'Becoming an Outdoors Woman' workshop set for Red Lodge

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has announced the dates for the annual winter-skills workshop in its popular Becoming an Outdoors Woman (BOW) program. This years workshop will occur from January 31st through February 2nd in Red Lodge, Montana.

Participants will choose three classes from a list of winter activities that includes cross country skiing, ice fishing, snowshoeing, wildlife in winter and winter survival. Women 18 years old or older may participate. The fee ranges between $170-240 and includes class instruction and meals.

Registration forms and information are available online by logging in to fwp.mt.gov and following the link to ‘Education.” Women are encouraged to sign up with a friend and learn a new activity or improve existing skills. Registration forms and brochures also are available at FWP’s Region 5 headquarters, 2300 Lake Elmo Dr. in Billings Heights.

For more information on the BOW Winter Workshop, call Liz Lodman at 406-444-9940, or by email: llodman@mt.gov.



Jeff
Hiking in Glacier National Park

Black bear euthanized after breaking into tents

A black bear that apparently lost its fear of people was euthanized last week after it broke into two occupied tents at a Forest Service campground south of Red Lodge.

Campers at the Sheridan Campground reported that a bear ripped through a pop-up tent trailer and a backpacking tent in the early morning hours of Saturday July 13. Both were occupied but none of the campers was injured.

The incidents were reported July 15, at which time U.S. Forest Service officials closed the campground to accommodate a bear trap. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks biologists caught a 175-pound, five-year-old male black bear that fit the description of the troublesome animal July 16.

Because the bear was habituated to people and likely to return to the campground, it was euthanized for the safety of people in the area. The campground has since reopened only to hard-sided campers.

FWP wildlife biologist Shawn Stewart said he heard reports of a black bear rummaging around cabins south of Red Lodge this summer. Bears can become habituated to humans if they find food around cabins, campgrounds or vehicles.

Black bears and grizzly bears live throughout south central Montana. If they encounter unsecured garbage, dog food, bird feeders, barbecue grills or other food sources, the bears will return and could become habituated to people. If bears lose their fear of people, it almost always is fatal for the bear.

FWP is advising cabin owners to bear-proof their property by removing anything that looks or smells like food. That includes cleaning up and locking up garbage and garbage cans, cleaning and storing barbecue grills, emptying birdfeeders, storing pet food and livestock feed supplements inside and regularly cleaning up around gardens and fruit trees.

Campers should adhere to backcountry bear-safety protocols, which call for storing anything that smells like food – including dishes and clothing used during cooking – in secured vehicles, bear-proof containers or away from tents.


Jeff
Hiking in Glacier National Park

Beartooth Highway To Open For Memorial Day Holiday Weekend

The Beartooth Highway, the scenic high elevation portion of US-212 linking Red Lodge, Montana, with the communities of Cooke City and Silver Gate, Montana, and the northeast

entrance to Yellowstone National Park, is scheduled to open for the season at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow morning, May 24th. Spring road clearing and maintenance is conducted by the Montana Department of Transportation and the National Park Service.

Inside Yellowstone, the road over Dunraven Pass linking Canyon Village, Tower Fall and Tower Junction also opens for the season on Friday morning.

All other park roads and all park entrances have already opened for the season.

Most seasonal visitor services in the park open in time for the Memorial Day weekend. Saturday also marks the opening of fishing season in the park. Details are available online, by consulting the park newspaper handed out at entrance stations, or by asking the staff at visitor centers and information stations in and near the park.

The National Weather Service forecast calls for partly cloudy skies and a chance of afternoon or evening thunderstorms for the three day holiday weekend, with high temperatures in the 50s and low 60s, and overnight low temperatures near freezing. Spring visitors to the park are encouraged to have flexible travel plans and to be prepared for a wide range of weather conditions.

All communities near and on the way to Yellowstone are open all year, offering a wide range of recreation opportunities, activities, and services for visitors to the region.

There will be no daytime travel delays or overnight road closures due to road construction during the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Starting Tuesday morning, May 28, visitors should expect construction delays of up to 30 minutes on the road between Tower Fall and Canyon. This section of road will also be closed every night between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. due to construction.

Updated Yellowstone National Park road information is available 24 hours a day by calling 307-344-2117. Information on current conditions in the park is also available online here.


Jeff
Hiking in Glacier.com

Sign Up For Becoming An Outdoors Woman Workshops

Women interested in learning the basics of fly fishing, bird watching and wild plants will want to sign up for this year's Becoming an Outdoors Woman workshops.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Park's Becoming an Outdoors Woman program equips women of all ages with the outdoor skills they need to enjoy outdoor activities—and to get their families into the outdoors.

Here are descriptions of some upcoming workshops:

Birding in Montana - June 22-24

Birders of all ages, especially beginners, are invited to enjoy the great bird watching opportunities in the class location near the Mission Mountains. Come enjoy easy-going bird walks at the Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge area and the National Bison Range while Audubon members and biologists share the knowledge you need to become a better birder.

Beartooth Botany – July 14

Explore the Beartooth Plateau near Red Lodge as you learn about the vast assortment of flowers and native plants that thrive in this high elevation area. We’ll drive and hike along Beartooth Highway 212 between Red Lodge and Cooke City to view plants in a variety of habitats and landscapes. This class is designed for those with little or no formal plant identification experience.

Don't miss the free evening program in Red Lodge on July 13 that will provide background on basic plant terminology, parts of the plant, and helpful guides.

For details and to register for these two workshops, visit the FWP website at fwp.mt.gov on the Education page. Or contact Liz Lodman at FWP by phone 406-444-9940, email: llodman@mt.gov.

Workshops in the offing include: Becoming an Outdoors Woman in Plains, Mt. on July 21 and the annual Summer BOW Workshop Aug. 17-19 near Bigfork.

For more on Becoming an Outdoors Woman, please click here.


Jeff
Hiking in Glacier.com