Park County Environmental Council

09/07/2026

Get it on your calendar! Shields Valley Watershed Tour.

09/07/2026

Livingston Bicycle Club is having a work day next Saturday, Sept 12. Details below.

09/05/2026

The USDA has officially moved to rescind the Roadless Rule and lift protections from harmful roadbuilding, industrial logging, mining, and oil-and-gas drilling on about 45 million acres of undeveloped Forest Service land.

The rollback threatens 6 million acres of Montana’s intact forests, including hundreds of thousands of acres right here in Park County.

These roadless areas provide critical wildlife habitat, support clean drinking water, and offer unparalleled opportunities for backcountry recreation.

We have until September 21st to tell the USDA that we want the roadless rule to stay fully intact.

📍 Join us at our Roadless Rule Comment Writing Party on Tuesday, September 8th
from 4-6 PM at Dan Bailey's Outdoor Company .

Refreshments will be provided, and we will help community members navigate the comment writing process.

Link in bio for more information (News/Stories) or https://www.pcecmt.org/stories/action-alert-help-us-defend-the-roadless-rule.

09/04/2026

Looking back fondly on our Community Stewardship Field Day with Trout Unlimited at Brackett Creek. We walked the banks of an ongoing restoration project — that's already transforming this critical tributary of the Shields River — and lent a hand with invasive w**d management. A reminder that conservation is people showing up for the land and each other.

09/04/2026

GRIZ WEEK is coming to Livingston, September 23–26!

PCEC is excited to be part of the newest installment of the Yellowstone Gateway Museum Foundation Speaker Series — three days of grizzly bear talks, hands-on bear spray training, and a field trip into the heart of Paradise Valley bear country.

📍 Wed, Sept 23 | 7pm | Dulcie Theatre, Shane Center
Casey Anderson of Endless Venture presents "In the Tracks of the Grizzly – People, Wilderness and the Future of Montana." Free raffle tickets + discounted bear spray in the lobby, compliments of Dan Bailey's Outdoor Co.

📍 Fri, Sept 25 | 5:30pm | Blake Pavilion, Shane Center
Danielle Oyler of Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks leads a "Bear Awareness" talk and bear spray training — with a charging mechanical bear! Discounted bear spray, free raffle tickets, and the raffle winner announced.

📍 Sat, Sept 26 | 3:30–9pm | Tom Miner Basin Field Trip
Coach trip from the Park County Fairgrounds to a Bear Ecology event and picnic dinner hosted by the Anderson Family, featuring how the Tom Miner Basin Association has helped grizzlies and cattle ranches coexist. Tickets $150/person — call the Yellowstone Gateway Museum at 406-222-4184 or grab yours at the QR code on the poster.

Living alongside grizzlies takes knowledge, tools, and community. Come learn how we do it.

09/03/2026

An important message from FWP about bears in our community! There have been several bears sighted in our community and we need to act to protect all of us.

Black bear sightings have been common this summer in Bozeman, Livingston, Big Sky, Butte and other areas. Unsecured garbage, bird feeders, pet food and other attractants have led to many conflicts that include property damage, food-conditioned bears, and human safety risks.

Conflicts with bears in urban and residential areas are preventable! Remember:

- Keep garbage in a certified bear-resistant container or in a secure building. Don't leave it on the street overnight.
- Keep bird feeders put away from March 1 through Dec. 15.
- Feed pets indoors whenever possible.
- Electric fencing is an effective method of protecting small livestock, fruit trees or other possible attractants.
- Clean BBQ grills and outdoor eating areas after use.

These steps help encourage healthy bear behavior and safer conditions for communities. Certified bear-resistant garbage containers are available. Contact your waste collection service to learn more.

If you see a bear attempting to access garbage or other attractants near homes, vehicles or businesses, contact FWP as soon as possible. Reporting these cases early is essential for the health of the bear and the safety of communities. Some corrective management efforts, when applied early, can reduce future conflicts without having to euthanize the bear.

When bear conflicts go unreported and are allowed to continue, bears can become food conditioned and habituated to human-occupied areas, creating safety risks that may require the bear to be euthanized. Food-conditioned bears cannot be relocated or rehabilitated. Feeding game animals, including bears, is illegal in Montana.

Bear sightings in remote areas, such as mountain trails away from parking areas, do not need to be reported if no conflict occurred.

FWP's Region 3 office can be reached at 406-577-7900 or at [email protected].

September is bear aware month in Montana! For more information, resources and educational events on bear safety, visit fwp.mt.gov/bear-aware

09/03/2026

Don't miss these three events!

09/02/2026

Our 2026 summer interns, Finn Harrison and Eva Lighthiser, wrapped up their season at PCEC by initiating, hosting, and leading a community conversation on AI data centers in Montana.

In early August, community members and experts gathered to peel back the layers of a fast-moving trend that’s often described as living somewhere in “the cloud.” It was a chance to learn in public, ask hard questions, and think about how to protect the future of our home.

Panelists Anne Hedges, Executive Director at Montana Environmental Information Center, and Barbara Chillcott, Senior Attorney at Western Environmental Law Center, joined Finn and Eva to dig into the staggering energy demands of AI data centers.

Eva and Finn have headed off to college for the year, and we couldn’t be prouder of the work they did here this summer. Thank you both!

Watch the full panel discussion on our YouTube channel: youtube.com/ (link in bio)

09/01/2026

Huge thanks to Stillwater Strategy Partners! We couldn't be happier with the process and the results of creating our new strategic plan.

08/31/2026

Join us at the Livingston Farmers Market on Wednesday for:

Fruit Drop-Off - Help us keep bears wild this fall! PCEC has partnered with Bear Awareness Gardiner to collect surplus tree fruit at the Livingston Farmers Market — turning it into cider, farm animal feed, and community resources while keeping bears out of neighborhoods.

Learn about the Roadless Rule rescission- The Roadless Rule protects 58 million acres of wild public land — including the roadless areas right here in Park County — and it’s on the chopping block. The good news? Your voice counts, and we’ll help you use it.

📅 Wednesday, Sept 2
🕓 4:30–7:30 PM
📍 Zero Waste Station, Livingston Farmers Market