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Photo courtesy of Rick and Susie Graetz
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
produced daily by Shellie Nelson
Page 2
More news from the Rockies
Community
Montana sues oil companies for $5.5M in cleanup funds
The state of Montana has sued ConocoPhillips, some subsidiaries and predecessor companies, to recover $5.5 million the state paid out in funds to clean up fuel spills, primarily at gas stations.
Helena Independent Record; June 13

Colorado property offers silver deposits, developable lots near Aspen
The 29.7-acre Smuggler Mine site near Aspen that is on the market for $9.5 million, offers 9.7 acres of silver mining and two 10-acre lots overlooking the Colorado town that could be developed into homesites.
Aspen Times; June 13

Montana town to be auctioned June 27
The town of Pray has been up for sale for months, with an asking price of $1.4 million for the Montana hamlet that covers five acres and has two commercial buildings, and on June 27, the property goes on the auction block.
Billings Gazette; June 13

Colorado county seals the deal on open-space package
A deal signed by officials from Eagle County, Edwards city officials, the Eagle Valley Land Trust, and a group of homeowners' associations completed the addition of 322 acres of open space to the Colorado county's portfolio.
Aspen Times; June 13

Tribes
Residents of Montana reservation town petition to keep tire store open
There used to be two tire stores in Poplar, a small town on the Fort Peck Reservation in Montana, but a few months ago, one store burned down and Agland is converting its service station and tire store into a convenience store offering just gasoline and snacks, a decision that residents are hoping to reverse.
Billings Gazette; June 13

BIA takes public comment on fisheries plan for Montana's Flathead Lake
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is taking public comment on proposed alternatives for removing non-native fish to help native fish in Montana's Flathead Lake, with comments due July 5.
Flathead Beacon; June 13

Environment
Lions, antelope, elk on agenda of Montana FWP meeting Thursday
The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission will meet Thursday in Helena, and on the agenda is a proposal to increase the hunting limits for mountain lions, as well as adjusting licenses for antelope, elk and mule deer to account for population changes in those species.
Helena Independent Record; June 13

Fungus turns trees red in northwest Montana
Heidi Trechsel, silviculturist with the Hungry Horse-Glacier View Ranger District, said the sea of red lodgepole pines in the North Fork Flathead River drainage near the Montana-Canada border is not due to beetle kill, but rather to a fungus caused by the wet, cool spring.
Kalispell Daily InterLake; June 13

Yellowstone Park officials investigate hiker's encounter with wolf
A hiker who encountered a female wolf on a trail in the Hayden Valley in Yellowstone National Park sprayed the wolf with bear spray and then jumped into the Yellowstone River, and park officials said they are investigating the incident.
Billings Gazette; June 13

DNA confirms wolf picked up at Idaho campground came from wild pack
A wolf pup picked up by campers near Ketchum is from a wild pack and now Idaho Fish and Game will try to find the pup a new home at a zoo.
Idaho Statesman; June 13

Legislature
Wyoming legislative panel to vote on highway funding options in August
Members of the Wyoming Joint Revenue Committee will vote in August to decide the best source of funding for transportation projects.
Casper Star-Tribune; June 13

Montana legislative panel schedules meetings on exempt water well bills
The Montana Legislature Water Policy Interim Committee has scheduled meetings around the state to discuss bills dealing with exempt water wells, which are those with low production and use rates and do not require a permit to drill, with the first such meeting set for June 19 in Bozeman; others are set for June 20 in Kalispell; June 21 in Hamilton; and on July 12-13 and Sept. 10-11 at the state Capitol in Helena.
Flathead Beacon; June 13

Economy
Colorado drops three places in rankings for solar panel installations
In the first quarter of 2012, New Jersey edged out California for the top spot for number of solar panels installed during that period, and Colorado ranked eighth, dropping from fifth place for the same quarter in 2011.
Denver Post; June 12

New business graduates from Idaho business incubator
The Boise Greenhouse gives entrepreneurs a base from which to launch new businesses, and last month, Affinity Amp flew the next to its own space in the Idaho city, and this month, Anboto Group, a company based in Spain’s Basque Country, joined the Greenhouse.
Idaho Statesman; June 13





Mountain West News is a program of the O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West
at The University of Montana.
"T he peak has passed."

Jone-Lin Wang, head of Global Power for the energy research firm IHS CERA, about the declining use of coal to generate power in the U.S., as more natural-gas power plants come online.
- Calgary Herald (AP)

On The Bookshelf
Barbara Theroux of Fact & Fiction reviews Christine Byl's "Dirt Work: An education in the woods

5/15/2013

Mountain West Perspectives
Study uncovers the restoration realities in Montana


4/15/2013

A Look Ahead

Mountain West Voices
Hear weekly stories from the Rocky Mountain West as gathered by Clay Scott

5/15/2013:  A Long Way
5/8/2013:  Making Roots
5/1/2013:  Cancer in the Real World
4/24/2013:  Sheep Country
4/10/2013:  Shearing Sheep


Mountain West News is a program of the O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West



at the

The University of Montana