Embracing ‘Salmon Weather’

March 4, 2025 // Book Review

by Alex Hargrave

Salmon weather: The South Fork of the Salmon River drainage

An Idaho author’s awe-inspiring personal narratives challenge our notions of the West.

Will Federal Freeze Stymie Wildland Fire Fights?

March 4, 2025 // NEWS: Dispatch

by Robert Chaney

Firefighters hold the line at the September 2018 Roosevelt Fire near Bondurant, Wyoming

Delays in hiring crews and funding hazardous fuels projects worry officials as the 2025 fire season approaches.

Elk in Crazy Mountains Test Negative for Brucellosis, Easing Livestock Concerns

March 3, 2025 // NEWS: Dispatch

by Sophie Tsairis

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks recently captured and tested elk for brucellosis in the Crazy Mountains

Agency and state officials complete latest surveillance effort in Montana's ongoing battle against wildlife-livestock disease.

Ranchers Weigh Shorter Leases Against Permanent Easements

February 28, 2025 // NEWS: Dispatch

by Sophie Tsairis

Conservation easement or conservation lease? FWP looks to incentivize landowners in different ways

Amid concerns over the long-term value of Montana's conservation leases, FWP program races toward 500,000-acre goal.

Conservation Groups File Notice to Sue Feds Over New Gold Mine

February 26, 2025 // NEWS: Dispatch

by Madison Dapcevich

The South Fork of the Salmon River flows near the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness

The Stibnite project site would be the fourth-largest gold operation in the U.S. by grade, and the only domestic source of mined antimony.

Grizzlies: Double Vision

February 25, 2025 // NEWS: Dispatch

by Robert Chaney

Approximately 2,100 grizzlies currently inhabit the Lower 48

With the Endangered Species Act comment period ending March 17, states and advocates are at odds over the future of grizzly bears.

‘A Cascading Effect’: Forest Service, Park Service Workers who Lost Jobs Amid Mass Layoffs Explain Rippling Fallout

February 20, 2025 // NEWS: Feature

by Joseph T. O'Connor and Amanda Eggert

In a lawsuit seeking to halt federal employee firings, the NFFE union said layoffs will threaten 500,000 federal employees

Five nationwide unions representing federal employees have gone to court in an attempt to stop workforce reductions.

The Fight For Wild Lands: Part 3

February 19, 2025 // MoJo Special Series

by Robert Chaney

A packed Capitol rotunda in Helena, Montana, for the February 19 Rally for Public Lands

The U.S. Constitution gives citizens the right to “petition the government for a redress of grievances.” As a blizzard of public lands change sweeps out of Washington, D.C., activists around Greater Yellowstone ponder tactics to help them keep what they hold dear.

The Fight for Wild Lands: Part 2

February 18, 2025 // MoJo Special Series

by Robert Chaney

The federal government employs as many as 10,000 wildland firefighters each year. With hiring freezes in place nationwide, fire season is in limbo

Executive orders coming from the White House could transform a range of core issues affecting Greater Yellowstone. From Forest Service and BLM priorities to national park staffing cuts, public lands advocates must brace for a long season of conflict.

The Fight for Wild Lands: Part 1

February 17, 2025 // MoJo Special Series

by Robert Chaney

Axolotl Lakes southwest of Ennis, Montana, in the foothills of the Gravelly Range

As organizers prepare for the biennial Rally for Public Lands, the conservation world faces down a changing climate, an administration determined to dismantle environmental protections, and its own internal contradictions.