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Montana unveils first wolf management plan update in 20 years

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Montana unveils first wolf management plan update in 20 years


Nearly 250 wolves were killed in Montana during the 2021-22 hunting and trapping season. The updated proposal outlines Montana FWP’s monitoring tools and management strategies but does not dictate future harvesting quotas. Here, a lone wolf in 2021 makes his way to the Canyon Pack near Canyon Junction in Yellowstone National Park. Photo by Vo von Sehlen

by Julia Barton

In Montana,
gray wolves are about as controversial as they are stunning. The canids were
effectively eliminated from the state by the 1930s due to hunting, and were
only reintroduced following their 1973 listing under the Endangered Species
Act. Reintroduction efforts in Greater Yellowstone beginning in 1995 were
successful and wolves were delisted in 2011. As a result, rather than the
federal government, individual states manage wolf populations within their
boundaries.

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Management is
a daunting task, as conservationists, landowners and hunters all have differing
viewpoints on when and how wolves should be protected by state law. Montana
Fish, Wildlife and Parks recently released a draft of the first update
to its wolf management plan since 2003 with an accompanying environmental
impact statement. The new drafted document is called the Montana Gray Wolf Conservation and Management Plan, and follows various discussions from Montana’s 2021 Legislature along with a Jan. 12 directive issued by Gov. Greg Gianforte for FWP to reevaluate wolf management. 

“A lot has
happened, both within the wolf population and how we monitor and manage
wolves,” FWP’s Wolf Plan Coordinator Samantha Fino told Mountain Journal. “This plan is really just an in-depth evaluation
of what has changed over the last 20 years.”

“[The management plan] does not set in stone what exactly we will use in the future because it really is dependent on the context both environmentally as well as sociopolitically.” – Samantha Fino, Wolf Plan Coordinator, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks

Nearly 250
wolves were killed in Montana during the 2021-22 hunting and trapping season,
according to a June
report. State wolf populations have dipped by about 90
individuals since delisting, and appear to be “stabilizing at about 1,160
wolves,” the report stated. Of those wolves killed in Montana, 19 were part of
Yellowstone packs that ventured outside park boundaries.

The Montana
Fish and Wildlife Commission issued regulatory changes for the 2021-22 season,
including eliminating quotas in specific areas, increasing wolf hunting and
trapping licenses, extending the wolf trapping season, and allowing new
harvesting tools such as snaring, baiting and night hunting on private property.
This year’s quota was reduced from 450 to 313 following slight population
decreases reported by FWP since 2020.

The 2021 Canyon Pack near Canyon Junction in Yellowstone. Photo by Vo von Sehlen

The 2021 Canyon Pack near Canyon Junction in Yellowstone. Photo by Vo von Sehlen

Fino said the
updated proposal outlines the organization’s monitoring tools and management
strategies but does not dictate future harvesting quotas—those are determined
annually by the commission—nor what culling recommendations may be made in the
future.

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“It by no
means is prescriptive or regulatory,” Fino said. “[The management plan] does
not set in stone what exactly we will use in the future because it really is
dependent on the context both environmentally as well as sociopolitically.”

Wolves can
have a variety of positive and negative impacts on Montana landscapes,
according to Fino, which is part of the reason their management is so
polarizing. Despite varying opinions, wolf populations remain well above the
baseline minimum of 150 wolves and 15 breeding pairs set by the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service upon the 2011 delisting.

FWP is set to
host regional question-and-answer sessions through mid-December and is
accepting public comment on the management plan and EIS until Dec. 19.
Fino noted that comments made during the upcoming in-person and virtual
meetings will be off the record, and folks should submit comments via mail, the
FWP
website or email for proper evaluation.

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Mountain Journal is the only nonprofit, public-interest journalism organization of its kind dedicated to covering the wildlife and wild lands of Greater Yellowstone. We take pride in our work, yet to keep bold, independent journalism free, we need your support. Please donate here. Thank you.





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Montana

See Ya, Montana! Revealing The Most Popular Vacation Spots

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See Ya, Montana! Revealing The Most Popular Vacation Spots


For some reason, people actually want to leave Montana every now and then. Montana is beautiful, but a change of scenery is nice on occasion. So, where do Montana residents travel to the most when they leave the state? According to new data, we have the answer.

Where Do Montanans Travel to The Most on Vacation?

I have always told my friends that there’s no place that I’d rather spend a summer than Montana. Literally, it doesn’t get much better. However, if you feel the need to travel, and soak up the sun on a sandy beach somewhere, that’s fine as well.

Travel experts at Cloudwards have revealed where Montanans travel to the most when they go on summer vacation. The website listed the top international destinations as well as destinations within the United States. After analyzing Google search data and considering other factors, here’s what they found.

Top International Travel Destination For Montanans

 

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Montana – International

Cloudwards

Viva La Mexica! The most popular international summer travel destination for Montanans is Cancun. It’s also the top summer vacation destination for Americans overall. Montana is nice, but so is sipping margaritas on the beach.

