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LOCAL NEWS BRIEFS
Bison Management Plan begins in Yellowstone
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, Wyo. – Bison operations began at the Stephens Creek administrative area in Yellowstone National Park in midFebruary. Bison capture and shipping operations start when bison migrate from the interior of the park into the Gardiner Basin and can continue through late March.
Bison operations at Stephens Creek are part of the Interagency Bison Management Plan, whose partners include federal, state and Tribal groups. The 2022 winter operations plan recommends removing between 600 and 900 animals from Yellowstone’s population of more than 5,000 bison.
The population will be reduced using three methods: public and Tribal hunting outside the park; capturing bison near the park boundary and then transferring them to Native American Tribes for processing and distribution of meat and hides; and the Bison Conservation Transfer Program that results in moving brucellosis-free bison to Tribal lands.
Located in the northern section of the park near Gardiner, the Stephens Creek administrative area includes park corral operations, equipment storage, a native plant nursery and the bison capture and quarantine facilities. The administrative area is closed to the public year round.
Visit nps.gov/yell/index.htm to learn more about why Yellowstone bison numbers are controlled.
Bozeman airport surpasses 2 million passengers in 12-month period
BOZEMAN YELLOWSTONE INT’L AIPORT
BOZEMAN – Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport handled 2,020,628 passengers for the 12-month period ending Jan. 31, 2022. This is the first time a Montana airport has surpassed two million passengers in any 12 consecutive month period. In addition, January 2022 set the 10th consecutive monthly passenger record with 167,043 passengers passing through the terminal building, up 20.8 percent over the previous record set in January 2020.
“The Bozeman market continues to show its strength and resiliency despite the impacts of COVID, Brian Sprenger, airport director said. “BZN has seen an 82 percent increase in passengers over the past five years and is now ranked in the top 90 airports in the nation in terms of passengers (currently 86th). In an area of the country where air service is vital in connecting people to the world, this unparalleled access for a community our size is critical to our economy,”
MSU sees second highest spring enrollment on record
MSU NEWS SERVICE
BOZEMAN – Montana State University reported its second highest spring headcount ever, as well as strong graduate student enrollment and retention, according to a Feb. 22 announcement.
The official headcount showed MSU has 15,608 total students, a 4 percent increase over spring 2021 and second only to spring 2019, when the university enrolled 15,694.
“Students continue to see Montana State as the place where their hard work will forge their futures,” said university President Waded Cruzado. “We’re grateful to them for choosing MSU and to our dedicated faculty and staff for continuing to provide our students the opportunity to find success.”
Graduate student enrollment at MSU is the highest in a spring term at 2,024, a 3 percent increase over last spring. Enrolling and graduating more degree-seeking graduate students is among the goals of MSU’s strategic plan, Choosing Promise.
MSU also saw increased retention of first-time students, with 88.5 percent continuing from the fall to attend spring classes—a 4 percent increase over spring 2021. Montana residents made up 54 percent of the student body.
THE ASOCIATED PRESS
HELENA – Martha Williams, the former director of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, has been confirmed to lead the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The U.S. Senate confirmed her nomination Thursday night via voice vote. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is part of the Department of Interior, is responsible for protecting species listed under the Endangered Species Act and oversees national conservation efforts, including fisheries, hatcheries, migratory birds, ecological services and federal wildlife refuges. Williams has essentially served as acting director of the wildlife agency since Jan. 20, 2021, when she was named principal deputy director.
In an interview with the Helena Independent Record after her appointment as deputy, Williams identified climate change as the most challenging issue she expects to tackle, but pointed out that many conservation issues are interwoven with other societal issues.
Williams worked as an attorney for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks from 1998 to 2011, including on the state’s effort to take over management of wolves.
She spent two years as a solicitor at the Department of Interior before returning to teach at the University of Montana law school. Williams led Montana’s wildlife agency from 2017 through early 2021.
County real estate: rising prices, tight inventory continue
EBS STAFF
GALLATIN COUNTY – Real estate in Gallatin County continues to see low inventory and high prices into 2022, according to a Gallatin Association of Realtors report. last year, the report states that the median sales price of a single family home in January 2022 increased 45.1 percent, from $560,000 to $812,750. Inventory of single family homes for sale decreased by 34.6 percent, from 136 to 89 homes.
