Ravalli County Fish & Wildlife Association

09/04/2026

Nature Grove Fire Update
09/04/2026


Bitterroot National Forest
Local Type 3 Incident Command Team; Incident Commander: David Tingley Fire Information Phone: 406-420-3096 Email: [email protected]

Size: 1422 acres
Location: Approximately one half mile from Black Bear Campground, south of Highway 38 (Skalkaho
Highway) 13 miles east of Hamilton MT
Cause: Lightning Start Date: Aug. 23, 2026 Resources: 345 personnel

Key Message: Pilot car operations have ended on Highway 38 and the 714 Road (Gird Point) has reopened to the public. Travelers and recreators are still advised to exercise caution when they are near the Nature Grove Fire perimeter as firefighters and heavy equipment will be traveling on nearby roads and to respect existing road closures on the 711, 720, and 75 road for firefighter safety and operational effectiveness.

Current Status:
Rain fell overnight on the Nature Grove fire, reducing fire behavior, but the fire remains on the landscape and will become more active as fuels dry out. Yesterday, firefighters took advantage of breaks in the rain to continue building primary and contingency lines. Today, heavy equipment and hand crews will continue constructing primary and contingency lines, reducing ladder fuels, and plumbing handlines in preparation for burning operations that will secure the lines. The top priority of all operations is to protect values at risk, including private property, structures and livestock.

Weather and Fire Behavior:
Waves of showers and cloud cover are anticipated Friday and Saturday. Chances for wetting rain are highest on Friday night with the most likelihood of lightning during late afternoon and early evening. Cool temperatures will continue in the next few days with good relative humidity recoveries overnight.

Closures:
Forest Service Road 75 is closed from Highway 38 to the junction of Forest Service Road 720. FS Roads 720, and 711 remain closed. There is a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) in effect over the Nature Grove Fire. Flying any aircraft, including drones (UAS), is prohibited because it will impact the effectiveness and safety of firefighting air operations.

Incident Information:
https://www.facebook.com/DiscoverBitterrootNF https://www.fs.usda.gov/r01/bitterroot/alerts https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/mtbrf-nature-grove-fire https://www.mtfireinfo.org/

09/02/2026

NEW WILDFIRE

Rye Creek Fire - September 1st

The Bitterroot National Forest is responding alongside numerous volunteer fire departments (Hamilton, Corvallis, Darby, Pinesdale, Sula) to a wildfire on the Darby Ranger District. The lightning-caused fire is located four miles east of Darby and was started on private property. It is currently estimated at 75 acres and is burning in grass and brush.

Responding resources include numerous engines, water tenders, and a helicopter. Multiple structures were threatened, but rain is falling in the area helping to reduce fire behavior.

BNF firefighters are responding to numerous lightning-caused fires from tonight's thunderstorms across multiple Ranger Districts. More information will be posted as it becomes available.

Ravalli County Sheriff's Office
Ravalli County Office of Emergency Management
Hamilton - MT Fire Department
Corvallis Firedepartment
Darby Rural Fire Department
Sula Rural Fire District
Pinesdale fire department

09/01/2026

Heads up!

Mine proposal threatens Blue Joint Wilderness Study Area, River of No Return Wilderness, and grizzly bear recovery corridor!!

On August 14, 2026 the Forest Service announced the first official public comment opportunity regarding US Critical Materials’ plans to “explore” their Sheep Creek mine claim in the Bitterroot National Forest of Montana near the Idaho border.

Location matters, and the Sheep Creek mine could hardly be in a worse place for a mine.

The approximately ten-square-mile area of the proposed Sheep Creek Rare Earth Exploration Project sits at the doorstep of Blue Joint Wilderness Study Area and the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, and within the Allan Mountain Inventoried Roadless Area. Wilderness values like solitude, silence, and remoteness could be impacted by the close proximity of industrial mining activity and associated development.

The mine site is also in the headwaters of the West Fork of the Bitterroot River, home to threatened bull trout and a unique, non-hybridized and genetically diverse west-slope cutthroat trout population that has statewide significance.The mine site and surrounding area also supports iconic species of resident and migrating wildlife, like rocky mountain sheep, wolverine, elk, mountain goat, and Northern Rockies fisher. The area is also exceptional wildlife habitat suitable for recovery of locally extinct wildlife like Canada lynx and grizzly bears.

In fact, the proposed mining location includes a linkage area critical for connected wildlife habitat. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s recovery plan for grizzly bears, listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, relies on natural migration into this very area. The Idaho/Montana state line near Sheep Creek is a wildland migration corridor through the densely populated Bitterroot Valley heading into the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated Grizzly Bear Recovery Area. The proposed mine site interrupts this important and at-risk linkage area.

Mining is fundamentally incompatible with preserving Wilderness, wildlife, and clean water. Incredibly, the Forest Service is conducting the environmental review using a “Categorical Exclusion” (CE), the most superficial analysis available to the agency. Use of CEs is prohibited where significant or unknown impacts are involved.

