Missoula Rolling Out Biggest “Bear Buffer” Move Yet

Missoula is moving into the final phase of its massive effort to cut down on the number of bears getting into the city's trash, rolling out thousands of "bear-resistant" cans to residents. It's the largest deployment in the multi-year effort.

City of Missoula Communications Director Ginny Merriam explains, as with the two areas already changed over in the "bear buffer zone", customers of both Republic Services and Grizzly Disposal will have to be using the new cans in the next couple of weeks…

"The rules call for them to be supplied by the haulers," Merriam explains. "So individual people don't have to go out and look for a bear-resistant cart."

Studies by FWP and the local leaders on the team working the problem have found that garbage is by far the largest "attractant" for bears, at 49%. Bird feeders are second at 16%.

Montana FWP Bear Manager Jamie Jonkel says it's important to get ahead of the issue, since now it's not just black bears, but an increasing number of grizzlies around the Missoula Valley and Northern Bitterroot.

"We're starting to see more and more grizzly activity," Jonkel explains. "They're coming down out of the Missions, out of the Rattlesnake, out of that Blackfoot country. And yeah, we've had lots of verified observations of grizzlies around towns in the last four, well, last 10 years. The population has increased."

The Phase 3 areas include the southern and western edges of the Missoula Valley, as well as the South Hills and Miller Creek.

     🐻 The mandatory requirements for the bear-resistant cans become effective on April 30th.

Special election ballots in the mail

The special election season is officially underway in Montana, with dozens of school levies, bonds, and other measures appearing across the state for your vote on May 5th.

Counties mailed those ballots yesterday, and you should see those begin arriving through the end of the week, with all the voting on this one being done through the mail.

Missoula County Elections Administrator Bradley Seaman says that amounts to tens of thousands of ballots in Missoula alone.

Seaman and the other elections officials are reminding voters to be sure and add their birthdates next to their signatures on the security envelopes.

"In Montana, for your ballot in the mail, postmarks don't apply," Seaman stresses. "We must receive it by 8 PM. So when you get that ballot, take some time, look at it, make an informed decision, and you've got a few options. You can return it with prepaid postage, you can use one of our drop locations, or you can come by our elections office during normal business hours to drop it off in person."

What's next for Steve Daines?

Senator Steve Daines is talking more about his somewhat startling decision to end his U-S Senate career last month, with people still talking about his initial filing, followed by the 11th-hour withdrawal of his candidacy.

"And frankly, our decision to do this was a bit towards the end," Daines said. "We weren't quite sure, kind of, you kind of go back and forth, Dennis. It's not an easy decision to make. But we made it."

Daines tells me some of that choice was based on the development of former U-S Attorney for the District of Montana, Kurt Alme, and his decision to step into the race.

Daines says for now, he knows it was time to shift gears and enjoy being a grandpa.

"But you know, we've got 7 grandchildren now, and when I tell people that back home in Montana, their heads start to nod, they say we get it. And then we went from 0 to 7 grandkids in the last 6 years, and Cindy and I thought, you know, maybe it's time to bring an end to this chapter of public service and move on to the next chapter."

Could that chapter include a gubernatorial race when Greg Gianforte "terms out"?

"What happens in the future? I just don't know. You know, the governor's race is something that would be interesting, but I honestly don't know at this point if that's something that Cindy and I want to do going forward or not." -Senator Daines

The big question we'll be watching is what the future holds for both Daines and Congressman Ryan Zinke, who also tells me he's not going to retire, but isn't sure if there's further political service on his horizon, including a Governor's race.

     For now, Daines says he's committed to working hard on various issues through the end of the year.

Construction cuts Clark Fork access

Attention Clark Fork River floaters and kayakers. If you’re heading to the Alberton Gorge, take note: beginning April 15th, walk-in access at the Triple Bridges area will be closed.

The Montana Department of Transportation is replacing the westbound I-90 bridge. For public safety, this long-term closure impacts Old Highway 10 West just past the Tarkio East entrance, the local pedestrian bridge, and the trail leading to the popular Triple Bridges surf wave. Officials expect these areas to remain closed through the fall of 2027.

The good news? The river itself is still open to floating. Key access sites like the Cyr Bridge put-in, Tarkio East, and Ralph’s Takeout are completely unaffected.

Officials simply urge all boaters to stay alert, use extra caution, and paddle quickly and safely through the active construction zone."

A good bond sale means savings for the new Flathead jail

Flathead County is clearing a major financial hurdle in its push to build a new Public Safety Facility. On Tuesday, the county successfully sold $95 million in bonds to fund the project, which was approved by voters last year.

County leaders say the demand for the bond sale was "overwhelming". The entire bond offering was snatched up by investors in just one hour. The county says the sale was bolstered by a recent S&P rating upgrade to ‘Double-A-Plus,’ reflecting the financial management standing of the county and Flathead County as a whole.

There's some good news for local taxpayers, too. The final interest rate came in at 3-point-8 percent, significantly lower than the original projection. The county says that the lower rate is expected to save the county roughly $1.1 million in total interest costs.

     With the financing secured and bond closing set for the end of the month, the county says it's full steam ahead for the project now, with groundbreaking for the new jail and sheriff's office expected in June.