DNRC in the News
NWS Foresees No Fire Season “Ending Event”
Barbara Bauerle
Dillon Tribune
August 17, 2007
There will be no large rain or snow storm coming to the aid of southwestern Montana firefighters anytime soon, according to the National Weather Service in Great Falls. At their regular meeting on Monday, the Beaverhead County Drought Task Force heard the bad news from Gina Loss of the weather service… (more)
Most Black Cat Fire Evacuations Lifted; Blaze at 4,500 Acres
Mark Thorsell
KPAX 8 Missoula CBS
August 17, 2007
An official with the Montana Department of Recourses and Conservation says that most of the evacuation orders issued due to the Black Cat Fire in Frenchtown have been lifted. Paula Rosenthal reports the only mandatory evacuation still in effect is for residents in Mill Creek drainage above Spring Hill… (more)
Fire Scorches Grassy Hillsides
Betsy Cohen
Missoulian
August 17, 2007
EVARO – The 850-acre Black Cat wildfire did exactly what firefighters hoped it wouldn't on Thursday: It leaped out of the timber and torched the grassy hillsides between Evaro and Frenchtown, and with it homes, barns and outbuildings. For most of the day, the blaze was so well-hidden by a thick layer of smoke that tracking its movement through the tinder-dry understory and timber was difficult… (more)
Black Cat Off and Running, Frenchtown Area on Notice
Tristan Scott
Missoulian
August 17, 2007
FRENCHTOWN – Evacuation notices for residents east of Frenchtown were erratic as the winds on Thursday as the Black Cat fire ran in multiple directions, consuming structures and at times even forcing firefighters to retreat into safety zones. As darkness fell, the fire had shoved its way north through heavy timber, grassy hills and shrubs and was burning actively in the Mill Creek drainage, driving boat-towing, camper-carting residents from their neighborhoods and onto the smoke-filled Frenchtown Frontage Road… (more)
Black Cat Fire Update
KECI 13 MissoulaNBC
August 16, 2007
As of 10AM Friday, August 17, officials from the DNRC announced that most of the evacuations on the Black Cat fire west of Missoula have been lifted. The only mandatory evacuation is for residents in Mill Creek Drainage above Spring Hill. As of a detection flight last night, the Black Cat fire is estimated at 4,500 acres. At last report, both Highway 93 North and I-90 between Missoula and Frenchtown are open to traffic… (more)
Spring Meadows to get Upgrade to Water System
Rob Harper
Clark Fork Chronicle
August 15, 2007
Missoula, MT – Montana’s Department of Natural Resources and Conservation recently finalized a loan for over $300,000 to help the Spring Meadows Water District install vital water infrastructure for its residential users. Located about eight miles west of Missoula, the Spring Meadows subdivision was developed in the early 1990s near the intersection of Interstate 90 and Highway 93… (more)
Havre Receives Loans for Water Projects
August 15, 2007 Staff, Great Falls Tribune
HAVRE – Havre has $3 million for major water and wastewater infrastructure projects, thanks to loans from the Montana's Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. The loans include $1.46 million for water systems and $1.5 million for wastewater projects. The first $500,000 of each 20-year loan is at 2.75 percent interests… (more)
Fire Camp Life
Nicholas Ledden
Daily Interlake
August 15, 2007
Running the Skyland Fire camp is like running a small city. More than 800 people have been calling a grassy field off U.S. 2 home while the wildfire rages near Marias Pass. And the logistics of maintaining a tent city of that size are staggering. "With these large fire camps, you're bringing a city to the countryside," Operations Section Chief Mike Matarrese said… (more)
Black Cat Roars to Life: Blaze near Evaro Forces Evacuations
Kim Briggeman; Betsy Cohen; Chelsi Moy; Tristan Scott,
Missoulian
August 15, 2007
EVARO – Smoke rising from the timbered hillside northeast of Frenchtown forced Scott Waldron to stop and watch for but a few moments Tuesday afternoon. Where there's smoke, there's usually fire, the Frenchtown Rural Fire chief knows. And sure enough, out of that curl of smoke came a hard-charging wildfire dubbed the Black Cat and responsible for the evacuation of 30 homes on Evaro Hill and the temporary closure of U.S. Highway 93. At first - around 2 p.m.… (more)
New Fire Near Evaro Calms, Active Fire Expected
Greg Lemon
Newwest
August 14, 2007
The Black Cat fire near Evaro, north of Missoula and west of Highway 93, has calmed down some tonight, but is still actively burning on the ground, said Paula Rosenthal, Montana Department of Natural Resources fire information officer. The fire, which has been sized at 280 acres, led to evacuations of more than 20 residences west of Highway 93 from mile marker 3 to about half way between mile markers 6 and 7. The fire is still more than a mile from the nearest homes… (More)
'Wall of flame' prompts subdivision residents to flee
By MATTHEW BROWN, Associated Press
Independent Record
August 15, 2007
COLUMBUS, Mont. – A fire roared through a 60-home subdivision east of here Tuesday, sending fire crews and residents scrambling. None of the homes was lost as the 250- to 300-acre blaze quickly passed through the grass and trees of the subdivision near Interstate 90, said Jeff Bollman of Montana's Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. The Pine Crest subdivision was evacuated. John Petak, the Stillwater…(more)
Black Cat fire prompts evacuations
By MATTHEW BROWN, Associated Press
Independent Record
August 15, 2007
