Amy Martin

In the same year that Congress voted to make bison the national mammal, Yellowstone National Park had its second largest cull ever — reducing the heard by more than 1,200 animals.

Native American languages are struggling to stay alive. But with the help of summer language institutes, they are on their way back.

For the first time in 30 years, bison will be able to migrate outside of Yellowstone National Park. Park officials, private landowners and the state have been in a decades-long debate over the bison.

The Crow Tribe doesn't have adequate housing, jobs or educational opportunities. But it does have 9 billion tons of coal. Tribal leaders want to use it to better the community. But others worry about climate change and wonder if a proposed coal mine will pay off in the long run.

Montana has one of the heaviest lifts of any state to comply with the EPA's plan to reduce carbon emissions. But the state is also rich in renewable energy, and the regulations may be a boon to some.

Montana, home to nine Native American languages, becomes the second state to fund indigenous language immersion programs in public schools. The same languages were once forbidden in many schools.