Southwest Montana has a brown trout problem.
The species is dropping in numbers across a wide range of the regionâs rivers, biologists are stumped as to the cause, and a looming summer of drought is putting on the heat. Itâs all hands on deck, and the experts are out for solutions.
âWhile we try to figure out what s really the root cause of this, we should certainly be doing something. I m not the decision maker, but that s how I feel based on what s going on biologically â we should be doing something, said Jim Olsen, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks fisheries biologist for the Big Hole River.
ROB CHANEY
Rampaging recreation trends, new restrictions from the Legislature and unresolved social direction beset Northern Continental Divide grizzlies this summer.
âThe crush of humanity that showed up last year will be back,â Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Region 1 Supervisor Jim Williams said of the coming summer tourist season.
âA lot of these folks have never lived with an elk before, let alone a bear. And the demand to provide all sorts of crazy opportunities on the forest is just going to grow.â
On Friday, Williams addressed a committee of grizzly managers who oversee the approximately 1,000 bears inhabiting the mountains from Glacier National Park south to Missoula, including the Flathead and Blackfeet Indian reservations. Thatâs one of the most successful of six grizzly recovery ecosystems in the Northwest.
It's one of Montana's smallest, but most historically significant state parks. And now, with a major upgrade underway, Fort Owen is finally getting some of the attention it deserves.
Fort Owen work will improve access, update important historical buildings kpax.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kpax.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Fort Owen work will improve access, update important historical buildings ktvh.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ktvh.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.