Bystanders waited expectantly for an explosion of horns and hooves as the trailer gate swung open, revealing a new world to the animals within.

And then… nothing.

Slowly, a nose poked out as its owner blinked out at foreign foothills near Wolf Creek in the Madison Valley.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks biologist Julie Cunningham banged on the trailer’s side, and 16 bighorn sheep groggily left its safety, jumping and sometimes stumbling toward higher ground.

They were the first of three trailer loads of bighorn sheep transplanted Tuesday from their home 15 miles to the south near Quake Lake as part of FWP’s strategic plan to establish five new bighorn sheep herds by 2022.

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Kyle Ploehn is an artist, illustrator and writer living in Billings Montana. He likes to spend the few hours he isn't painting hiking the mountains of Montana.

This painting reawakened the love affair with acrylic paints and the wilds of Montana for me. Painted as summer turned to fall in 2012, Under the Stillwater was the first real acrylic painting I had attempted since high school. At Northwest College of Art, the painting classes mainly focused on oil. This was a habit and skill I brought back home to my tiny Montana studio, until I just realized I didn't have enough room to let oil paintings dry and keep up with my creative tendencies. So, I broke out the old packs of acrylics I had left over from high school (which were quickly supplemented by higher quality brands) and began to paint! I immediately fell back into the grove of the smooth, paint. Delighting in how quickly I could apply layers upon layers over the amazingly fast drying medium.

Under the Stillwater was a labor of passion, each tiny inch of the canvas carefully manicured with the smallest brushes and glazes. To this day it is one of my favorite works and despite the nearly one-hundred and fifty hours spend upon it, one of my favorite memories of painting

The original is SOLD.

8x10 matted to 11x14 prints are available for $45. Contact me at [email protected], if you're interested in purchasing a print or visit my website http://kyleploehnart.blogspot.com

Recent heavy snow and moderate to strong winds have led to avalanche warnings for the mountains of western and southwestern Montana.

The Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center issued a backcountry avalanche warning on Monday for the Bridger, Gallatin and Madison ranges and the Lionhead area near West Yellowstone and Cooke City. The mountains near Cooke City received 15 inches of snow in a 24-hour period ending Monday morning.

The Flathead Avalanche Center says the avalanche danger is high in the Whitefish, Swan and Flathead ranges and the southern portion of Glacier National Park due to substantial continued snowfall.

The West Central Montana Avalanche Foundation issued an avalanche warning for the west central Montana backcountry above 5,000 feet, where 30 inches of snow is in the 48-hour forecast. Travel in avalanche terrain is not recommended.

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