brett french

A controversial Montana bill could put 1.25 million acres of state land up for sale—along with its water rights—sparking debates over access, revenue, and the future of public lands.

Tick Trouble…Could Lyme-Carrying Deer Ticks Be Creeping into Montana?

Montana hunters aim to ‘track’ solutions to overcrowding with new study request.

House Bill 436 aims to protect Montana’s ‘furry friends’ by requiring signs at FWP access points where trapping is conducted—helping recreationists make safer choices for their pets. Read more from Brett French here..

Montana’s public lands are back in the political crosshairs, with a new push to transfer federal lands to state control—reviving an old battle that could reshape access, management, and the future of our wild places…

BRETT FRENCH bfrench@billingsgazette.com To make something perpetual is everlasting and permanent — so a long, long time. When it comes to […]

Will a proposed fee hike for nonresident hunters boost public access—or drive them away? Read more from Brett French…

Montana’s private fish ponds may seem like small fry compared to our famous rivers, but they’ve sparked a big debate. Read more from Brett French.

After months of miscommunication and delays, the Fergus County Commission gave the green light to the Stafford Ferry Conservation Easement, ending a saga of confusion and setting the stage for better access to Montana’s wildlands—proving that collaboration can still win the day.

Frozen in time: Ancient trees preserved in a Beartooth ice patch for 5,000 years are revealing secrets about past climates—and what they mean for our warming future. Read more from Brett French…

BRETT FRENCH bfrench@billingsgazette.com If the Smith River were a medical patient, its doctors now have in hand a series of […]

With Montana’s land prices soaring, conservation efforts to protect sage grouse habitat are hitting financial hurdles, putting the future of this vital program—and the iconic birds it protects—at risk.

Will a proposed fee hike for nonresident hunters boost public access—or drive them away? Read more from Brett French…

Montana’s private fish ponds may seem like small fry compared to our famous rivers, but they’ve sparked a big debate. Read more from Brett French.

After months of miscommunication and delays, the Fergus County Commission gave the green light to the Stafford Ferry Conservation Easement, ending a saga of confusion and setting the stage for better access to Montana’s wildlands—proving that collaboration can still win the day.

Frozen in time: Ancient trees preserved in a Beartooth ice patch for 5,000 years are revealing secrets about past climates—and what they mean for our warming future. Read more from Brett French…

BRETT FRENCH bfrench@billingsgazette.com If the Smith River were a medical patient, its doctors now have in hand a series of […]

With Montana’s land prices soaring, conservation efforts to protect sage grouse habitat are hitting financial hurdles, putting the future of this vital program—and the iconic birds it protects—at risk.

Don’t let their backyard snacking fool you—Cody, Wyoming’s mule deer are world-class migrators. Read more from Brett French here.

Montana’s elk management debate heats up as ranches, lawsuits, and wily elk take center stage! Is it about population control or just keeping elk in check?

The Bureau of Land Management has released a draft travel plan for a 76,000-acre region in southern Carbon County.

Going against the Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ staff recommendations, the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission recently restricted raising […]

A history-rich parcel of land along the Judith and Missouri rivers in north-central Montana has been donated to the Montana […]

A recently published study conducted at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton mapped […]