Daily News Roundup
June 6, 2024
New (Unofficial) Yellowstone Country Ranger Guides Tourists Through Their Montana Adventures
By Denise Rivette As the Summer tourist season gets underway opening the gates for hordes of visitors, Yellowstone Country has unleashed their latest ad campaign to promote the amenities available in our region and responsible ways to enjoy them. Yellowstone Country is the portion of Montana’s tourism effort that promotes tourism in Carbon, Gallatin, Park, Sweet Grass and Stillwater counties. Their new campaign employs an (unofficial) Yellowstone Country Ranger to welcome and educate visitors to our area. She has
Water Rises Due To Snowmelt Expected Through End Of Next Week
Stay weather and water aware into next week, especially if you have plans along waterways. For the latest stream/river observations and forecasts, visit water.noaa.gov.Montana Independent News is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Keeping Watch: Flood Changed Waterways and Benchmarks
By Denise Rivette (updated 4:44 p.m.) Last night’s rising water levels on Rock Creek had several local officials alert but not alarmed. With warming and cooling trends the water level and flows will continue to fluctuate and there may appear to be more water than usual. City and County officials state there is not an unusual amount of water coming down at this time. Because their efforts to remove the rock debris (including sand) that was deposited on the creekbed by the 2022 flood were thwarted when Montana FWP revoked the permit it had earlier issued, the creekbed is higher (by feet in some places) giving the illusion of more water. This also means that certain water level benchmarks along the banks that previously indicated dangerous amounts of water in the creek are now unreliable predictors of flood potential.
Water Is High, Banks Are Holding
By Denise Rivette Water levels in the Main Fork of Rock Creek above Red Lodge have risen markedly in the last 24 hours to 7.02 feet from 6 feet the day before. The flow rate has gone from 217 cubic feet per second (CFS) to 1,056 CFS in the same amount of time. City and County authorities advise people to stay away from the creek’s banks during this time of high water level and increased flow.