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Remember, You Matter: Support Your Community Through 'Give Big'

May 2, 2023

Where earth meets sky: In Gallatin Valley, we celebrate the people and wildness that make up this special place
MoJo interviews Jill Ellwood with One Valley Community Foundation about Give Big's history and unprecedented success
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Robert Staffanson On What It Means To Be A Real Cowboy

April 29, 2023 // Culture, Guest Commentary, Politics, Ranching

Bob Staffanson on a cattle drive.
Not the kind of wrangler you see on 'Yellowstone': Staffanson, a Montana ranch kid, re-invented himself twice—as symphony conductor and Native rights activist
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A Time To Rally: When Ted Turner Gave Jacques Cousteau An End-Of-Life Pep Talk

April 23, 2023 // Conservation, Science

Jacques Cousteau and his prized pupil Ted Turner
Cousteau, once the most famous conservationist in the world, was a father figure to Ted Turner. In old age, Cousteau became cynical. Here's what Turner told him
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Big Sky, Montana: A New West Mountain Town Primed For Its Own 'Big Burn'?

April 19, 2023

Where there's smoke there's a big fire brewing
This high-profile resort community is at 'very high risk to wildfire' and an emblem for the dangers of building in the Wildland-Urban Interface. Part 3 in MoJo's ongoing series
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Exploring Peregrinations

April 18, 2023

Defying boundaries: Courtenaye's paintings remind of nature's refusal to be boxed in
As warmer weather puts wildlife on the move, Catherine Courtenaye's new exhibition, 'What the Nighthawk Knows,' reads like evocative maps for thinking about species migrations
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Meet Jessica Wiese, Mountain Journal's New Executive Director

April 7, 2023

Jessie brings dynamic combo of love for outdoors, wild places and rural Westerners
With a background in science and private land conservation, Wiese says the time is now to rally for Greater Yellowstone as the region comes under increasing human pressure
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People Beat Machines In Ability To Identify Wildlife

April 5, 2023

A big wildcat on the run: could you ID it in a line up?
Although AI is frighteningly on the rise, study finds human eyesight and brains still hold advantage in recognizing subtle differences between pumas
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The Gray Ghosts Of Change: Can The Grizzly 'Bear Tree' Be Saved?

April 3, 2023

A grizzly on the hunt for food moves through a Northern Rockies forest
The whitebark pine tree is receiving federal protection at same time states are pushing to remove grizzlies from imperiled list. A story about how fate of trees and bears is intertwined 
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Are Western Mountain Towns Ready For The Coming Flames?

March 21, 2023

Can't happen here? The Bridger Foothills Fire was Bozeman's WUI wake-up call
Rural sprawl is expanding the "wildland-urban interface." It is elevating the costs and perils of dealing with wildfire, and taxpayers are footing the bill. Part 2 in our ongoing series


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Protected Islands In The Stream Help Keep Mighty Yellowstone Wild

March 15, 2023

Yellowstone magic: vision of protected islands in a healthy wild  braided river
Investing in nature = smart ecosystem thinking: Beartooth Group and state of Montana preserve pair of wildlife-rich islands that now provides legal access to those who savor Yellowstone River by boat
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The Usual Suspects: In Colorado, Wolves Blamed For Losses They Didn't Cause

March 13, 2023

Experts say wolves have a rap sheet they don't deserve
Story Warren, in this personal essay for Writers on the Range, notes how an investigation shows 40 recent cattle deaths can't be pinned on lobos 
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Moving Into The Flames

March 8, 2023

A crown fire approaches the Old Faithful Photo Shop, Yellowstone National Park, 1988
As climate refugees flee extreme weather events, they’re relocating to wildfire-prone areas like Greater Yellowstone. Part 1 in our ongoing series on wildfire
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Montana, In The Wake Of 'Yellowstone' and 'A River Runs Through It'

February 27, 2023

Is all the attention destroying last, best places?
Thirty years after Norman Maclean's novella was brought to big screen, many are lamenting how it, and the TV melodrama 'Yellowstone' have fueled an inundation of western Montana
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If Jackson Hole Is On Wrong Path, Then What Is The Right One?

February 26, 2023

Development is squeezing out people and wildlife in Jackson Hole
In this opinion essay, Jonathan Schechter, a member of the Jackson town council, explains why he voted against an affordable housing project
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