A fast-moving wildfire prompted evacuations Tuesday for about 10 to 15 homes in the Evaro area, north of Missoula. The Black Cat fire started at 2:15 p.m. and had grown to about 400 acres by 8 p.m. Evacuation orders were in place on the west side of U.S. Highway 93 from mile marker 3.5 to mile marker 6, said Jane Ellis, manager of the public information call center for the fire. Residents in the same area on the east side of the highway were on pre-evacuation alert… (more)
Deer Creek Fire Snuffed Out
Betsy Cohen
Missoulian
August 13, 2007
Firefighters hustled to quell this summer's fourth human-caused fire in the Deer Creek drainage on Saturday night. The call came at 6 p.m., prompting rural firefighters and crews with the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation to roll into action… (more)
Treatment Plant Receives Loan
Great Falls Tribune
August 9, 2007
DODSON – The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation is loaning $88,000 to Dodson to renovate its wastewater treatment system. The project calls for replacing the existing lagoon, which falls short of federal environmental standards, and replacing the deteriorating lift station…(more)
Fire Agencies Streamline Initial Attacks
Jim Mann
Daily Interlake
August 9, 2007
Federal, state, county and local fire-protection agencies are establishing a unified effort to streamline and coordinate aggressive initial responses to new fires in Northwest Montana. The unified command for initial attack will include staging firefighters, engines and other equipment at strategic locations to shave down response times on new fires… (more)
Jocko Lakes Fire Expands
August 9, 2007
Jessica Mayrer
Flathead Beacon
SEELEY LAKE – The Jocko Lakes Fire near Seeley Lake acted up again Wednesday, spreading again on the fire's new trouble spot – the northeast flank. There, Dogtown, a subdivision of Seeley Lake, is threatened and crews were pulled off other sides of the fire to help combat the growth… (more)
Garceau Fire Dies as Chippy Creek Explodes
Ethan Smith and Matt Ellermann
Lake County Leader
August 9, 2007
Local fire crews are mopping up the remnants of the Garceau Fire this week, while the Chippy Creek Fire northwest of Plains took off, casting a smoky haze over the reservation as residents in three counties were put on an evacuation alert. Tribal Law and Order officers and Sheriff's deputies in Lake, Sanders and Flathead counties notified residents near the Chippy Creek fire complex that they might have to leave their homes Tuesday, although evacuations weren't mandatory at that time. All told, several dozen homes were affected… (more)
Grass Fire Consumes 6,000 Acres
Independent Observer
August 9, 2007
A grass and crop fire that ate up some 6,000 acres on Friday had crews from Brady, Conrad, the Knees, Fort Benton, Dutton, and Choteau, Power as well as farmers with water trucks and tractors fighting the blaze. Two Helicopters from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation also dropped water on the fire. A U.S. Air Force pickup truck from Malmstrom AFB started the fire after it caught fire late Friday afternoon… (more)
Winds Expand Tin Cup Fire to 500 Acres
Kristin Knight
Ravalli Republic
August 9, 2007
With a total of 100 structures threatened, the Tin Cup fire four miles west of Darby continues to expand. No structures have been damaged or destroyed by the fire, but 37 homes have been evacuated. Early yesterday morning, the Northern California Interagency Incident Management Team assumed the management of the fire for the Bitterroot National Forest… (more)
Jocko Lakes Fire Jumps Line, Moving in on Seeley Lake
Jessica Mayrer
Newwest
August 9, 2007
SEELEY LAKE – The Jocko Lakes Fire near Seeley Lake acted up again Wednesday, spreading again on the fire's new trouble spot— the northeast flank. There, Dogtown, a subdivision of Seeley Lake, is threatened and crews were pulled off other sides of the fire to help combat the growth. The fire is now estimated at 16,900 acres, 1,900 more acres than estimates from Wednesday morning…(more)
Fire Destroys Prison Storage Building
Montana Standard
August 8, 2007
DEER LODGE – A fire destroyed a storage building at Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge Monday, prison officials said. At about 5 p.m., an agricultural building east of the prison ignited, a news release said. “The cause of the fire is not known at this time and is under investigation, however we believe the fire was started from sparks off of a power pole in the area… (more)
Fires burning through emergency money
JENNIFER McKEE
Independent Record
August 7, 2007
Montana has burned through $9 million battling forest fires so far this summer, the state's top fire boss said Monday, leaving just $4 million remaining in the governor's emergency budget to cover the rest of a red-hot fire season. Mary Sexton, director of the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, said that “unless things change dramatically”… (more)
Naming Wildfires
Dan Testa
Flathead Beacon
August 6, 2007
And yet…when it's all you read about on the front page of every newspaper in the state, and it's all you breathe, it's hard not to turn some aspects of the wildfire phenomena over in your mind a little – like how they receive their names…(more)
Montana Brings Sage Grouse Concerns into Energy Decisions
Matthew Brown
Associated Press
August 5, 2007
BILLINGS, Mt. (AP) – Montana officials are imposing a new restriction on the oil and gas industry that gives more say to state wildlife biologists who have sought to slow energy development to protect an imperiled bird, the greater sage grouse. The restriction - criticized as a potential new hurdle for companies seeking to do business in Montana… (more)