Top U.S. Vacation Destination For Montanans

Montana – United States

Cloudwards

The top summer vacation spot for Montanans in the U.S. is Las Vegas, Nevada. So, why do Montanans love Vegas so much? Flights are super cheap, and there’s a lot to do in Sin City. To learn more about the date, click here.

What is your favorite travel destination outside of Montana? Send us a message on our station app and let us know!

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BOZEMAN IN THE SPOTLIGHT: 20 AMAZING PHOTOS FROM 1900-1980

Bozeman has changed a lot since its humble beginnings. Take a walk down memory lane with these vintage photos.

Gallery Credit: jessejames

10 Celebrities That Moved to Montana For a Better Quality of Life

Here’s a list of 10 celebrities that you might run into in Montana.

Gallery Credit: Jesse James





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Ziply Fiber aggressively expanding in two Montana cities – Broadband Communities

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Ziply Fiber aggressively expanding in two Montana cities – Broadband Communities


Press Release

Fiber expansions in the Montana cities of Billings and Great Falls have been announced by Ziply Fiber.

News provided by: Ziply Fiber

Ziply Fiber today announced a bold expansion throughout major cities in Montana, including Billings and Great Falls, which both have new, ultra-high-speed, 100-percent fiber-optic networks ready for service to thousands of residential and business customers. Installations are underway in Billings and will begin in Great Falls later this week. These are the first two cities of at least five in the state with brand new, state-of-the-art fiber infrastructure being built by Ziply Fiber, which previously had only offered service in the communities of Libby and Troy.

When construction is complete, Ziply Fiber’s new network will serve nearly 19,000 homes and businesses in Billings and nearly 10,000 addresses in Great Falls.

Ziply Fiber is at work on network expansion efforts in Missoula, Helena and Butte, as well. The company expects to launch those markets, with an additional 26,000 addresses, in the next few months.

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Residential customers in all fiber markets can access speeds ranging from 100 Mbps to 50 Gig. All Ziply Fiber plans offer symmetrical download/upload speeds and the company’s entry-level Fiber 100 plan exceeds the minimum residential broadband speed required by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) with no contracts or data caps.

This means that as of today, both Billings and Great Falls now have the fastest household internet speeds in the nation. Customers at every speed tier can be confident they’re on the best and fastest network available, giving them great speed and reliable service for everything they want to do online today and into the future.

“Expansion in Montana has been a long time coming and I’m so thankful that the day is finally here,” said Harold Zeitz, CEO of Ziply Fiber. “I can’t tell you the number of people and business owners who have reached out to us asking when we’re coming and telling us stories of the limited options they have and what fast, reliable fiber will mean to them. Today we help fulfill that wish.”

To get content like this delivered to your inbox, subscribe to the Broadband Communities newsletter.

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Montana Food Bank Network Introduces Campaign for Bigger Impact

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Montana Food Bank Network Introduces Campaign for Bigger Impact


Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) – This week, the Montana Food Bank Network, along with partners Albertsons and Safeway introduced their Campaign for Bigger Impact to help raise the $3 million left in their $15 million capital campaign.

I spoke with Bill Matthews, Chief Development Officer about the continuing fundraising campaign.

The Montana Food Bank Network hopes to Raise the Remaining $3 Million

“At the Montana Food Bank Network, we’ve been working on a project for the last few years,” began Matthews. “It’s actually a silent phase of our capital campaign to build a new facility here in Missoula, to really expand our operations across the state, to have more food storage and more food distribution across the state, to our food banks and food pantries in every nook and cranny of the state of Montana in all 56 counties where we operate.”

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Matthews detailed the impact that the Montana Food Bank Network has on the hungry in Montana.

Matthews Detailed the Alarming Statistics on Hunger in Montana

“One in nine Montanans don’t have enough food on the table, and that includes one in six children, so the need is just getting greater all the time,” he said. “The Montana Food Bank Network is the only statewide food bank in the state, and we distribute food to over 360 network partners that and that includes food banks, food pantries, schools, senior centers, shelters, and tribal centers.”

Along with shopping at participating Albertsons and Safeway stores in Missoula and throughout the state, Matthews provided more ways to help the MFBN reach its goal.

READ MORE: Montana Food Bank Network Receives Large Food Donation

Visit the Montana Food Bank Network’s Website for more Details

“People can go to our website,” he said. “We’re going to have posters up in all 40 stores across the state, and they’re going to help out through social media and their own websites to direct people to our donation page for the project itself. So, that’s what’s really going on over the next three months, which will really help out.”

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The new facility is expected to be completed by July, 2025.

8 Reasons to Support St. Jude in Montana

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is among the most critical organizations we have to fight childhood cancer. From diagnosis and treatment to recovery, St. Jude provides care to children and their families throughout their fight against cancer.

But St. Jude can only operate with the support of donors. For less than the cost of a Netflix subscription, a monthly donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is a lifeline to helping win the fight against childhood cancer throughout the world.

Becoming a Partner in Hope is easy, fulfilling, and tax-deductible. Here’s why a donation to St. Jude impacts children throughout your community and around the world.

Gallery Credit: Jesse James

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