but detecting the presence of these chemicals can also indicate that other chemicals might also be present.

Czachor’s sample collecting work started in April. As the team’s main sample collector, she said that she has driven all over western Montana while sampling. Staff from FLBS and other volunteers are able to help Chloe sample part of the time, but she is leading the effort.

A member of the Pesticide Stewardship Partnership Program collects samples along the Clark Fork River near Galen. Courtesy Flathead Lake Biological Station

The travel takes a physical toll, Czachor said. “It’s long hours and I definitely need to be doing more yoga after how wrecked my body feels after being that long in the car. … These cars are so old, there’s no sort of lumbar support in the seats.” However, she said that she doesn’t mind when she is alone for so long on sampling runs. “I’m an introvert at heart,” she said. “I have my music and I have my podcasts and my audiobooks.” Sometimes, Czachor said that she calls friends while on long sampling drives. On the longest days, she said she focuses on the value of the experience for her career in conservation and on the unique opportunity of helping build a large-scale pesticide monitoring program where none existed before. “I’ve seen some pretty incredible places through this work, places that I would have never known existed. As someone new to Montana, I can’t think of a better way to see so much of the state. And to be seeing these beautiful places and know that I’m helping to protect them in some way is very rewarding,” Czachor said.

Czachor’s travels are guided by Research Coordinator Janelle Groff and Research Scientist Diane Whited. Together, they developed the maps of pesticide sampling sites the program uses and create the routes that Czachor and others travel each week on sampling trips. Whited used a variety of geospatial data to create maps of how likely waterways are to be contaminated with pesticides, based on different land uses and their proximity to surface water. Using these risk maps, the team then randomly created a roster of potential sampling locations on waterways with varying risks of pesticide contamination and near a range of land uses, from agriculture to residential areas to National Forests.

The sampling effort is divided into different types of sites, Groff said. Even though the program will collect many samples, the large area and variety of land uses the program aims to monitor mean that a limited number of samples can be collected at each site. However, pesticide concentrations can change over time as different pests emerge on nearby lawns and farms, stream flows rise and fall, and other seasonal changes shifts occur. PSPP monitors a broad area while also tracking changes in pesticide concentrations over time by dividing monitoring into three types of sites, Groff said. At a small set of focal sites, samples are collected every two weeks or once a month to detect potential changes over time. The larger set of baseline sites are only visited once or twice a year but span a much broader area. Focal and baseline sites are located on waterways at high risk of pesticide contamination. Together, these sites allow the program to monitor a large geographic area and understand changes over time, Groff said. In addition to testing focal and baseline sites, she said the program also tests reference sites, which are located in areas with low chances of pesticide contamination, like stream locations in National Forest or near remote headwaters. The results from these samples, which should show very low levels of pesticides, help substantiate that the testing regimen is accurate and provide data on baseline pesticide levels in the environment, Groff said.

Using this roster of potential sampling sites, Groff builds routes for Czachor to follow on her weekly trips. She said that building these routes involves Google Maps and “a lot of zooming” since she must ensure that Czachor can safely park her vehicle near each site and can physically reach the water. Groff also provides a list of alternative sites for each of Czachor’s trips, in case a site is inaccessible or the stream or ditch is dry when she reaches it.

The sampling effort just launched in the spring of 2025, Groff said, and extensive data will likely not be available for some time. In the future though, she said that this data will help Montana residents understand and address pesticide contamination in their waters by identifying where it is occurring and what pesticides are involved. The fate and transport of pesticides from land to water is very complex because there are so many pesticides and they have different characteristics, which means that some reach water more easily than others. The data collected will help individuals understand the water conditions around them and guide larger scale collective efforts to reduce the amounts of pesticides in the water, Groff said. She also said that knowing where pesticides are common in the water will help guide education about pesticide use, another key part of PSPP’s mission.

A water sample collected from a drainage ditch near Charlo. Courtesy Flathead Lake Biological Station

On a rainy and cold day on Flathead Lake, Rachel Malison stands by the rail of the boat and speaks to the small crowd about the PSPP program and the importance of using good stewardship practices to control pests. Malison is speaking at the annual FLBS Research Cruise, where people from neighboring communities can learn about research at the station and see demonstrations while cruising Flathead Lake on the chartered boat. Malison explains to the group that the available tools for controlling pests are like a Swiss Army knife, and that people tend to pull out the pesticides first to tackle a pest problem, like they pull out the knife first even though another tool might be just as or more effective. She says that sustainable pest management requires using all the tools available in a careful and judicious manner, including proper use of pesticides, to keep pests controlled and waters clean.

Opportunities like this are part of the PSPP’s broader educational project, Malison said. PSPP uses both direct outreach, like speaking at the Research Cruise or giving presentations to homeowner’s associations, and indirect outreach through partners like the Montana Watershed Coordination Council to spread information about proper pesticide use and best stewardship practices, she said. The education work also covers important water science concepts, like the idea that water moves pollutants, including how large rain events or excessive lawn watering can move chemicals on the land into the groundwater or nearby streams. “For a lot of the outreach and education, we’ve been realizing that we need to start by sharing more about how water moves and how our actions influence what is carried with that water when it’s moving” she said. This education is “trying to help people know that there are more options to pest management and that their actions can make a difference,” Malison said.