Seeley Fire Shuts Down Highway 83
Katrin Frye
Flathead Beacon
August 5, 2007
The Jocko Lakes fire west of Seeley Lake closed part of Highway 83 and caused an evacuation. "We could see the mountains this morning," says Condon resident Stacey Boyd, "but now, we can't." Boyd described the conditions in Condon as smokey, and windy. The 5,000 acre fire sprung up on Friday, Aug. 3. Officials have not yet determined the cause… (more)
Crews on Cloudy Day Fire Focus on Cleaning up Blaze
Cynthia Reynaud
Billings Gazette
August 3, 2007
Patrol and cleanup are on the agenda today for firefighters working on a West End fire that ignited Wednesday. Firefighters completed a containment line around the Cloudy Day fire Thursday afternoon, said Mary Apple, public information officer for the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation… (more)
Mile 124 Fire Doubles –Residents in Wallace Creek on Notice
Kim Briggeman
Missoulian
August 3, 2007
Llamas, humans and a big ol' hairy dog were unscathed Wednesday from the crawling flames of the Mile Marker 124 fire after an evacuation of Cramer Creek. Firefighters mopped up a backburn in the smoky shadow of Interstate 90, tucking away the lower-most evacuated structures in the creek bottom west and north of Beavertail Hill… (more)
Chippy Creek Fire Resumes Eastward Trek
Jim Mann
Daily Interlake
August 3, 2007
A heavy smoke inversion continued to stifle burning activity on wildfires in Northwest Montana until Thursday afternoon. When the inversion lifted at about 2:30 p.m., the Chippy Creek Fire resumed its eastward progression to the Flathead Indian Reservation… (more)
Garceau Gulch Fire Smokes up the Reservation
Maggie Plummer
Char-Koosta News
August 2, 2007
POLSON — A lightning-caused wildfire in the Salish Mountains 11 miles southwest of here blew up last Tuesday (July 24), sending a dramatic plume of smoke high into the sky over the Flathead Reservation. At press time this week, the Garceau Gulch Fire was reported as 50 percent contained and 3,045 acres in size… (more)
Area Travelers Being Delayed by Skyland Fire, Businesses May Feel Impact Soon
John McGill
Cut Bank Pioneer Press
August 1, 2007
It's been like living on the cusp of two worlds in East Glacier Park. A glance to the north, west and southwest shows clear, sunny skies. But, in the afternoon, a look to the southeast and beyond reveals the dark, dirty red plume of the Skyland Fire, compact as it remains in the mountains and spreading out over the prairie as it heads east…(more)
2007 Fire Season Reminds Petty Creek Residents of 2003 Evacuations
Richard West
Clark Fork Chronicle
August 1, 2007
It's hot, it's dry, area rivers are experiencing record low flows and, in terms of the possibility of a wildfire affecting you, the danger is off the chart. As baseball great Yogi Berra once said: "This is like deja vu all over again." As the Chronicle was going to press Wednesday, the Mile Marker 124 fire near Rock Creek blew up, doubling in size, and forcing a mandatory evacuation order to be issued for residents in the west fork of the Cramer Creek area (more)
Crews in Montana Battling Against 4 Top Fires in West
Billings Gazette
Associated Press
August 2, 2007
HELENA – Firefighting crews in Montana battled the four top-priority wildfires in the West on Wednesday, blazes that have led to hundreds of people evacuating their homes and other areas. In a normal year, Wednesday would have been the beginning of the summer fire season in Montana…(more)
Smoky Haze Settles Over Valley
Jim Mann
Daily Interlake
August 2, 2007
A smoky haze combined with a temperature inversion to suppress burning activity as well as air operations on fires around the Flathead Valley on Wednesday. Patrol flights, as well as air attacks on fires was hindered through much of the day as the inversion stayed in place until late in the evening… (more)
Back at the Ranch: Fighting Fires 'Just' a Matter of Work
Lyndel Meikle
Helena Independent Record
August 2, 2007
Although it had been a rather hot day at the forge, I was looking forward to driving the baler the other evening. It would be hot on the tractor, too, but instead of standing by a coal fire, I'd be sitting on a padded tractor seat, making relaxed circuits of the field as the sun dropped lower and the evening became cooler…(more)
Skyland Fire Exceeds 8,550 Acres
Jim Mann
Daily Interlake
Juy 30, 2007
Montana's largest fires had a high profile in the Flathead Valley on Monday, all of them putting off towering smoke columns as they continued to grow. A column from the Skyland Fire peaked over the Swan Mountain Range, partly driven by "burnout" operations along U.S. 2 near Marias Pass. The controlled burns were aimed at creating a break to keep the fire from crossing the highway… (more)
Ban on Campfires Takes Effect Today
Daily Interlake
July 29, 2007
Starting today, new fire restrictions will prohibit all campfires across Northwest Montana. Stage Two fire restrictions will apply to all lands under the protection of the Montana Department of Natural Resources, the Flathead and Kootenai national forests and Glacier National Park, along with Lake, Sanders, Lincoln and Flathead counties…(more)
Heated Attack: Mile Marker 124 Blaze Keeps Officials, Residents Busy
Betsy Cohen
Missoulian
July 28, 2007
ROCK CREEK - Erratic and shifting winds whipped the 185-acre wildfire along Interstate 90 near the Rock Creek exit into a roiling, unpredictable tempest Sunday afternoon, prompting an all-hands-on-deck firefighting strategy. Three helicopters, two retardant planes, initial attack teams, rural firefighters and Missoula County sheriff's deputies were all called in to help wrangle the Mile Marker 124 blaze before it reached homes and people… (more)
