Libby, Montana and Kootenai River Country Cabinet Mountains Wilderness, Lake Koocanusa, NW Montana Area Attractions Photo Gallery Outdoor Recreation Businesses & Services Lincoln County Government Libby Chamber of Commerce Quick Links: News & Photo Story Archives | Golf | Gold Panning | Lodging | Heritage Museum Kootenai National Forest Troy Eureka Yaak Calendar of Events Newcomer Info Visiting Libby? Lodging Real Estate More Businesses Chamber of Commerce Calendar of Events How to Get Here Local News: The Western News Classified Ads KLCB Radio News Area Attractions Area Attractions Cabinet Wilderness Golf Course Heritage Museum Kootenai Falls Kootenai Forest Kootenai River Lake Koocanusa Libby Dam Libby Gold Panning Lookouts Northwest Peaks Ross Creek Cedars Ten Lakes Turner Ski Area Photo Gallery Photo Gallery Events Calendar Irish Fair STOKR Bike Tour Libby Logger Days Two Rivers Rendezvous Kootenai River Rodeo Ignite the Nites Nordicfest Riverfront Blues Festival Outdoors Outdoor Recreation Camping Fishing Golf Trails Snowmobiling X-C Skiing Downhill Skiing Bears Ticks Community Info Airport Businesses Calendar of Events Churches Community Profile Jobs & Employment History Schools Town Map Area Map Meeting Facility Chart (PDF) Neighbors Other Useful Links Ignite the Nites Car Show Held in August Golf Course Afternoon Golfing is done for the year, but the golf course was busy Monday afternoon with foraging deer and Canada geese. The day was warm as the past several have been for this time of year, with daytime temperatures into the 40s and even 50s. Photos by Maggie Craig. Headlines: ‘A Christmas Carol’ performances in Libby and Troy Fish & Wildlife Commission adopts clarification to Muzzleloader Heritage Season Regulations Commission adjusts Wolf Trapping, Snaring Season, Regulations Grizzly bear captured south of Libby Kootenai River Stampede donates to Camp Patriot program Libby Heritage Museum cancels Holiday Bazaar Libby Real Estate – Oct. 1, 2021 Sunburst Arts brings music to Eureka EPA deletes portion of Libby, Montana Superfund site from National Priorities List News Archive Upcoming Events: December 3: Girls' Night Out: From 4:00 to 9:00 p.m. at select Libby businesses. Specials and drawings for holiday shopping. December 4: Christmas Tree Lighting in Libby: 5:00 p.m., Mineral Avenue. More info here. December 9-11: The Pitiful Players present 'A Christmas Carol' : The Pitiful Players present 'A Christmas Carol' on Thursday, December 9th and Friday, December 10th at the Dome Theater in Libby, and Saturday, December 11th at the Lincoln Theatre in Troy. All shows start at 7:00pm, and all shows are FREE. For more information, contact Keith Meyers at 406-293-9277 or find them on Facebook. December 11: Holiday Craft Bazaar: At Kootenai Valley Christian School. December 15: Shop With a Cop: Libby, Troy and Eureka. More info here on Facebook. December 17: Tentative Opening Date for Turner Mountain: More info: www.skiturner.com. Click here for Libby Montana Events Calendar. We will list Lincoln County events for FREE on our calendar. E-mail us to let us know about your upcoming event! Libby Lodging: Libby Bed & Breakfasts | Libby Motels Libby Guest Ranches | Libby Cabins Libby Motel Chart (PDF) Libby Meeting & Convention Facility Chart (PDF) FEATURED BUSINESS Click for details Visit our web site for more information about us! Libby EagleCam Eureka Web Cam How to Get to Libby How far is it? Mileage Chart to Libby Libby Road Condition Reports Online Libby & Montana Vacation Planner Visit the Heritage Museum Neighboring Towns Eureka Chamber Eureka MT events Fortine Troy Chamber City of Troy Yaak Area Links City of Libby Lincoln County Government Economic Development Libby Chamber Libby Memorial Events Cntr Libby Web Cam St John's Hospital Turner Ski Area More Links Other Info Kootenai National Forest Info: Kootenai National Forest Kootenai Forest Brochures Kootenai Press Releases Wild Fire Info: Local Fire Info Montana Fire News US Fire Map Libby Asbestos Info: EPA Libby Asbestos Have a question about the Libby area? info@libbymt.com Interested in advertising on LibbyMT.com? Click here for advertising information Logger Days Held in June Business Links Advertising Info LODGING Bed & Breakfasts Dumont's B&B Cabins Campgrounds Guest Ranches Motels Vacation Rentals RECREATION Entertainment Fishing Horseback Adventures Marinas Movie Theaters Outfitters & Guides RV Snowmobiles SHOPPING Antiques/Collectibles Arts, Crafts, Pottery Book Stores Clothing Farm & Ranch Florists Gifts Mountain Meadows Health Food Hobbies Home Decor Smoking Sporting Goods SERVICES Attorneys Automobile Banks Builders Car Rentals Catering Computer Services Dining Environmental Protection Financial Services Health Care Heating/Cooling Insurance Internet Services Log Homes Newspapers Organizations Libby Chamber Photography