Taking the extra step in Montana

“Oh my god, oh my god,” the woman screamed. Our walk became a run.
With her partner out of earshot, I noticed she did not have a net. By the looks of the bend in her rod, I decided she might need one.
“You want a net?,” I asked.
“PLEASE!,” the woman yelled, eyes never breaking from the water.

Everything you wanted to know: westslope cutthroat trout

Westslope cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi)    Species Summary & Status: Officially designated as Montana’s state fish, the westslope cutthroat’s historical range included all of Montana west of the Continental Divide, as well as the upper Missouri River drainage. The average size of these fish is 6 to 16 inches, depending on habitat.  It is often…

Mourning loss and ascending the Lochsa

As I brought the fish to the net, I was overwhelmed with its weight, length and textbook coloring.
As I resuscitated this fish in the slow but moving waters along the side of the Lochsa, I thought of Mark, and I wished that he could have seen this. 
Summiting Lolo Pass, I stopped along the side of the road, taking in the wilderness below me, now to the east and south, and thought about all that I was leaving behind.

Five hundred miles of river memories in three states

“The elders told us there is no point in building a visitors center if we don’t restore the land,” said Brad Parry, a tribal member leading up conservation work on the neglected landscape. “They told us they want this land back to the way it was when the massacre happened. For those who died to have a peace we need to restore the land to as natural as possible.”

Aboriginal Rio Grande cutthroat trout survive in the Upper Rio Grande Basin

by Mark Konishi Growing up in the San Luis Valley, I would hear rumors of cutthroat trout with vivid colors caught in secret waters. Cutthroat trout with orange slab-sides as brilliant as any goldfish.   Many of these stories often came from my classmate Jim, relayed down through his extended family. It was difficult to pinpoint…

TU and National Parks Conservation Association call for modernizing oil and gas leasing

Millions of Americans are spending more time exploring the waters we fish, the national parks we enjoy and wild places near and far. The benefits of these activities are numerous and they breathe life into the many local economies that depend on booming outdoor recreation — this year more so than ever. At the same…