Grizzly De-listing Argument Raised Again in Montana

Congressman Ryan Zinke is renewing his call for taking grizzly bears off the endangered species list after two early-season attacks, one of which resulted in the death of a hiker in Glacier National Park.

That "surprise encounter" happened when the Florida hiker apparently came upon the bear while hiking to catch the sunset at the Mount Brown fire lookout. It was the first fatality in the park from a grizzly attack since 1998.

A couple of days before, two young hikers were seriously injured when they came upon a sow and her cubs on a trail northwest of the Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park. 

READ MORE: First Fatal Bear Encounter in Glacier Since '98

In a Facebook post, the former Interior Secretary reiterated the point he and other members of the Montana delegation have been clamoring for for years: taking the big bears off the endangered list and turning management over to the states.

Zinke wrote, "These tragedies are a sobering reminder that grizzly bear populations have recovered well beyond sustainable levels, and it is past time for the federal government to delist them and give states the management tools they need to protect both people and wildlife."

However, it should be noted that even if the states were managing the bears today, grizzlies in the parks would remain removed from management through hunting and trapping, because of park rules.

Glacier plans to check in with local residents

Glacier National Park officials are heading to Kalispell this Monday to talk shop with the local community.

The park is hosting a "Gateway Community" meeting at Flathead Valley Community College from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Leadership will provide updates on summer season prep and is looking for your input on long-range plans for transportation and visitor access.

This is part of a renewed effort in the park service to better interact with the smaller towns that "host" parks, especially busy ones. It's been a frequent topic of discussion by Senator Daines and other members of Congress, especially after the post-pandemic boom in tourism.

     🏕️ If you want to weigh in on the future of the park, head to Room 139 in the Arts and Technology Building at FVCC Monday evening.

Both diesel and premium are about $5, regular not far behind in this county

Montana gas prices are seeing a more modest increase this week, although we're still outpacing the climb to record high prices in 2022.

AAA Montana reports Montana's average gas price at $4.56 for a gallon of regular this morning, up about a nickel from last week. That's a far slower pace than how we started the month, when some stations charged 20 to 50 cents more in a single week. That matches the national average, which had dropped slightly before beginning to climb again in recent days.

Premium gas is now averaging $5.21 a gallon, with diesel climbing to $5.48. That's just 40 cents under the all-time record for diesel in Montana, which hit $5.90 a gallon at the end of June 2022.

As has been the case for the past few weeks, Missoula's average remains higher than average, with a fill-up costing $4.58 for regular. Great Falls now matches that average, while Billings is at the statewide average.

However, many counties are seeing their average over $4.60 a gallon, including Beaverhead, Deer Lodge, Mineral, Flathead, Park, Fergus, and Musselshell.

It could be worse. Glacier and Powder River counties are just under $4.70 a gallon, while Wheatland is at $4.79 and Golden Valley is at $4.87, but Petroleum County beats everyone… with the most expensive gallon of gas in the state at $4.96.