Radio KLCB-KTNY Radio Real Estate: Team Hayes RV Schools Storage Surveyors Taxidermists Dumont Taxidermy Telecommunications Timber Industry Transportation Water Systems Web Services Advertising Info News: ‘A Christmas Carol’ performances in Libby and Troy (posted 11/21/2021) Presentation of The Pitiful Players The Pitiful Players present "A Christmas Carol" on Thursday, December 9th and Friday, December 10th at the Dome Theater in Libby, and Saturday, December 11th at the Lincoln Theatre in Troy. All shows start at 7:00pm, and all shows are FREE. For more information, contact Keith Meyers at 406-293-9277 or find them on Facebook. Fish & Wildlife Commission adopts clarification to Muzzleloader Heritage Season Regulations (posted 10/31/2021) Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks HELENA, MONTANA – The Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted a clarification to the muzzleloader heritage hunting season for deer and elk. The commission approved the regulations for the season at its meeting on Aug. 20. The clarification states that any unused license-permit valid on the last day of the general season (i.e., Nov. 28, 2021) would be valid during the muzzleloader heritage season (Dec. 11 to 19, 2021). The nine-day season was established when House Bill 242 was passed in the 2021 Legislative Session. The season begins on the second Saturday following the end of the regular season. At its Aug. 20 meeting, the commission adopted the following regulations, most of which are based on language from the statute: A person may take a deer or elk with a license or permit that is valid on the last day of the general hunting season. Hunters can use plain lead projectiles and a muzzleloading rifle that is charged with loose black powder, loose pyrodex or an equivalent loose black powder substitute and ignited by a flintlock, wheel lock, matchlock or percussion mechanism using a percussion or musket cap. The muzzleloading rifle must be a minimum of .45 caliber and may not have more than two barrels. During the muzzleloader heritage season, hunters may not use a muzzleloading rifle that requires insertion of a cap or primer into the open breech of the barrel (inline), is capable of being loaded from the breech, or is mounted with an optical magnification device. Use of preprepared paper or metallic cartridges, sabots, gas checks or other similar power and range-enhancing manufactured loads that enclose the projectile from the rifling or bore of the firearm is also prohibited. For more information on hunting in Montana, visit fwp.mt.gov/hunt. Commission adjusts Wolf Trapping, Snaring Season, Regulations (posted 10/31/2021) Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks HELENA, MONTANA – Looking to minimize the possibility of non-target capture of lynx and grizzly bears, the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission made some changes to wolf trapping and snaring regulations for the 2021 season at its meeting Thursday (Oct 29, 2021). The changes more clearly identify occupied grizzly bear habitat and adjust season dates for wolf trapping and snaring in these areas. The default opening day in areas likely to have grizzly bears will be Dec. 31. However, this date could move earlier if the department determines most grizzly bears are denned for the winter. Outside of these areas the wolf trapping and snaring season will begin Nov. 29, the earliest date identified in state law for wolf trapping seasons. Additionally, the commission gave the department the flexibility to adjust the opening of wolf trapping and snaring by wolf management unit (WMU), or an aggregation of WMUs, based on conditions on the ground. The commission also closed snaring for wolves on public land within Lynx Protection Zones. These zones have long been established in Montana trapping regulations and are generally in the greater Yellowstone area and northwest Montana. Grizzly bears and lynx in Montana are both federally protected under the Endangered Species Act. All other parts of the wolf hunting and trapping regulations approved by the commission in August remain in place. This includes the wolf harvest thresholds set by FWP administrative region and totaling 450 statewide. The thresholds are intended to allow the commission opportunity to potentially adjust regulations during the season based on wolf harvest by hunters and trappers. The changes will be reflected in the online version of the wolf hunting and trapping regulations soon. Grizzly bear captured south of Libby (posted 10/28/2021) Additional trapping underway for more bears Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks LIBBY, MONTANA - Bear specialists with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service captured a grizzly bear south of Libby on Thursday and are setting traps for any additional bears that may