Bitterroot

FWP Commission thinks it should be longer.

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Snow and ice everywhere.

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People have already been killed by avalanches in Montana this year. The Bitterroot is not immune to the "whump" and the resulting slide of tons of snow down a mountainside.

The Bitterroot National Forest is hosting a free avalanche awareness class January 25

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The check station totals are lower this year than last year and the 5-year average, according to the Dept of Fish Wildlife and Parks.
Mike Thompson of Fish Wildlife and Parks said in a news release this week, "We've seen less hunters in the field this season, primarily in the southern Bitterroot, and a large reason for this is the really restricted hunting regulations in district 250 (the West Fork)

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As of 7am Friday, the Up Top Fire in the 41 Complex was 5,634 acres. That fire is expected to continue to be active in the dry, hot days to come. The fire has moved south and west in the last 24 hours

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Lightning caused fires are keeping Forest Service crews busy in Montana and Idaho. The accompanying photo is of the Salt Fire in the Salmon District.
However, the largest fire in the area, the Saddle Complex is about 24,000 acres and is still south of Hughes Creek in the West Fork of the Bitterroot National Forest

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The Bitterroot River has been edging toward Flood Stage for the past couple of weeks, and at Bell Crossing near Victor, it reached the 11-foot Flood Stage mark Wednesday, with the peak expected to be about a half-foot higher

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The high water in the Bitterroot Valley has caused some closures of Fishing Access Sites and Forest Service campgrounds for the Memorial Day Weekend. And in other places, too much snow is the problem

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The new Ravalli County Rodeo Queen and Princess and their courts were crowned Saturday at the Ravalli County Fairgrounds.
Amber Powell is 2011's Miss Ravalli County Rodeo and First Runner Up is Tayne Tingle

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Everybody's talking about it. High water. The experts are cautioning that the valley's streams and creeks and the Bitterroot River will be running up toward record highs this year.
The photo here is from a few years ago, when the river was almost bankful in Hamilton

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