Going-to-the-Sun Road Opens, Wildfire Season Warning & Glacier Signs Ordered Restored

This week, host Taylor Inman covers five major stories shaping Northwest Montana - from a long-awaited road opening in Glacier National Park to a federal court order reversing the Trump Administration's removal of interpretive signs across national parks nationwide.

Going-to-the-Sun Road is opening to vehicles on June 22 — and this year, no vehicle reservations are required. Taylor breaks down everything you need to know, from Logan Pass parking limits to new bicycle restrictions and shuttle schedules running July through September.

Meteorologists and climate scientists are warning that an El Niño weather pattern is setting Northwest Montana up for an elevated wildfire risk this August and September. Low snowpack at lower elevations, early melt, and incoming heat waves have fire prevention specialists urging residents to prepare now.

Free meals are available this summer to all youth 18 and under across Flathead County — no registration, income verification, or ID required. Taylor has the full rundown of sites across Columbia Falls, Kalispell, Whitefish, Evergreen and more.
After more than 25 years serving patients affected by Libby Amphibole asbestos exposure, the CARD Clinic in Libby will close at the end of August after federal grant funding was not renewed. Sixteen employees will be affected, and the clinic intends to continue services through August 31.

And in a significant ruling, a federal judge in Massachusetts has ordered Glacier National Park — and national parks across the country — to restore interpretive signs, podcasts, films, and other materials removed under a Trump Administration executive order last year. The order covers climate change signage, Indigenous history, wolf hunting information, and more, and gives the Park Service 21 days to comply.