be seeking food sources near residential areas. On Oct. 28, FWP and USFWS captured a bear that was seeking human-related attractants near Parmenter Creek Road. The adult male is being moved to a remote area in the southern Cabinet Mountains. Camera footage identified additional bears in the area that were getting into human-related attractants. Bear managers set a trap on Oct. 28 in an effort to capture any additional bears. Bears are actively seeking available food sources in preparation for winter denning. The best way to avoid attracting a bear onto private property is remove or secure food attractants. If a bear does not receive a food reward, it is far less likely to show up in the first place or return. Bears that gain rewards from human food sources can become food conditioned, which means they lose their natural foraging ability and pose an increased risk to human safety. Food rewards can also lead wildlife to become habituated to people, another increased risk to human safety. Both food conditioning and habituation often lead to euthanizing an animal for safety reasons. The most attractants are garbage, pet and livestock food, and fruit trees, but also compost, gardens, outdoor food cookers, and beehives. In the spring, bird feeders are a common attractant as well. Bear spray is a highly effective, non-lethal bear deterrent. Serious injuries caused by bears are rare, but the potential for conflict always exists. For more information about bears, visit https://fwp.mt.gov/conservation/species/bear Kootenai River Stampede donates to Camp Patriot program (posted 10/9/2021) Helping disabled military veterans Kootenai River Stampede PRCA Rodeo media release As a 501c3 organization and in an effort to "give back to the community" as a whole and the military veterans who have given much to protect our Country in particular, The Kootenai River Stampede PRCA Rodeo is committed to supporting the military in various capacities. On September 30, a check was presented to Micah Clark of the Camp Patriot program by Secretary/Treasurer Trisha Davis-Stacy and President Patty Rambo. The funds will be used to fly a disabled veteran to partake in a Camp Patriot event in the near future. Camp Patriot, also a 501c3 nonprofit organization headquartered in the Yaak, Montana, dedicates its efforts to take combat wounded and disabled veterans on outdoor adventures and provide outdoor recreational therapy. Several memorable Camp Patriot treks have involved successful 14,411-foot accents by wounded and disabled veterans up to the summit of Mount Rainier in Washington State. A video presentation of one of these challenging feats can be viewed on the CP website at www.camppatriot.org . . Libby Heritage Museum cancels Holiday Bazaar (posted 10/9/2021) Due to COVID-19 concerns The Heritage Museum media release After weeks of monitoring the Covid-19 cases in our county, the decision was finally made to cancel The Heritage Museum Holiday Bazaar for the second year. It was not a decision made lightly, but in good conscience it seemed the best way to protect our vendors, shoppers, volunteers, and our community. We sincerely regret not being able to provide this opportunity for the shoppers as well as all the wonderful crafters, artisans, bakers, and other vendors who intended to participate in this year’s event. We wish them the best and look forward to their return next year. The Heritage Museum stands as an iconic landmark and represents our community’s interest in our history. Even though it has a strong, long lasting appearance, it must have a new roof in the near future or the building and contents will not stand the test of time. In an effort to generate income for lighting, heat and insurance without using money saved for infrastructure our Heritage Museum volunteers will be selling raffle tickets as usual. Edward Jones donated $400.00 for First Prize and The Shed Restaurant donated four $25.00 gift certificates for Second Prize. Their generosity is greatly appreciated. Tickets will be sold at various locations over the next several weeks, or you can email the museum (heritagemuseum@frontier.com) or call and leave a message at 406-293-7521 to buy tickets. The drawing will occur on November 30th. Pend O’Reille Shores Resort has once again generously donated two 3-Night stays at their resort. These mini vacations will be offered on Facebook as Silent Auctions. The first auction will begin Friday, Nov. 5 at 10:00 AM and end Saturday, Nov. 6 at 4:00 PM. The second auction will begin Friday, Dec. 3 at 10:00 AM and end Saturday, Dec. 4 at 4:00 PM. Details and complete rules will be found on the Silent Auction post at https://www.facebook.com/LibbyHeritageMuseum Losing a major fundraiser two years in a row can be devastating to a small non-profit. We hope that better days are ahead for everyone. The Heritage Museum is