By Kris Inman EBS CONTRIBUTOR, Explore Big Sky

It was a great winter for skiers but the conditions that are best for winter sports enthusiasts provide unique challenges for wildlife. Record snow fall with temperatures well below zero resulted in deeper than normal snow depths that remained on the ground for an extended period this winter.

These conditions made it difficult for deer, elk and pronghorn to accesses the grasses lying beneath the snow. In turn, this forced the herbivores to rely on their fat reserves to not only fuel them when the grasses weren’t available, but to also keep them warm. As a result, we can expect to see more winter-killed animals this spring.

Photo: Missoula County FWP
To watch the video of Missoula County Fish Wildlife

ANGELA THANK YOU from Engel & Völkers Big Sky Country on Vimeo.

There is exciting news in the Rocky Mountain West! Our little montana406.com has had a baby! We are now excited to announce that evranchland.com has been brought into the world. EV Ranch & Land is our new ranch division and is a network of experienced brokers throughout the states of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, California, Idaho, and Washington. We have an incredible line up of properties and brokers that have a combined 100 years of experience in finding recreational ranches for clients that are looking for investments with great memories. 

It was a natural evolution considering the beautiful states we live in. Whether it is a legacy ranch, hunting property or a fly fishing ranch EV Ranch & Land has the website and the brokers to find you the

Mortgage rates showed little change heading into the Federal Reserve meeting. But now that the central bank has revised its stance, they could be headed lower.

According to the latest data released Thursday by Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed-rate average edged up to 3.84 percent with an average 0.5 point. (Points are fees paid to a lender equal to 1 percent of the loan amount and are in addition to the interest rate.) It was 3.82 percent a week ago and 4.57 percent a year ago.

The 15-year fixed-rate average slipped to 3.25 percent with an average 0.4 point. It was 3.26 percent a week ago and 4.04 percent a year ago. The five-year adjustable rate average dipped to 3.48 percent with an average 0.4 point. It was 3.51 percent a week ago and 3.83 percent

“Fishes of Montana,” a free app, launches this month (June 2019) includes photos and descriptions of the state’s more than 90 fish species as well as distribution maps.

MSU professor Chris Guy says they wanted to digitize the book of the same name in a mobile-friendly form to make the guide more available.

The app also lists 10 species that biologists don’t want in the state. Guy says officials are trying to use app as a tool to prevent the spread of these invasive species. 

The app was developed by High Country Apps in collaboration with scientists at Montana State University and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. The scientists behind it hope it will help people get to know the state’s piscine inhabitants better.

It will have a list of at

Last week’s massive dip in mortgage rates apparently pushed homeowners into action. According to new data from the Mortgage Bankers Association, refinancing was up 39% last week, hitting its highest point since January 2016.

Overall refinances accounted for nearly half of all mortgage applications: 47.4%, specifically. For mortgage lender Better.com, the refi surge was even bigger. The company saw refinance loans make up 56% of its total loan activity last month. In total, Better.com has seen a 500% increase in refinance applications since March 2018.

Last week’s dip into low-4% mortgage rates is the big driver of this uptick in activity. According to Freddie Mac, the average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate loan as of March 28 was 4.06%. On 15-year

The real estate and construction industry will increasingly have to grapple with an older population and consumers who want homes that can house extended families

United States is currently experiencing a sustained, decades-long growth in multigenerational households, according to recent research, though nearly a century of focus on single family housing means this transition also raises challenges.

Today, up to 41 percent of Americans who are buying a home are also considering accommodating a family member from another generation, such as an elderly parent or adult child, according to research first reported by Fast Company from John Burns Real Estate Consulting. That figure stands in stark contrast to the middle decades of the 20th Century, when only

In Montana, high school students must complete at least one credit in career and technical education to graduate. High school juniors in the state take the ACT college entrance exam for free, according to the Montana Office of Public Instruction.

There are 104 Montana schools honored in the 2019 U.S. News Best High Schools rankings.

Top Ranked Montana Schools

• #1 Lone Peak High School 45465 Gallatin Rd-30, Gallatin Gateway, Montana 59730   #2 Gardiner High School 510 Stone Street, Gardiner, Montana 59030   #3 Bozeman High School 205 N 11th Avenue, Bozeman, Montana 59715   #4 Sentinel High School 901 South Avenue West, Missoula, Montana 59801   #5 Frenchtown High School 17620

The U.S. Median home listing price recently hit a historic high of $300,000 according to realtor.com’s March housing data. That’s up 7 % from last March. Despite a slowing housing market, prices in a number of metros are still increasing, many at lower rates than a year ago. “This is the first time we’ve seen that number hit the $300,000 point nationally,” explained Danielle Hale, chief economist at realtor.com. With the spring buying season kick-off, Hale expects “steady price growth to continue in 2019, with the exception of areas like San Jose.”

This happened despite that inventories kept increasing, though at a slower pace. Realtor.com saw national inventory grow 4 % this March compared to March 2018. That number jumped to a 9% increase when you