Anne James

GLASGOW - As you are hunting, hiking, and exploring Montana this fall, be sure to take a break from scanning the horizon and look down at the ground once in a while. Not only will this help you avoid stepping on a cactus or a rattlesnake, but you might also see one of eastern Montana’s rarely seen critters…the greater short-horned lizard, commonly known as a “horny toad.” If you do, Montana Fi...

BOZEMAN – Montana State University President Waded Cruzado has announced her plans to retire in June 2025, concluding a transformative 15-year tenure at the helm of Montana’s land-grant university. Cruzado, who became the 12th president of MSU in 2010, has been celebrated for her unwavering commitment to the land-grant mission of education, research and community outreach. Her leader...

BOZEMAN – Montana State University is offering Gold Rush T-shirts in preparation for the Sept. 7 home opener football game against the University of Maine. This year marks the 17th of the T-shirt design tradition. MSU fans can purchase the gold-colored T-shirts to show their support for the ‘Cats during this year’s Gold Rush game. The design features the Bo...

Gusty winds and dry thunderstorms the past couple of days are the cause of several new fire starts across the state, and the likely cause of others. Firefighters continue to attack each new fire agressively, using hand crews, heavy equipment, and when possible, air support.  He...

As promised, dry thunderstorms swept across western and central Montana Wednesday afternoon and overnight. DNRC's Northwestern Montana office sent out a press release this morning noting one new fire start, and saying they expect more will be reported as the day goes on. Her...

75 Lightning strikes Monday night started six new fires on the Bitterroot National Forest, but firefighters pounced, and assisted by water bucket drops by helicopters, firefighting engine crews, hand crews, and multiple fixed-wing aircraft, have brought most of them into containment. More dry...

YELLOWSTONE NP - By now you've probably seen the video going viral on social media platforms like Facebook and X. Yellowstone National Park officials confirm that around 10am this (Tuesday) morning, a small hydrothermal explosion occurred in Yellowstone's Biscuit Basin thermal area, about 2...

BUTLER CREEK FIRE (NW of Missoula)  The Butler Creek Fire was first report Monday, July 22, 2024, at about 1:30am. The fire is burning west of Butler Creek Rd in grass and heavy timber, 7 miles northwest of downtown Missoula. It is north of I-90, and east of Hwy 93. So ...

Three new fires were reported in the Missoula area over the weekend. Here is an update on newly-reported fires, and major ongoing fires across the state: BUTLER CREEK FIRE Our sister station, KGVO in Missoula reports that evacuations have been ordered in the Butler Creek neighborhood, west of Missoula, as DNRC fire crews respond to a new fire reported about 6:00am this morning.  Officia ... Read M

HORSE GULCH FIRE (Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest) Over the weekend, containment significantly increased on the Horse Gulch Fire near Canyon Ferry Reservoir, and as of Sunday morning, the fire is 80% contained. Crews are now focused on mop-up operations to extinguish any leftover heat along the eastern flank of the fire that could threaten containment lines in the event of adverse weather.

DEADMAN FIRE, McGHEE FIRE,  PRAIRIE FIRE, 4-MILE FIRE (Rosebud & Big Horn Counties)  Thursday was a very productive day for burnout operations on both the McGhee (11,409 acres) and Deadman Fires (18,927 acres). Hotshot crews carried on with burnout operations on the west flank of McGhee, along the Tongue River Road and tied into dozer line on the north tip of the fire perimeter near Birney. Ho

The 2024 wildfire season is well underway on Montana, and there have already been76 fires reported, according to Gov. Greg Gianforte, who spoke on our Missoula sister station KGVO recently. He told listeners that the state was prepared for this fire season...