Mountain Prairie

Geographic Perspectives

Mountain PrairieRegional NewsAnimals and Plants of the RegionRegional EcosystemsLive Maps and DataStatesRegional ThemesAbout the Node

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The Big Sky Institute at Montana State University is an interdisciplinary center dedicated to creating, applying, and communicating science-based knowledge. The BSI Ecological Informatics Lab brings together natural sciences, geographic information systems (GIS), statistics, modeling, information technology, and computational programming with a comprehensive goal of making ecological data more useful to society. BSI partners with several NBII Nodes to disseminate information and to create value-added tools for interacting with data.

Mountain Prairie

MPIN header [Image: Aaron Jones, Big Sky Institute]

The Mountain Prairie Information Node is a collaborative project between the Big Sky Institute, USGS Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, and other partners.

This site provides biological information organized by geography and by theme. Select from the categories below to get started.

	About the Node Read about the history of this regional NBII node and goals for the future.
	Animals and Plants of the Region Learn about the region's native biodiversity, including birds, invertebrates, mammals, plants, and species in need of conservation.
	Live Maps and Data Find maps and geospatial data related to carbon sequestration, butterflies and moths, whirling disease, and regional ecosystems.
	Regional Ecosystems Discover the Great Plains, Greater Yellowstone, Northern Rockies, and Prairie Pothole ecosystems.
	Regional News Read news articles related to regional natural resource issues.
	Regional Themes Explore regionally-significant topics such as carbon sequestration, climate, fire, invasive species, water, and wildlife disease.
	States Browse data and information organized by state.

Conferences of Interest

Mountain Prairie Region

Map of the 6-state Mountain Prairie Region
[Image: Aaron Jones, Big Sky Institute]

Mountain Prairie News

Conservation calculus [Fri Sep 03 09:58:08 EDT 2010]
Energy companies in Wyoming's Jonah Field are funding habitat preservation, but no one seems to know how the wildlife's doing.... Read more...

Energy industry says Wyoming royalty rate increase not needed [Fri Sep 03 12:44:00 EDT 2010]
At a roundtable Wednesday on the Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments' proposal to increase the maximum energy royalties on state land leases from 16 2/3 percent to 18 3/4 percent, representatives from oil and gas companies said the increase would drive them to drill on federal and private lands, while state officials said the increases would bring Wyoming's rates into line with other sta... Read more...

Yellowstone NP officials warn of delays caused by road work next week [Fri Sep 03 12:44:00 EDT 2010]
Repaving of the road out to Artist Point near Yellowstone National Park's Grand Canyon will close the road from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., beginning next week, and park officials are warning motorists to expect delays up to 30 minutes during the day.Idaho Statesman (AP)View Comments |... Read more...

As hunting seasons begin, Yellowstone issues annual warning [Fri Sep 03 12:44:00 EDT 2010]
Hunting seasons in Idaho, Wyoming and Montana kick off this month, and Yellowstone National Park officials issued their annual warning that no hunting is allowed in the park, and that hunters are responsible to ensure they don't wander into the park.Idaho Statesman (AP)View Comments |... Read more...

Montana fields questions from nonresident bowhunters about bears [Fri Sep 03 12:44:00 EDT 2010]
Montana Fish and Game officials said reports on the fatal mauling of a Michigan man by a grizzly bear near Yellowstone Park this summer and of hungry bears on the prowl for food due to a poor whitebark pine nut crop have nonresident bowhunters concerned about bear encounters.Billings GazetteView Comments |... Read more...

Wyoming works to restore cutthroat trout to Soldier Creek [Fri Sep 03 12:44:00 EDT 2010]
Brook trout have nearly wiped out native Yellowstone cutthroat trout populations in most of Wyoming's waters, and state wildlife officials are killing off the brook trout and stocking streams on the west slope of the Big Horn Mountains to bolster the native fish's numbers.Casper Star-TribuneView Comments |... Read more...

USFWS says new draft plan for spotted owl will be ready next week [Fri Sep 03 12:44:00 EDT 2010]
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said it will comply with a federal district judge's order that it revise the Bush administration's recovery plan for the northern spotted owl by next week, when a revised plan will be released.Seattle Times (AP)View Comments |... Read more...

Montana meeting brings together stakeholders in Columbia River Treaty [Fri Sep 03 12:44:00 EDT 2010]
The Columbia River Treaty was signed 45 years ago and will remain in place until at least 2024, but regional water managers from Montana, Oregon, Idaho and Washington were told at a meeting in Missoula on Thursday, that conditions in the basin which stretches from Canada through those Northwest states are changing, and water managers need to stay abreast of conditions to begin addressing such chan... Read more...

