Several wildfires burning in the Belt Creek-White Sulphur Ranger District
Several wildfires burning in the Belt Creek-White Sulphur Ranger District
Posted at 7:10 PM, Jul 09, 2021
and last updated 2021-07-09 21:18:47-04
GREAT FALLS â Four fires started sparked on Thursday on the Belt Creek-White Sulphur Ranger District of the Helena-Lewis & Clark National Forest.
As of Friday afternoon, the Balsinger Fire is estimated at 60 acres, the Ellis Fire is estimated at 110 acres, and the Iron Mines Fire is less than an acre and smoldering.
The three fires are being managed together as the Divide Complex by staff from the Helena-Lewis & Clark National Forest, neighboring forests, and the Montana Department of Natural Resources & Conservation. The Den Gulch Fire, also referred to as the Middle Fire, is no longer a fire of concern, according to Forest spokesperson Chiara Cipriano.
Jun 4, 2021
Montana is a state of superlatives. It’s home to some of the biggest, wildest, and most likely-to-amaze natural landscapes in the country. And Montana’s state and national parks exemplify this with various environments to explore. From iceberg lakes to thriving ghost towns, these state and federal lands highlight why Montana is known as the Last Best Place.
Montana’s best-known national park,
Glacier National Park, is one of those places everyone should visit in a lifetime. The northern tip of
Yellowstone National Park is also in Montana, including the steamy Mammoth Hot Springs area, and shares a similar must-see status. Other national park units in Montana include battlefields, monuments, and memorials.
Two conservation groups filed a lawsuit Monday in federal District Court against the U.S. Forest Service to halt the Castle Mountains logging and burning project in the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest.
The Alliance for the Wild Rockies and Natives Ecosystems Council said the project calls for cutting and burning trees on 22,500 acres and bulldozing 45.1 miles of logging roads.
Mike Garrity, executive director of the Alliance for the Wild Rockies, said the forest service had ignored serious legal and environmental concerns.
He said the project violates Forest Plan protections for elk recommended in a document between Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and the Forest Service.
Forest Service raising fees for some Helena-area cabins and campsites helenair.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from helenair.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Thanks to COVID-19, most large New Year s Eve parties won t be happening this year in Montana. That means no big celebrations with hundreds of people in hotel ballrooms, dancing the night away to a local band. There will be minimal horn blowing and champagne popping at most bars, and health officials will be likely be recommending small get-togethers limited to immediate family , much like they did for Thanksgiving. I m sure they ll issue those same recommendations for Christmas too. Ugh.
So what s a fun-loving family/close group of friends supposed to do to kiss this crap-tastic year goodbye? After browsing VRBO today, I m thinking about renting a cabin for the long holiday weekend. Turning off the phone, cooking some great food, having some drinks, watching the snow fly and playing games with my family sounds fantastic to me.