Big Sky Lede

Two hundred years ago, grizzly bears ruled the Montana landscape. Today, people have taken that throne and relegated the animal to a fraction of its former range. But the bears - backed by legal protection and decades of recovery effort - have begun reasserting themselves, in some cases wandering through areas they haven’t been spotted in for decades. The slow expansion has led to an increase in bear conflicts that run the gamut in severity - trash can rummages, chicken coop break-ins, attacks on large livestock, fatal human maulings. And as both human and bear populations continue to swell, experts say the number of conflicts will grow as well. That leaves stakeholders to grapple with how people should react when grizzlies eventually meander through their properties and whether the bears will adapt to the limits we impose on them. 

For the next two weeks we are going to do things a little differently on this podcast as we focus on a new series of reporting called “Grizzlies and Us” that launches January 9th. A team of reporters from newspapers across Montana, Idaho and Wyoming have devoted the better part of a year to this project that digs into our sometimes successful and sometimes fraught coexistence with one of the west’s most iconic animals. The aim is to dissect and answer two major questions: how do we live with grizzly bears and how do they live with us?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As of Jan. 1, 2022 the sale of recreational cannabis is legal in the State of Montana.

On this episode, Seaborn Larson talks about the road to recreational cannabis in Montana. What route did providers, local regulators and law enforcement take as they prepared for the new cannabis landscape in Montana?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Tom Kuglin of the Montana State News Bureau goes over a proposal from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks major changes to limited-entry elk permits for 14 central Montana hunting districts, including elimination of permits in some districts or opening up general license hunting on private land for bull elk.

The districts that are part of this proposal are all 200% or above population objectives with elk largely concentrated on private land.

The proposed changes would mark a significant shift in elk management for multiple districts in Region 4 and 5. In eight hunting districts, the number of limited-permits would be cut roughly in half and restricted to public lands. On private lands, hunting for bulls would switch to a general license. The remaining six district proposals are a mix of dropping permits altogether or during archery seasons or increasing the number of permits.

This podcast from the Montana State News Bureau is created in partnership across five newsrooms – the Billings Gazette, the Helena Independent Republic, the Missoulian, the Montana Standard and the Ravalli-Republic. You can support this podcast and our efforts by subscribing. Visit any of these newspapers’ websites, and click on the Become a Member button at the top of the home page. We appreciate your support of local journalism.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A lot has happened as bureau reporters Holly Michels and Seaborn Larson continue to follow the state attorney general and his office's involvement in a dispute with the hospital in Helena over the treatment of a COVID-19 patient. Michels and Larson run down what’s new, including information about the involvement of state Public Service Commissioner Jennifer Fielder, the political reactions to an inquiry into the events and what remains unclear about what happened.

This podcast from the Montana State News Bureau is created in partnership across five newsrooms – the Billings Gazette, the Helena Independent Republic, the Missoulian, the Montana Standard and the Ravalli-Republic. You can support this podcast and our efforts by subscribing. Visit any of these newspapers’ websites, and click on the Become a Member button at the top of the home page. We appreciate your support of local journalism.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Montana State News Bureau's Holly Michels this week talks about her coverage St. Peter's Health, the hospital in Helena, saying their doctors and other staff were threatened and had their medical judgement questioned by three public officials, including Republican Attorney General Austin Knudsen.

This isn't the first time Knudsen, whose office disputed the hospital's description of the incident, has waded into local matters. Michels will explain about the attorney general getting involved with another case in Helena and how his actions differ from his predecessors.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Big Sky Lede, Montana State News Bureau reporter Tom Kuglin discusses a proposal from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks that seeks to make significant changes to hunting districts and permitting.

The proposals, generated by state wildlife biologists and managers across Montana’s seven administrative regions, came at the direction of FWP Director Hank Worsech. The directive instructed biologists to propose ways to “simplify” hunting regulations primarily by reducing the total number of hunting districts and types of licenses and permits.

The current process is unique in its statewide scope and the raw number of proposed changes.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Big Sky Lede, reporter Holly Michels and host Thom Bridge discuss the hectic 36 hours before a judge in Montana put a temporary halt to three new abortion laws in the state. From the erroneous removal of a judge to filings before the state Supreme Court and finally the issuing of a 10-day restraining order on the new laws, they’ll break down the complicated timeline and explain what to expect next.

This podcast from the Montana State News Bureau is created in partnership across five newsrooms – the Billings Gazette, the Helena Independent Republic, the Missoulian, the Montana Standard and the Ravalli-Republic. You can support this podcast and our efforts by subscribing. Visit any of these newspapers’ websites, and click on the Become a Member button at the top of the home page. We appreciate your support of local journalism.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Montana State News Bureau reporter Sam Wilson discusses the state’s system for reporting lobbying expenses. He explains his findings after documenting that spending from the recent legislative session, including who the biggest spenders were, where the money came from and areas where transparency falls short.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode Montana State News Bureau Deputy Bureau Chief Tom Kuglin talks about some major changes coming to deer and elk hunting in Montana.

A new directive from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Director Hank Worsech aims to simplify hunting regulations with a top-down review of hunting districts, licenses and permits. Both interviews and documents detail the early stages of the changes, which include elimination of many hunting districts and combining them as well as elimination or consolidation of types of licenses and permits. That will produce larger hunting districts likely with fewer license or permit types.

Biologists have been directed to come up with proposals that FWP will bring out to the public that focus on biology rather than social concerns. Officials expect significant public input as they draft a plan for the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission, which will make the final decision ahead of the 2022 season.

What all these changes will ultimately mean is too early to say, but hunters should expect regulations to look much different in the future.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Red Pill Festival drew Christian conservatives and conspiracy theorists to Saint Regis last month, a gathering meant to build a community for fringe ideas that have more frequently entered the mainstream.

Elected GOP lawmakers spoke at the event about getting involved in local politics, and distinguishing allies from "enemies," particularly those branded as Republicans In Name Only. Former Washington state Rep. Matt Shea, found to have engaged in domestic terrorism by his own political peers, headlined the event and brought attendees, from Washington, Idaho and western Montana, to their feet.

In this episode of Big Sky Lede, Lee State Bureau reporter Seaborn Larson and producer Thom Bridge talk about the ideas that animated the Red Pill Festival, and which of those ideas have already made an appearance in the Montana Statehouse.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.