Concert

Choral society sees new growth

By Taylor Davison Valley Journal

ST. IGNATIUS — The Mission Valley Choral Society (MVCS) rung in the holiday season with a pair of Christmas concerts over the weekend, including one in the notable acoustics of the St. Ignatius Mission.

Begun in the 1960s, the MVCS started to bring in locals to direct the chorus during the ‘80s, including one Christian Bumgarner, who members say has been director of the choir the longest. With Vivaldi’s ‘Gloria,’ a rendition of ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas,’ and eight other songs, Bumgarner directed his final Christmas concert last weekend with around 50 singers and a string quartet accompaniment.

“(Christian) has been super. He’s just the right taskmaster with grace,” commented choir member Valerie Lindstrom. “We’re going to miss him terribly.” While Bumgarner will still be around to conduct the spring concert before retiring from MVCS to move closer to his grandchildren, Lindstrom explained his departure has marked a changing era for the community choir.

“Christian wanted to leave a stable organization when he leaves Polson, so we set up a committee,” Lindstrom explained. “We each have written a job description so if we leave, it’s very clear what the responsibilities for the committee are … We’re establishing a stable structure for the choir so it will continue.”

With a newly formed executive committee and board of directors, the MVCS has begun the process of filing for 501(c)(3) status to become an official nonprofit. With one of four concerts per year acting as a fundraiser to Helping Hands of Mission Valley - a local nonprofit that assists individuals with food, transportation, personal care items, and more - Lindstrom said making money for Helping Hands has been a main goal of MVCS for years.

Beyond their charitable work, the choral society’s stated vision is to inspire a love and appreciation for choral singing in present and future generations, as well as to inspire the community and foster personal growth in each member. All concerts are free to attend, though charitable donations are welcome, to keep the music available for the whole of the public. “It’s been a community choir forever,” Lindstrom stated. “It’s people from all walks, and it’s people who like to sing.”

Those interested in joining need not be perfect musicians, but simply those who enjoy music. The choir will be beginning practice for the Palm Sunday concerts in February, so those interested in joining or supporting the choral society can do so at: missionvalleychoralsociety.org or by calling 406-261-3304.

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Wolf trapping opens in some areas of occupied grizzly bear habitat

News from MT Fish, Wildlife & Parks

HELENA — Effective immediately, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is opening wolf trapping season in specific areas of occupied grizzly bear habitat in west, northwest and southcentral Montana due to reduced grizzly bear activity.

The areas of occupied grizzly bear habitat now open include areas in FWP Region 1, elk and deer hunting districts 100, 101, 103, 104 120, 121, 122, 123, and 124. In Region 2, occupied grizzly bear habitat south of Interstate 90, or HDs 210, 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216, and 217. The occupied grizzly bear habitat in FWP Region 5 is also open. This includes areas northeast of Yellowstone National Park.

The rest of the occupied grizzly bear habitat in Montana remains closed to wolf trapping due to grizzly bear activity.

In August, the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission approved wolf hunting and trapping regulations for the 2022 season, which ends March 15, 2023. The regulations include a floating start date for wolf trapping in occupied grizzly bear habitat. The intent of the floating start date is to avoid conflict with grizzly bears that have yet to den for the winter. Wolf trapping in these areas opens Dec. 31 unless FWP opens it early due to a decline in grizzly bear activity.

FWP makes a decision opening trapping in occupied bear habitat each Monday in December with input from field staff on bear activity.

Wolf trapping is open in all other areas of the state. Hunters and trappers should note that wolf harvest quotas exist in each FWP trapping district and wolf management unit 313. Those harvest quotas can be viewed and followed on the FWP Wolf Dashboard.

Wolf hunters and trappers should make sure to be familiar with the 2022 Furbearer, Wolf and Trapping Regulations, which include maps of occupied grizzly bear habitat.

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Tester secures $25M for infrastructure development in Kalispell

Funding comes from the Senator’s bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)

News from the office of Senator Tester

U.S. Senate — On Dec. 16 U.S. Senator Jon Tester announced that he had secured $25 million for the City of Kalispell to upgrade and expand transportation infrastructure in order to support economic growth and increase public safety. This funding will come from the Rural Surface Transportation Grant program, which was created as part of the Senator’s bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

Tester negotiated the IIJA and helped pass it into law last year, and he was the only member of Montana’s Congressional delegation to support it.

“A strong economy starts with safe and reliable infrastructure.” Tester said. “Top-notch roads, bridges, and highways improve connectivity and prevent the supply chain disruptions that put a real hurt on working families and small business owners. I am proud to have secured this funding for the City of Kalispell to expand critical transportation infrastructure, boost the local economy, and create good-paying Montana jobs – all while keeping folks in the community safe.”

After meeting with Kalispell and Flathead County leaders in May, Tester sent a letter to the Department of Transportation in support of the city’s application for Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program funding. The DOT Rural program will be funded at $2 billion dollars over five years to support projects that increase connectivity, improve transportation safety and reliability, generate regional economic growth, and improve quality of life. In his letter, Tester specifically supported the project’s plans to:

1. Widen the West Reserve Road from three to five lanes 2. Widen Stillwater Bridge to be consistent with the roadway 3. Add landscape boulevards with a shared use path on the north and sidewalks on the south for separated pedestrian and bicycle mobility safety 4. Make intersection improvements to Hutton Ranch Road and Whitefish Stage Road, including using concrete instead of asphalt to improve longevity of the project 5. Make construction improvements to Whitefish Stage Road north and south of the intersection to bring to urban standards.