Yellowstone Glacier national parks on track for record years
Yellowstone and Glacier national parks notched their second-highest visitation years ever last year and the two anchors for Montana’s tourism sector could see new all-time records this year. So far in 2025 Yellowstone has seen 1,690,922 recreation visits up 4% from 2024. Glacier has welcomed 346,437 visitors so far this year 12% more than the same period last year and 31% more than in 2017 the park’s record year.
Montana National Guard Prepares For Potential Wildfire Response
Montana has not activated the National Guard for wildfires in the past two years but this week 76 guardsmen are undergoing Red Card training to prepare for any future incidents. By earning their Red Card in advance the Guardsmen will be able to respond quickly if activated for wildfires later in the year. The most recent activation was in 2021when nearly 600 personnel responded across the state.
Trump Is Cutting Tens of Thousands of Veterans Affairs Workers
President Donald Trump’s administration has backed off its plan to fire 83,000 employees at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs but the VA will still get rid of about 30,000 employees which includes thousands it has already let go. Since January 1st the VA has lost 17,000 employees and by the end of September 12,000 more will be gone. Representative Ryan Zinke has supported efforts to streamline administrative bloat but has opposed cuts to frontline healthcare workers.
Federal judge hears arguments on controversial Helena immigration arrest
In Missoula Thursday Federal District Judge Dana Christensen heard arguments from attorneys for Christopher Martinez Marvan who was asking to be released from custody after the 31-year-old Mexican man was mistaken by law enforcement for a different Latino man during a traffic stop July 1st but arrested anyway. Christensen appeared skeptical he had authority to release Marvan because his was not an immigration court and did not give a precise timeline when he would issue a ruling.
Waterkeeper Files Constitutional Challenge to State’s Septic Pollution Exemptions/ Approval of Big Sky’s Quarry Subdivision
Upper Missouri Waterkeeper has filed against the Montana Department of Environmental Quality challenging the constitutionality of a new state law that exempts certain subdivisions using septic systems from pollution control review. The lawsuit specifically targets the DEQ’s approval of Phase 2 of the Quarry Subdivision a 45-unit residential and commercial development in Big Sky near the Gallatin River.
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The Helena City Commission has awarded the local YWCA $150,000 to renovate the exterior of its building because it serves a purpose in historic preservation public safety and modernization as laid out in the goals for Helena’s Downtown Urban Renewal District. In 2015 the Helena YWCA building became a National Historic Registry site.
The Trump administration’s new tax and spending law aims to cut federal funding for the Bureau of Indian Education. In the 2026 Department of Interior’s Fiscal Year Budget Brief it anticipates losing almost 90% of its funding gutting dozens of tribal colleges and universities across the country. In Montana that means secondary education institutions on its seven reservations.
Thousands of reappraisal notices from the Montana Department of Revenue are making their way through the U.S. postal system each containing two numbers. The first is the home’s assessed market value representing what the department estimates a home could have sold for as of January 1st 2024. The second is the taxable value a smaller figure used to calculate property tax bills that incorporates exemptions and other deductions.
The Flathead County Planning Board has voted to table a recommendation for a private golf club proposal that would include a 359 single-family home subdivision on 1,700 acres west of U.S. Highway 93 in Lakeside called the “Flathead Lake Club.” Planning board members say new information has not yet been reviewed and complications that surround water rights which the developer does not currently have are primary reasons for their decision.
Governor Greg Gianforte continued his 56 County Tour along the Hi-Line this week meeting with farmers and ranchers in Liberty Blaine and Phillips counties. Promoting value-added agriculture to strengthen the ag industry is a top priority for Gianforte and as the governor travels the state he highlights Montana producers showcasing the Made in Montana brand.
