Making Bison the National Mammal

The bison is the largest land mammal in North America. Bulls are more massive in appearance than cows, and more bearded. For their size, bison are agile and quick, capable of speeds in excess of 30 mph. Each year, bison injure park visitors who approach too closely.

NPS/Herbert

Missoulian: Bison take a first step toward being named America's mammal

S. 2032: National Bison Legacy Act

“This bill adopts the North American bison as the national mammal of the United States.”

Hunting Range & Quotas/ Grizzly Bears

Bozeman Chronicle: Hunting seasons up for debate at FWP Commission 
FWP Commission Meeting Agenda

Photo credit: Erwin and Peggy Bauer, USFWS

Bozeman Chronicle: USFWS letter indicates grizzly bear delisting proposal coming soon 
 Montana Grizzlies on the Road to Recovery
“The species has recovered to more than 1,700 wild bears in the U.S., despite naturally low reproductive rates. Today, grizzlies occur in five populations spread across Wyoming, Washington, Idaho, and Montana. Of these areas, the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem, located in northwestern Montana, is home to the largest number of grizzlies. The Northern Continental Divide grizzlies are thriving—growing approximately three percent each year. Grizzlies here have even begun to move outside the designated recovery zone.”

Syrian Refugees/ Education Bill

Missoulian: Syrian refugees welcomed by agencies despite states' fight
U.S. Plans To Lead in Resettling Syrian Refugees
“Imagine losing practically everything – your loved ones, your home, your profession, and your dignity. Imagine the frustration of languishing for years, unable to work or send children to school, exhausting your resources and relying on handouts. Imagine fearing that this situation is never going to end.

For Syrians and for other victims of violence and persecution – resettlement offers not just an escape, but a chance to start over.”

Myths and Facts: Resettling Syrian Refugees

U.S. Refugee Admissions Program FAQs

Refugee Processing and Security Screening

Missoulian: Senate clears major new education bill, sends it to Obama

S.1177 - Every Child Achieves Act of 2015
“This bill reauthorizes and amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). The bill addresses issues such as accountability and testing requirements, distribution and requirements for grants, fiscal accountability requirements, and the evaluation of teachers.

The bill provides states with increased flexibility and responsibility for developing accountability systems, deciding how federally required tests should be weighed, selecting additional measures of student and school performance, and implementing teacher evaluation systems.

It includes grants for providing language instruction educational programs, improving low-performing schools, and developing programs for American Indian and Alaska Native students. The bill provides rural school districts with increased flexibility in using federal funding. It also revises the Impact Aid formula.”

Walleye in Swan Lake

Missoulian: Mandatory kill proposed for northwest Montana lake walleyes

Walleye
“Walleyes are found across much of Montana, but most common in some of the large reservoirs in the eastern and central parts of the state. Although there is no record of walleyes being native to Montana, they were found in the Missouri River downstream from what is now Montana.”

Largest Navy Destroyer/ Pearl Harbor/ DOJ Investigates Chicago Police

Missoulian: Largest destroyer built for Navy headed to sea for testing
USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) An inside look at the Navy's newest destroyer class

Missoulian: Surviving Pearl Harbor: Anaconda veteran recalls safer times
New National Archives Video Short Gives Fresh Look at Pearl Harbor Attack
“The story of what FDR called “a date which will live in infamy” has been told many times in print and on film. A new “Inside the Vaults” video short “Pearl Harbor: In Their Own Words” (2:42) from the National Archives highlights a source that chronicles the events of December 7, 1941, from the point of view of the men on board the ships in the harbor. Watch the video on the National Archives YouTube channel here: http://tiny.cc/PearlHarbor.”

Missoulian: US Justice Department to investigate Chicago police
Justice Department Opens Pattern or Practice Investigation into the Chicago Police Department
“Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch announced today that the Justice Department has opened a civil pattern or practice investigation into Chicago Police Department (CPD), pursuant to the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994.  The department’s investigation of CPD will seek to determine whether there are systemic violations of the Constitution or federal law by officers of CPD.  The investigation will focus on CPD’s use of force, including racial, ethnic and other disparities in use of force, and its systems of accountability.”

NASA Launch Delay/ US Jobs/ Agriculture Risk Programs

Missoulian: More lousy weather as NASA tries for space station delivery
Today’s Weather Outlook: 30 Percent ‘Go’
“Forecasters from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station 45th Weather Squadron have issued an updated prediction for today’s launch of an Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo spacecraft at 5:33:11 p.m. EST aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.”

Bozeman Chronicle: US adds healthy 211K jobs; unemployment steady at low 5 pct. 
Payroll employment rises by 211,000 in November; unemployment rate unchanged at 5.0%
“In November, the unemployment rate held at 5.0 percent, and the number of unemployed persons, at 7.9 million, was essentially unchanged. Over the past 12 months, the unemployment rate and the number of unemployed persons are down by 0.8 percentage point and 1.1 million, respectively.”

Bozeman Chronicle: Enrollment opening soon for agricultural safety net programs
USDA- Major Risk Management Programs

Air Ambulances/ Yellowstone Wolves/ Climate Talks

Missoulian: Montana hospitals: Air ambulances too expensive, often mean high bills for patients
Survey Responses from (Most) Air Ambulances Serving Montana
Air Ambulance Services Operating in Montana

GAO: AIR AMBULANCE Effects of Industry Changes on Services Are Unclear

Wolves do not recognize political boundaries and often move between different jurisdictions--state, tribal, and federal. Here, the 8-Mile Pack wolf pups sit on a boulder in 2013.

NPS/Stahler

Missoulian: Yellowstone tallies 104 wolves at end of 2014
Yellowstone Wolf Management
“There were at least 104 wolves in 11 packs, including nine breeding pairs, living primarily in Yellowstone National Park during December 2014. From 2009 to 2014, wolf numbers have fluctuated between 83 and 104 wolves, and 6 to 9 breeding pairs. Pack size in 2014 averaged 9 wolves (range = 2 to 14). Forty pups survived to year-end, including 17 in northern Yellowstone and 23 in the interior of the park. An average of 4.4 pups per pack (82%) survived in the nine packs that had pups. For the first time, the size of a wolf pack was estimated via genetic sampling methodology, using scat samples from a den site.”

Missoulian: The Latest: UN climate official sees 'the stars aligning'
21st Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
“The stars are more aligned now for a historic, universal agreement than they ever have been. We need an agreement for the decades where ambition ramps decisively up the path to global deep decarbonization. We need a strong, unified transparency regime of reporting and review so everyone can see how we’re all doing. We need to elevate our focus on building resilient societies and addressing the impacts of climate change.”