Round Up For Open Land Supports Travelers for Open Land

Mike Scholz of Round Up for Open Land presents checks to (left) Kristen Gardner of the Gallatin River Task Force and (right) Ciara Wolfe of the Big Sky Community Corporation in Big Sky. Round Up for Open Land raised over $11,000 to support Big Sky trails, watershed protection and area open land conservation in 2015. Thanks to all the participating businesses and donors.

Travelers for Open Land Awards $18,000 in Grants

Travelers for Open Land has awarded $18,000 in grants to five land trusts to help fund dynamic conservation easement projects in the Madison, Flathead, Gallatin, Helena and Bitterroot valleys. Since 2009, Travelers for Open Land has awarded nearly $220,000 to help fund some of Montana's best conservation easement projects. MALT helped create the TFOL program. TFOL is also supported by the Montana Community Foundation, Montana Office of Tourism Promotion, and businesses that include outdoor recreation, industry, hospitality industry and more. Future posts will highlight individual funded projects.

Gallatin Valley Land Trust and Others Interested in Path Between Bozeman and Belgrade

A walking/biking path between Bozeman and Belgrade? Great idea.

Hunters and Landowners Share Interests

A recent survey suggests hunters and landowners share more interests than you - and they - might think. This article takes both a narrow (Pennsylvania) and broader (including quotes from Montana) look at the situation. The survey was conducted by Migrate Outdoor and Farm Journal Media

11.7 Million People Visited Montana in 2015

Montana 2015 tourism numbers: 8% more visitors (11.7 million), 8% less income ($3.6 billion).

January 2016 NW Montana Bird Counts Look Good

Good news: Bird counts high in NW Montana and throughout much of the state.

A Western Montana Winter Playground

A western Montana outdoor recreation gem.

Montana Kids Spend Day Ice Fishing

Give a kid a fish, the kid eats for a day. Take a kid ice fishing, and he's probably cold for a day. But the kid also enjoyed Montana's great outdoors.

Best Mountain Bike Trails in Montana

Singletracks selects the best mountain bike trails in Montana. And there's a lot of them.

Video Showcases Kootenai River Falls

Impressive video by Bob Hosea. "The Revenant" will win a bunch of Oscars, in part thanks to Montana's Kootenai River.

Digital Tourism Assistance

This is innovative and impressive. From the Missoulian: The Mineral County Historical Society is giving travelers a chance to be their own tour guides as they visit the area, using a new smartphone app to help lead the way.

No National Park Entrance Fees on Jan. 18

No entrance fees to national parks on Monday, Jan. 18, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Free fun!

Community Trails and Open Land Are Treasures

Exploring the virtues of Helena's community trails system and open land. Congratulations to Prickly Pear Land Trust and its partners, and compliments to the Helena IR.

Montana's Outdoor Experiences Break Records

Record-breaking 2015 Montana state park visitation. Montana record-breaking 2015 national park visitation. Record-breaking 2015 passenger volume at Montana airports. Montana is a very popular place, and we all know why: The Montana Outdoor Experience. (Alex Diekmann Photo)

31 Great Montana Photo Ops

Montana is blessed with thousands of amazing outdoor photo opportunities. Here are 31 beauties.

Conservation Tax Incentives Made Permanent

Important article about conservation tax incentives. Making these incentives permanent is great news for agriculture and for open land.

Winter Trials Day is Saturday, Jan. 9

Happy Winter Trails Day! National Winter Trails Day is Jan. 9. (Flathead Beacon Photo)

Montanans No "Couch Potatoes"

No surprise here: A survey of American "couch potatoes" shows Montanans are among the most active people in the country. Check out the Couch Potato Index.

Duckworth Helps Lead Montana Wool Resurgence

Check out Outside Magazine's article about the resurgence of wool and Montana-based wool company Duckworth.

Trust for Public Land Top 2015 National Projects Include Two From Montana

The Trust for Public Land's top national 2015 conservation projects include two from Montana - Haskill Basin in the Flathead and Story Mill in Bozeman.