“That part of the program is going to grow and continue to get bigger as the program progresses,” Malison said, with PSPP being only in its second year. She said that the program is developing more outreach materials and going to more events, like the Northwestern Agricultural Research Center Field Day or the Bigfork Monday Market. The pesticide sampling work will help guide this outreach, she said, letting the team identify areas with particularly high levels of pesticides and target outreach to the have the maximum impact. “If we find pesticides in waters near different land uses, we can share that information with people and also provide ideas on how land uses could be modified to help protect our waters,” Malison said.

These outreach efforts have already had impacts, said Malison, such as one homeowner’s association that it now considering a buffer strip between its lawns and nearby ponds to reduce the movement of pesticides into the water after hearing a talk from her. Although reaching everyone or making large changes to pesticides use may be difficult, Malison said that even small changes, like spraying lawns twice a year instead of four times, can reduce the amount of chemicals that enter the water.

For Malison, this work has personal meaning. “We live here, I have children, I want their children to have healthy rivers and functioning ecosystems too. We produce chemicals and we use them, it’s not just going away, so we need to make the best decisions we can to protect our waters.”

Josh Pike is a Missoula-based environmental journalist with a focus on water issues. He works as a journalism intern for the Flathead Lake Biological Station.

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Montana

TaxFree RV Highlights Montana Registration Benefits for Full-Time RVers Seeking Residency Advantages

Published

23 hours ago

November 21, 2025

Press Room

TaxFree RV Highlights Montana Registration Benefits for Full-Time RVers Seeking Residency Advantages

RED LODGE, MT – November 19, 2025 – PRESSADVANTAGE –

TaxFree RV, a vehicle registration specialist operating since 2005, is drawing attention to the growing trend of full-time RVers establishing Montana residency to access significant tax savings and voting benefits through the state’s LLC registration process.

The company reports an increasing number of recreational vehicle owners are discovering that Montana’s unique tax structure, which includes no state sales tax on vehicle purchases, makes it an attractive option for those living full-time in their RVs. Through the establishment of a Montana Limited Liability Company, RV owners can legally register their vehicles in the state while potentially saving thousands of dollars in sales tax that would otherwise be due in their home states.

Beyond the immediate financial benefits, full-time RVers who establish Montana residency gain access to additional advantages including simplified vehicle registration processes, the possibility of obtaining permanent license plates, and the ability to participate in Montana’s electoral process. The state’s RV-friendly policies have made it a popular choice among the growing community of Americans who have chosen to make their recreational vehicles their primary residences.

“Full-time RVers face unique challenges when it comes to establishing residency and managing their legal affairs,” said Henry Jordan, senior registration specialist at TaxFree RV. “Montana’s LLC structure provides them with a legitimate solution that addresses both their financial concerns and their need for a stable legal domicile. We handle all the complex paperwork and compliance requirements remotely, allowing our clients to focus on enjoying their travels.”

The process of establishing a Montana LLC for vehicle registration involves several steps, including forming the limited liability company, appointing a registered agent, and completing the vehicle registration through the appropriate Montana county. TaxFree RV manages each aspect of this process, ensuring all documentation is filed correctly and in accordance with Montana regulations.

The company’s registered agent services provide an additional layer of support for full-time RVers who may be constantly on the move. This service ensures that any important legal correspondence related to their vehicle or LLC is handled promptly and securely, regardless of where their travels take them.

RV registration with TaxFree RV extends beyond just motorhomes and travel trailers. The company also assists with registering fifth wheels, toy haulers, and other recreational vehicles through the Montana LLC structure. Each type of vehicle requires specific documentation and compliance with particular regulations, which the company’s team navigates on behalf of their clients.

The financial implications of Montana registration can be substantial, particularly for owners of high-value recreational vehicles. In states with sales tax rates ranging from 6 to 10 percent, the purchase of a luxury RV could result in tens of thousands of dollars in tax obligations. Montana’s zero sales tax policy eliminates this burden entirely for vehicles registered through a Montana LLC.

TaxFree RV has assisted thousands of vehicle owners with Montana LLC formation and registration since its founding. The company’s team brings over 50 years of combined experience in Montana vehicle registration and compliance, providing personalized service to ensure each client’s specific needs are met while maintaining full legal compliance with all applicable regulations.

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For more information about TaxFree RV, contact the company here:

TaxFree RV
Henry Jordan
888‑441‑5741
sales@taxfreerv.com
9 S. Broadway Ave., Suite F
Red Lodge, MT 59068

Information contained on this page is provided by an independent third-party content provider. XPRMedia and this Site make no warranties or representations in connection therewith. If you are affiliated with this page and would like it removed please contact pressreleases@xpr.media

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Montana Lottery Lucky For Life, Big Sky Bonus results for Nov. 20, 2025

Published

2 days ago

November 21, 2025

Press Room

The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Nov. 20, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Nov. 20 drawing

05-08-37-39-40, Lucky Ball: 16

Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from Nov. 20 drawing

16-17-18-27, Bonus: 02

Check Big Sky Bonus 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.

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

Winning lottery numbers are sponsored by Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network.

Where can you buy lottery tickets?

Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.

You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Washington D.C., and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.

Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 18+ (19+ in NE, 21+ in AZ). Physically present where Jackpocket operates. Jackpocket is not affiliated with any State Lottery. Eligibility Restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. Terms: jackpocket.com/tos.

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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