Incredible view from
MontanaSky Headquarters
Pretty incredible view from the office of MontanaSky as their guys continue to perform winter maintenance on the towers.
Photo courtesy of MontanaSky Networks.
Masks + vaccines + boosters = best protection against Omicron
When you wear a mask, you help protect yourself & others from COVID-19. Choose a mask with the best fit, protection, and comfort for you. Learn more about the different types of masks you can use to protect yourself and those around you: https://bit.ly/3aPXQ1v.
Courtesy of CDC
Gov. Gianforte Announces
Firefighter Pay Increase
Submitted by Brooke Stroyke,
Office of the Governor
On January 10, together with the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC), Governor Greg Gianforte announced the State of Montana will increase firefighter pay to support, recruit, and retain the highly-qualified, highly-trained personnel who protect Montana communities and natural resources.
The wage increase marks the first major pay adjustment of its kind for the seasonal firefighting workforce of Montana.
“Montana’s wildland firefighters are some of the most important and necessary personnel serving our state, especially with recent, more severe fire seasons,” Governor Gianforte said. “This well-deserved pay increase will help ensure our wildland firefighters remain the most skilled and mission capable firefighting workforce in the region.”
Seasonal firefighters in Montana will see a compensation increase of $1.70 per hour, which brings the minimum base pay to $15.50 per hour. The increased wage makes the State of Montana competitive and equitable with other fire protection agencies in the region.
“It is more important than ever that we modernize our firefighting workforce to effectively address the challenges we face during these unprecedented fire seasons,” says Director Amanda Kaster. “I’m proud that DNRC will offer higher pay during the upcoming season to the hardworking firefighters that continue to protect Montana lives, communities, and natural resources.”
As states in the west continue to endure longer fire seasons and more extreme fire behavior, supporting a modernized, fully staffed firefighting workforce remains a top priority for Gov. Gianforte and Director Kaster.
The wage increase has been implemented for the current seasonal hiring effort. Open positions can be viewed at statecareers.mt.gov.
Winter Ecology Day Outdoor
Education, Jan. 29
Submitted by Brain Baxter
Come share a winter day studying the interactions of area wildlife with their environment, in the beautiful outdoors of northwestern Montana! We’ll meet on Sat. Jan. 29 at 9 a.m. Mountain Time, in the Viking Room of the Venture Inn at 1015 US Highway 2 in Libby. Over coffee, we will go over a brief set of handouts describing specialized predator / prey relationships such as the one between Canadian lynx and Snowshoe hare, and other species interesting winter relationships in the wild. The group will additionally focus on some botanical terminology that will help us spot and identify the more predominant characteristics of coniferous trees, evergreen shrubs and forbs. At about 9:30 a.m., we will head to the field!
We’ll visit two to four different types of areas, where we will hunt as a wildlife research team to find tracks, sign, and scat of area wildlife and birds, identify both evergreen and deciduous vegetation, analyze habitats, and connect animal behavior with the local environs. Please come prepared for the day with full gas tanks, proper layers, lunch, water, good boots, snowshoes if you have them, hats and gloves, cameras, binoculars, and ski poles can be helpful walking in deep snow. This adult class will take road tours, do a couple of short hikes on private lands, and wrap up will be around 2:30 p.m. Mountain Time. This class is sponsored by Libby Hostel Base Camp, and you can check them out at Airbnb. The Venture Inn and The Country Inn are also good accommodations in the area if you need them. ALL Participants Must Register To Attend! Senior Citizens welcome. Safe Spaces maintained. For More Info: Email b_baxter53@yahoo.com or call 406-291-2154.