Outdoors
Flathead Lake teems with fish in today’s environment, and the most abundant trout species aren’t the ones that historically belong there but that’s changing. Humans introduced lake trout, currently the dominant trout species in Flathead Lake, about 100 years ago. Lake trout eat other fish, including the native cutthroat and bull trout that have been part of the lake’s ecosystem since the last ice age. Over time, lake trout began to drastically drive down the population of native trout in the lake to what Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal biologist Barry Hanson calls “dangerously low levels.” After analyzing of the factors influencing nat...
News from the Environment Montana Research and Policy Center MONTANA – Environment Montana Research and Policy Center released a report on Oct. 31 that found plastic contamination in 66 percent of the fifty river access sites it tested across Montana. “We found plastics i...
News from CSKT FLATHEAD LAKE – Fall Mack Days will end on Nov. 10 with awards and a fish fry at the Blue Bay Campground. Up to $150,000 in cash and prizes sponsored by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes will be awarded to hard-working anglers. Mack Days fishing events are used as a fishe...
News from the Department of the Interio r WASHINGTON – The Department of the Interior announced its guidance to implement Secretary’s Order 3376, Increasing Recreational Opportunities Through the Use of Electric Bikes, which will allow the use of low-speed electric bicycles (e-bikes) at natio...
NIARADA — Jimmy Ray Blixt passed away at his home in Niarada, on Oct. 19, 2019, at the age of 76. There are so many things to say about the life of this cowboy and the hearts he touched. As a young boy at the age of 12, Jimmy owned several head of cows, killed his first elk and traveled by horseback in...
News from FWP MONTANA – An additional white-tailed deer in the Libby area is suspected to be positive for chronic wasting disease. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks collected a sample from the adult doe that appeared symptomatic and was euthanized in the center of town along 2nd Street....
Loss of life from a vehicle crash has a devastating impact on families and friends of the victim when a loved one is suddenly no longer with us. It has become a practice for people who have lost loved ones due to a fatal crash to express their grief by placing a memorial within the highway right of way near ...
A small stream flows into the canal two miles from our place in St. Ignatius. At that confluence, it also happens that the canal makes a 90-degree turn. The result of the waters merging in this way is a deeper and wider section of the canal; in fact, locals know it as a fairly good place to catch trout now a...
News from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks KALISPELL — An adult female grizzly bear was euthanized on Sept. 10 after the bear and three cubs became food conditioned and broke into structures to obtain grain. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks captured the bears in the Seeley-Swan Valley...
FLATHEAD RESERVATION – In recent years, Mission Valley residents have come to expect a thick blanket of smoke covering the region by late August. This year’s blue skies are courtesy of a reduced number of human-started fires and timely precipitation, according to C.T. Camel, who is the C...
