Montana
Ranchers concerned about impact of Montana State University animal exclusion fence on elk herd
BOZEMAN — North of Bozeman in the Springhill community, a large fence surrounds Montana State University research land. It was installed last summer for the sole purpose of keeping elk out. But some ranchers in the area are concerned about what this fence might mean for those animals.
“There’s definitely no animals in there. They can’t get in or out. Yeah, there’s pretty much nothing in there,” Doug Graves tells me.
Watch the story here:
Ranchers concerned about impact of MSU animal exclusion fence on elk herd
Doug is a rancher who’s lived in the Springhill community for around 45 years.
“We have elk, deer, moose, antelope, that come across this property. They have been for probably hundreds of years,” says Doug.
But recently, Doug has been missing that wildlife. He suspects a fence surrounding nearly 600 acres across from his property is the problem.
“Last summer Montana State University started the construction of this fence. They finished it this fall,” he says.
MTN News
The fence surrounds Lutz Farm which was donated to MSU for agricultural research. The university explained in an email that the research being done on the fields of Lutz Farm produces new crop varieties for the unique conditions in Montana.
The email said, “The production from that field is extremely important (and valuable) to Montana agricultural producers.”
MSU goes on to explain how a few years ago, nearly 30 acres of the Lutz Farm research land was destroyed by elk. Since then, they’ve tried different options to mitigate elk damage, including limited hunting and temporary fencing, but they say nothing worked. So, the fence went up—for the sole purpose of keeping elk out.
Doug says the fence may be good for research, but he thinks it’s had a negative effect on wildlife.
“The elk are stuck currently on the other side of it to the west. They haven’t been able to get back over here, and the big concern with that? This area to the east of us is very open, conservation easement, national forest land. They breed up there. They’re not hunted. And it’s very un-stressful for them,” Doug explains.
Cassidy Powers
Doug’s noticed the elk roaming on farm fields where there is limited food.
“I’ve seen some people out there trying to move them off their haystacks. So they’re getting into other people’s hay,” says Doug.
Which Doug fears could lead to Depredation hunts, which are seasonal hunts that allow hunters to kill animals that are harming livestock, agriculture, or humans. So, I was curious what Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks thinks of this predicament.
“For this area, along Springhill road north of Bozeman, it does have an elk herd of about 200 or so head of elk that use that area between the foothills of the Bridger mountains, over to Bear Creek and Reese Creek Road,” says Morgan Jacobsen, the information and education manager for Montana FWP Region 3.
An area of about 60-70 square miles these elk use year-round. But FWP doesn’t have GPS trackers on this specific herd, which has made it harder to predict the effects of the fenced-off area.
“In terms of wildlife and landscape, we know that there’s a herd there. And we know that there’s other wildlife there as well that use the area. In terms of potential impacts, you know, that’s something we’ll be monitoring,” Jacobsen explained.
Cassidy Powers
But I was curious, although this land is used for agricultural research I asked how common it is for people build a fence to keep out elk.
“I’d say it’s fairly uncommon. Most fences are your typical barbwire fence that’s about waist height,” Jacobsen says.
Such as the fence in Doug’s front yard, which elk are still able to travel over.
“They’re part of the system out here, and they’ve been here longer than any of us have. Me and some of my neighbors? We’ve always kind of looked at it as a price of admission to live here. You live with the elk. You don’t necessarily help them out. But you give them a place to live,” says Doug.
Doug tells me he hopes something can be done about the fence before spring when the elk begin calving.
GREAT FALLS — Blowing dust is becoming a major issue again on the Hi-Line as winds gust to 60–70+ mph, especially from Phillips County eastward.
Visibility has dropped to very low to near zero at times, and there have already been several crashes east of Glasgow near Nashua and Frazer. People are urged to avoid unnecessary travel in these areas if possible.
This is a very dangerous situation for travelers across northeast Montana. Blowing dust is causing near-zero visibility in many locations.
