Bozeman News

Monster Trucks

Let’s talk big traffic.

Big, as in a truck pulling a 24-foot-high “module” that is 54 yards long, nearly 10 yards high, and weighs 220 tons—the equivalent of about 40 elephants.

Big, as in rigs so tall they won’t fit under highway overpasses; so wide they take up two traffic lanes; and so ponderous, their top speed is 30 mph.

Big, as in the roads they travel would have to be modified so the modules don’t snap overhead power lines and take out traffic lights.

Which leads to a potentially large problem for Montana—or at the very least a big deal. Because the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) is considering a proposal that would allow as many as 200 of the jumbo loads to roll down Montana roads and highways—including across Rogers Pass, in winter—during a 12-to-18 month period that could start late this year.

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GUEST COMMENTARY

Want to spend a week this summer with some of the nation’s best-known outdoor writers, practicing the craft of outdoor writing in writer-friendly Missoula? 

The Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA) will host its first Goldenrod Writing Workshop at the University of Montana in Missoula August 1-7, 2010. Open to both novice communicators and published professionals, the week-long workshop is designed to improve skills in outdoor, nature and environmental writing. 

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BULLETIN BOARD

This information was provided by the Wildlands Network. NewWest’s bulletin board offers press releases with a wide variety of views and news about the West.

DeBeque, Colorado—A DNA test of scat samples is all that remains before a western Colorado ranch owner knows for sure if wild wolves are present on his land.

Paul R. Vahldiek, Jr., majority shareholder and CEO of The High Lonesome Ranch, a mixed use landscape sprawling across Colorado’s west slope northeast of Grand Junction, awaits results of the DNA test as the final piece of evidence needed to confirm wolf habitation. One of the ranch managers and an expert wildlife tracker have already reported actual sightings of wolves, and positively identified tracks and howling on the vast acreage.

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Big Sky Bum Out

They’re not on the ski slopes. They’re not in the bars. Have all the ski bums left Big Sky?

“A lot of guys are skiing backcountry now because it’s free,” said John the physical therapist. “Also, a lot of them worked construction to support their skiing habits. Those jobs don’t exist any more.”

A footnote to the current recession is its effect on Big Sky’s ski bum culture—girls and guys who live to ski and will work for ski passes or at part-time jobs that permit time off on powder days.

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Forest Jobs and Recreation Act

Sen. Jon Tester today announced that he hopes to make revisions to his Forest Jobs and Recreation Act, legislation that has drawn widespread support, criticism and suggestions from Montanans—some of which Tester said he’d insert into the legislation.

The Senator, speaking at a small press conference in Missoula, said the proposed 21 changes—some involving simple word clarifications and others more meaty—were brought to his attention by a wide variety of individuals and organizations, from the Montana Wood Products Association and the University of Montana School of Forestry to environmental groups and the Montana AFL-CIO.

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Bull Trout Protection

On January 13th, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) released a new critical habitat designation for bull trout throughout the Northwest, including western Montana. The new draft — offering four-to-six times more protected waters than a previous proposal—includes 21,694 miles of stream habitat and 533,426 acres of reservoirs and lakes in Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Nevada.

Protecting and restoring bull trout habitat will help this threatened species recover. It will also improve water quality throughout the Northwest, spur investment in watershed restoration, and help support Montana’s $226 million fishing industry. This designation goes a long ways towards achieving those goals.

In Montana, the proposal includes 3,094 stream miles and 223,762 acres of lakes and reservoirs. The plan covers federal lands, reservoirs and even currently unoccupied habitat necessary to maintaining migration routes between isolated species. The new draft is seen as an improvement over the last two proposals in 2002 and 2005. 

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