Montana

We cannot compromise when it comes to preserving wilderness • Daily Montanan

Published

2 years ago

August 26, 2024

We cannot compromise when it comes to preserving wilderness • Daily Montanan

In the 1930s, Bob Marshall (for whom the Montana wilderness is named) started the Wilderness Society.

Marshall declared at the organization’s founding: “We do not want those whose first impulse is to compromise. We want no straddlers, for, in the past, they have surrendered too much good wilderness and primeval areas which should never have been lost.”

Marshall realized long ago that wilderness designation is the gold standard for conservation. If you want to protect an area’s ecological function, wildlife and wildness, there is no better way than formal wilderness designation.

Tragically, most of the so-conservation groups in Montana, including the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, The Wilderness Society, and Wild Montana (formerly Montana Wilderness Association), have forgotten Marshall’s admonishment.

Today, these organizations support the Gallatin Forest Partnership, a proposal to reduce wilderness protection acreage in the Gallatin Range south of Bozeman.

Congress gave the Gallatin Range interim wilderness status in 1977 as part of Senate Bill 393. The legislation designated the 155,000-acre Hyalite-Buffalohorn-Porcupine Wilderness Study Area.

The Act requires that “the wilderness study areas designated by this Act shall, until Congress determines otherwise, be administered by the Secretary of Agriculture so as to maintain their presently existing wilderness character and potential for inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System.”

The word “shall” means the Forest Service has no choice but to protect the wilderness quality of the WSA. Unfortunately, the Forest Service has neglected its obligation to maintain wilderness character with the express support of the above organizations.

Approximately 155,000 acres of the Gallatin Range are within S. 393, while the Gallatin Partnership proposal only proposes 104,000 acres for wilderness designation.

Worst for wildlife and wildlands, the Partnership proposes changing WSA status for two of the Gallatin Range’s most important wildlife areas—the Buffalo Horn and Porcupine drainages to permit mechanical access by dirt bikes and mountain bikes permanently,

The Gallatin Range deserves full wilderness protection for the 155,000 acres of the S. 393 WSA and up to 100,000 acres of additional roadless lands for a 255,000-acre wilderness.

We cannot create wilderness. We can only lose it. We must acknowledge Marshall’s admonishment and keep the (fence) straddlers from compromising away one of the best wildlands in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

George Wuerthner has published three books on Yellowstone and the surrounding area. He formerly was on the board of the Montana Wilderness Association (Wild Montana) and worked for the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, and was a frequent contributor to Wilderness Magazine once published by the Wilderness Society.

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Montana

New Montana license plate supports Kalispell pee wee baseball

Published

5 hours ago

March 25, 2026

Press Room

New Montana license plate supports Kalispell pee wee baseball

KALISPELL, Mont. — A new Montana license plate is now available at the Kalispell DMV to help support pee wee baseball.

Each plate can be purchased for $30 and will help to boost off season revenue.

The baseball plate was designed by Alexandra Sheneman who helped pitch design ideas to the board.

Proceeds will benefit the youth baseball program by funding new equipment and maintenance upgrades at the Kidsports Complex.

That includes bats, baseballs, nets, and new concrete.

Leftover funding will help families afford the baseball program.

“Once that number starts going up, it will generate some sponsorship funding so that we can help families that need support that can’t afford it,” said Kalispell pee wee baseball president Andy Wilson.

This is a great way to step up to the plate and help keep the youth baseball program strong for future seasons.

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Montana

Missoula and Western Montana neighbors: Obituaries for March 25

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17 hours ago

March 25, 2026

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Missoula and Western Montana neighbors: Obituaries for March 25

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Montana

‘Hannah Montana’ fans question Starbucks drink. ‘She hates raspberry’.

Published

1 day ago

March 24, 2026

Press Room

‘Hannah Montana’ fans question Starbucks drink. ‘She hates raspberry’.

Hannah Montana once sang that “Nobody’s Perfect,” a sentiment fans are echoing regarding Starbucks’ new drink honoring the fictional pop star ahead of her iconic Disney TV show’s 20th anniversary special.

Thought to be a drink that Hannah Montana would order at Starbucks, the coffee chain launched the Secret Popstar Refresher on March 23 as a celebration ahead of the “Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special”, set to be released on Disney+ on March 24. The drink consists of a grande Strawberry Acai Refresher with raspberry cold foam, two pumps of raspberry syrup and no strawberry inclusions – the dried strawberries typically in the refresher, according to the Starbucks app.

However, fans were quick to point out that the beloved TV show’s main character, Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus), who lives a double life as teen pop star Hannah Montana, notoriously hates raspberries. Her disdain for raspberries was established in Season 1 of the show.

Stewart’s disgust is rooted in a childhood experience, during which she got sick after eating too much raspberry pie. Her hate for the fruit is exacerbated when Hannah Montana has to advertise a raspberry-scented perfume.

Now, fans of the show have taken to social media to speculate on Starbucks’ inclusion of raspberry.

Fans react to the raspberry Hannah Montana drink

Fans on social media quickly caught the raspberry reference after the drink’s launch on March 23, which many felt was an oversight by Starbucks, as they seemingly did not take Hannah Montana’s past into account.

Multiple comments on Starbucks’ Instagram post announcing the drink question the product’s flavor, including messages like “Why raspberry tho…didn’t Miley/Hannah hate raspberry,” “but she hates raspberry,” and “brooo there’s an episode in Hannah Montana (the perfume ad) where she doesn’t like raspberry!!!!”

The post’s caption appears to poke fun at the episode, reading: “For the fans who remember the raspberry saga, this one’s for you.”

Other comments under the post from Disney accounts also seem to acknowledge the raspberry inclusion as intentional, with the official Disney+ account commenting, “This completes the circle,” and the official Disney Channel account commenting, “the raspberry lore lives on!”

How to order a Hannah Montana drink at Starbucks

The Secret Popstar Refresher will be available for order through the Starbucks mobile app until April 5, according to a Starbucks statement obtained by USA TODAY.

The drink is a “secret menu exclusive,” meaning it is not on the official Starbucks menu in stores or drive-thru. Customers who know the recipe or use the Starbucks mobile app can order the refresher variation.

However, like any drink variation at the coffee chain, the refresher can be ordered at any time, as long as Starbucks has the required ingredients.

How to watch ‘Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special’?

The “Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special” became available to stream on Disney+ on March 24.

Reflecting on the past two decades, the special is an intimate sit-down interview with Miley Cyrus and “Call Her Daddy” podcast host Alex Cooper. The interview was filmed in front of a live audience in a recreation of the iconic Stewart ranch-style home.

Contributing: Greta Cross, USA TODAY

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