EBS STAFF
Summer heat persists, prompting fishing closures in Yellowstone National Park rivers, as well as a Red Flag Warning for fire danger issued by Gallatin County Emergency Management.
The Red Flag Warning will take effect on Saturday, July 13 from 2 p.m. through midnight. Affected areas include Helena and Townsend Ranger Districts of the Helena National Forest, including Three Forks and parts of western Gallatin Valley. A Red Flag Warning means that low humidity, high temperatures and gusty wind make for critical fire conditions. Westerly winds between 18 and 20 miles per hour with gusts up to 35 MPH are expected during this time period and, “existing or new fires that develop will likely spread rapidly and be difficult to contain,” the alert stated.
The Red Flag Warning follows a Fire Weather Watch announced on July 11.
Additionally, warm water temperatures and low river flows have prompted fishing closures in Yellowstone National Park, the park announced in a July 12 news release. Effective Monday, July 15, in order to protect the park’s native and wild trout fisheries, the following rivers will be closed to fishing:he Madison River and all associated tributaries; he Firehole River and all associated tributaries; and he Gibbon River and all associated tributaries downstream of Norris Campground.
Staff will continue to monitor park rivers and streams for warm temperatures and low flows and reassess closures when water temperatures cool and flows return to “more typical summer conditions,” the release stated. On allowed rivers, anglers are asked to fish during the coolest times of day and handle fish gently, in the water, and to let them recover before release.
On Wednesday, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks issued hoot owl restrictions on other local rivers including the Madison and Jefferson rivers. As of today, July 12, the entire East Gallatin River as well as the Gallatin River between Amsterdam Road and the confluence with the Missouri River are under hoot-owl restrictions.
Additional details are available on FWP’s website.
