HELENA, Mont. - "Bottoms up," for the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, known as the CDT. Five craft beer breweries around the state are holding events this week to help recruit volunteers to work on the northern section of the trail this summer.
Shannon Freix of the Montana Wilderness Association is a program manager for the CDT, and said they hope these casual get-togethers will spark interest in the trail among the younger generation.
"And for a lot of reasons, maybe people don't feel comfortable getting out there on their own, and this is a great way to have that outfitted, once-in-a-lifetime trip in exchange for a little bit of hard work," Freix said.
CDT volunteer projects range from day trips by car to back-country drop camps.
Freix remarked that some volunteers return year after year, but for newbies, there's uncertainty.
"For example, we get a lot of questions like, 'Can I bring my dog? What's strenuous mean? What is it like in this area? What if I only have one week. What should I pick?' Time spent face-to-face with folks getting a good fit and just kind of getting folks excited."
The first stop on the brewery tour is tonight at Blackfoot River Brewing in Helena. Other stops: Quarry Brewing in Butte, Bridger Brewing in Bozeman, Bowser Brewing in Great Falls, and Kettle House Brewing in Missoula.
More information about the brewery tour, and the the volunteer opportunities, is at CDTMontana.org.
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People in Colorado and seven other Mountain West states may want to see changes in the federal government writ large but they oppose cuts to agencies charged with protecting public lands, wildlife and other natural resources, according to the latest Conservation in the West poll by Colorado College.
Dave Metz, partner and president of FM3 Research, said vast majorities support agencies including the National Parks, Forest Service, and Fish and Wildlife Service.
"When we ask people whether they would support or oppose reducing funding to these agencies, the answers are overwhelming, they would oppose such cuts," Metz reported. "Three quarters of Western voters overall express opposition and that sentiment is thoroughly bipartisan."
The survey was conducted before the Trump administration fired thousands of federal National Parks and Forest Service workers. The Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, has defended its efforts as necessary to eliminate what it called "waste and fraud."
Kathryn Hahne, director at New Bridge Strategy, said support for federal agencies is also strong among MAGA supporters. Among those surveyed, eight in 10 said they approve of the National Park Service.
"Seventy-four percent approve of the U.S. Forest Service, 71% approve of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, and 69% of MAGA supporters oppose reducing funding to those agencies," Hahne explained.
More than seven in 10 people surveyed do not want additional public lands opened up for drilling and mining, and 63% oppose reducing Endangered Species Act protections. Metz added awareness on the threats posed by climate change has increased by 22 points since the first poll 15 years ago.
"We now have more than three quarters of Western voters who are telling us they view climate change as a serious problem," Metz observed. "When you look at Gen Z voters, 90% of them tell us they view it as a serious problem."
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In its 15th annual year of polling on Conservation in the West, the State of the Rockies Project this year has found support for conservation by some of the highest margins to date and notably across party lines.
Pollsters have always asked respondents to identify their political parties, but 2025 marked the first year respondents could affiliate with the 'MAGA' movement. Results showed regardless of affiliation, support for conservation is strong.
Kathryn Hahne, director at New Bridge Strategy, which conducted the poll, noted 69% of MAGA supporters oppose reducing funding to federal agencies managing public lands and wildlife.
"Among MAGA supporters, 81% approve of the National Park Service, 74% approve of the U.S. Forest Service, 71% approve of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and 46% approve of the EPA," Hahne reported.
The poll results come as the same federal agencies earlier this month began laying off permanent employees and freezing seasonal hiring as part of an effort led by billionaire Elon Musk to cut federal spending. The Forest Service fired roughly 3,400 employees and the Department of the Interior fired about 1,000 National Park Service employees and 800 Bureau of Land Management employees, including many in Montana.
The Trump administration released an order to "review and, as appropriate, revise" designations of national monuments, a power which has been exclusive to U.S. presidents for 120 years.
Lori Weigel, partner at the polling firm New Bridge Strategy, said Westerners across the board, including and 87% percent of Montanans, support keeping national monuments.
"There's really no subgroup within any of the data that is saying we ought to remove those designations," Weigel noted.
Nearly all surveyed Democrats across eight western states support keeping national monument designations, as do 83% of Republicans and 81% of MAGA Republicans.
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Conservation of public lands remains a top priority for westerners, according to a new poll.
The "Conservation in the West" poll from Colorado College has looked at sentiments toward public lands for 15 years. Eight Mountain West states were part of the research this year, including Idaho.
Among Gem State respondents, 90% told researchers they want to keep national monuments established in the last decade in place.
Lori Weigel, partner at the polling firm New Bridge Strategy, said Republicans, Democrats and Independents agree on the issue.
"This is another case where we see, really across the partisan spectrum, that respondents are telling us, 'No, we want to keep those national monument designations in place,'" Weigel reported.
Idaho voters voiced concerns about habitat loss for fish and wildlife in the poll, and also said they oppose reducing protections for rare plants and animals on the endangered species list. And nearly three-quarters of respondents said they support only allowing energy companies to drill where there is a high likelihood of oil and gas.
Idahoans are less worried about climate change than other parts of the West, with 43% saying it is an "extremely" or "very" important issue.
Dave Metz, partner and president of FM3 Research, noted Idahoans feel more confident in local officials' response to the crisis than in states like Arizona or New Mexico.
"The highest degrees of confidence we see are in Utah, Wyoming and Idaho," Metz noted. "There is the geographic difference there. More northern states within the region are expressing more confidence than some of the southern states."
Metz added there's support for Native American tribes to have a bigger role in managing public lands.
"That sentiment cuts across racial and ethnic lines," Metz stressed. "It's basically nine out of 10 voters, regardless of their racial and ethnic background, who want to see more participation from tribes in making these kinds of decisions."
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