Montana Woman Magazine, Issue No. 6, May/June 2020

montana woman m a g a z i n e

I S S U E N O 6, M AY/J U N E 2020: T H E E N V I R O N M E N TA L I S S U E / B E CC A S K I N N E R: D I R T I S M AG I C

Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.

DUSK ON THE RIVER | OIL ON CANVAS. MEGAN CRAWFORD

There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature— the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter. rachel carson, silent spring

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table of contents VIGNETTES |

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REACTIONS TO MAN

Chloe Nostrant

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DUSK

Autumn Toennis

HOME & HEARTH |

12

STATION 8

Sheri Beaman: Camp-n-Cottage

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CROSS STITCH

Montana wildflowers

FOOD & SPIRITS |

22

CAROL'S REFRIGERATOR SALSA

Garden salsa from Kinsey, Montana

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PORCUPINE MEATBALLS

Recipes from the ranch

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NORTH & SOUTH

Scandinavia meets Mexico

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BECCA SKINNER: DIRT IS MAGIC

BRIANNA VL ACH: THE SPIRIT OF MONTANA

LIFE |

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WALKING THROUGH STORMS

A story about the wild buffalo

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MENTAL / INTERNAL ENVIRONMENTS

The importance of community & mental health

60

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH

Mindfulness matters

62

WINONA BATEMAN

A climate & community crisis

ACTIVE & OUTDOOR |

69

MONTANA IS NOT DISPOSABLE

Protecting the Treasure State

70

TWO BEAR

A therapeutic riding center

HEALTH & WELLNESS |

74

MONTANA: L AST BEST PL ACE

Now more than ever

78

KALISPELL REGIONAL

Practicing social distancing

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AVOIDING EXPOSURE TO TOXINS

Living green AVALANCHE GORGE, GLACIER NATIONAL PARK | MEGAN CRAWFORD mon tan awoman .com | m ay/j une 2 02 0

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montana woman

OWNER & EDITOR

megan crawford

Montana Woman is a platform. It’s a place to celebrate our achievements, a place to support each other, a place to acknowledge the resilience of the women of this state. It doesn’t necessarily matter where you’re from, you’re here now. In all of your loudness, your boldness, your fearlessness— you are here.

We’re here, together.

We publish a statewide magazine every other month that features women across Montana— the movers and shakers, the go-getters, the rule-breakers, the risk-takers. We all have a story to tell.

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

megan crawford

BUSINESS MANAGER

carrie crawford

Montana Woman Magazine as you know it began in October 2019.

Right out of the gate with photographer Alexis Pike as the first cover feature— clad in fringe leggings and a motorcycle helmet in a Bozeman alleyway— we’ve always been authentically ourselves.

We believe in showing up as you are. You don’t need to change who you are to have a seat at the table. No matter your age, your identity, your hometown, you are welcome here. We believe in creating a publication that’s worth reading because we have stories worth telling.

ADVERTISING

carrie crawford elaine nabors kelsey weyerbacher megan crawford PHOTOGRAPHERS

sheri beaman paige billings megan crawford jesslyn marie kelsey weyerbacher

CORRECTIONS Issue N o 303: Step 3 of Grandma Twila’s Oatmeal Raisin Cookies instructed to soften gelatin in water. The recipe does not call for gelatin— that step got left from the previous issue. Please do not put gelatin in oatmeal raisin cookies.

EDITING DEPARTMENT

The photographer for Kira Bassingthwaighte’s article was Rio Chantel.

PUBLIC REL ATIONS

megan crawford kelsey weyerbacher

carrie crawford kelsey weyerbacher

BACK COVER megan crawford LEAVING EUREKA 35MM FILM, 2015

Montana Woman is a registered trademark and may not be used select back cover prints are avail able at meganlcrawford . com / shop

without permission. The information contained in this magazine is provided as is. Neither Montana Woman or the publisher make any representation or warranty with respect to this magazine

ADVERTISING, DISTRIBUTION, SUBMISSIONS Contact the editor at info@montanawoman.com or (406)260-1299. Submissions are not accepted through the phone, postal service, or social media.

or the contents thereof and do hereby disclaim all express and implied warranties to the fullest extent permitted by law.

Montana Woman and the publisher do not endorse any individuals, companies, products, services, or views featured or advertised in this magazine. ©2020 Montana Woman. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be produced without written permission from the editor.

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letter from the editor This is not your average magazine— these are not your average times.

When I originally outlined this issue back around August 2019, I had the intent of creating an issue that followed the celebration of Earth Day— after all, 2020 marks its 50th anniversary. It was going to make a point that every day should be treated as Earth Day (which still stands), but that seems so small now. I had big ideas for this issue and the next and the next, but it all feels hazy.

None of us know how things will go. It’s unnerving for everyone in different ways— for the small business owners, families, healthcare providers, educators, essential workers, janitors, farmers, first responders— the list goes on and on and on. But, if anything, we’re uncertain together.

There have been more open conversations about mental health, artists sharing free coloring pages, bakers sharing favorite recipes, small businesses donating supplies, communities supporting communities. In the thick of it, there’s a mass migration of kindness— people shopping for elderly neighbors, good news segments, apartment blocks singing to each other. These are strange times, but in these moments we see humanity at its core. That despite adversity, despite injustice, despite hate, we’re really all just doing what we can.

So why not share a little kindness? What harm would it do to help a neighbor, to see injustice and discrimination and to do something about it, to see that we’re all here together? Kindness costs nothing.

We are all here. In this strange world in these strange times, we have each other. The world will undoubtedly be different. We will not “return to normal,” we will navigate a new time— an Era of Awakening. We will appreciate each other, the bluebird skies, swaying wildflowers, the feeling of the sun on your skin, the warmth of a hug— we will live in a new world.

But for now, we can reach out to each other through the pages of this magazine. Hundreds of miles apart, in separate homes, holding onto the same words, cutting out the same pages.

contributors KELSEY WEYERBACHER

SYDNEY MUNTEANU

STEPHANIE EVANS PHOTO BY LINDSEY JANE

CARRIE CRAWFORD

CHLOE NOSTRANT

NICOLE DUNN

we all have a story to tell.