genuinely grateful for the support of this community. We wish the best to all and look forward to a festive Holiday Bazaar in 2022. Related Links: www.libbyheritagemuseum.org The Heritage Museum, Libby, Montana Libby Real Estate – Oct. 1, 2021 (posted 10/9/2021) Alice Hayes, Team Hayes Realtors LLC 2021 has continued as a ‘wild’ year - but with the ‘rush to buy’ in Montana, our Inventory of Listings is at an all-time low! We are looking for Listings to share with our Buyers. If you have considered selling your home, we would like to visit with you and give you some ideas of how we can help. And you never know - we just might have a very qualified buyer or buyers ‘waiting in the wings’! Fall has arrived - warm days, cool evenings, beautiful fall colors - such a pretty time of the year! How has the Market been in 2021? 1/1/2021 - 09/30/2021 Real Estate figures were: 194 Residential SALES: 128 Libby; 48 Troy; 18 Yaak 141 Land SALES: 67 Libby; 61 Troy; 13 Yaak 11 Comm/Multi-Family SALES: 7 Libby; 2 Troy; 2 Yaak 44 Residential PENDING: 27 Libby; 15 Troy; 2 Yaak 38 Land PENDING: 22 Libby; 13 Troy; 3 Yaak 2 Comm/Multi-Family PENDING: 1 Libby; 1 Troy 51 Residential ACTIVES: 30 Libby; 15 Troy; 6 Yaak 63 Land ACTIVES: 35 in Libby; 24 in Troy; 4 in Yaak 16 Comm/Multi-Fam ACTIVES: 12 Libby; 4 Troy; 0 Yaak Interest Rates are truly amazing! Now could be a great time to purchase. As of 09/30/2021 - Conforming & FHA Loans: Per Quicken 30-Year Fixed: Interest/3.01%; APR/3.361% 15-Year Fixed: Interest/2.28%; APR/2.811% TEAM HAYES REALTORS LLC 417 MINERAL AVE, SUITE 1 IN THE MINERAL PLAZA LIBBY, MONTANA OFFICE #: 406-293-2725 (Alice) 406-293-8364 (Jim) 406-293-1926 Email: alice@alicehayes.com jim@alicehayes.com Website: www.teamhayesrealtors.com Sunburst Arts brings music to Eureka (posted 10/9/2021) Sunburst’s series is held at the Lincoln County High School auditorium in Eureka. Shows begin at 7:00 pm. Tickets are available at the door. Season passes and Patron packages are available at the door or purchased in advance at the Sunburst office. For information, call 406-297-0197 or visit https://www.sunburstarts.org/. Single tickets are $15/person. Students 18 years and younger or adults 90 or older are admitted for free. Season tickets are $60/person. The Patron package ($175) includes two season tickets. October 14, 2021 America’s Sweethearts This trio is remarkable and happens to be some of the greatest talent New York City has ever seen. They bring their sweet harmonies and toe tapping numbers to Montana from the Big Apple. What a way to open Sunburst’s 23rd concert season! Don’t miss an opportunity to hear songs from the 40s through the 60s. Read more here November 19, 2021 Junior This band caught our attention the first time we heard it and we knew these musicians would be a big hit for the Tobacco Valley audience. Their sound speaks to us of today and of Montana with a mixture of instruments and vocals you will surely enjoy. Hear them here - YouTube December 4: Missoula Children’s Theatre presentation of "The Emperor’s New Clothes" Auditions by local youth grades 1-12 will be on Monday, November 29th at the LCHS auditorium. Rehearsals will be during the week and there will be two public performances on Saturday, December 4th. January 23, 2022 Bridge & Wolak Michael Bridge (accordions & piano) and Kornel Wolak (clarinet & piano) form an acclaimed musical duo, who integrate traditional acoustic instruments with 21st century digital technology. They perform their own unique repertoire of classical, world and jazz fusion. Sunburst is pleased to welcome these international musicians to our community’s stage. www.bridgewolak.com March 25, 2022 Dee-Dee Darby-Duffin Band Dee-Dee and her band are hot with just the right mixture of blues and jazz with a few sweet notes thrown in to make this the perfect concert for March. Recognized for her strong voice as well as her performance, Dee-Dee Darby-Duffin gives a show that is everything you could possibly hope for - and more. www.deedeedarbyduffin.com April 22, 2022 Dolce Canto Dolce Canto performs exceptional and diverse choral music with artistry and sensitivity. This Missoula-based eighteen-member choir shares its enthusiasm of sacred and secular music representing various historical periods and musical styles. The perfect finale to our 23rd season. Listen here EPA deletes portion of Libby, Montana Superfund site from National Priorities List (posted 9/18/2021) Deletion reflects continued cleanup progress at site US. Environmental Protection Agency LIBBY, MONTANA - On September 14, 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the deletion of a portion of the Libby Asbestos Superfund site in Libby, Mont. from EPA’s National Priorities List (NPL).  