USFS says Montana wilderness dam repair can move forward [Fri Sep 03 12:44:00 EDT 2010]
Regional Forester Leslie Weldon affirmed the Bitterroot National Forest's approval of a plan to use a helicopter to ferry materials and heavy equipment into the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness area in Montana needed to repair the Tin Cup Dam.Ravalli RepublicView Comments |... Read more...

Utahns split on benefits, costs of coal mine near Bryce Canyon [Fri Sep 03 12:44:00 EDT 2010]
Alton Coal Development LLC's plan to strip mine coal on approximately 635 acres of private land 10 miles from Bryce Canyon National Park has folks lining up on the usual sides of economy vs. the environment, and a few in the middle saying you can enhance the former without harming the latter.NewWest.netView Comments |... Read more...

Wyoming asks waterfowl hunters to inspect boats for mussels [Thu Sep 02 12:44:00 EDT 2010]
As waterfowl hunting season dawns in Wyoming, state wildlife managers are asking hunters who use boats and kayaks to inspect their watercraft for zebra and quagga mussels.Casper Star-TribuneView Comments |... Read more...

Are Wolves Saving Yellowstone's Aspen Trees from Elk? [Wed Sep 01 10:00:00 EDT 2010]
LARAMIE, Wy. — Previous research has claimed that the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park in 1995 is helping restore quaking aspen in risky areas where wolves prowl. But apparently elk hungry for winter food had a different idea.They didn’t know they were supposed to be responding to a “landscape of fear.” According to a study set to be publi... Read more...

The call of the semi-wild [Tue Aug 31 12:33:49 EDT 2010]
Semi-wild rural landscapes, where humans mingle with wildlife, are a richer source of biodiversity than many Westerners realize.... Read more...

How green is Judge Molloy? [Wed Aug 25 10:03:41 EDT 2010]
A pro-wolf ruling by Montana Judge Don Molloy provokes accusations that he's a "nutzoid" greenie, but he doesn't always side with environmentalists.... Read more...

From Drowning Coastal Marshes and Punk Ducks to Soil Crusts [Tue Aug 03 10:13:25 EDT 2010]
The 2010 Ecological Society of America conference is in Pittsburg, Penn., from Aug. 1 to Aug. 6. This year’s theme is Global Warming: The Legacy of Our Past, the Challenge for Our Future. Drowning marshes: How High Can the Seas Rise Before Wetlands Go Under? Habitat for many commercially important fish and shellfish populations, recreational fishing, and unique ways of living, coastal... Read more...

Media Advisory: Congressional Briefing: Thinking Regionally, Acting Locally [Mon Jul 19 15:05:05 EDT 2010]
Decision makers need a toolbox full of ideas to understand the large-scale impacts of their choices—to secure water for cities and wildlife, to adapt to climate change, to meet the nation's energy needs and to better conserve biodiversity. Scientists are developing new tools that help decision makers and the public understand the consequences of different choices at the scale of entire lands... Read more...

Fargo Spared as Red River Rises Less Than Feared [Mon Mar 22 00:00:00 EDT 2010]
The North Dakota city avoided widespread flooding, but the lands around it were less lucky.... Read more...

Freeze Slows Thaw That Is Swelling Red River [Sat Mar 20 00:00:00 EDT 2010]
After packing more than a million sandbags and building miles of temporary dikes to hold back the surging Red River, Fargo, N.D., got lucky on Friday with a sudden drop in temperature.... Read more...

Democrats Wary As Two Senators Decide to Retire [Thu Jan 07 00:00:00 EST 2010]
Sudden decision by Sens Christopher J Dodd of Connecticut and Byron L Dorgon of North Dakota to retire shakes party leaders; sends signal that Pres Obama is facing perilous political environment that could hold major complications for midterm elections in 2010 and his own agenda; Dodd and Dorgan have decided to retire rather than wage uphill fights for re-election against possibly stronger Republi... Read more...

Where There?s Smoke ... There?s a Trade-In [Fri Dec 25 00:00:00 EST 2009]
As temperatures drop, efforts to curb pollution from burning wood are clashing with tradition.... Read more...

Echo Hawk Announces Signing Ceremony with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation []
Title:Echo Hawk Announces Signing Ceremony with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation Release Date: 4/8/10 4:10 PM Description: Washington, D.C. ? Assistant Secretary ? Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk today was joined by the Department of Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) employees, tribal leaders from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Na... Read more...

Recovery Act Savings Fund Four More Indian School Projects in Ariz., N.M., and S.D. []
Title:Recovery Act Savings Fund Four More Indian School Projects in Ariz., N.M., and S.D. Release Date: 4/29/10 10:18 AM Description: WASHINGTON, D.C. - Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk announced today that savings in the Indian Affairs' American Recovery and Reinvestment Act construction projects will be used to start four additional high-priority school projects in Arizona, New... Read more...

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