Outdoor news
Hunting and fishing regs
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks will host meetings across the state in May to review and discuss recent recommendations from an advisory council tasked with adjusting Montana’s hunting and fishing licenses and fees. The recommendations would provide an additional $6.25 million a year to help deal with budget cuts to fish and wildlife management programs. The recommendations are aimed at a simplified licensing system; standardized discounts for youth, seniors and disabled hunters; and a revamped base price structure and other adjustments to provide a fair and stable source of revenue for the state’s fish and wildlife conservation efforts. The meeting at the Region 1 office, 490 North Meridian Road, in Kalispell, will take place on Monday, May 19, at 7 p.m. The recommendations will be available online at http://fwp.mt.gov on April 28. Click “Licensing and Funding Advisory Council.”
Wildlife babies
The Montana Wild Wings Recover Center in Kalispell will hold a free “Baby Shower” open house at the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Region 1 office, 490 Meridian Road, in Kalispell, on Saturday, May 17, from noon to 3 p.m. as a donation-based fundraiser for the center. Birds that could be on display include a peregrine falcon, American kestrel falcon, ferruginous hawk, Swainson’s hawk, red-tailed hawk, northern pygmy owl, saw-whet owl, great horned owl, great grey owl and a northern barred owl. For more information, visit online at www.wildwingsrecovery.org or on their Facebook page.
Outdoor women
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks will offer horsepacking and mountain bike riding classes in the Flathead as part of their Becoming an Outdoors-Woman program. The horsepacking workshop for beginners will take place at an indoor arena near Columbia Falls on Sunday, May 4, co-hosted by the Back Country Horsemen of the Flathead. The $35 fee includes lunch and the use of all equipment and packing stock. The mountain biking workshop for beginner and intermediate riders will be based at the Whitefish Bike Retreat near Whitefish on Saturday and Sunday, June 28-29. To register or for more information, call 406-444-9940 or e-mail llodman@mt.gov.