Get Outside Montana, originally launched by Montana Audubon, is a back-to-nature event in Billings, Red Lodge, and surrounding areas that is free and accessible for all ages. Participating families function as a team and are encouraged to engage in friendly competition as they explore local recreational areas.
Winners Tell It Like It Is “Fun! Really Fun! Way more fun than expected!” “We were clueless about the program and it made us totally involved in all the things that happen around Billings. We saw parks we never even knew existed and went to events we’d never heard of.” “We never would have hiked to Lost Lake without Get Outside Montana. It was long. It was hard. But our four-year-old hiked the whole thing because we told him the mushrooms were Smurf houses and he got all excited and kept running from one mushroom to another until suddenly we were there.”
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“We saw a moose and her baby by a little waterfall. We saw woodpeckers. We couldn’t believe how many birds were along the river.” “My boys loved jumping on the suspension bridge.” “We helped build trails in the new park on Saturdays, and got to see all the new things that are coming. The whole family used pulaskis, shovels, and rakes, even our youngest.” “This year the wildflowers were more vibrant than any year I can remember. We made a photo album just of the hikes.” Fall 2013
“We hiked up to the lake and then got snowed on for a few minutes and even that was sort of fun.”
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“We couldn’t believe there was so much happening in Billings and Red Lodge that we were clueless about. This program made us totally involved in what was already happening.” “This was our third year and we had a blast. We saw a lot of state parks that we would never have gone to see otherwise. Those parks are fantastic and so different from each other.” “We had to drag the kids out sometimes, then we’d get there and they’d say, ‘Oh, this is a lot more fun than I thought it would be. Let’s do another one tomorrow’.” “It was the best family time, ever. We had a blast. The Clark Days campout was way cool. My nephew got into the re-enactment continued on page 11
Top to bottom: Team Rupp; Charlie & Mike Getlinger; Sephora Jones (Photos by Casey Page, Billings Gazette), Team Montana Manske (Photo courtesy of Manske Family), Xander Whitford (Photo courtesy of Whitford Family).
Photo by Abby Weimer
For the conservation of native birds, other wildlife, and their habitats...