A wolf was recently killed by a vehicle along I-90 just north of Deer Lodge, Montana.
(Headlines - June 30, 2005)

The 12th annual Fishing Without Barriers Day on Flathead Lake came off successfully under sunny skies today. A total of 75 anglers with disabilities caught about 80 lake trout fishing from Montana Charterboat Association boats and private craft. Many lake trout were kept and filleted, but a half-dozen large fish up to 35 inches were caught and released. At the barbeque, anglers and helpers enjoyed deep-fat fried lake trout and other foods.
(Headlines - June 29, 2005)

The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission is seeking public comment by August 1 on proposed rules that would allow landowners to herd or haze game animals with aircraft in order to prevent crop or other damage to private property. The 2005 Montana State Legislature directed the FWP Commission to establish the rules to reduce landowner losses that occur when game animals congregate on private lands.
(Headlines - June 29, 2005)

Montana’s Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission will meet in Great Falls July 7, beginning at 8 a.m. at the FWP Region 4 headquarters, 4600 Giant Springs Rd.    The FWP Commission will make final decisions on acquiring Fishing Access Sites on Lake Five in Flathead County and on the Little Blackfoot River west of Avon. The commission will also make a final decision on a fishing closure until August 1 on the Pablo Reservoir and Feeder Canal in northwestern Montana.
(Headlines - June 29, 2005)

The family and friends of Michael D. Cavanna and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) have installed a memorial dock on Harrison Lake to honor his memory.
(Headlines - June 29, 2005)

A draft management plan for Makoshika State Park is available for public review and comment. The plan, put together by a local advisory committee and Fish, Wildlife & Parks, will guide park operations, educational efforts, recreational opportunities, visitor services, community relations, paleontological and natural resource conservation for the next ten years.
(Parks - June 28, 2005)

The Fourth of July holiday is traditionally one of the best times of the year to fish in Montana. This year however, cooler weather and much-needed rainfall have slowed the transition from spring to summer fishing patterns.
(Fishing - June 28, 2005)

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks will offer a bowhunter education class in Belgrade beginning July 12, 2005. The class will be held at the Belgrade Middle School from July 12-15 from 7-9:30 p.m. No pre-registration is required.
(Headlines - June 27, 2005)

Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks (FWP) has issued a correction to the regulations for deer and elk hunting district 309 in the Gallatin Valley.
(Headlines - June 27, 2005)

Experts say nearly 30 percent of Montana's wetlands have disappeared in the past 200 years. That is a significant loss of habitat affecting many native species. More than one-third of the species in Montana that are recognized by the Federal government as rare, threatened or endangered require wetlands for a portion or all of their life cycles. The Montana Wetlands Legacy is working to stop the loss.
(Headlines - June 24, 2005)

The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission set the final moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goat and mountain lion quotas for 2005, with few changes from the tentative quotas proposed in April.
(Hunting - June 24, 2005)

Rosebud Battlefield near Lodgegrass may become a National Historic Landmark. The site was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and became a Montana State Park in October 1978. The 3,000-acre Rosebud Battlefield State Park is the site of the June 17, 1876 battle between the Sioux and Cheyenne Indians and General Crook's soldiers. It also includes prehistoric sites and the homestead and ranch of the Kobold family.
(Headlines - June 24, 2005)

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking trail recreationists interested in serving on the Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Advisory Committee. The committee advises the agency on the distribution of $160,000 of OHV Trails Program funds and various trails-related issues.
(Headlines - June 24, 2005)

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks reminds Off-Highway Vehicle it is time to brush up on OHV safety and laws for summer. To assist OHV riders in preparing for the riding season, FWP offers a pocket-sized brochure summarizing OHV laws; required fees, decals and registration; safety tips; grant programs for OHV trails; and OHV contacts in Montana. The brochure is available at all FWP and County Treasurers’ offices.
(Parks - June 24, 2005)

Off-highway vehicles, including motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), quadricycles, dune buggies, amphibious vehicles and air cushion vehicles, have registration and use rules. Snowmobiles are not considered OHVs.
(Parks - June 24, 2005)

Montana State Parks' summer Campfire Programs revive one the West's greatest outdoor experiences—sitting around the campfire and telling stories. "Each summer a little magic happens at these campfire programs," said Doug Monger, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks state parks administrator. "They're set under a star-studded summer sky, sometimes around an authentic campfire and always with a warm and friendly crowd.
(Parks - June 24, 2005)

Federal wildlife officials turned over most authority for the state's recovered but still federally protected wolf population to Montana today allowing the state to carry out much of its approved wolf conservation and management plan.
(Headlines - June 24, 2005)

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) announces that the final Beaverhead and Big Hole River Recreation Rules are completed and available. The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission adopted the final rules at its May meeting. The rules went into effect on June 16, 2005.
(Headlines - June 22, 2005)

