Legal Battle Emerges Over Bitterroot Front Plan
As expected, a coalition of local and national conservation groups is launching a legal challenge against the Bitterroot Front Plan, a multi-year effort to manage Forest Service lands for wildfire safety for years to come.
The Bitterroot National Forest unveiled the plan last month, culminating more than half a decade of work to develop a plan that would use selective timber management to cut fire risk in the Bitterroot, considered one of the most "at-risk" areas for a major fire in the U-S.
However, the Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the Bitterroot, and several other organizations filed a formal notice yesterday, saying they intend to sue the Forest Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service. The groups allege the Bitterroot Front Project violates the Endangered Species Act.
Opponents argue the timber harvesting would "permanently scar" canyon vistas and carve up critical, connected habitats needed for the recovery of threatened species, including grizzly bears, bull trout, and wolverines.
BNF leaders say the plan doesn't call for any new road building, and would only use select timber sale operations, as well as other means, to cut fire risk for the next 20-years.
Missoula and Billings place on "Best Run Cities" list
Missoula is raking in high honors for its local governance, landing a spot among the top tier of municipal management nationwide.
According to a newly released study by the personal finance website WalletHub, Missoula ranks as the 20th "Best Run" city in America for 2026.
The report evaluated nearly 150 of the country’s largest cities by measuring the quality of city services against total per-capita budgets.
Missoula earned stellar marks in two key categories, ranking 14th overall in both economy and education.
The Garden City did see middle-of-the-pack placements for infrastructure and public safety, while facing its lowest marks in financial stability, where it landed at 121st. Still, the strong Top 20 finish places Missoula well ahead of most major urban areas across the country.
Billings also made the list again this year, placing 32nd overall.
While Missoula managed to land a bit higher at 20th, Billings still secured a solid spot in the top tier of the rankings. According to the study's data, Billings ranked 91st for its overall "Quality of City Services" but performed exceptionally well on efficiency, ranking 22nd for its total budget per capita.
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Gallery Credit: Nick Northern