WATCH:
Hazardous driving along the Hi-Line
Highway 2 from Dodson to Wolf Point is closed until further notice, with only emergency travel allowed in these areas.
All red- and black-shaded roads and highways are experiencing severe driving conditions because of the low visibility.
MDT
Click here to visit the MDT 511 site.
(WEDNESDAY, MAY 13) A fast-moving front rolled through north-central Montana on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. The powerful winds gusted to more than 80 miles per hour in some areas.
Shaylan Verploegen shared video from north of Havre, showing a huge “wall” of dirt and dust in a unique weather phenomenon known as a haboob; watch the video and see other viewer photos here:
Fast-moving front kicks up walls of dust
The strong winds caused some damage. There were trees blown over in Havre, Great Falls, and Helena. Part of a roof was blown off in Box Elder, and there were several carports that were destroyed in Havre. There were also numerous power outages reported across the area, some of which lasted for several hours.
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The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 13, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from May 13 drawing
22-31-52-56-67, Powerball: 15, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from May 13 drawing
17-18-28-37-42, Star Ball: 04, ASB: 02
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from May 13 drawing
02-06-10-16, Bonus: 16
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from May 13 drawing
08-13-39-63-66, Powerball: 02
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Montana Cash numbers from May 13 drawing
02-04-13-17-32
Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 13 drawing
21-24-29-42-49, 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.
Montana
Public Meeting at Hub on Smith Concerning Montana Water Call Prompting Priority Administration in Tongue Basin
Wyoming State Engineer Brandon Gebhart announced that on May 5, 2026, the State of Montana placed a call under Article V(A) of the Yellowstone River Compact to fill Tongue River Reservoir in Montana. As a result, priority administration is in effect on post-1950 water rights in Wyoming that divert water from the Tongue River and its tributaries and are not excluded from the compact.
A public meeting will be held from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday, May 18, in the dining room of The Hub on Smith. Attendees are asked to enter on the north side of the building.
The Tongue River Basin has been experiencing drought conditions over the past year with historically low winter snowpack and streamflow conditions. According to the release, those conditions led to Montana’s interstate call and prompted the administration of the Tongue River Basin in Wyoming.
The priority administration will affect post-1950 water rights within the Tongue River Basin, including reservoir storage, stream diversions and groundwater withdrawals, all of which affect river flows. Post-1950 water rights will be regulated off or prevented from turning on. Wyoming hydrographer-commissioners will continue to administer reservoir storage and post-1950 diversions throughout the spring and work with affected water users until the administration is lifted.
As provided in the compact, domestic uses less than one-half acre in area and livestock uses, including stock reservoirs less than 20 acre-feet in capacity, are excluded from this administration. The release noted these excluded rights could be subject to future regulation to satisfy priority calls by senior Wyoming water rights.
Beginning May 5, 2026, Wyoming hydrographer-commissioners have worked to record the current storage levels of reservoirs with post-1950 water rights. Going forward, those reservoirs can continue to accrue storage so long as post-1950 storage gained after the interstate call on May 5 remains in storage until either the water is released to satisfy the Montana call or Montana lifts the call because Tongue River Reservoir will fill.
Reservoirs with unfulfilled pre-1950 water rights can continue to store water and that storage will not be subject to release to satisfy Montana’s call. However, that storage and other direct flow rights could be subject to regulation to satisfy priority calls by senior Wyoming water rights.
The priority administration will be carried out pursuant to state law by hydrographer-commissioners assigned to various portions of the Tongue River Basin, working under the direction of Division II Superintendent David Schroeder.
The Wyoming State Engineer’s Office can be contacted at:
Jack Morey, deputy state engineer, 307-777-5032, jack.morey2@wyo.gov
David Schroeder, Division II superintendent, 307-674-7012, d.schroeder@wyo.gov
Jeff Cowley, interstate streams administrator, 307-777-1942, jeff.cowley@wyo.gov
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