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) and Five Valleys Land Trust will host a June 29 celebration to commemorate the land exchange that brought a portion of Alberton Gorge, the popular fishing and whitewater recreation area on the Clark Fork River near Missoula, into public ownership in 2004.
(Headlines - June 21, 2005)

Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks (FWP) has issued a correction to the 2005 deer and elk regulations for hunting district 332 in the West Pioneer Mountains.
(Headlines - June 17, 2005)

With Montana's lakes and rivers facing an epidemic of illegal stocking of fish, state officials said today anglers will see wardens checking boats and live-wells this summer for unwanted hitchhikers. Illegal introductions of fish, or "bucket biology," occur from the illegal movement of fish from one body of water to another, bait-bucket transfers, and even from mail-order companies that market all manner of fish.
(Fishing - June 17, 2005)

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks wardens who enforce the state’s boating and water recreation laws have years of experience observing where boaters go wrong on Montana's waters. Boaters generally make common mistakes stowing their life jackets where they aren't readily accessible on larger boats, and standing up in smaller boats. But a few boaters are guilty of boating bloopers that leave even seasoned enforcement people shaking their heads.
(Headlines - June 17, 2005)

In a recent study of non-commercial boating fatalities, the Coast Guard in Juneau, Alaska found that 75 percent of fatalities occurred in the initial stages of being exposed to very coldwater. Their studies showed that death may even have come before the victims' core body temperature dropped or hypothermia occurred. In 44 of the 58 fatalities, the victims never surfaced or made it to shore. In the past, the effects of cold water were considered to be part of “hypothermia." Now the U.S.
(Education - June 17, 2005)

With the July 4 weekend ahead, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks wardens will be on the water helping boaters be safe. Every summer FWP wardens spend long days enforcing Montana’s boating and water recreation laws, investigating from 20-30 boating accidents a year. Montana's many cold, rapid rivers make boating safety a top priority in the state.
(Headlines - June 17, 2005)

Montana's rivers and streams, wildlife, and a number of today's Montana State Parks sites, play important roles in the journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The following stories on Lewis and Clark's experiences on Montana's waters were researched and written by Dean Culwell, a member of the Montana Coast Guard. Culwell has floated many of Montana's waters, including routes Lewis and Clark followed.
(Headlines - June 17, 2005)

Lewis and Clark were seasoned water travelers by the time they reached Montana, but they had their share of mishaps here. Boaters today face many of the same hazards that Lewis and Clark did 200 years ago. Among them is alcohol. Lewis and Clark reserved alcohol for consolation at the end of a hard day.
(Parks - June 17, 2005)

Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark spent 167 days and nearly 2,200 miles boating through Montana.   They recorded 30 boating mishaps in their journals including: capsizings, swampings, men overboard and even a few injury accidents.   Most hazards encountered by the Lewis and Clark Expedition still plague modern-day boaters in the state.   The westbound Expedition entered Montana on April 27, 1805, boating up the Missouri River some 734 miles to Three Forks.
(Parks - June 17, 2005)

Lewis and Clark and their men attempted to use five types of water craft while in Montana:   pirogues (pronounced PEE-rows), canoes, rafts, bullboats and an iron-framed boat with an animal hide covering.   When the westbound Expedition entered what is now Montana in late April 1805, the flotilla consisted of two pirogues and six canoes. The keelboat, the largest vessel in the fleet, had already returned downriver to St. Louis from the Mandan Villages in North Dakota.
(Parks - June 17, 2005)

Rapids, rocks, high water, sloughing banks, and floating and fixed woody debris were common river hazards encountered by the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1805 to 1806. Montana’s often-unpredictable spring and summer weather, including wind, temperature extremes and thunderstorms, offered exciting boating experiences. River hazards and weather were the major causes of the 30 boating accidents while the Expedition was in Montana.
(Parks - June 17, 2005)

All Montana residents have unlimited access to the state's 50 Montana State Parks and your Montana license plate gets you in free. About 73 percent of parks visitors were residents in 2004. Also new is the Montana State Parks Internet travel planner available on the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks web site at fwp.mt.gov
(Parks - June 15, 2005)

Lewis and Clark, in the famous journals from their 1803-1805 expedition, described seven of Montana's 50 state park sites.   It isn't surprising to find state parks sites documented in the earliest written history of the state. Archaeologists say that about 11,000 years ago early people frequented many of these sites, and later the elders of today's Indian tribes visited and used them.
(Parks - June 15, 2005)

Montana State Parks' summer Campfire Programs go to the roots of "reality entertainment" with old-fashioned story telling, cowboy and western songs, wildlife demonstrations, and even roasted marshmallows. "Each summer a little magic happens at these campfire programs," said Doug Monger, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks state parks administrator. "They're set under a star-studded summer sky, sometimes around an authentic campfire and always with a warm and friendly crowd.
(Parks - June 15, 2005)

