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Katheryn Houghton and Arielle Zionts KFF Helth News Tescha Hawley learned that hospital bills from her son’s birth had been sent to debt collectors only when she checked her credit score while attending a home-buying class. The new mom’s plans to buy a house stalled. Hawley said she didn’t owe those thousands of dollars in debts. The federal government did.Hawley, a citizen of the Gros Ventre Tribe, lives on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in Montana. The Indian Health Service is a federal agency that provides free healt...
Press release Nominations are now being accepted for the 2025 Montana Leopold Conservation Award®. The $10,000 award honors ranchers, farmers, and forestland owners who go above and beyond in their management of soil health, water quality, and wildlife habitat on working land. Sand County Foundation and national sponsor American Farmland Trust present the Leopold Conservation Award to private landowners in 28 states. In Montana, the award is presented with the Montana...
Press release BILLINGS — As we go through the critical harvest season, the Bureau of Land Management emphasizes the importance of fire prevention, particularly regarding human-caused fires related to agricultural operations. These fires can have devastating effects on our public lands, fields, equipment, and local communities. To mitigate the risk of fire, we urge farmers and agricultural workers to consider the following safety measures: 1. Regular equipment maintenance: Regular checks on agricultural machinery for potential...
Press release WASHINGTON — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture will invest $400 million with at least 18 irrigation districts to help farmers continue commodity production while also conserving water across the West. This funding — which will support irrigation districts and producers in using innovative water savings technologies and farming practices while producing water-saving commodities in the face of continued drought — is expected to conserve up to 50,000 acre-feet in water...
Press release WASHINGTON-During the American Farm Bureau Council of Presidents in Washington, D.C. last week, Farm Bureau members heard firsthand that an acceptable farm bill remains elusive. The group of Farm Bureau leaders heard from Senator John Boozman, R-Ariz., and Senator Debbie Stabenow, D-MIch., who reiterated that both parties remain committed to passing a Farm Bill. However, they have not yet come to an agreement that is likely to pass both chambers. "It is going to...
From U.S. Department of the Interior WASHINGTON — The Department of the Interior today announced that 56 local governments in Montana will receive a total of $43.3 million in Payments in Lieu of Taxes funding for 2024. Because local governments cannot tax Federal lands, annual PILT payments help to defray the costs associated with maintaining important community services. A release from U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., lists the Montana payments, which included $1,258,897 for Blaine County, $483,587 for Chouteau County, $...
U.S. Bureau of Land Management Bureau of Land Management officials signed a Decision Record and Finding of No Significant Impact for a travel plan amendment opening a 0.6-mile primitive road in the Left Coulee area of the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument’s Bullwhacker region, providing legal public motorized and mechanized access to that area. In 2023, the Square Butte Grazing Association and Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks finalized a Public Access Land Agreement through a private parcel along Cow Creek. The B...
Press release In a crucial step toward maintaining the health and resilience of our public lands, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management are set to conduct prescribed burning activities on the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge and Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument. Weather permitting, these activities will commence Monday, April 29, and are expected to cover up to 14,374 acres over three weeks. The burns will occur during daylight hours and be visible for several miles. The...
Bureau of Land Management planners invite public input as they develop plans for multiple fuels treatments and forest health projects to occur within a large area of the Little Rocky Mountains outside of the communities of Zortman and Landusky. The Little Rockies Forest Health Project is part of the BLM’s ongoing commitment to keep public lands healthy and accessible by improving forest conditions and minimizing the threat of catastrophic wildfire. A public open house meeting to initiate public scoping for this project is s...
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.gov/eplan...
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...
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 using...
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: • Carry and...
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 alert,...
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 Missouri...
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 M...
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 wil...
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...