Firefighters Strike Back at Rock Creek, Bonner Wildfires
Perry Backus
Missoulian
July 28, 2007
ROCK CREEK –A pair of fast-moving wildfires closed portions of Interstate 90 west of Missoula late Saturday afternoon as firefighters scrambled to keep the flames from spreading. The first fire was reported at 2:30 p.m. about a mile west of the Rock Creek interchange. Burning in dry grass and through sparse timber, the fire ran along the north side of the interstate for about a mile and up a nearby hillside, pushed by a steady wind… (more)
Fire-Assistance Grants Distributed
Great Falls Tribune
July 27, 2007
With emergency fire conditions already here, Montana's Department of Natural Resources and Conservation is distributing more than $380,000 in Volunteer Fire Assistance grants across Montana. To strengthen its local partners with the gear they need to help protect Montana's homes and wilderness, the DNRC will send award letters for $384,900 to under-equipped Volunteer Fire Departments in each of Montana's counties before Aug. 1… (more)
More Missouri River homes evacuated as wildfire grows
By SARAH COOKE
Associated Press Writer
July 27, 2007
HELENA, Mont. (AP) – Residents of another 60-plus homes along the Missouri River north of here were asked to leave Thursday as a wildfire in the popular Gates of the Mountains Wilderness nearly tripled in size, prompting river and recreational closures. The lightning-sparked Meriwether fire grew from 2,200 acres to 4,050 acres, or more than 6 square miles, by the evening…(more)
Conger blaze doubles in size
By BETSY COHEN
Missoulian
July 27, 2007
An afternoon reconnaissance flight over the Lolo National Forest showed the 346-acre Conger fire near Ovando had nearly doubled in size Thursday. A significant spot fire was active late in the day, burning fast in highly flammable timber, said Nick Spang, public affairs officer for the Lolo forest… (more)
DNRC Gives County Fire Departments Grant Money
Kristin Knight
Ravalli Republic
July 27, 2007
Though it requested some $30,000 in volunteer fire assistance grants from the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Ravalli County received $6,950 - the highest amount awarded in the state. The fire departments that applied for grant money are Corvallis, Darby, Florence, Hamilton, Painted Rocks, Pinesdale, Stevensville city, Stevensville rural, Sula, Three Mile, Victor and West Fork…(more)
Montana Fire Outlook Grim, Fire Bosses Tell Governor
Charles Johnson
Missoulian
July 26, 2007
HELENA – Montana's forest fire outlook is “pretty grim” and the U.S. Forest Service expects “deteriorating conditions to worse,” a federal official told Gov. Brian Schweitzer on Thursday. Montana is now ranked second highest on the Forest Service's firefighting priority list, behind the combined states of Idaho, Utah and Nevada, Jerry Meyer, the federal agency's liaison to state government, said…(more)
Commissioners Approve Moiese Meadows Subdivision
Michael Howell
Bitterroot Star
July 25, 2007
Ravalli County Commissioners approved the Moiese Meadows Subdivision last week with at least one caveat, that the decision could possibly be annulled by an upcoming District Court ruling. The subdivision proposal is one of eleven involved in what Deputy County Attorney Alex Beal called "multiple venue litigation." The developers are suing the county in federal court, arguing their rights were violated in the subdivision review process… (more)
A Runaway Drain
Myers Reese
Flathead Beacon
July 25, 2007
Storm water in Bigfork drains directly into Flathead Lake, untreated, picking up goodies like oil and assorted chemicals along the way. Many in Bigfork believe this is certainly a problem, but before anything can be done, sufficient money must be raised to fund an engineering report… (more)
Fire Season Budget
Alden Downing
KFBB 5 Great Falls ABC
July 24, 2007
HELENA— As the Montana fire season shows little sign of letting up, neither does the bill that crews and equipment are racking up for state agencies. The fire season quickly burns through the two-year budgets for the DNRC… (more)
Families evacuated as fire burns near Wolf Creek
By EVE BYRON
Independe Record
July 20, 2007
WOLF CREEK – Flames shot 50 feet into the air on Butcher Mountain Thursday as smoke roiled downhill toward a handful of homes on the mountain's flank. The activity came as the Little Wolf Creek fire mushroomed from 42 acres Wednesday to an estimated 300 acres in less than 24 hours. The fire is burning about seven miles west of Wolf Creek along highway 434… (more)
Ahorn fire grows: Focus now protecting homes
By MARTIN J. KIDSTON - IR Staff Writer -
Independet Record
July 20, 2007
AUGUSTA – Working a highway project 15 miles south of town, Clare McVey watched a brown haze spill from the Rocky Mountain Front onto the prairie. “All we see is smoke,” she said, waiting for the pilot car to return. “I can smell it today. It's getting thicker. Those mountains usually stand out so bright, but they're getting harder to see.”… (more)
Wind, heat fuel lightning-sparked wildfires in area
By ANGELA BRANDT
Independent Record
IR Staff Writer -
July 20, 2007
Although no lightning bolts struck down Thursday, the residual fires sparked by the week's earlier natural light shows flared up in the Helena area. Three fires first detected Wednesday continued to burn Thursday evening, according to Amy Teegarden, spokesperson for the Helena National Forest… (more)
