In one of the deadliest winters for Yellowstone National Park bison, state and federal officials cooperated last week to clean up carrion left behind by tribal and state hunters. A 14-foot trailer and three dumpsters filled with bison entrails, hides and bones were hauled from the Gardiner Basin to the Gallatin County landfill near Logan last week. The cooperative effort involved the Montana Department of Livestock, Custer Gallatin National Forest, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribe and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
When Ryan Redington crossed the finish line in Nome on Tuesday afternoon, he became just the sixth Alaska Native dog musher to win the Iditarod in the sled dog race’s 50 years. The two mushers on this year’s podium that finished behind Redington made the day even more historic: Pete Kaiser and Richie Diehl are also Alaska Native. “It’s almost unheard of aside from some of the earlier days in the race when there was more participation from rural teams and Native teams,” said 2019 champion Pete Kaiser, who finished second in this year’s race. Just four Alaska Native mushers started this year’s Iditarod. Mike Williams Jr. from Akiak is also competing. Kaiser, who lives in Bethel, and Aniak’s Richie Diehl, who placed third, said they hoped their finishes inspire the next generation of mushers — particularly those in rural Alaska in a year that featured the smallest field in race history.
Those are your headlines at this hour. I’m Colette Keith in the KIPI News center.