EPA and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality have determined that all cleanup activities required for deletion are complete at Operable Unit 8 (OU8) of the site. "This is the third operable unit deletion at the Libby Asbestos Superfund site in three years, a milestone that demonstrates the progress EPA and our partners have made in the cleanup and restoration of properties in Libby," said Betsy Smidinger, Director of EPA Region 8’s Superfund and Emergency Management Division. The Libby Asbestos Superfund site was placed on EPA’s NPL in 2002 due to high levels of Libby Amphibole asbestos in and around the communities of Libby and Troy. The site is divided into eight Operable Units. Operable Unit 8 of the site is comprised of roadways and highways in and between the towns of Libby and Troy, including U.S. Highway 2, MT Highway 37 and country roads. EPA is deleting OU8 based on a determination that no further remediation action is needed to protect human health and the environment. The area will continue to be subject to operation and maintenance activities, including regular reviews to ensure protectiveness of the remedy. EPA will continue to address contamination concerns at the remaining Operable Units of the Libby Asbestos site, including the former mine site. For more information about the Libby Superfund site, visit: https://www.epa.gov/superfund/libby-asbestos Libby lies in the northwest corner of Montana and is nestled in a valley carved by the Kootenai River on the flank of the majestic Cabinet Mountain Range and Wilderness Area. Today about 2,800 people live within Libby proper. The main industries are lumber and wood products, mining, tourism and recreation. The movies "The River Wild" and "Always" were filmed here. Contact the Libby Chamber of Commerce for brochures, info on lodging and events, general area information, and contact information for local businesses and services. SUMMER When the weather warms and the mountain snows melt away, the Kootenai National Forest comes alive with over 2.2 million acres of public land as a playground. Mountain trails and lakes open up, beautiful wildflowers come in bloom, and wildlife have their young. Libby is the basecamp for the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness Area, 90-mile long Lake Koocanusa, the Northwest Peaks Scenic Area, and the Ten Lakes Scenic Area. There is good access to most of the Forest and plenty of room to get away from it all! Blue ribbon fishing in the Kootenai River Cabinet Wilderness Area hiking and exploring 90-mile long Lake Koocanusa Reservoir Camping in dispersed and developed campgrounds Miles of hiking, backpacking & mountain biking trails 2.2 million acres to play on the Kootenai National Forest Boating on the Kootenai, Lake Koocanusa, and numerous area lakes Golfing at Cabinet View Country Club Golf Course WINTER Winter in Montana means snow, and lots of it! For those who love to play in the deep powder, the Libby area offers tremendous winter fun. Turner Mountain Ski Area, located just 22 miles from Libby, offers challenging downhill skiing with a beautiful view. Their slogan is "steep, deep and cheap", and Turner definitely lives up to that. It's still fairly undiscovered, so you can escape the crowds and get the cheapest lift tickets around. For those who love snowmobiling, there are hundreds of miles of backcountry roads to sled on in the Kootenai National Forest. Cross-country skiers and ice fishermen also can find solitude on a lake and miles of quiet forest trails to enjoy the outdoors. Those who are a bit on the wild and crazy side will love the antics of the Libby Polar Bear Club. Members take winter-time "swims" in frigid Libby Creek every Sunday from October to April. Plungers have ranged in age from 3 to 61. As long as the ice can be broken on the creek, if it has formed, the group will take their plunge, no matter the temperature. These people must be craaaazzzzzy! Libby Polar Bear Club Search our site: WWW LibbyMT.com For more visitor information, please contact the Libby Chamber of Commerce www.libbychamber.org 406-293-4167 E-mail: libbyacc@libbychamber.org Libby Montana Chamber of Commerce Recreation Maps: Boat & Fishing Access Water Recreation Sites Major Trails Rock Climbing Areas Lake Koocanusa Streamflows: Streamflow at Libby Dam Streamflow at Fisher River Lake Koocanusa Water Level Reports LibbyMT.com, PO Box 940, Libby, MT 59923, 406-293-3608, e-mail: info@libbymt.com Advertising Information LibbyMT.com is designed and maintained by Wind River Web Services LLC. Photos by LibbyMT.com unless otherwise credited. Staff Photographer/Reporter is Maggie Craig. Webmaster for this site is Dawn Ballou. LibbyMT.com is a web site designed to provide visitor information about the Libby, Montana and the Lincoln County, northwest Montana area. Our staff is small, but we try to cover as many local events as we can. 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