Officials Encouraged by Water Rights Negotiation
Maggie Plummer
Char-Koosta News
July 20, 2007
PABLO — The Tribes put together a July 11 water rights negotiation session that, for the first time in years, brought Tribal, Federal, and Montana Reserved Water Rights Compact Commission (MRWRCC) officials to the table… (more)
Additional evacuations ordered for Little Wolf Creek; fires calm elsewhere
By EVE BYRON
Independent Record
July 20, 2007
The Little Wolf Creek Fire started howling Friday morning, forcing the evacuation of all homes west of Gladstone Creek on Little Wolf Creek Road. Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Cheryl Liedle said it was just too dangerous to allow people to remain in the homes dotting the narrow drainage about a mile southwest of the blaze…(more)
Sen. Bill Tash, State's Water Policy Interim Committee Meets in Dillon
Barbara Bauerle
Dillon Tribune
July 19, 2007
Montana's Water Policy Interim Committee (WPIC) held its first meeting of the summer in Dillon on July 10 and 11 at the University of Montana Western. During the legislative interim, the WPIC was directed through HB 304 and other legislation to conduct a detailed analysis of issues related to water quantity, quality and use in Montana… (more)
Hunt for Smoke Begins After Storm
Jim Mann
Daily Interlake
July 19, 2007
Firefighters will be hunting for holdover fires across Northwest Montana in the next few days, as a result of powerful thunderstorms that swept across the region Tuesday night. Fires started to emerge immediately after the storm and throughout Wednesday, but all of them were met with stiff suppression efforts…(more)
Uh-oh: 2007 Strikingly Similar to 2003 Fire Season
Chris Peterson
Hungry Horse News
July 19, 2007
This year is shaping up to be a lot like another big fire year: 2003. In 2003 about 310,000 acres of forest lands burned in Northwest Montana. In Glacier National Park, about 135,620 acres burned in 2003 in six separate fires…(more)
Fire Restrictions Coming for Bitterroot Forests, Missoula Area
Betsy Cohen
Missoulian
July 19, 2007
With the record-breaking heat, tinder-dry grasses, recent lightning strikes and numerous spot fires, it's beginning to look a lot like a fire season from not so long ago. On Monday, recreation lands in the Bitterroot National Forest - and state and city lands surrounding Missoula - will move to Stage 2 fire restrictions… (more)
Lightning starts 10 new blazes
By EVE BYRON
Independent Record
July 19, 2007
At least 10 new fires that started from Tuesday night's spectacular lightning storm kept firefighters jumping on Wednesday, and the rainfall washed out at least one Forest Service road. Amy Teegarden, spokesperson for the Helena National Forest, said most of the fires were small snags hit by lightning, many around the Stickney Creek area, and three of those are considered extinguished… (more)
County warns of fire danger
By ANGELA BRANDT
Indepdent Record
July 18, 2007
The expanding size of the Ahorn wildfire, coupled with the extreme high temperatures and severe drought conditions, prompted Lewis and Clark County officials to declare a local fire emergency situation Tuesday afternoon.
With Moisture at 'Unprecedented' Low, Lolo Forest Ups Danger Level
Michael Moore
Missoulian
July 16, 2007
The Lolo National Forest bumped its fire danger level from very high to extreme on Monday, yet another sign of what could quickly become a dangerous fire season. That danger was then highlighted by a fire that broke out on the edge of a Lolo subdivision… (more)
Heat Won't End Soon
Alana Listoe
Helena Independent Record
July 18, 2007
Tuesday's slight cloud cover brought little relief from the heat welling up from the streets around Helena, and the forecast ahead is hot, hot, hot. Concrete workers with TMJ Concrete are spending this week replacing, patching, and repairing sidewalks near the Helena Middle School, with little hope of staying cool considering the temperatures in the Queen City are expected to hit a record 105 degrees by Thursday…(more)
Lightning Sparks Small Fires in Lolo, Bitterroot Forests
Rob Chaney
Missoulian
July 18, 2007
Monday night's thunderstorms have turned into Tuesday morning's forest fires. A dozen new starts appeared in the Bitterroot National Forest shortly after the storm moved through western Montana. Fortunately, nearly all of them have succumbed to initial-attack teams before growing beyond a partial acre…(more)
Fires, Outages Plague Valley
Nick Ledden
Daily Interlake
July 18, 2007
A line of thunderstorms stretching from southern Idaho to the Canadian border moved through the Kalispell area Tuesday evening, causing power outages and producing lightning that started fires throughout the Flathead Valley…(more)
Fire Grows to 7,000 Acres
Susan Gallagher
Associated Press
July 18, 2007
HELENA – A wildfire in the Bob Marshall Wilderness grew to 7,000 acres and burned closer to an area with about 65 summer homes as Montana's dryness and heat persisted Tuesday, and the state remained in forest-fire emergency status declared by the governor…(more)
Biologist: Ameya Preserve will Cause Problems for Wildlife
Scott McMillion
Bozeman Daily Chronicle
July 18, 2007
The Ameya Preserve subdivision will cause problems for wildlife and those problems will worsen if the state of Montana sells two square-mile sections of public land to Ameya developers, a state wildlife biologist maintains… (more)
Painted Rocks Water Releases Begin as River Levels Drop
Kristin Knight
Ravalli Republic
July 17, 2007
