Montana
Two Montana men indicted in illegal brown bear killing in Alaska
Two Montana men were indicted last month by a federal grand jury in Alaska on counts related to their illegal killing and transport of a brown bear on a national wildlife refuge in May 2022.
Richard McAtee, 46, and Arlon Franz, 51, were indicted by the U.S. District Court of Alaska grand jury on July 17 on one count of conspiracy and two counts of violating the Lacey Act, which prohibits trafficking of unlawfully taken wildlife.
According to their indictment and a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Alaska, the killing and transportation of the bear happened between May 9 and May 12, 2022.
One of the men – the indictment does not specify which – was hunting as a nonresident without a contract with a master guide, which is illegal in Alaska, according to the release.
They shot the brown bear in the Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge before the legal season had opened and on the same day he had been in a plane – all violations of state and federal laws, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The indictment alleges McAtee and Franz salvaged the hide in the field and took it to a hunting lodge, then to Port Moller and on to Anchorage.
McAtee was arrested on Wednesday in Kalispell and made his first court appearance in a U.S. District Court of Montana courtroom. Court records show he is set to appear at an arraignment and detention hearing in Anchorage on Aug. 27.
The federal government has motioned to quash a subpoena for Franz because he has been in contact with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and agreed to appear at an arraignment, according to court filings.
The charges carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $100,000 fine if the men are convicted on all three counts.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Alaska Wildlife Troopers, and the U.S. Forest Service are investigating the case.
Blair Miller is a Helena-based reporter. The Daily Montanan is a nonprofit newsroom.
MISSOULA, Mont. — The Clark Fork River has long been a defining feature of Missoula, shaping the city’s culture, economy and outdoor lifestyle.
The river is so closely tied to the area that it helped inspire the well-known book and film “A River Runs Through It.” But local conservation advocates say its importance goes far beyond scenery.
“Without the Clark Fork River, Missoula would just be another town,” said Lisa Ronald, Northern Rockies associate conservation director for American Rivers. “We wouldn’t be the River City. I think we’re known in Montana as Missoula the River City, and it’s really because of the Clark Fork River and its central role in business, in economics, in recreation, that really makes Missoula the town that it is.”
Carmen Murill, a field organizer with Wild Montana, said the river is deeply woven into daily life for people who live in Missoula.
“A lot of us would wonder what to do on a beautiful or a rainy summer day,” Murill said. “I mean, it’s really a lifeforce of town. And I think it’s pretty unique that Missoula, as a community is living and breathing on both sides of the river. It’s really like two downtowns but connected by the Clark Fork.”
Conservation groups say protecting the river begins with community involvement.
Advocates encourage residents and visitors to spend time outdoors, whether on a trail, in the woods or along the river, and to learn how they can become better stewards of the environment.
MISSOULA — Sam Forstag edged out Ryan Busse to secure the Democratic nomination in Montana’s 1st Congressional District.
Busse conceded the race to Forstag on Wednesday morning. Forstag had trailed behind Busse Tuesday evening, but he made up ground as the votes were counted into the early hours of Wednesday morning. The other two candidates in the race, Russl Cleveland and Matt Rains, are sitting at third and fourth, respectively.
Forstag leads in close race for Montana’s 1st Congressional District
Forstag spent eight years as a wildland firefighter, including four as a smokejumper, and he’s been vice president of the local National Federation of Federal Employees union. Last week, U.S. House of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, held a rally in Missoula to support Forstag’s campaign.
He told MTN on Tuesday that his campaign has been for the working class.
“We got a whole lot of people here that have been working their tail off to finally get some working-class representation in Washington,” Forstag noted. “So proud of everything we’ve done and so grateful.”
Forstag further noted he wants Montanans to be able to afford groceries, have universal free childcare and restore and expand Affordable Health Care Act subsidies.
“Hearing people’s stories and struggles and commonalities in the ways that we’re all fighting in the system that does not serve us so often, and the government serves corporations and the richest people in this country more than working people. It has been frustrating and saddening, but it has also inspired so much hope in me, like the fixes we can actually make,” he told MTN.
The 1st Congressional District covers much of western Montana, including Kalispell, Missoula, Butte and Bozeman. It is currently held by Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Montana, who chose not to seek reelection.
By securing the nomination, Forstag is slated tol face off against Libertarian candidate Nick Sheedy and Republican candidate Aaron Flint in November.
Brian Miller won the Democratic primary Tuesday for the U.S. House seat in Montana’s eastern district.
The Associated Press called the race for Miller, an attorney in Helena, who fended off a challenge from state Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy, a longtime legislator from Box Elder, and Sam Lux, a farrier from Great Falls.
In the Republican and rural eastern district, any Democrat will be an underdog, and Miller will face off against incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Troy Downing, who was unopposed Tuesday.
Libertarian Patrick McCracken is also running.
In the primary, Miller took 58% of the vote. Lux took 27% and Windy Boy took 16%, according to the Montana Secretary of State’s website.
In April, Windy Boy paused his campaign amid “serious sexual abuse” allegations raised by the Montana Democratic Party — but Windy Boy restarted his campaign and later called the allegations “political attacks.”
Miller is representing the victim of the alleged abuse and her mother, although he said he didn’t take on the role until after Windy Boy initially suspended his campaign.
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