Yellowstone River

Recent Posts

Young’s Point a landmark of history, geography

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Point

Not many people can look from their home and point to historic locales along the Yellowstone River. Friends of mine bought a house just above Park City and nestled along the river. Their southern view is dominated by the several-hundred-foot-high rocky outcropping of Young’s Point. This area historically and geologically marked—coming from the west—the beginning of the broad and fertile valley of the lower Yellowstone River. Here begin the foothills that extend west to the Crazy Mountains, the Beartooth Range and the Yellowstone National Park uplift. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Diversions, Montana, Coulson Park, Park City, William Clark, Yellowstone River, Young's Point

Opinion: Five years later, thoughts on an oil spill

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Boat

Early in the morning on July 2, 2011, I walked down the gravel road on our farm to let the goats out to graze for the day. I found the Yellowstone River flowing through our hay fields and summer pasture and, along with the water, an oily rainbow sheen and large clumps of crude oil sticking to trees, cattails and brush. It was in our sloughs, our pond and Blue Creek. (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Opinion, Alexis Bonogofsky, Exxon, oil spill, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Silvertip pipeline, Steve Daines, Yellowstone River

Audubon Center rolls out new summer activities

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Tours

Responding to requests from the public, the Montana Audubon Center is offering several new programs this summer, including weekly nature tours of Norm’s Island and monthly early-morning bird walks. Also new are Tuesday-evening and Sunday-afternoon events involving canoeing on the nature center’s ponds or taking self-guided tours with “Nature Knapsacks” full of activity suggestions and equipment for each activity. (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Diversions, Carolyn Sevier, Montana Audubon Center, Norm's Island, Shepard Nature Play Space, Yellowstone River

Prairie Lights: Savoring the first faint blast of summer

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Park

Let the baking begin. Saturday put me in mind of my first couple of summers in Billings, in 1989 and 1990, before which all my Montana summers had been spent in Missoula and Butte. Missoula was always cool at night, no matter how hot it was during the day, and Butte was so cool that during two summers we spent there, I think we might have taken our (then) only daughter to the city swimming pool maybe three or four times. (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Prairie Lights, Norm's Island, Riverfront Park, Summertime, Terry Park, Yellowstone River

New website promotes, celebrates Yellowstone River

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Penfold

A new website aimed at enhancing appreciation of the Yellowstone River has been created by the Our Montana nonprofit organization. The website, exploreyellowstoneriver.org, offers a near-complete guide to access sites, history, points of interest, community parks and trails, and bird-watching opportunities along what is arguably the nation’s longest undammed river. (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Montana, News, Mike Penfold, Our Montana, Yellowstone River

Project aims to keep Yellowstone River wild, free

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Hinz

After a 40-year love affair with the Yellowstone River, Tom Hinz doesn’t expect to return the river to what it once was. He just wants to protect its ability to misbehave. “The nature of this river is not to behave,” he said Monday. “The nature of this river is to be wild, really wild.” (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Montana, BNSF Railway, Clean Water Act, Montana Aquatic Resources Services, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, Tom Hinz, Yellowstone River

Opinion: Time to dream big about old Corette plant site

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Corette

A rare opportunity exists to enhance the attractiveness of Billings. The former Corette power plant has been torn down, and the land on which it stood is bounded on the north by the interstate highway, and adjoins the Yellowstone River across from Sacrifice Cliff. How wonderful it would be if this land, or at least a significant portion of it, were available for public use? (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Opinion, Corette power plant, Coulson Park, Dover Park, Heritage Trail System, Sacrifice Cliff, Talen Energy, Two Moon Park

River study has good science, now add soul, speaker says

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Baker

In a 400-page assessment of the Yellowstone River that is thick with technical findings and scientific terminology, Gerard Baker identified what he thought was missing from the report. Baker, a Mandan-Hidatsa Indian who retired as assistant director of the National Park Service in Washington, D.C., said what was missing was the river’s soul, its spirit. When the river and its plants and animals were created, Baker said, no part of it was inanimate. (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Montana, News, Bob Hector, Gerard Baker, John Henderson, John Tubbs, Ken Frazer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

At project’s end, a close look at the Yellowstone River

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Flow

The Yellowstone River is “one of the most glorious rivers I’ve ever worked on,” a symposium speaker said in Billings on Thursday, but he warned that he has learned through study that “it wasn’t the pristine river that some people thought it was.” (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Culture, Burt Williams, Carrie La Seur, Cumulative Effects Analysis, Kayhan Ostavar, MSU Billings, Sherri Cornett, Susan Gilbertz

‘East of Billings’ calendar celebrates the other Montana

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Calendar

I’m a big fan of Alexis Bonogofsky’s photography. She has great affection for the eastern half of Montana and a real knack for taking photographs that capture the spirit of this place. Her “2016 East of Billings” calendar brings together a striking collection of her photographs—of the Tongue and Yellowstone rivers, Otter and Rosebud creeks and lots more. You can read about it, and how to order it, at Alexis’ blog, also called East of Billings. (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Diversions, Alexis Bonogofsky, East of Billings, Otter Creek, Rosebud Creek, Tongue River, Wally McRae, Yellowstone River