It is very difficult to stop a mine no matter how much damage it would do. A groundswell of public opposition is critical right now, so please submit your own comments by September 13. Comments are not limited to science and economics, though such comments can be effective. Your love for the wildlife, wildlands, and surrounding Wilderness count for a lot.

Click here to submit your own public comments: https://wildernesswatch.salsalabs.org/oppose-sheep-creek-mine/index.html

08/30/2026

08/28/2026

🔥Nature Grove Fire Update Aug. 28, 2026🔥

Size: 855 acres
Location: Approximately one half mile from Black Bear Campground, south of Highway 38 (Skalkaho highway) 13 miles east of Hamilton MT
Cause: Lightning Start Date: Aug. 23, 2026 Resources: 165 personnel
Key Message: Expect an increase in fire activity and potential delays along Highway 38 (Skalkaho Rd) for the next several days. Drivers are encouraged to avoid unnecessary travel and be aware of fire crews and heavy equipment in and along the roadway.

Evacuation Warning Notice: As of Aug. 23, 2026, 9:48 p.m. Evacuation Warnings have been issued to residents on the east end of Skalkaho Highway due to the Nature Grove Fire. The warnings were issued in conjunction with USFS Incident Command, Operations as well as the Hamilton Fire Department in coordination with Ravalli County Sherriff’s office. Residents east of the 1800 block (which is around mile marker 9) on both sides of Skalkaho Highway have been issued Evacuation Warnings. Please refer to the Ravalli County Office of Emergency Management at http://ravallicounty.gov and the Bitterroot National Forest page at https://www.facebook.com/DiscoverBitterrootNF/ and website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/r01/bitterroot/alerts for more information.

Current Status:
The Nature Grove Fire grew to 855 acres yesterday and continues burning in steep, dense timber and understory vegetation with uphill runs, group torching and backing. Yesterday’s winds began pushing the fire downslope toward Highway 38 (Skalkaho Road). It is now approximately half a mile from the road and crews are preparing to receive the fire if it reaches the highway. Today, ground resources include heavy equipment, engine teams, hotshots and will continue to focus on protecting structures along Highway 38 (Skalkaho), laying hose line, creating fuels breaks. To the west, crews continue to build and enhance containment features to secure the fire’s western flank. The top priority of all operations is protect values at risk, including private property, structures and livestock.

Weather and Fire Behavior:
Slightly cooler weather is expected Friday with light winds and higher relative humidities. A cold front with potential for thunderstorms and wetting rain is forecasted to move into the area on Saturday. Increased moisture could help moderate fire behavior, but gusty winds and lightning during storms may contribute to additional fire activity.

Closures:
Forest Service Road 75 is closed from Highway 38 to the junction of Forest Service Road 720. FS Roads 720 and 711 remain closed. There is a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) in effect over the Nature Grove Fire. Flying any aircraft, including drones (UAS), is prohibited.

Local Type 3 Incident Command Team; Incident Commander: David Tingley
Fire Information Phone: 406-420-3096 Email: [email protected]

Incident Information:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/r01/bitterroot/alerts
https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-maps-gallery/mtbrf-nature-grove-fire
https://www.mtfireinfo.org/
https://ravallicounty.gov/595/Phone-apps-and-alerts

Ravalli County Sheriff's Office
Ravalli County Office of Emergency Management
Fire In the Root

📸A community meeting was held last night, Aug. 27, to go over the status and operations of the Nature Grove Fire. Information will continue to be posted and another community meeting may be scheduled as necessary.

08/27/2026

This site has helpful tools and links to submit your comments.

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmorethanjustparks.com%2Froadless-rule%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwY2xjawT9YjJwZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAGJyaWQRMUF0Mmw0Z2FickxLU2JNZGZzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeShv14A8wIdwhMnG907ANWLd31aoY2pHIMmpCKiXPp9O6W8i4boy_cEFGyMg_aem_ydR0YM3-NGcUgjgWGz_K2w&h=AUCMz3Qu9BBK6-4k5maR6-u72tH5ymwfKfThzHguARvJCAg_WGf7QpUNC0xHj4zsLDYdW2j2a6UmEQDSYtBPGRQc78b-KRmqpq3soPleXZzoQsidKZbtaCack6sd&s=1

The Roadless Rule closed 58.3 million acres of national forest to road building and logging. The USDA is moving to repeal it, and comments close September 21, 2026. Find the roadless areas near you and build your public comment.

08/27/2026

Reminder - public comment period ends soon. Email comments to mailto:[email protected]
Helpful topic points here:

The Bitterroot National Forests is hosting a voluntary 30-day Public Comment Period from August 14 to September 13, accepting input on the Sheep Creek Plan of

08/27/2026

08/26/2026

Water Scoopers will be using Lake Como today to retrieve water. Please be advised.