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Press release Bureau of Land Management planners invite public input on an environmental assessment analyzing the potential opening of a 0.6-mile primitive road through a travel plan amendment that would provide legal public motorized and mechanized access to the Bullwhacker area of the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument. The EA and supporting documents are available on the e-Planning website for a 30-day public comment period – Feb. 28 through March 28, 2024 — at https://eplanning.blm.go...
A story on the front page of the Jan. 5 edition of Havre Daily News about U.S. Bureau of Land Management considering opening access to the Bullwhacker area of Upper Missouri River Breaks Management inadvertently left out where to access the proposal online and how to submit comments. A description of the proposal and maps of the project area are available on the e-Planning website at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2030427/510 . Comments may be submitted using the following methods: Electronic (preferred) BLM... Full story
Editor’s note: This version includes online and mail access to provide comments, which was inadvertently left out of the original version. The Montana Bureau of Land Management is soliciting public comment on their plan to possibly open the Bullwhacker area of the Upper Missouri River Breaks to mechanized and motorized vehicle access. A description of the proposal and maps of the project area are available on the e-Planning website at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2030427/510 . Comments may be submitted...
Press release The Coal Banks Landing Campground and James Kipp Recreation Area will close for the winter season, starting Friday, Dec. 1, according to Bureau of Land Management officials at the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument. The campgrounds, along with the day-use areas, including launch ramps and restroom facilities, will be inaccessible throughout the winter closure. "The boat launch and other facilities there aren't safe or accessible for recreation and are...
Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is reminding hunters that the area where bears could be expected is growing. Grizzly bears have the potential to be found anywhere in the western two-thirds of Montana — west of Billings — and their distribution is denser and more widespread than in previous years. Some areas with dense concentrations of grizzly bears are very accessible to hunters, especially during the archery season. Keep these precautions in mind when hunting in grizzly country: • Carr...
Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks Grizzly bears have the potential to be found anywhere in the western two-thirds of Montana — west of Billings — and their distribution is denser and more widespread than in previous years. Some areas with dense concentrations of grizzly bears are very accessible to hunters, especially during the archery season. Keep these precautions in mind when hunting in grizzly country: • Carry and know how to use bear spray. Keep it within easy reach and be prepared to use it immediately. • Stay...
The Coal Ridge fire in Blaine County was declared controlled Monday morning and the Montana Bureau of Land Management said this morning that all firefighting resources have been released. The fire, originally reported last Tuesday north of the Stafford Ferry in Blaine County, reached 1,200 acres late last week after more than doubling its initially reported 450 acres that Tuesday, but by Friday the fire was 60 percent contained after firefighters worked to establish a perimeter around the blaze. Releases from BLM said the...
In the past day, the Coal Ridge Fire in Blaine County, 5 miles North of Stafford Ferry, has remained at 1,200 acres despite a day of erratic winds as firefighters establish a perimeter around most of the blaze. A release from the Montana Bureau of Land Management Thursday said the fire has now been mapped at 1,200 acres, up from the previous estimate of 450 acres Tuesday. Wednesday, BLM said the fire had burned 790 acres of private land, 166 acres of BLM managed lands, including areas within the Upper Missouri River Breaks...
While the Coal Ridge Fire in Blaine County has grown significantly, Tuesday night rain and calmer winds seem to have kept the fire from spreading more uncontrollably. A release from the Montana Bureau of Land Management Wednesday said the fire has now been mapped at 1,200 acres, up from the previous estimate of 450 acres the day before, having burned 790 acres of private land. The release said 166 acres of Bureau of Land Management managed lands, including areas within the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument and...
Bureau of Land Management reported Tuesday that a fire had broken out in Blaine County near the Stafford Ferry on the Missouri River. At the start of a regional weekly fire update call Tuesday at 8:30 a.m., it had been another light week for fires in this area of Montana, although local governments and agencies were being asked to be cautious for the next few days due to winds potentially worsening fire conditions. At 1 p.m. Tuesday, well after the fire call, the fire was...
Press release In a joint effort between the Montana Game Warden's Association - MGWA - and Square Butte Grazing Association, a new road culvert has been installed as part of the Spencer Cow Camp Public Access Land Agreement, or PALA. In the spring of 2023, Square Butte Grazing Association entered into a 10-year PALA agreement with Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks. The PALA provides year-round access through private land to adjacent to Bureau of Land Management Upper...
Press release HELENA - Ever get in a traffic jam at a boat ramp? How about arriving at a boat campsite after a long float and discovering trash left behind by the previous campers? Many river recreators, both resident and nonresident, have experienced behaviors they wished they hadn't. With this in mind, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, along with several conservation partners, created a series of videos , available on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/pl...
Havre Daily News staff The Bureau of Land Management reported Saturday that no new growth occurred on the Black Butte Fire in southern Blaine County east of Landusky on the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument, Containment of the 460 acre fire was estimated at 70 percent Saturday, the bureau said in a press release. The lightning-caused wildfire, located on BLM-managed lands near the Missouri River about 20 miles west of Landusky, had a Type 2 crew assigned to the fire, including multiple overhead units and engines....