NIKKI EISINGER

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MEAGAN SCHMOLL

RACHEL HOPKINS PHOTO BY SHERI BEAMAN

SARAH HARDING

AUTUMN TOENNIS

JESSLYN MARIE

KRIS SELL

MINDY COCHRAN PHOTO BY KIRALEE JONES

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38 Hwy 2 East, Columbia Falls, MT 406-892-1123 station8antiques.com

photo by megan crawford

behind the cover COVER MUSE & PHOTOGRAPHER becca skinner LOCATION bozeman, mt

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HOME & HEARTH |

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ARTICLE BY RACHEL HOPKINS IMAGES BY SHERI BEAMAN

“I’m in love with Montana. I can’t get enough of it, and still pinch myself that we get to live here.”

— sheri beaman

L

ong before the term “glamping” was born, Sheri Beaman was mixing chippy painted furniture, velvet, floral patterns, and lace with old lanterns, antique skis, and vintage wool camp blankets to create what she calls Camp-n-Cottage.

Originally from Idaho, Beaman has been a Montana woman for the last 30 years. Having raised and homeschooled 5 children, she’s now enjoying being the grandma of 11 grandbabies and exploring the area with her husband of thirty-seven years.

Her love of antiques comes naturally as her mother and mother-in-law are both collectors. She spends her time searching for vintage and antique items with patina and history— “the more faded and tattered, the better, as far as I’m concerned.”

And when she’s not looking for vintage camping items or old rose paintings to stock her space at Station 8, she enjoys numerous outdoor activities.

Her hobbies include biking, kayaking, hiking, picking huckleberries, and gardening in the summer, and skiing, snowshoeing, and ice skating in the winter. Camp-n-Cottage not only describes her business, but it also encompasses her personality.

Eight years ago, Beaman’s love of soft feminine décor, combined with her love of nature and the outdoors, led her to an interest in photography. “Something

about photography opened my eyes to the beauty around me in a new way,” she notes. Never being one to do things halfway, she proceeded to take online photography courses and continues to push herself to perfect her technique. Some of her favorite subjects are nature, landscapes, and her horses. She has also been known to take photos of the treasures in her space at Station 8 and vignettes for local magazines. Recently, she discovered the thrill of chasing the Northern Lights and can be found out and about on nights when they are predicted. “Some of my most memorable nights are standing on the shores of Flathead Lake or Lake McDonald as the Aurora dances across the sky!” Along with vintage finds, Beaman also has a sample of prints, and cards in her space at the shop.

Sheri is definitely living her Montana life to the fullest and is an inspiration to us all! Camp-nCottage is a perfect look to add to your home as we transition from spring to summer. To see her latest finds or photographs, venture down to the shop! I hope to see you soon.

– Rachel Hopkins Owner of Station 8

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There are always flowers for those who want to see them matisse

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STILL LIFE WITH APPLES AND A POT OF PRIMROSES PAUL CÉZANNE, C. 1890 COURTESY OF THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

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montana wildflowers

BY MEGAN CRAWFORD

from top (clockwise): globemallow, fern, thistle, indian paintbrush, forget-me-not, buttercup, beargrass, bitterroot 14

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Copy of May/June pattern - Page 2

◌ embroidery floss, 1 skein per color ◌ 14 count Aida ◌ 8˝ embroidery hoop ◌ needle & scissors

specs

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M O N TA N A’ S C O M P L E T E F U R N I T U R E & D E S I G N R E TA I L E R S I N C E 1 9 76 It’s no accident that Wright’s Furniture in Whitefish has become a favorite destination for home furnishings and accents. Since the first family members opened the business doors in 1976, Wright’s Furniture has focused on providing competitive prices backed by service and highly knowledgeable staff. Now, the third generation of the Wright family is active in the business.

Wright’s Furniture provides endless variety, carrying product lines from hundreds of manufacturers, plus specialty furniture, accents, and art from local artisans and craftspeople. With over 60,000 square feet of combined showroom and warehouse space, a vast display area is provided, allowing more floor settings to view in search of design ideas. Prices range from low to high and “Apples to Apples,” Wright’s guarantees the lowest price within 250 miles. To further extend their commitment to satisfaction, Wright’s “Satisfy the Customer” policy is unparalleled, allowing the return of items immediately after delivery if not happy with the selected product.

Ready to serve with 25 caring employees, Wright’s Furniture is open 7 days a week.

Wright’s offers in-house design services, product specialists, special orders, service repair, and free delivery for trips less than 100 miles round trip.

The Wright’s welcome you to stop by at 6325 Highway 93 South in Whitefish and explore their unique and interesting selections as so many people have done for three generations. Wright’s Furniture, Montana’s Complete Furniture and Design Retailer since 1976.

6 3 25 H I G H WAY 93 S O U T H , W H I T E F I S H M T 4 06-862-245 5 | wrightsfurniturestore.com FREE DELIVERY & FREE DESIGN SERVICES

see the art & make the art at the square a contemporary art museum

The Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art (The Square) in Great Falls, Montana has been exhibiting art, teaching art and supporting the development of contemporary art and artists since 1977. Housed in the historic Great Falls school built in 1896 by Paris Gibson, the founder of Great Falls.

The Square is known for its exceptional rotating exhibitions showing local, regional and national contemporary artists, in addition to its outdoor sculpture garden and educational gallery programing. The museum offers outstanding onsite studio classes to the community in ceramics, printmaking, painting, drawing and more!

PARIS GIBSON SQUARE MUSEUM OF ART

1400 First Avenue North Great Falls, MT 59401 (406)727-8255 www.the-square.org www.facebook.com/PGSMOA/

HOURS OF OPERATION

Open Monday-Friday 10am to 5pm, including Tuesday Evenings 5-9pm, and Saturday Noon to 5pm. Closed Sundays and Select Holidays.

free admission!

Exhibitions presented by Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art are supported in part by the Montana Arts Council, a state agency funded by the State of Montana and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional funding is provided by museum members and the citizens of Cascade County, and generous support from Montana Federal Credit Union and D.A. Davidson.