Irrigators voluntarily cut back to mid-August levels to keep more water in river. Contract water releases for irrigation and fisheries began from Painted Rocks Reservoir yesterday… (more)
Tougher Fire Restrictions Coming to Helena Area
Terri Knapp
KXLH 25 Helena CBS
July 16, 2007
Beginning Friday the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation will put Stage One Fire Restrictions into affect in the Helena area. Lewis Clark, Meagher, Jefferson, and Broadwater counties will come under stage one restrictions until further notice. Under Stage One Fire Restrictions open burning is banned and limits are placed of campfires and smoking is only allowed in designated areas…(more)
Governor Issues Emergency Forest Fire Order
AP
Bozeman Daily Chronicle
July 17, 2007
Gov. Brian Schweitzer declared a state forest fire emergency Monday, saying hot and dry weather demands that additional resources are made ready. The order will give the Department of Natural Resources and the Montana National Guard more authority to spend money for "aggressive initial attack on all wildland fire starts in Montana"…(more)
Extreme Heat Leads to Wildfires, Algae Blooms and Record Highs
Scott McMillion
Bozeman Daily Chronicle
July 17, 2007
By 3 p.m. Monday it was 101 degrees at the Gallatin Field airport, and as the National Weather Service predicted more days of triple-digit temperatures, Gov. Brian Schweitzer declared a state forest fire emergency…(more)
Crews Pounce on Several Small Fires
Jim Mann
Daily Interlake
July 17, 2007
Initial attack efforts were successful on every fire, the largest reaching about 17 acres on forest lands east of Lake Mary Ronan. That fire was started by haying operations on private land. Responding were firefighters from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and volunteer firefighters from Polson, Chief Cliff and Rollins…(more)
Lightning strike starts fire in Wolf Creek
ANGELA BRANDT
Independent Record
July 17, 2007
Lightning caused a 50-acre fire in Wolf Creek Monday evening, threatening a half a dozen houses. Those households were advised by Lewis and Clark County sheriff's deputies to evacuate after the blaze started at about 5 p.m. off of Lyons Creek Road… (more)
Lolo Wildfire Likely Human-Caused
KPAX 8 Missoula CBS
July 17, 2007
Officials with the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation say that a wildfire that burned to within 20 feet of some homes in Lolo looks to have been human caused. The blaze broke out just after 1:00 p.m., on Monday and officials with the Missoula County Sheriff's Department briefly issued an evacuation order for the immediate area…(more)
Lightning Sparks Several Fires Across Southwest Montana
Montana Standard
July 15, 2007
Hot temperatures and thunderstorms across the region sparked at least seven additional fires across southwest Montana. The largest is the Patengail Creek Fire, now estimated at 500 acres after it burned actively on Saturday… (more)
State Land Sale Could Go to Paradise Valley Development
Tahlia Ganser
Livingston Enterprise
July 12, 2007
Ameya Preserve could be adding 1,280 acres purchased from the state, surrounded entirely by private property, to its already nearly 10,000-acre development six miles south of Livingston in Paradise Valley… (more)
Bugged
Jim Mann
Daily Interlake
July 14, 2007
You have to look closely at the sun-baked slopes of the Swan Mountain Range, and the infestations become clear. Blended into the green tapestry of mixed forest canopies, there are blotches of "red and dead"… (more)
Area Fires Scorch Half an Acre
Nicholas Ledden
Daily Interlake
July 12, 2007
Two wildfires broke out southwest of Kalispell on Wednesday, burning almost half an acre of forest total before each was controlled. Both fires occurred in areas being actively logged. The first fire started in a hilly area on Marion Knob, about half a mile southeast of Bitterroot Lake… (more)
Logging 'Round the Lake
Dan Testa
Flathead Beacon
July 12, 2007
Before their informal tournament in the Stillwater State Forest, a dozen disc golfers gathered among the massive pines to discuss their sport – and the potential impact on it of a logging project proposed by the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. "Depending on what trees are removed here, the course would be worthless," said Ken Deeds, the unofficial organizer of the weekly tournaments…(more)
Fire Season Arrives Big Time
Helena Independent Record
July 11, 2007
In recent days top wildfire analysts at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, have been saying that the 2007 fire season is several weeks ahead of schedule. Helenans can only nod their heads in agreement. Monday's 500-acre blaze just west of town, started by tracer rounds at the Montana National Guard gunnery range at Fort Harrison and fanned by the gusty winds of a Canadian cold front, came close to being a real disaster… (more)
Guard Shuts Down Firing Ranges after Fire
Angela Brandt
Helena Independent Record
July 11, 2007
The Montana National Guard has closed its three firing ranges in Montana until an investigation into the fire that began at Fort Harrison and scorched 550 acres on Monday is completed. The blaze began when machine gun rounds were fired at the Fort Harrison weapons training range. National Guard Public Affairs Specialist Dan Bushnell said investigators will review standard operating procedures and in-place safety precautions. "We've got some work to do. We've got to get to the bottom of this so it doesn't happen again," he said… (more)
Firefighters snuff 750-acre fire
Billings Gazette
July 10, 2007
SILESIA - Nearly 50 firefighters were summoned to battle a fire near Silesia Monday.
