Montana News Roundup: Celebrating a Montana Recreation Gem
4-years after community efforts saved an old Western Montana ski hill from being sold to an out-of-state owner, a major event is being planned this week, bringing attention to the unique multi-use area.
🚵🏼 A local group headed off a sale of the Marshall Mountain Ski Area and conversion to a private home site for an out-of-state buyer.
-Since then, the 480-acre Marshall Mountain Park site has been cleaned up and converted to a variety of uses, from youth programs to hiking, cross-country skiing, and mountain biking.
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On Saturday, several user groups are collaborating to host "Marshall Madness", a celebration of trails and open space, with an open invitation to those who haven't visited the site since the changes.
MORE ABOUT: Marshall Mountain Park
The times are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Marshall Mountain Park.
Belgrade man killed in Mission motorcycle accident
Lake County Sheriff Don Bell says the man who was killed in an off-road motorcycle accident in the Mission Valley Sunday was from Belgrade. The accident happened near the Buffalo Bridge, in the western edge of the valley.
Bell says 41-year-old Jake McConnell's exact cause of death is still being investigated.
Here comes the Montana fires
The turn to warmer-than-normal weather, without much rain, is giving an early preview of this year's fire season, with Montana DNRC and other local fire agencies responding to several reports of smaller fire starts.
In Yellowstone National Park, park officials are now saying that small blaze discovered by hikers on the Bighorn Pass Trail Memorial Day was started by a passing lightning storm. That fire is now under control, with the fire danger in the park at "low."
In the Mission Valley, CSKT Fire was called out Wednesday afternoon with the report of a fire near Moeise, which had burned nearly 60-acres.
🔥 Fire danger in the Bitterroot Valley is now "moderate" and was also moved to that same level in Missoula County Thursday.
It's back to the 90s in Montana
Montana saw some of its first unofficial 90-degree readings Wednesday. Locations in the Lower Clark Fork, like Plains and Trout Creek, hit 90. Troy and the lower Yaak Valley registered 92-to-93 degrees.
Missoula and some other locations in the west could eclipse 90 today, although an incoming cold front may take the edge off and result in thunderstorms.
A puzzling shooting in Billings
Billings Police are trying to sort out what happened in a shooting Tuesday night that sent a man to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Investigators say a 31-year-old suspect got in an argument with a 22-year-old man, firing several shots at his car as he sped away, before turning the gun on himself.
Blankship Bridge; Google
Flathead bridge to close next week
A landmark bridge in the Flathead will be out of service for a couple of days next week.
The Blankenship Bridge spans the Middle Fork of the Flathead River near Coram.
County engineers say the bridge will be closed to all traffic June 3rd and 4th, while crews replace the bridge's expansion joints. That's critical to maintaining the integrity of the bridge, which was originally built in 1893.
The Forest Service and its partners completed a $750,000 to project to prevent erosion and protect fish habitat earlier this month.
Montana Thursday Throwback
NWS forecasters often recall May 29th, 1982, as the day of what meteorologist Corby Dickerson calls a "remarkable storm" that saw 48 inches of snow fall northeast of Great Falls.
☃️ Even a few years ago, that dump in Shokin, Montana, still held a U.S. record for the most in a 24-hour snow event.
Best Places to See the Northern Lights in Montana
If you've ever dreamed of capturing the Northern Lights on camera, Montana's backroads, mountaintops, and wide-open skies offer a rare and unforgettable shot.
Gallery Credit: jessejames