FOOD & SPIRITS |

Carol's

refrigerator salsa

BY KELSEY WEYERBACHER

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CAROL PRICE AND TONI WEYERBACHER AT THEIR GARDEN

56 tomato plants.

Hole after hole dug in the rows in the garden, and I kept thinking, “Why the hell do we need 56 tomato plants?!” My mom’s best friend, Carol Price, is a gardener extraordinaire, though she would never claim the title herself. She’s the person we call with questions on plant health or to check to see if she has certain seeds we’re looking for. Her late husband, Mike, helped with her massively bountiful garden of (yes) tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, peas, lettuces, zucchini, squash, and anything else you could imagine. But, since Mike’s passing, my mom and Carol have joined forces to cultivate a garden that feeds themselves, my siblings and I, and many neighbors. And Carol always insists on an ungodly amount of tomatoes.

Born in Forsyth, Montana, Carol grew up with two sisters and a brother. In a time and era where nothing was wasted, her mother always had a large garden that produced many a canned good, inspiring Carol with the need to always have a garden herself. At 19, Carol went to work for the Mountain Bell Telephone Company, later becoming the single mother to four boys. A big garden was necessary to feed everyone at the table, but the work of the garden was later shared by the love of her life, Mike, who she met in the late 70s. In 1984, after 35 years of work, Carol

retired from Qwest with her husband. Together, the two continued to garden, sharing in the work.

Growing up, I was always drawn to Carol’s blunt honesty and sarcasm, along with Mike’s bellylaugh-inducing wit. After his passing, Carol frequented our house more, often walking in the door to wake us up as teenagers in the summers, yelling, “What are you still doing in bed? Get to work!” As the years went on, Carol no longer needed to wake me up in the summertime, but she did always lend a welcoming ear to life’s questions. When I met my fiancé, who was a single father, Carol was the first person to tell me to call Connor “my son” in front of him, so he knew he belonged to me as family. Every time I call him that now, with gladness in my heart, I think of Carol and her 56 tomato plants and the family I have grown.

In a time of uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 and bare grocery shelves, gardening should sit at the forefront of our environmental awareness.

If we are privileged enough to have the space, financial ability, and time, a tomato plant or two is a place to start. If we can’t grow it ourselves, locally sourcing vegetables from farmer’s markets and the like is another step in the right direction.

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This recipe for refrigerator salsa is refreshing and damn delicious.

Carol’s salsa can stay in the fridge for up to a year, keeping the goodness of fresh vegetables available through the winter months, too.

May your plants grow aplenty and your bellies be filled this summer.

carol’s refrigerator salsa MAKES 1 GALLON +

MILD

MEDIUM

4 quarts tomatoes, diced, squeezed, and drained

4 quarts tomatoes, diced, squeezed, and drained

1 bunch celery, diced

1 bunch celery, diced

2 cups onions, diced

2 cups onions, diced

1 green pepper, diced

3 green peppers, diced

6-8 jalapeños

15-20 jalapeños

2 cups vinegar

3 banana peppers

2 cups sugar

2 cups vinegar

½ cup salt

1 ½ cups sugar ½ cup salt

Take skins off tomatoes. Dice, squeeze in a colander with hands, drain. Put in a large bowl. Add celery, onions, green pepper, jalapeños (and any other desired peppers). In a separate bowl, combine vinegar, sugar, and salt until dissolved. Mix with vegetables.

Put in a gallon jar. Cover opening with wax paper before putting on a lid. Will keep in the fridge for up to 1 year.

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KELSEY, CONNOR, FINLEY, AND CAROL AT THE GARDEN

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FOOD & SPIRITS |

porcupine meatballs

BY MARNI GASKILL

If

there are two things I’ve learned as a ranch wife, they are to have some sort of beef thawed out every day, and a full pantry of food ready. I never know who might stop in or just when my husband will actually be home for lunch, so being prepared is never a bad idea! As ranchers in Eastern Montana, we always have a freezer full of our own ranchraised beef. In supporting hard-working families by eating ranch-raised beef, you are supporting locally sourced meat and celebrating the quality ingredient in your cooking.

caring person, always making cookies or bars for organizations/gatherings or a meal for a family going through a difficult time.

This recipe for Porcupine Balls was hand-written by my mother in her recipe box that I am fortunate enough to have. She was an effortlessly good cook and baker, loved spending time in her garden, and taught me to slow down to enjoy the little things— like watching the sun set and listening to meadowlarks. One thing my mom always told me was “people won’t remember what you wore or how much money you had, but they’ll remember how you made them feel.” My mom was such a

Being a ranch wife and mom, planning meals doesn’t always work as smoothly as I’d like as equipment breaks down or the bulls get out, making my husband late getting back to the house on time for lunch or supper. This recipe is quick and easy to prep and only takes an hour to cook, so I have time to get a side-dish ready to go along with it while it cooks. I hope it helps you utilize the food in your pantry and encourages you to support ranch-raised local beef.

TEMP: 350˚F

ingredients • • • • • •

1 pound raw hamburger 1 cup instant rice (uncooked) 1 small white onion, chopped (I used my garden onion!)

My mom’s secret ingredient— 2 teaspoons brown sugar Salt and pepper A few dashes of garlic powder

I like this recipe because there aren’t too many ingredients, and the ones that are in it are almost always in my cupboards and pantry. My other favorite part about this recipe? My mom wrote on the card to put the meatballs in a “club pan” to cook in the oven. I get to use the very club pan she used, which is likely older than some of you reading this!

COOK: 1 hour

steps

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Make into small round balls. Place them in an oven safe dish with a lid.

Then pour onto the meatballs: 1 can tomato soup 1 can tomato sauce 1/2 can water Cover and cook for one hour.

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people won’t remember what you wore or how much money you had, but they’ll remember how you made them feel

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FOOD & SPIRITS |

North+ South

BY MEAGAN SCHMOLL

In

this Old Fashioned style cocktail, Aquavit’s crisp flavors of caraway, citrus, and fresh lemongrass blend with Mezcal’s richness of smoke, pear, and apple, lingered by a haunting texture of chocolate, orange, and pineapple, daring your palate to partake in this collaborative jamboree.