The flames broke out about 4 p.m. and swept through tall grass and hay on the north side of Farewell Road about two miles west of Silesia, a small town on Highway 212 nine miles south of Laurel… (more)
Crews quick to douse fire
By ANGELA BRANDT
Independe Record
IR Staff Writer
July 10, 2007
Flames from a 500-acre fire "burned right up to the backdoors" of many homes west of Helena Monday afternoon, according to Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Cheryl Liedle… (more)
Close call as fire erupts west of Missoula
Montana CBS KPAX 8
July 9, 2007
Crews were able to stop the fire at under an acre before it threatened any homes. Authorities say fireworks were also to blame in the 2.5 acre fire that sparked some temporary evacuations off Big Flat Road Saturday… (more)
Knees Trades Old Fire Truck for New
Great Falls Tribune
July 9, 2007
KNEES – The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation presented a new fire truck to the Knees Volunteer Fire Department last month in exchange for its old truck. The new fire engine is valued at $40,000, according to The River Press. It's one of 27 fire trucks the DNRC is delivering to volunteer fire departments this year… (more)
Fire danger upgraded to high
By JIM MANN
The Daily Inter Lake
July 10, 2007
Hot, dry, windy weather has rapidly changed fire conditions in Northwest Montana, and there's nothing but more of the same in the forecast for days ahead… (more)
Montana Range Days Teaches Rangeland Importance to Youth, Adults
Shannon Ruckman
Prairie Star
July 9, 2007
CONRAD, Mont. – More than 300 youth and adults learned the ins and outs of Montana's No. One resource, rangelands, during annual Montana Range Days conducted on the historic Graham Ranch located near Conrad, Mont… (more)
Hot Weather Has Firefighters on Patrol in Western Montana
Keila Szpaller
Missoulian
July 8, 2007
In western Montana, a sweltering weekend proved mostly quiet for firefighters who weren't tending a blaze outside West Yellowstone. Firefighters found and controlled a small fire burning west of Florence, and they also patrolled campsites, according to fire information officers… (more)
County seeks grant for groundwater study
By LARRY KLINE
Independent Record
July 6, 2007
A proposed study of a portion of the Helena Valley would identify areas vulnerable to the impacts of development, giving local officials a scientific foundation for drawing up future growth regulations… (more)
Kalispell Fire Contained
Nicholas Ledden
Daily Interlake
July 6, 2007
Four agencies responded Thursday afternoon to a wildfire behind a house in the 400 block of Orchard Ridge Road. The fire consumed almost an acre of grassland and came within 200 yards of nearby homes before it was controlled… (more)
Fire danger creeping up
By MARTIN J. KIDSTON
Independent Record
July 3, 2007
The bank clock on Montana Avenue showed a temperature of 94 degrees Monday afternoon, around the time a group of Helena boys turned a street corner to see a grass fire burning through a weed patch… (more)
Quick-Thinking Neighbor Helps Dash Fire
Eve Byron
Helena Independent Record
July 3, 2007
In a scene eerily reminiscent of the 2000 Bucksnort blaze, a wildfire raced between houses south of Canyon Ferry Drive Monday evening. But this time, instead of burning for days, firefighters caught the blaze within a few hours, aided by a neighbor with a really long garden hose. Brian Sewell said he was driving home from work near where Canyon Ferry Drive crests before dropping toward the reservoir east of Helena when he saw the smoke rising from the field behind his house at about 5:40 p.m… (more)
Grant Program Helps People Protect Homes from Wildfires
Walt Williams
Bozeman Daily Chronicle
July 3, 2007
The trees and shrubs used to grow tall and thick around Sue Bayless' home in Park County, so much so "you couldn't even see for the thickness of them," she said. That put her home at risk for wildfires. Clearing the shrubs and trimming the trees would have involved a lot of labor, or at least cost a good amount of money to have someone else do it, but a program available to local homeowners helps them cover the bills… (more)
Some rights holders told to curtail use of Gallatin River water
The Gallatin River is flowing at about half its normal capacity for this time of year, and some water-rights holders have been told to stop taking water from the river… (more)
County sued over floodplain permitting process
By Michael Howell
July 3, 2007
Bitterroot Star
Ravalli County resident Daniel Floyd and Renascent Inc., a Nevada-based corporation that owns land in the county, have filed a lawsuit in District Court alleging that the county violated their rights by failing to process their floodplain permits in the time frame set by law and subsequently by failing to issue the permits… (more)
Scientists granted research window for proposed Flathead mine
By MICHAEL JAMISON
The Missoulian
July 5, 2007
KALISPELL - Energy development is temporarily on hold north of Glacier National Park this summer, giving scientists at least a year to gather baseline data before Canadian coal and coalbed methane exploration begins… (more)
Red flags to warn of fire danger
By EVE BYRON
Independent Record
June 29, 2007
Large red flags will be hoisted over various locales in Jefferson, Broadwater and Lewis and Clark counties this summer to warn people when the wildfire hazard is high… (more)
Wildfire near Superior fully contained
CBS Montana
June 27, 2007
The Four Mile Ridge Fire burning near Superior has charred some 80 acres since being sparked by lightning last week…(more)
A house in the woods: Mont. lawmakers act lightly on fire issue
By SUSAN GALLAGHER
Bozeman Gazette
June 24, 2007
HELENA, Mont. (AP) -- Nathan Olson's house amid charred trees at the base of a mountain is just like the one he lost seven years ago when wildfires scorched the southern Bitterroot Valley… (more)
Warning system for Hyalite dam could save lives, officials say
By DAVE RICHARDSON
Bozeman
Chronicle
June 25, 2007
It's an extremely unlikely event, and one that no one wants to contemplate. But the failure of the Middle Creek Dam, holding back the Hyalite Reservoir that provides much of Bozeman's water supply, could send more than 10,000 acre-feet of water tumbling down Hyalite Canyon and into heavily populated areas of Gallatin County - with little or no warning…
Montana faces changing water laws, water challenges
SHANNON RUCKMAN
The Prairie Star
June 22, 2007
HAMILTON, Mont. – The face of agriculture has changed in the Bitterroot Valley over the past 40 years and continues to change with every small-acreage farm or ranch that sprouts up along the valley… (more)
Swan Forest the Focus of Another Timber Sale
June 14, 2007
Mike Richeson
Bigfork Eagle
The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation is proposing the White Porcupine Multiple Timber Sale Project. The project would consist of several timber sales from about 10,320 acres of state trust lands west of Highway 83.Selected lands are in and adjacent to the Woodward Creek, South Woodward Creek, Cedar Creek, Whitetail Creek and Porcupine Creek drainages… (more)
Coal Bed Crops
NBC Montana
June 14, 2007
New research funded in part by industry sources concludes coal-bed methane development in the Powder River Basin is NOT harming crop yields in southeastern Montana… (more)
Prison property dealing with beetle-killed trees
Montana Standard
June 03,2007
DEER LODGE — Trees on Montana State Prison property are turning red — they're dying — as a result of mountain pine beetle and Douglas fir bark beetle infestations.