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Transcript

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Hello and welcome to News Now. I'm your host, Taylor Inman. We're going over the week's biggest headlines for Northwest Montana. The full length of the going to the Sun Road will open to vehicles on Monday, barring any unforeseen rockfalls or weather events. The road is now fully open to bicyclists, though officials asked riders to be mindful of administrative vehicle traffic as staff prepare the road for opening. Starting June 22nd, bicyclists will be prohibited from traveling eastbound between 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. and from traveling westbound between Logan Pass and Apgar between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Bicycle restrictions will remain in place through September 27th. No vehicle reservations are required for the going to the Sun Road this year. Logan Pass Visitor Center will also open on June 22nd, as well as the water bottle refilling station and restrooms at Logan Pass. Some high elevation trails, including the Highline Trail, may remain closed due to snow hazards. Officials will enforce a three-hour parking limit at Logan Pass between July 1st and September 7th. Visitors that plan to traverse the Highline Trail during that time will need to reserve a ticket for one of the park shuttles at recreation.gov. Shuttles will run between Apgar, Lake McDonald, Logan Pass, Rising Sun Picnic Area, and the St. Mary Visitor Center from July 1st through September 7th. A wave of hot weather and late summer thunderstorms will tee up northwest Montana and the Idaho panhandle for increased wildfire risk in August and September, according to forecasts from the National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center. Those weather patterns are typical of an El Nino event in which trade winds that normally push warm water away from the Pacific coast weakens. Alex Lucanbeal, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Missoula, spoke at a wildfire and smoke outlook forum moderated by Climate Smart Glacier on June 9th. He said the large amount of warm water brewing in the eastern Pacific Ocean is ripe to create tropical activity, which typically lends itself to more hurricanes and tropical storms in the eastern Pacific and off the western coast of Mexico. The warm storm fronts often push north, raising summertime temperatures across the western United States, and elevating the risk of lightning strikes that can set off wildfires. While the number of acres burned in the northern Rockies was below average in three of four El Nino events during the past decade, Lugambel said minimal snowpack at lower elevations complicates predictions for the upcoming wildfire season. The little snow that had accumulated at low and mid-level elevations melted early, leaving many areas patched leading into summer. Heat waves will likely dry forest further before thunderstorms bring both an increased chance of precipitation and lightning strikes in August. Similarly, hot and dry summer weather is upping the wildfire risk across much of the western United States and British Columbia, so Luke and Beale said that some smoky days are likely this summer, even if local wildfire activity remains minimal. El Nino events are temporary, lasting anywhere from nine months to a few years, but this year could provide hints at future norms, according to Kyle Bozinski, Director of the Climate Extension for the Montana Climate Office. The agency predicts that average annual temperatures across the state of Montana will increase anywhere from four to five degrees Fahrenheit by 2050, with especially large spikes in average temperatures during the summer and winter months. Precipitation is expected to increase in the spring when Montana typically sees peak snowpack accumulation, and decrease in the summer. Bozinski said coupled with warming temperatures, the season shift in moisture could spell trouble for future wildfire seasons. With so much unpredictability and the weather forces that drive wildfire risk, preparation is more important than ever, according to Mike West, a fire prevention and mitigation specialist for Flathead National Forest and the coordinator for Fire Safe Flathead. There's no foolproof way to stop all wildfires from sparking, but simple acts like trimming trees, cleaning out gutters, and picking up yard debris can help mitigate the spread of sparks and reduce ignition in individual homes. Free meals are available to use ages 18 and under in Flathead County over the summer when school is not in session. To go meals will be served at sites in Columbia Falls, Evergreen, Hungry Horse, Calisbell, Martin City, Summers Lakeside, and Whitefish. No registration, proof of income, or identification is required to participate. All children and teens are welcome at the sites. The Summer Food Service Program works to ensure that youth from low-income families and neighborhoods get nutritious meals when school's not in session. School districts receive federal and state reimbursement for the number of meals served. Children who qualify for free or reduced meals during the school year may also be eligible for the Sun Bucks program administered by the Montana Department of Health and Human Services. For more information, visit dphhs.mt.gov or call 406-444-0044 or email sunbucks at mt.gov. To see a full list of locations, dates, and times for the free meals, go to dailyinterlake.com. We'd like to take a moment and thank our sponsor, Vista Ridge Cottages. Whether you're gathering with neighbors in one of their outdoor areas or taking in the breathtaking mountain views, Vista Ridge Cottages is where community and tranquility come together. With homes starting at $339,000, discover the ideal balance of quality, affordability, and Montana Charm. Vista Ridge is nestled right in the heart of Kalisbell, just minutes away from local shops, dining, and outdoor adventure. Contact them today to schedule a private tour. Learn more in this episode's description. After more than a quarter century, Libby's Center for Asbestos Related Disease Clinic, also known as the CARD Clinic, will close at the end of August. The announcement was made Monday in a press release from Executive Director Tracy McNew. It was about a year ago when the clinic moved its operations to 118 West 3rd Street. McNew says the clinic currently has 16 employees who will be affected, many of whom have spent years caring for patients and families affected by the Libby amphibole asbestos exposure. According to McNew, the Center for Asbestos Related Diseases federal grant funding was not renewed, which resulted in the upcoming closure. Because federal grant funding has provided nearly all of CARD's operating revenue, the clinic will also begin the process of closing and dissolving the organization. In August 2024, CARD received a new five-year funding grant from the Federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CARD has received previous iterations of this grant made possible through the Environmental Health Hazards Provision of the Affordable Care Act since 2011. McNew said they understood the award to be part of a five-year project period expected to run through August 2029 with continued federal funding subject to approval during each continuation year. Bacard was notified by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry this month during the second year of the project period, that it would not provide additional continuation of the grant beyond the current budget year, which ends on August 31st. The clinic was not given a more specific explanation beyond the written notice. The clinic intends to continue grant-funded services through August 31st, including asbestos health screening, lung cancer screenings, case management, outreach and education. However, it will no longer provide long-distance screening services because those services take additional time to process, and staff doesn't want to begin services that cannot be completed before closure. CARD is requesting approval to retain a small number of staff for a limited period after August 31st to complete required grant closeout activities, support patient record access, and assist with transition planning if funding for that work is approved. The federal government recently began a more stringent review of grants due to the perceived amount of fraud that was occurring. In September 2024, the clinic lost an appeal to a federal jury's $6 million judgment in June 2023. Jurors ruled that the clinic made or presented false claims 337 times, including 91 violations after November 2015. CARD filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August 2023, allowing it to continue operations, but the United States intervened in the bankruptcy proceeding and determined that the judgment should not be paid, so the bankruptcy was settled and dismissed in the spring of 2024. The clinic is also facing multiple lawsuits, both at the federal and local levels. In relation to the clinic's upcoming closure, McNew said that the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has stated that it will work with CARD on an orderly closeout process, consistent with federal grant requirements. She also said the agency intends to make an announcement regarding the asbestos screening and innovation program continuation later this week. The clinic will share additional information as it becomes available. Read this full story by the Western News at the Westernnews.com. A federal judge in Massachusetts ordered interpretive signs and other materials in national parks to be put back in place or made available to the public again, after they were taken down due to an executive order by the Trump administration last year. The ruling outlined several interpretive materials in Glacier National Park, including signs providing information about the effect of carbon dioxide emissions and climate change on glaciers, a sign attributing the sharp increase in wildlife in the American West to hotter and drier conditions, a sign describing controversy regarding wolf hunting, and a placard titled Blame It on the Grain, which describes the construction of a dam that created a reservoir in the eastern part of the park to support farming. The ruling also names a season of headwaters that was taken down, which is the official podcast for the park, as well as a film about the park shown to visitors that also was previously required to cease. In addition, a brochure and sign describing the mass slaughter of the pig and blackfeet people was also ordered to be removed by Trump's order. The court order written by Judge Angel Kelly orders the Park Service to restore the signs to their state prior to the Trump administration's executive order entitled Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History from May of 2025. Kelly said that it amounted to taking Whiteout to history. For example, one episode of season six of the Glacier Park podcast that was taken down from the park's website talked about conscientious objectors and how they did a lot of work in Glacier during World War II, including building Heaven's Peak Lookout. Kelly's ruling came after the National Parks Conservation Association, the American Association for State and Local History, the Association of Park Rangers, the Coalition to Protect America's Parks, the Society of Experiential Graphic Designers, and the Union of Concerned Scientists filed suit challenging the Trump administration's order. She found the Trump order violated several federal laws, including the Organic Act, which established the Park Service in 1916, and more recently the 2016 Park Centennial Act, which calls for recognizing diversity in United States history and interpretation. Kelly also found the Park Service had a rigorous process for developing renewing historical signs and interpretive displays and other communications like podcasts. According to an internal NPS database linked by anonymous civil servants on March 2nd, 2026, over 500 items were identified for review and many were taken down nationally. In her order, Kelly gave the Park Service and respective units 21 days to put the materials back up or restore their access. Kelly also ordered the Park Service and Department of the Interior to file a report to the court on the progress of restoring the materials. However, the Trump administration could appeal the ruling. Thanks for joining us. News Now is a podcast from the Daily Interlake. We're proud to be the largest independent newsroom in Montana and the longest continuously published newspaper in the region. Today's stories are written by Daily Interlake reporters Haley Smalley and Hillary Matheson, Western News Editor Scott Schindeldecker, and Hungry Horse News editor Chris Peterson. You can read the full versions of these stories at dailyinterlake.com. If you haven't already, subscribe to our YouTube channel to never miss an episode of The Pod. And everybody stay safe and have a great week.