A few of my favorite things about creating cocktails are taking a moment to remember what the flavors, experiences, and history of each bottle I use contains. Some experiences are in the form of quick shots while learning different ways to say “cheers,” others are from mind-blowing food and drink pairing mouth experiences, while others are a combination of dirt roads leading deep into the mountains where a rustic still spills out some of the most divine juice I have ever tasted, made from wrinkly faces and dancing sandal-covered feet. But the flavors of this cocktail you ask…how or where do they come from?

In this lovely libation, North & South, Aquavit and Mezcal enjoy a nice parlay. Aquavit’s dominant flavors of caraway and dill are rooted in its Scandinavian traditions of infusing spirits with native herbs & botanicals. At first, these infusions were done to cover up the rough product produced

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in people’s basements. Later as the Nordic culture mastered the art of distillation, it became a way to accent their clean crafted distillate— imparting a taste of place and, theoretically, the medicinal qualities of the herbs themselves. Aquavit is also termed the “Black Death,” a marketing gimmick that was used to deter people from drinking it, but surprisingly it had the opposite effect and is now enjoyed more than ever with a welcoming “skal” for all inclined to partake.

Mezcal is made from a plant that takes 8 to 20, maybe even 30 years before it is ready to harvest.

The flavors vary depending on the agave and the location in which it grows, making the spirit a true taste of place. It receives the smoke-like quality from a pineapple looking heart, thus called the Piña, which, once harvested, is split and placed into a pit with heated volcanic rocks at the bottom. These piñas are covered with spent fibers and dirt to roast for 5 days. After the roast is finished, it is uncovered and allowed to cool. Traditionally, the now sugar-rich fibers are ground by a large stone wheel pulled by a mule or using hand-held mallets. Spring water is then added, and it ferments with ambient yeasts until ready (roughly 14-30 days).

The resulting fermentation is distilled twice in wood-fired copper or clay stills. If you are lucky enough to drink this beloved made elixir with no marketing worm or moth larvae, please honor the years and tradition this agave took to be ready for its journey to your mouth. Sip it, don’t shoot it— invoke a traditional Zapotec gratitude of “Stigibeu,” recognizing and being thankful to the earth, nature, and to those who have come before us.

ingredients

method

• 2 Parts Sugar in the Raw (or whatever is on hand) • 1 Part Dole Pineapple Juice

Add pineapple and sugar to a saucepan. Heat on low stirring until sugar is dissolved. Let cool. Bottle, date & refrigerate. Lasts 1.5 weeks.

Combine all ingredients into a mixing glass then add ice.

Stir and look thoughtfully at your surroundings.

Remember where you found each of the things you hold dear and, if inclined, send them some gratitude for being.

• 1.5 oz Skadi Aquavit • 0.5 oz Del Maguey Crema • Small 0.25 oz *Pineapple Syrup • 2 Dashes Scrappies Chocolate Bitters • 1 Dash Regans No. 6 OJ Bitters

pin eapple syru p

Strain ingredients in a large rocks glass.

Create a twist of lemon and give it a quick squeeze over the drink, allowing the oils to alight on the surface and then placing it into your glass.

Take a sip and with a solid sigh & enjoy.

MEAGAN SCHMOLL , also known as Raskol Drink, has

been crafting drinks drenched in history, lore, greed, and thirsty people since 2011. Currently residing in the Flathead Valley, Meagan is the Cocktail Creator for Abruzzo & Tupelo Grille as well as a Spirits Educator / Drink Creator for any and all who wish in the Rocky Mountains and beyond.

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VIGNETTE |

REACTIONS TO MAN

BY CHLOE NOSTRANT

A pillar of dust rises on a dirt road and gravel pops under the spinning tires. The red Ford truck slows and pulls into the driveway. You feel your heart sink. You hadn’t seen that old ‘79 Ford for what felt like forever.

From the sanctuary of the living room window, you watch the driver put the truck in park. They look up at the house, you know they can’t see you yet because you are in the dark corner of the room where the sun coming through the big picture window never hits.

The dogs run off the porch barking but quickly wag their tails when they realize who it is. They cannot comprehend the complexity of the situation. They don’t know the history leading up to this moment.

You knew this day would come, but hoped it wouldn’t. You hear footsteps on the old wooden porch, the floorboards creak under the weight of the body. You count their steps.

One. Two. Three.

Four.

The screen door creaks open and slams. You size up the familiar form standing in the doorway— a stranger where once stood a friend. You brace for words that never come.

CHLOE NOSTRANT is a writer, photographer, and artist (among

other things) from Livingston, Montana. Finding stories in Montana’s vast landscapes, winding rivers, and saloons, she pulls inspiration from the characters born of these circumstances. Curious with how a place dictates the people, she travels around Montana and the American West documenting its people and places (and fishing its streams).

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REACTIONS TO MAN. 16˝X20˝ | CHLOE NOSTRANT

FEATURE |

becca skinner ON AGRICULTURE, PHOTOGRAPHY, AND CONSERVATION

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Dirt is magic ARTICLE BY KELSEY WEYERBACHER IMAGES BY BECCA SKINNER

FEATURE |

lately,

I’ve been thinking a lot about where food comes from. As a farmer’s daughter, it’s always been something on my periphery, as I grew up spoiled with eggs in the chicken coop, meat in the freezer from a local rancher, and garden vegetables canned for the winter months filling shelves in the basement. And now, in the face of a global pandemic, I’m thinking more about food than I ever have.

Grocery stores are empty of rice, flour, yeast, and so much more. I’ve walked through my pantry, making lists of items I can make that will stretch to fill the weeks of social distancing and quarantines, gazing into the freezer multiple times a day as if checking to make sure it hasn’t disappeared while quietly cutting my dinner portions on my own plate, thinking about how privileged we are to have any food at all. Friends keep losing jobs and I worry about those who have no jobs and no food. And during it all, I keep thinking of Becca Skinner— a permaculture gardener and conservationist photographer— and a conversation we had over coffee about gardening and food preservation and chickens and weeds. She said, “If everyone could grow just one plant, I think it would make a difference. Because I truly believe that dirt is magic.”

