Recent studies on the number of mountain lions in the Bitterroot showed much higher numbers than state wildlife experts had expected. Those findings are part of the reason why Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is updating their mountain lion management plan.
The U.S Forest Service is working to update its grizzly bear management policy in the Helena, Kootenai, Lewis and Clark, and Lolo National Forests in an attempt to ensure grizzly bears are protected wherever they may travel in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (or NCDE).
Anyone that lives in the western U.S. is likely living near land managed by the federal government. Many Western Montana counties, for example, have more than 50 percent of their land under federal control, a situation that poses problems for local use and tax revenue.