Forest Health & Fire Readiness: Montana officials announced a major expansion of the Shared Stewardship forest management partnership, adding a new Lolo National Forest landscape and bringing the total to nearly one million acres aimed at improving forest health and reducing wildfire risk. Public Lands Access & Wildlife: A draft federal move would expand off-road vehicle access on millions of acres of national forest land, including areas affecting about 5 million acres in Idaho and Montana, raising concerns for habitat and protections. Grizzly Bear Conflicts: A 15-year-old in western Montana was charged after shooting and killing a grizzly that broke into a chicken coop, while separate reports highlight ongoing bear encounters in Glacier National Park. Local Power & Data Centers: Missoula-area environmental groups warned that proposed data centers could dramatically increase electricity demand, with NorthWestern Energy letters of intent tied to hundreds to over a thousand megawatts by 2030. Severe Weather Watch: A First Alert Weather Day was issued for Sunday with damaging wind gusts and large hail possible across parts of the northern High Plains, including southeast Montana. Land Swaps Politics: An opinion piece says Montana’s land swap process is becoming more political as authority shifts toward the Land Board, potentially speeding trades of hard-to-access state parcels. Wildlife & Habitat Research: A community science effort is recruiting more cat owners nationwide, including Montana, to help fill gaps in feline genetics and behavior research.