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A ILLUSTRATION BY MEGAN CRAWFORD

National Geographic Explorer, Conservationist Photographer, and Writer, Becca Skinner’s knowledge surrounding the outdoors has only positively influenced her fiery thirst for knowledge regarding sustainable food systems. I’ve followed Becca on social media for quite a while. Long enough to know I’m in love with her elk ivory wedding ring and jealous of her abundant garden and adore her for her antique rolling ladder in her cozy home office outside Bozeman, Montana.

Born and raised in Colorado and Wyoming, Skinner lives on a small farm with her husband, Eduardo Garcia. Eduardo’s livelihood is immersed in food, as a professional chef and co-founder of the food brand Montana Mex. Together, the two sustain their permaculture garden and dote on their beehives, chickens, and ducks. With Instagram photos spilling over with sunflowers, tomatoes, garlic, herbs, and so

much more, Skinner acknowledges: “I didn’t start gardening until I met my husband and moved in with him. He started this permaculture garden when he moved in 9 years ago, and this is my third year of taking over. I have so much respect for people that go out to work in nature every day in agriculture. It is so much work!”

While conventional gardening utilizes a “onesize-fits-all” method, permaculture gardens focus on a more holistic approach. According to Green Global Travel, permaculture gardens ask: What plants best work in this particular climate?

And how can soils be gradually built up to be nutrient-rich and well-balanced? Well cared for permaculture gardens are intrinsically sustainable, with an ecosystem being developed that complements its surrounding environment. “The woman who helped us start our permaculture garden was working full-time helping us get it off the ground for five years. Then, she moved on to a new project doing reclamation. [I mon tan awoman .com | m ay/j une 2 02 0

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learned] through watching her and reading all the books the library had on permaculture, and trial and error, and our neighbors and friends that sometimes help, but the majority of the work and the joy we harvest is ours.”

In the midst of the Montana winter, I began dreaming of gardens and thinking of what I could do differently in my small backyard in Belgrade, Montana, to bolster my plants and supply my pantry. I lamented to my fiancé that I needed a greenhouse. Two days later, I read a caption on one of Becca Skinner’s Instagram posts, where she wrote, “I can’t get some things out of my head— like having rows and rows of marigolds, and growing baskets full of hot peppers. I’m going to put a big, old patina’d [sic] dinner table right in the middle of a greenhouse so we can smell the tomatoes when we eat, too.” I turned to my fiancé and read him the post, saying, “See? She gets it too.”

When we finally met a month later, I handed Becca a small jar of grape jelly my mom had taught me to can using grapes from her overgrown vines and trellis in her yard. Becca clutched the jar to her chest, beaming from ear to ear. When I told her of my new adventure learning to can and preserve food, she related, saying, “I’ve never really had an in interest in [canning] until we had a garden. Then, it was like, okay, what are we going to do with all this?”

Now pursuing a degree in Sustainable Food and Farming, Skinner is leaning into her love of food systems. She smiles, saying, “I think that Eduardo has encouraged me to pursue these ideas I’ve always had. He works so hard that he makes me want to work hard too, and that has rolled into me taking these really amazing leaps of faith. I’m excited to go back to school.”

While studying Social Work and Technical Writing at the University of Wyoming, Skinner won a National Geographic Young Explorer Grant in 2011 to photograph post-tsunami Sumatra, Indonesia. Understanding that this was what she wanted to do, she left her undergraduate degree after 3.5 years to pursue a career in professional photography.

Working for big names like Patagonia, Orvis, and REI, Becca also has work published in The New 34

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York Times and National Geographic Online. Her next big challenge? Marrying her photography, storytelling, and love of food.

“I’ve found the best way to connect with people all across this state is to ask what kind of weeds they deal with. And they are always like, ‘Ugh! The bindweed is terrible!’ or ‘The knapweed is

terrible’ and all of a sudden you have a common ground.” Skinner has spent the last year working for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and their Sustainable Ranching Initiative telling stories of families in Eastern Montana who are ranching sustainably.

According to their website, the WWF recognizes

“[t]here are many ways beef production— when sustainably managed— can achieve conservation benefits. Grazing maintains the health of grasslands, improves soil quality with manure, and preserves open space and wildlife habitat.

Additionally, carbon is sequestered in the grasses and soils of grazing lands. Beef production also provides social benefits by sustaining livelihoods mon tan awoman .com | m ay/j une 2 02 0

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and community vibrancy in rural areas where grasslands dominate.” Focusing their attention on the Northern Great Plains, their initiative aims to empower ranchers, cattlemen’s associations and organizations, retailers and food service operators, state and federal agencies, and other organizations.

Skinner acknowledges the negativity with which agriculture is met in the conversation on climate change: “The ranching industry just gets put under a spotlight all the time that says, ‘You’re bad, you’re doing bad things, and you’re ruining the planet.’ When there are so many ranchers who are doing beneficial, sustainable, wonderful things for the grasslands, for the planet.” Having been to Eastern Montana before, Skinner was aware that “in Eastern Montana, there is so much tradition. And the prairie is so under-represented in everything, even in advertisement. It’s a shame.

Because it’s incredibly beautiful.”

Being a self-employed photographer, writer, and conservationist isn’t easy. As dreamy as the job always sounds to those on the outside, Skinner admits that conservation work can be discouraging at times. But, she says: “I feel like when I actually get to go out in the field and talk to people, that motivates me. I was outside of Winnett, MT, talking to this rancher who has been doing transect monitoring since the mid1990s, and was just doing it because she wanted to and wanted to be able to defend herself to say, ‘No, no, my ranching practice is not damaging the land, it’s actually benefiting it.’ I think when I actually get to talk to people like that who are equally passionate and are actually neck-deep in [conservation] and it’s just part of how they live their life, that makes it worth it.”