From U.S. Bureau of Land Management Wildland fire-fighting crews and aerial resources working the Black Butte Fire, in north-central Montana, were able to suppress the fire's growth Thursday, with containment estimated at about 20%. Aerial perimeter mapping conducted Thursday brought more-accurate and welcome news that the fire's total acreage is approximately 460 acres – smaller than initial ground-level visual estimates. The wildfire located on BLM-managed lands near the...
A 700-acre fire is burning in southern Blaine County on Bureau of Land Management-managed land in the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument. A release from BLM says the now-named Black Butte Fire is about 20 miles west of Landusky, burning timber grass and sagebrush, but is in a remote area of the monument and no structures are at risk for the moment. The wildfire was reported Aug. 1 at 1 p.m. when smoke was spotted in the Ervin Ridge area of the monument, the release said, and BLM’s North Central Montana District w...
Hill County will move into Stage 1 fire restrictions Friday after seeing five fires in the past week. During a regional fire call this morning Hill County Commissioner Jake Strissel said all five fires were human caused and affected 25 acres of land since the fire call last week, so the county will be implementing Stage 1 fire restrictions. These restrictions prohibit building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire or campfire unless noted in the exemptions below or as designated in the specific closure order. Smoking is...
A historic deal more than a century in the making requiring the federal government to ensure members of the Fort Belknap Indian Community have water — and ensures water is available to everyone along the Milk River — took another major step forward Thursday. The Fort Belknap Indian Community Water Rights Settlement Act, led by Sens. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Steve Daines, R-Mont., unanimously was passed by the U.S. Senate as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, a release from Tester’s office said. The...
An agreement more than a century in the making to settle water rights issues and provide water to Fort Belknap Indian Community — and to people all along the Milk River — Wednesday when the Fort Belknap Indian Community Water Rights Settlement Act passed out of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. The federal doctrine involving tribal water rights — The Winters Doctrine — started in Fort Belknap with the lawsuit Winters vx. United States, in which the U.S, Supreme Court established the doctrine that the...
Montana Senss Jon Tester, a Democrat, and Steve Daines, a Republican, introduced the Fort Belknap Indian Community Water Rights Settlement Act to the Senate Wednesday, a potentially historic bill that will secure the Fort Belknap Indian Community’s Indian water rights. The bill would invest $1.3 billion in water infrastructure and provide economic opportunity across the Hi-Line as well as help to avoid costly litigation over water rights in the area, a release from Fort Belknap said Wednesday. The bill also includes...
Press release FORT BENTON - As paddle fishing season winds down, the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument begins seasonal boating restrictions along segments of the river designated as wild and scenic. Starting Thursday, June 15, seasonally restricted segments include: • Pilot Rock to Deadman's Rapids (River Mile 52 to 84.5): Motorized watercraft travel downstream only at no-wake speeds, every day. • Holmes Council Island to Fred Robinson Bridge (River Mile 92.5...
Donna E. (Cornella) Larson, 95, went to be with the Lord Wednesday, May 31, 2023, at Sweet Nursing Home of natural causes. Her Vigil Service will be at 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, June 6, 2023, at St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church. Her funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church in Havre. Burial will be next to her husband at Highland Cemetery. Memorial donations in Donna's name may be made to St. Jude's in Havre, St....
Press release The Bureau of Reclamation is scheduled to host a public meeting Wednesday, May 24, 2023, from 6-8 p.m. at the Chester Community/Senior Center at 618 E. Adams Ave., Chester, to discuss recreation at Tiber Reservoir, Discussion topics will include camping, fishing, boating safety and more. There will be presentations about land and recreation, state of the fisheries, aquatic invasive species, noxious weed management and marina updates. “The public is encouraged to attend this public meeting,” Reclamation Natur...
Montana Sen. Jon Tester in a press conference Thursday said the biggest news relevant to his committees is bad, unfortunately, with the recent rejection of a bill that would have, among other things, expanded home health care for aging and disabled veterans, expanded work for veterans' service officers, improved the VA's Caregivers Program and bolstered mental health treatment. He said it would also help Native Americans and Alaskans, who serve in the military at a higher...
CHINOOK - The importance of museums for local Montana towns is the topic of a presentation Friday at the Blaine County Museum. Sabre Moore, executive director of the Carter County Museum in Ekalaka, will be speaking at the Blaine County Fairgrounds Commercial Building Friday, April 21, at noon. The event is scheduled to end around 1 p.m. She will elaborate on how Montana's rural museums are vital to the state's rural populations. Blaine County Museum Director Samantha French...
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Late winter and early spring is often a difficult time for wildlife. After using fat reserves through most of the winter, along with trying to find what food is available, many animals are at their most vulnerable at this time of year. And as we've all experienced, the winter of 2022-23 has been a tough, long winter with heavy snow and cold temperatures late into the year. That's why Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, along with the Bureau...