One benefit of living in Montana is that a vacation at a Montana State Park can be more fun and will cost less than many other vacation options. Planning a state park vacation this summer is easy too when you let the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks web site do your travel planning. Just go to fwp.mt.gov ,   click on Parks and Recreation and then on “Plan a Visit” to explore this online travel planner.
(Parks - June 15, 2005)

Montana State Parks showcase the state's rich cultural history at sites such as Madison Buffalo Jump near Three Forks and Pictograph Cave State Parks near Billings. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is responsible for managing and preserving these and other state parks sites where important fossils, natural features and cultural artifacts are often found.
(Parks - June 15, 2005)

A Montana State Park is a great place to see some of the 400 species of birds that have been spotted at one time or the other in Montana. More than 250 species breed in the state and 160 species winter here.   Because Montana’s State Parks represent the same diverse habitats as the state itself, they make ideal locations for sighting the state’s birds.
(Parks - June 15, 2005)

Montana's State Parks offer easy access to a variety of the state's popular waters. Each water body is unique, alive with its own moods, depending on the time of day, season, weather and other factors. For indigenous people, Montana's rivers are a source of deep nourishment, as blood is to the body.   "The value system we have passed down from generation to generation for thousands of years is fed by our rivers.
(Parks - June 15, 2005)

Nearly every angler in the state has a favorite, often secret, fishing access site. "With 320 fishing access sites to choose from across the state, anglers enjoy good access to the state’s blue ribbon streams and rivers, lakes and reservoirs," said Allan Kuser, FWP fishing access site coordinator. Most of the fishing opportunities at these access sites are on rivers and streams.   Fifty-eight sites are on lakes and reservoirs, including 14 warm water fisheries stocked by FWP.
(Fishing - June 15, 2005)

Montana, Fish Wildlife & Parks bear specialists say that campers, hikers and anglers are very likely to see a bear sometime this spring and summer. "Grizzly bears continue to gradually expand into new areas and Montana’s black bear population is thriving," said Tim Manley, FWP grizzly bear specialist in northwest Montana. "I urge the folks I see when I’m out in the field to brush up on their bear facts and to be bear aware.
(Headlines - June 15, 2005)

Crimes involving the state’s fish, wildlife and State Parks resources occur year round. Montana’s popular TIP-MONT Program and hotline (1-800-847-6668) enlists outdoorsmen and -women in reporting crimes they observe, including those on U.S. Forest Service lands or involving Forest Service facilities.
(Hunting - June 15, 2005)

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking public comment until July 7 on the 2005-2006 tentative furbearer quotas. A limited number of changes are proposed. No quota changes are proposed for fisher or wolverine.
(Hunting - June 10, 2005)

Most people are naturally inclined to help a wild animal in trouble. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks offices often receive calls reporting stressed or injured animals, for example a deer with a puncture wound, owl with a broken wing, or an abandoned elk fawn.
(Headlines - June 09, 2005)

The 12th annual “Becoming an Outdoors-Woman” workshop, sponsored by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, will be held July 8-10 at the Lubrecht Forest east of Missoula.   The hands-on workshop will offer opportunities to build a survival shelter, cast a fly rod, learn to paddle a canoe and cook up a Dutch-oven treat.
(Headlines - June 09, 2005)

Women interested in kayaking are invited to a one-day beginning kayak class sponsored by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.   The class will be offered July 16 and 17 at Hyalite Reservoir, south of Bozeman in the Gallatin National Forest beginning at 9 a.m. each day.   “Kayaking is one of the fastest growing outdoor sports in the country.
(Headlines - June 09, 2005)

The International Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) program is coming to Montana Aug. 13-14 with a new workshop, the "Jane Deere."   The workshop is open to anyone 18 and older, including those who may not be actively involved in agriculture, but are interested in natural resources.
(Headlines - June 06, 2005)

Volunteers and FWP staff collected nearly 110 million walleye eggs earlier this spring on Fort Peck Lake.
(Headlines - June 06, 2005)

A Hunter Education class is scheduled for June 13-18 in Glasgow
(Headlines - June 06, 2005)

Dredge Cuts Fishing Access Site will be closed to public use through June as improvements are made
(Headlines - June 06, 2005)

After an extensive public review process, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) has completed an environmental assessment for the acquisition and development of a fishing access site on Lake Five in Flathead County. FWP Region One Supervisor Jim Satterfield has signed a Record of Decision that calls for construction of a day-use boat access area on the lake on land donated to FWP.
(Headlines - June 03, 2005)

Montana’s Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission will meet in Helena June 9 at the FWP headquarters, 1420 East 6 th Ave at 8 a.m.
(Headlines - June 01, 2005)