I keep thinking about what I can do. What can I do to help during such an uncertain time? How can I help as local economies struggle and small businesses fight to stay open? COVID-19 has left many unemployed and as I write this, we’re only in our second week of school, restaurant, and bar closures in Montana. Just over a month ago, I asked Becca a similar question: What would you encourage people to do to make a difference?

“You know, I was just listening to a podcast 36

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on Mountain & Prairie with my friend, Cate Havstad, who is a farmer and hat maker. She made the point that farmers harvest every day.

But, if the majority of the people that show up to farmer’s markets are only fair-weather farmer’s market goers, when it’s beautiful and perfect and it’s just a fun Saturday thing, and they aren’t people that depend on it as a consumer, then it’s just an add on for them. We have to be there every day, so we really need people to be there at the market no matter the weather. So, I’ve really made an effort to show up, no matter the weather.

I think we should all do that as much as we can.”

I thought about that today as I diced onions my mother pulled from her neighbor’s root cellar and sautéed them before opening a jar of canned tomatoes from last summer’s harvest to add to their fragrance. My son came running into the kitchen screaming, “MOM! My seeds are sprouting!” Referring to his newly planted terrarium, I couldn’t help but giggle, thinking of my conversation with Becca, when she said:

“If everyone could grow just one plant, I think it would make a difference. Because I truly believe that dirt is magic. And if we can get our hands in that dirt and cultivate it and watch a seed grow, I think people will see the magic that comes with growing your own food.”

BECCA SKINNER is a photographer, writer, and conservationist based in Montana. You can follow her work on Instagram: @beccaskinner or on her website: www.beccaskinnerphotography.com KELSEY WEYERBACHER is a writer, fabric

artist, and farmer’s daughter living in Belgrade, Montana. After graduating from Montana State University with a Masters in English, she focuses her work on the principles she was raised with in Southeastern Montana. She is currently teaching her son to climb trees and plant echinacea. Her work can be viewed at her website: www.kelseyweyerbacher.com mon tan awoman .com | m ay/j une 2 02 0

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from our readers I had never heard the name ‘Montana Woman’ until a lil birdy got my ear about it after the refresh. Now, I can’t live without it! I was a bit nervous at first that being from out of state, I wouldn’t feel included or be able to relate to the articles. That fear is long gone— the pictures, the stories, all of the content makes me feel like a part of something bigger than myself ! I am always on the lookout for that lovely white envelope in my mailbox. read. this. mag.

— Emily A. EUGENE, OR

I’ve been enjoying the Montana Woman magazines so much, I’ve enjoyed so many articles!

The photos are so well done, they draw me in and entice me to linger a bit longer as I explore the magazine. I’m inspired by the amazing things that are happening in our state with incredible women! I was born and raised here and vacationed here for years when I lived elsewhere and have learned a ton reading the magazine. Keep up the great work!!

— Barb Smith

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ILLUSTRATION BY MEGAN CRAWFORD mon tan awoman .com | m ay/j une 2 02 0

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dusk

WORDS & IMAGE BY AUTUMN TOENNIS

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| VIGNETTE

O

utside, the parking lot had emptied, and the employees swung the door gate shut behind us. It was quiet, the muted sound of the city overlaid by a steady trickling of water on brick; a leaky air conditioner that was as good as a waterfall.

“I’m not ready to go back yet,” I told him. The night was sticking to our skin, patches of damp, warm humidity. I tucked Anne Frank in one hand, and his into my other as we walked towards the back street, a tree throwing shadows on the warm pavement.

“Live oak,” he told me, reaching up to touch the branch. “Look at its petals.”

There was so much contained in that small mix-up of nouns. The streetlights bathed us orange as we looked for the source of a scent that drifted past every few seconds— a citrus tree, fussed over by unwieldy bumblebees.

The chain links gleamed, and my fingers brushed across the purple flowers languid against the fence. He spun me twice, thrice— no even numbers. A group of young boys on bikes rode past, yelling dares at each other, red taillights blinking.

We left the windows of the pickup down all the way back, brows and backs of necks dewed by the air, Pat Benetar singing to us on the radio. Neon signs flashed intermittently in the small towns we passed through, and in the dark distance, oaks silhouetted themselves against the glow of a big city to the west.

brianna vlach the spirit of montana

SAVE THEM ALL. ARTICLE BY MEGAN CRAWFORD

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BRIANNA & VENUS THE BEARDED DRAGON IMAGE BY MEGAN CRAWFORD

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We ran down to the banks of the Virgin River.

A pair of California Condors had been reported in the park, and Brianna spotted one from the bus— one of roughly 240 in the wild.

Well, Brianna ran— I stepped carefully, clutching onto my camera as the wet red dirt clay squashed underfoot. That’s how it’s always been for as long as I can remember. She was always miles ahead, completely unbridled and fearless.

Swimming with wild dolphins, working with grizzly bears, traveling solo abroad.

For the roughly two decades I have known her, Brianna Vlach has always been the epitome of a free spirit.

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BRIANNA & MAGMA | IMAGE BY MOLLY WALD

IN 2018

when she told me she was moving to Kanab, my first question was, “where?”

Kanab, in Utah? I’ve spent my fair share around the southwestern United States, but Kanab?

Surprisingly, it did show up in multiple atlases, so maybe it wasn’t so small after all. Either way, I hadn’t heard of it, but a move to Utah meant that we were now only separated by one state (never mind that we are at extreme northern and southern ends of our respective states).

Brianna and I have known each other since we were in Girl Scouts together. Patchwork vests, missing teeth, infamous haircuts— we’ve seen it all. To me, she was the smart, outgoing kid who also played the harp (which, as a kid, is akin to magic). I was the shy one who was too afraid to even speak up in class and kept an

eraser collection. Still, despite our opposites, our friendship persisted.

In high school, we were in orchestra together.

However, Brianna was also in Modeled United Nations, the Advanced Placement program, and she volunteered with practically whoever needed help. Basically, she ran at a million miles an hour and did it well. She had a slew of colleges to choose from across the country, but then came Montana State University.

