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Whitefish Pilot

publisher · 1.1K followers

Logging projects moving more quickly under new federal forest policy

Flathead National Forest announced the Big Mountain Fuels Reduction Project on Feb. 20. A mere two months later, machinery was rolling, and timber was being harvested from the slopes at Whitefish Mountain Resort. Now, the project is nearly wrapped up as snow starts to fall ahead of ski season. A two-week public comment period was provided ahead of the 200-acre project, intended to protect the ski resort's infrastructure from wildfire risk. Deemed by forest officials to not have significant environmental effects and seen as addressing a high-risk area, the project was categorically exempt and authorized as an emergency. It represents just one of many local timber projects that are moving forward more quicky and with a narrower opportunity for public scrutiny following policy changes at the federal level. Locally, foresters say the new rules are generally proving to be more efficient, while conservationists express concern over environmental effects and a rushed public participation process. In March 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the immediate expansion of timber production in national forests. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins followed the order with an April 2025 memorandum declaring a wildfire emergency across 59% of national forest land. Emergency authorizations were

Whitefish, MT · 1d

Whitefish Pilot

publisher · 1.1K followers

Guest opinion: Grounded in Whitefish working to make affordable home ownership a reality

Can the people who teach our children, care for our health, respond to emergencies, serve our visitors, and support our community still afford to own a home in Whitefish? Habitat for Humanity of Flathead Valley is working to help make that a reality. Habitat for Humanity has the expertise and experience to build affordable homes, with 50 years of helping more than 65 million people worldwide build, improve or finance their homes. Now Habitat Flathead has embraced the ambitious goal to build 100 new, affordable, energy-efficient homes for qualified local working families over the next 10 years, in Whitefish. The intention is to make home ownership possible for the individuals who help keep our town a strong residential community where people who work here can live here. Our aim is to keep the prices of two, three and four bedroom homes well below market prices. The program offers qualified buyers no down payment financing, affordable 30-year fixed mortgages from Montana Board of Housing, and a closing fee of just 1% subject to program requirements. Habitat also aims to keep monthly mortgage payments at or below 30% of a qualified household’s income, regardless of the income. As an example, a family

Whitefish, MT · 1d

Whitefish Pilot

publisher · 1.1K followers

Bulldogs fall to East Helena in quarterfinals

Carrying a strong mentality and a consistent record, the Bulldogs were hopeful entering the Class A football quarterfinals against East Helena Friday. Yet, the Vigilantes proved to be tough opponents and came out on top, 41-20, to end Whitefish's postseason run. East Helena got on the board quickly and carried the advantage throughout the game. Vigilante Leo Longcake scored twice in the opening quarter on short touchdown runs. Bulldog Sam Rainford then broke free for a 49-yard touchdown run at the end of the first quarter, cutting the deficit to 14-6 after a missed PAT. In the second quarter, East Helena extended its lead as Bearek Shuman punched in a 2-yard rushing touchdown, giving the opponents a 21-6 advantage. "There were some big turnovers in the first half that put us behind and put us in a situation where we're playing catch up the whole game," said Whitefish Coach Brett Bollweg. Longcake added his third rushing touchdown on a 1-yard run midway through the third quarter; the PAT was missed. The Bulldogs hung on as Luke Dalen connected with Jayke Thew on a 17-yard touchdown pass, narrowing the deficit to 27-13 entering the fourth quarter. In the fourth, Shuman had

Whitefish, MT · 1d

Whitefish Pilot

publisher · 1.1K followers

Whitefish speech and debate takes third in Missoula

Whitefish's reigning state champion speech and debate team placed third at the Missoula Kickoff this weekend, coming behind Columbia Falls and Hamilton in the Class A team scores. The Bulldogs had several notable top performances. Cassidy Krack placed fourth in dramatic interp. Junior Vivien Trieweiler-Schmidt placed seventh in original oratory. Junior Mason Loeffler placed second in extemp and fourth in memorized public address. Partners, junior Cohen Gates and sophomore Sage Delaloye placed third in varsity policy debate. New to the helm of speech and debate, Whitefish Coach Jason Brown took note of the strong competition at the invite. "It was amazing seeing Jennifer Olsen take the reins at Hamilton and establish them as stiff competition for Whitefish," Brown said. "Stronger competition makes us all better and I look forward to sparring with them as the season progresses." The team heads to Hamilton for an invite this Saturday. The Whitefish invite is Dec. 5.

Whitefish, MT · 1d

NonStop Local Bozeman

partner publisher · 7 followers

Highs 15-20 degrees above normal into Veteran's Day

Today, highs climbed to the 50s in Missoula, Butte, and Dillon, while most major areas peaked in the 60s. Highs at this time of year should be in the 40s. No Watches, Warnings or Advisories are active tonight in Montana. Overnight tonight, a chance for rain in Kalispell, Polson, and Missoula ends, with dry weather returning for Wednesday morning. This dry trend extends into the end of this week. Rain enters western Montana for Saturday and Sunday. Lows tonight return to the 40s and 30s, while clouds move across the region. Sunshine makes its return into Wednesday clearing our radar. Highs climb to above-normal conditions tomorrow to the 50s and 60s. Over the coming 7 days, we remain in an above-normal temperature pattern. Our 8-14-day outlook suggests warmer than normal weather on the way, with near-normal precipitation trends.

Missoula, MT · 1d