MISSOULA – University of Montana athletic director Jim O'Day is looking for ways to cut the department's budget, and he said out-of-state athletics scholarships could take a hit.
An increase in tuition, travel expenses, facilities rent and a higher administrative tax placed on the department by the university mean higher operating costs for the 2011-12 school year, O'Day said.
Wilderness Bill
Tester’s Forest Bill Could be Pilot Project
DEER LODGE – The Obama administration could support the logging mandate proposed in U.S. Sen. Jon Tester's forest bill as a pilot project, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said.
Speaking Saturday in Deer Lodge, Vilsack said the agency would consider Tester's bill as a trial run to see if it's effective in improving forest health and helping rural economies.
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Speaking Saturday in Deer Lodge, Vilsack said the agency would consider Tester's bill as a trial run to see if it's effective in improving forest health and helping rural economies.
Hot Springs
PLACES: Hot Springs
The neon signs on the Symes Hotel shine bright during dusk in Hot Springs. - Dan Testa/Flathead Beacon
Located about 90 minutes southwest of Kalispell, the tiny community of Hot Springs is a pretty great day trip for anyone feeling truly chilled to the bone by winter. Its natural mineral hot springs, prized by American Indians for hundreds of years, are considered among the most healing and therapeutic in the world.
But soaking isn’t the only reason to make the drive. You’ll also find a number of interesting shops and restaurants. On our short visit, we checked out Montana Movie Posters, which has an extraordinary number of original vintage movie posters, particularly those filmed in Montana (308 Main St., 406-741-5170).
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But soaking isn’t the only reason to make the drive. You’ll also find a number of interesting shops and restaurants. On our short visit, we checked out Montana Movie Posters, which has an extraordinary number of original vintage movie posters, particularly those filmed in Montana (308 Main St., 406-741-5170).
Gravel pit limitations and new federal legislation on the table
North Fork Mining Ban Begins to Take Shape
The North Fork of the Flathead River. - Lido Vizzutti/Flathead Beacon
The effects of an international mining and drilling ban in the Upper Flathead Valley are beginning to ripple on local and federal levels, with new limits on gravel extraction and production in the North Fork of the Flathead River and proposed legislation in Congress.
The recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), agreed upon by Gov. Brian Schweitzer and British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell, stops all coal, oil and gas exploration and development upstream of Glacier National Park.
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The recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), agreed upon by Gov. Brian Schweitzer and British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell, stops all coal, oil and gas exploration and development upstream of Glacier National Park.
Montana Wolves
Montana Giving More Authority to Kill Problem Wolves
HELENA – Montana will give federal wildlife officials greater authority to trap and shoot wolves that have killed livestock, loosening a policy that has been criticized by ranchers and hunters as ineffective in managing the state's growing wolf population.
The plan would allow federal trappers responding to a complaint of injured or dead livestock to kill any wolves found near the carcass without any additional authorization, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Director Joe Maurier said Friday. Presently, agents with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services must call FWP for instructions after investigating a complaint and confirming wolves were responsible.
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The plan would allow federal trappers responding to a complaint of injured or dead livestock to kill any wolves found near the carcass without any additional authorization, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Director Joe Maurier said Friday. Presently, agents with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services must call FWP for instructions after investigating a complaint and confirming wolves were responsible.
Football Coach
Whitefish High Names Football Coach
WHITEFISH – Whitefish High School activities director Jackie Fuller has announced that Chad Ross is the school's new football coach.
Ross replaces Patrick Dryden, who resigned in January. Dryden 's teams posted an 18-20 record over four seasons, advancing to the Class A playoffs three times.
Fuller says Ross has been involved in Whitefish High athletics and activities as a coach and volunteer for nine years and has good relationships with students and parents.
Ross replaces Patrick Dryden, who resigned in January. Dryden 's teams posted an 18-20 record over four seasons, advancing to the Class A playoffs three times.
Fuller says Ross has been involved in Whitefish High athletics and activities as a coach and volunteer for nine years and has good relationships with students and parents.
Flathead Mining
Montana Senators Want New Mines Banned in Area West of Glacier
U.S. Sen. Max Baucus introduced legislation Thursday that would prohibit new mines in the North Fork Flathead River Valley west of Glacier National Park.
Baucus, who teamed with fellow Democratic Sen. Jon Tester on the legislation, says he has been working for more than 30 years to protect the Flathead, and "this is a sign we are closer than ever to the finish line."
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Baucus, who teamed with fellow Democratic Sen. Jon Tester on the legislation, says he has been working for more than 30 years to protect the Flathead, and "this is a sign we are closer than ever to the finish line."
Monuments
Bill Would Limit National Monuments, Prevent ‘Land Grab,‘ in Montana
HELENA – An idea to set aside more than 2.5 million acres in northeastern Montana and possibly create a new national bison range met opposition Thursday when the state's only congressman proposed limiting the president's ability to create national monuments there.
The grasslands in Montana's northeast are listed in an internal Department of the Interior memo as one of 14 sites in nine Western states being considered as national monuments, and thus protected from development. The memo, first reported last month by the New York Times, said the land being considered would stretch from the Bitter Creek Wilderness Study Area outside Glasgow to Canada's Grasslands National Park.
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The grasslands in Montana's northeast are listed in an internal Department of the Interior memo as one of 14 sites in nine Western states being considered as national monuments, and thus protected from development. The memo, first reported last month by the New York Times, said the land being considered would stretch from the Bitter Creek Wilderness Study Area outside Glasgow to Canada's Grasslands National Park.