I applied to MSU after visiting Montana— not the campus, just the state in general. I think we can all agree that Montana is made of magic.

I told Brianna about it because it was the only college I applied to and that, at least on paper, it looked perfect. She ended up applying after mon tan awoman .com | m ay/j une 2 02 0

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BRIANNA BOTTLE-FEEDING A KITTEN | MOLLY WALD

looking into their Animal Sciences program and received a Provost Scholarship.

We were essentially the only people we knew going into college, but we were in completely different programs— our core classes didn’t line up, we lived on clear opposite ends of campus, and I botched my orchestra audition and didn’t make the cut (she became the orchestra’s sole harpist). However, despite our schedules, we met for coffee every week. At the beginning of the semester, we’d choose a day and time slot and stick to it as best as we could.

For four years, we gave each other weekly updates— from sharing introductory class assignments on soils or film processing to working with campus horses or binding books.

We sat across from each other at a library table and basically watched the other friend deep-dive into what they love.

While pursuing a degree in Animal Sciences, Brianna volunteered at Bozeman’s Heart of the Valley animal shelter. She always kept me updated on the kittens, which of the senior cats was her favorite, who was getting adopted into the perfect home. From Heart of the Valley, she went to the Montana Grizzly Encounter and worked with rescued, massive grizzlies. I went on one of Brianna’s tours, and you would have thought she’d 46

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VENUS ENJOYING MORNING CARTOONS | MEGAN CRAWFORD

worked there forever. From the Montana Grizzly Encounter, Brianna went to the Montana Raptor Conservation Center, where she worked directly in rescue and rehabilitation.

After graduating in 2017 with a Bachelor’s in Animal Sciences, an Honors Degree, and highest distinction, she kept working. At the center of it all is rescue and rehabilitation. While hearing that Brianna was moving to Kanab was a surprise, working with Best Friends Animal Society made perfect sense. Best Friends is the country’s largest no-kill shelter with branches in six states: California, New York, Georgia, Texas, Arkansas, and, of course, Utah.

Their Utah sanctuary is made up of a whopping 3,000 acres— over four and a half square miles (more than twice the size of my current hometown). With its own road system and areas designated for cats, dogs, rabbits, birds, horses, pigs, goats, and sheep, it’s impressively heartwarming.

Of course, since Brianna worked with grizzlies and raptors, she naturally found herself working in Wild Friends, a refuge for oddball adoptable animals as well as nonreleasable wildlife.

During my time in Utah, I met most of the Best Friends parrots, including Hilly the cockatoo, who was precious and absolutely determined to steal the pen out of my purse. Each animal

Toji has been at Best Friends for most of his life, but he's adoptable! There are currently five adoptable red-eared turtles at Best Friends— visit bestfriends.org/adopt to learn more or sponsor an animal.

TOJI THE RED-EARED SLIDER TURTLE | MEGAN CRAWFORD

is cared for by employees and volunteers like clockwork— meals, enrichment, and clinic visits.

While I loved meeting the parrots and hearing the call-and-answer between employees and parrots, seeing one of my best friends do what she loves was priceless. Brianna has always loved animals— everything she’s done has brought her here, to the most extensive wildlife rescue and rehabilitation program in the nation.

I met nonreleasable education ambassadors like Jeff the golden-mantle squirrel and Little One the mink, as well as adoptable animals like Magma the pigeon (who has since been adopted!), and Toji the 30-year-old Red-Eared Slider turtle— all animals that have been in Best Friend’s care, and now Brianna’s, too. My mom and I also adopted a rooster named Thor, but that’s another story for another article.

Brianna is a walking wildlife encyclopedia— she knows every animal at Wild Friends, their meals, schedules, medications, facts— everything. Her passion for every animal is evident in the tours she gives. While you could normally schedule tours at Best Friends, for the time being, you can still learn about them online at bestfriends.org/ sanctuary. You can also follow along with Best

Friends and all of their sanctuaries on Facebook & Instagram.

Alongside taking care of a menagerie of wildlife with her coworkers, Brianna also fosters animals, primarily seniors. Etta James, Brianna’s first hospice foster, had the best last days of her life because of Brianna’s care. From wagon rides in Walmart to drives out to the lake to spending a night at the Best Friends Roadhouse, they did everything together. I never got to meet Etta, but I felt like I knew her— Brianna always shared photos and videos of their antics (Etta had a big, cuddly personality and was top-notch at snuggling). Looking after a hospice foster is a difficult task and not for the faint of heart, but Brianna made Etta’s last days comfortable and safe.

It’s not an easy job, but Brianna does it well. Not every animal can be released back out to the wild, and finding adoptive homes for the domestic animals is always a challenge. They get rescue calls for a variety of reasons: roosters that don’t adhere to HOA ordinances, abandoned racing mon tan awoman .com | m ay/j une 2 02 0

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pigeons and desert tortoises, owls hit by a car, a mink that escaped from a fur farm— animals that haven’t had the easiest paths in life. But Best Friends does what they can to save them all.

BEST FRIENDS ANIMAL SOCIET Y learn more:

bestfriends.org

follow along:

We ran down to the banks of the Virgin River.

Gliding along the ridge of the Angel’s Landing trail was one of the two recently sighted California Condors— something Brianna has been waiting to see. I got a few pictures so we could zoom to find the distinct white triangles on its under feathers, and there they were. The high, grey clouds muffled any echoes in the canyon. We were the only two people at the river’s edge, necks craned to the Condor above.

MEGAN CRAWFORD is the editor & designer of Montana Woman and an alternative process photographer & workshop instructor. She graduated from Montana State University in 2017 and has been creating art ever since, from Bob Ross paintings to snarky cross stitch.

@bestfriendsanimalsociety @bfas_wildlife

download in the app store: ResQwalk Best Friends Vet Access

how you can help:

bestfriends.org/donate BEST FRIENDS, A 501(C)(3) NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION, OPERATES THE NATION'S L ARGEST SANCTUARY FOR HOMELESS ANIMALS; PROVIDES ADOPTION, SPAY/NEUTER, AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS.