Chris Towne, service forester for the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, is assisting Montana Correctional Enterprises to develop a forest management plan for its 4,000 acres of forest… (more)
Don't Panic Yet
Dan Testa
Flathead Beacon
June 8, 2007
Bob Harrington, state forester for the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, spent much of last week briefing Gov. Brian Schweitzer and Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., along with several other state and federal agencies, on what to expect for Montana 's 2007 fire season. Next week the DNRC will hold its Wildland Fire Engine academy to train firefighters for the upcoming season, and the agency is mounting its annual campaign teaching homeowners how to reduce their fire susceptibility… (more)
Fire ignites propane tanks
By MARGA LINCOLN
Independent Record
June 07, 2007
LINCOLN — An explosive Wednesday morning fire destroyed a propane company's maintenance shop near here, leaving only steaming heaps of twisted metal scattered on the ground… (more)
State Starts Initial Look at Timber Project
Daily Interlake
June 5, 2007
The state is launching a planning process for a large-scale timber project in the Swan Valley. The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation is soliciting public comments to help develop the White Porcupine project, which would involve a series of timber sales with harvesting expected from 2009 through 2001… (more)
Judge to rule on subdivision
By LARRY KLINE - IR Staff Writer
Independent Record
June 06, 2007
A state District Court judge will decide whether to approve a 36-lot commercial and residential North Hills subdivision, a development which has raised the ire of some neighboring landowners… (more)
DNRC reminds homeowners
about fire risk
Carbon County News
As the fire season heats-up, fire experts at Montana's Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) want to remind homeowners of ways to reduce the risk of wildfire on their property… (more)
Another proposed Canadian mine raising concerns in the Flathead
June 1, 2007
Montana CBS KPAX 8 Missoula, KAJ 18 Kalispell
A new proposal is being floated to drill for coal-bed methane north of Glacier National Park and officials in Montana are raising concerns about the idea… (more)
Canadian coal exploration worries officials again
By MICHAEL JAMISON of the
Missoulian
June 1, 2007
Brand-new plans to drill for coalbed methane in a wilderness valley north of Glacier National Park have Montana officials looking for a permanent solution to the decades-long debate over energy development in southeastern British Columbia… (more)
CBM water plans receive partial OK
Billings Gazette
June 1, 2007
State regulators Thursday rejected a natural gas company's appeal to transport water produced during coalbed methane development across the state line into Wyoming, but granted permission for the company to discharge water within Montana… (more)
DNRC issues wildfire outlook in Helena
June 1, 2007
Helena CBS KXLH 25
Officials with Department of Natural Resources and Conservation say that Montanans can expect another hot and dry summer which raises the prospect of wildfires… (more)
Legislature provides funds for Carter Ponds, Ackley Lake repairs
by JIM DULLENTY
Leiwstown News-Argus
It's looking really good for the rehabilitation of the two Carter Ponds and Ackley Lake, now that the Montana… (more)
With warm weather comes fire season
By Larry Kline
Independent Record
June 02, 2007
Spring rains have begun to give way to summer heat, and I plan on enjoying our blue skies and warm weather as much as everyone else this weekend… (more)
Fire levels Florence-area home
June 1, 2007
KPAX CBS 8
Not much remains of a Florence-area home engulfed by fire Thursday afternoon. Firefighters responded shortly after two p.m.to a house on Maple Lane… (more)
Fire Season 2007
May 24, 2007 (10:00 Eve News):
Christin Ayers
KECI NBC 13 Missoula
Firefighters don't know what this fire season could hold but they told us the rain and snow we've seen over the past few days can only help. Around Missoula , the fire danger has already crept up to moderate in some areas...and that is no surprise. Both Missoula and Kalispell have been drier than average this year. Kalispell is an inch and a half below normal precipitation levels. Missoula is an inch short of normal levels. The low moisture has firefighters we spoke to today a little nervous… (more)
Statewide FireSafe Organization Becomes Reality
By Matthew Koehler, Citizen Journalist
May 22, 2007
New West
After several years of planning and coordination, efforts to establish a statewide FireSafe organization in Montana became a reality on May 18 during a signing ceremony at Carroll College in Helena… (more)
Mapping grant received by county
KRISTIN KNIGHT
Ravalli Republic
May 23, 2007
Ravalli County received a $100,000 renewable resource grant from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation to digitally map the topography of the northern half of the county… (more)
Fort Belknap seeks water system, money, land in water rights settlement
Havre Daily News
May 22, 2007
GREAT FALLS – The Fort Belknap tribes plan to ask Congress for $240 million and nearly 55,000 acres of land as part of a water rights settlement bill being drafted by the Gros Ventre and Assiniboine tribes and the state… (more)
Troubled Waters: Montana, Wyoming Locked In A Battle For Their Fair Share
May 20, 2007
Lorna Thackeray
Billings Gazette
If Montana and Wyoming were independent nations, troops would be lined up at the border waiting for an order to fire. At stake are the troubled waters of the Tongue and Powder rivers that rise in the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming and flow across the state line into reservoirs and irrigated fields in Montana… (more)
