Big Sky Lede

This week, Holly Michels, Seaborn Larson and Sam Wilson of the Montana State News Bureau, talk about reporting from week five of the legislative session. 

Topics discussed: a package of Republican-backed legislation to spend $1 billion of the state’s surplus and cut taxes, a question of conflict of interest regarding a freshman legislator's bill and a couple controversial bills heard in both judiciary committees.

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The news last week was dominated by the historic flooding in south-central Montana and all the damage left in the wake of receding flood waters. As the flooding started to happen early last week, the state was putting out press releases with quotes from Gov. Greg Gianforte about the response from his administration about the flooding, and by Tuesday had issued a disaster declaration.

But there was something less than standard abou...

On Tuesday, voters in Montana had their say in the state’s midterm primary election. While the primaries for the new western congressional seat drew most of the attention, voters also weighed in on state Supreme Court positions, seats on the Public Service Commission, legislative races and more. On this episode Montana State News Bureau reporters who give us a run down on who won, who lost and where votes are still being coun...

In the last few months, we’ve seen employees at Montana State Hospital try to raise the alarm about the conditions at the facility in Warm Springs. It’s the only state-run psychiatric hospital in Montana and, according to the state, is amid a serious staffing shortage.

On this episode, Seaborn Larson talks about an inspection report that lays out how those conditions have affected patients, and in some cases, how viola...

A recent lawsuit in Montana District Court has brought confusion and now hopefully some clarity on what is and is not allowed for hunting wolves.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks in response to a lawsuit from two wildlife advocacy groups argues that its removal of language from Montana’s wolf hunting regulations prohibiting hunting wolves from aircraft was justified because state law does not specifically bar hunting wolve...

Republican lawmakers are talking seriously about a possible special legislative session in the coming weeks, and that the governor has indicated a willingness to call lawmakers into session if certain conditions are met.

The goal: preempt a court from redrawing the state’s Public Service Commission districts.

On this episode, Sam Wilson and Holly Michels of the Montana State News Bureau talk about a recent article from Wils...

Weighing the benefits of technology with the principles of fair chase has long been a difficult balance in hunting in Montana and across the West.

Photographing wildlife with remote trail cameras has grown in popularity over the last 20 years, whether as a noninvasive tool for research or a fun form of recreation. But in the hunting world, trail camera use has never been more hotly debated.

On this episode, Tom Kuglin of the Mont...

A radio-collared grizzly trekked 2,800 miles through Montana and Idaho. Her trail shows the many places bears may soon inhabit as the species recovers - areas that haven’t had grizzlies for a century. 

This episode contains a reading by Robert Chaney, author and long-time reporter for the Missoulian, from his book “The Grizzly in the Driveway: The Return of Bears to a Crowded American West.”

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Grizzly bears don’t attend policy meetings. Our reactions to their activity may be rooted in economics, fear, adoration or politics. A comprehensive survey of Montana grizzly attitudes found that we love having the great bear on the landscape, and we think hunting them would be a good idea. Current science indicates those two opinions will conflict, as people assume hunting bears will solve problems when instead it may push g...

Black bears used to cause havoc in Virginia City, but efforts to neutralize attractants changed that. Now, residents hope those efforts have prepared them for their next likely visitors - grizzlies.

Kia Gardner sits down with Michael Cast, formerly of the Montana Standard newspaper, and talks about Virginia City, located between both grizzly recovery areas, and how the community has gotten "bear smart."

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Brad Treat’s fatal bike collision with a grizzly illustrates the challenge of recreating in bear country. With both bear populations and human activity on the upswing, conflicts will grow accordingly.

This episode contains a reading by Robert Chaney, author and long-time reporter for the Missoulian, from his book “The Grizzly in the Driveway: The Return of Bears to a Crowded American West.”

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Two hundred years ago, grizzly bears ruled the West. 

Today, people have taken that throne and relegated Ursus arctos horribilis to a fraction of its former range. But the bears — backed by legal protection and decades of recovery efforts – have begun reasserting themselves, in some cases appearing in areas where they hadn’t been seen for nearly a century. The slow but steady expansion has led to an increase...