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BRIANNA & LITTLE ONE THE MINK | IMAGE BY MOLLY WALD

Little One is a Siberian mink, a species that is now commonly used in producing mink eyelashes. She escaped from a fur farm, most likely one that was linked to eyelash production. There is no ethical way to make genuine mink eyelashes. While companies may claim that they only brush minks to collect their fur, minks do not like to be handled (remember, they're wild animals). Minks aren't free-range— they're solitary, territorial, and cautious around humans. There is no such thing as cruelty-free mink lashes. Synthetic lashes can, and should, replace mink lashes. You can help by researching before you buy or book an appointment and avoid businesses that use or promote the use of genuine mink. mon tan awoman .com | m ay/j une 2 02 0

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LIFE |

walking through storms a story about the wild buffalo

BY SYDNEY MUNTEANU

G

rowing up in the Rocky Mountains, I learned about this majestic animal through my grade school history lessons, our modern cowboy culture, and through its narrative as a symbol for the American West.

During Montana’s stay-at-home orders, I decided to try on a book that was way outside of my nonfiction business development comfort zone. It was a book about the early settlers of the West and their learnings from indigenous tribes. But what stuck with me was a story about the buffalo.

When a storm sweeps through the plains, most herding animals huddle together and brace for impact. The buffalo, however, faces those blizzarding winds, freezing rain and clouds headon. Instead of waiting it out, they turn straight into the storm to get it over with.

That’s right. Buffalo run straight through their storms.

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A quick Google search brings up countless articles about buffalo facing storms as a metaphor for persisting through challenges. Understandably, this advice is doled out to be motivating.

“Face those fears head-on.” “Just keep going!”

“Perseverance and grit will get you through anything.” It’s a message we hear so often in our masculine-dominated culture of persistence, work, and determination.

But when it comes to facing your storms (i.e. the coronavirus changing your world and our new definition of normal), charging through sounds like a nice strategy but the likely reality is the opposite. It’s going to be slow, emotional, scary, and messy. And, oh yeah, you’re going to get lost somewhere along the way.

So, since this is a publication that emphasizes the female narrative, I propose a new, more feminine interpretation of the buffalo story. Instead of grit and bullheadedness, I’d love this to be a metaphor for acceptance and adaptation.

IMAGE & ILLUSTRATION BY MEGAN CRAWFORD

In my mind, our dear buffalo aren’t running and charging into their storm. They’re walking very slowly and deliberately through it. Battling the nasty winds and snow beating up their face, feeling a bit scared and on-alert the whole way.

And through it, they’ve got their herd walking with them too.

So, while the freezing winds and driving snow intensify, so too shall our resolve to stick together, acknowledge our emotions, learn from our failures, and celebrate our successes as women studied in the way of the buffalo of the Great American West.

It’s the little rebounds through the journey that are the most important. Rebounding, to me, is acknowledging the chaos and controlling what you can. That’s what makes it possible to get up and start walking again.

SYDNEY MUNTEANU is a communications and branding strategist with a passion for storytelling.

She grew up in Colorado and received her B.S. from the University of Colorado, Boulder and left in 2012 to pursue a marketing career in Los Angeles. After 5 years of city life, the call back to the mountains was too great and she found (and fell in love with) her new home in Whitefish, Montana. Sydney has a marketing consulting business working with food & beverage, wellness, and women’s brands. Connect and find her work at backlabelbranding.com

With each step (and probably some steps backwards or just spending a day scared and sulking instead of walking), by allowing ourselves to feel along the way, that’s how we get through the storm. And it’s in no small part that we have others to share the journey with us that gives us the support to help get us through.

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LIFE |

MENTAL INTERNAL ENVIRONMENTS

BY STEPHANIE EVANS

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CONTENT WARNING: SUICIDE YOU ARE LOVED. YOU ARE ENOUGH.

Y

our internal environment is expressed outwardly to the world, to your community, to your family. It is expressed in your health through your mind, body, and spirit.

The physical environment in which we live affects the outward way in which we view our world. It affects our family. It affects our workspace. It affects our bodies, mentally and physically…

My environment at this moment is a beautiful community-spirited, local bakery.The atmosphere is lively. The song playing is “Tequila.” The staff (community) is outfitted with a “south of the border” theme. Faux flower crowns made with colorful swim noodles. One community member is actively riding a poncho-clad stuffed donkey. The gentleman community members are stylishly sporting handlebar mustaches, straw fedoras, and vintage shirts from my childhood era. The overall feel to this environment is an effortless family function that I happened to come into by just following the beautiful sunshine. It is one of the first days of this year that I can feel the change from Winter to Spring. It is the kind of day that brings a smile to your face.

Days and celebrations like this always leave me with a new outlook on my community and my environment. I always have the lingering sensation that my true, inner light is recognized by members of my community.

This recognition brings a reconnection to myself. A reconnection to my voice. A reconnection to my “Inheritance,” which is my strong intuition and inner light. A light that has never failed me, even in my darkest times.

IMAGE BY MICHAEL BOURGAULT

The environment in which we live. Our body, mind, spirit, and the importance of keeping the environment of our body, mind, and spirit authentic, clean, and healthy is just as important

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as keeping our material environment clean and healthy. There are times in our lives when the environment in which we embody struggles with being authentic. We press away our true selves to fit in with certain friendships, family members, co-workers. Maybe we indulge in altering substances to fit in or numb us. Shutting out our own selves, our light. In doing this, we lock ourselves out of our own “Home.” The “Home” being our own authentic spirit. The spirit that we were born with. The spirit we were intended to walk with. By paying attention to how and what you numb yourself with, you are beginning the process of learning how to live the way your spirit was intended. Clean, healthy, authentic, bright, and well…

When we actively make a choice to surround ourselves with laughter, love, creativity, and a supportive community, we actively choose to be authentic. We actively choose to trust ourselves and those around us to support positive choices and a positive, healthy environment. An environment in which our body, mind, and authentic spirit can thrive. An environment in which we can truly contribute to the greater collective, our Earth, our families, and our community. An environment in which our Light can shine.

There was a time in my life in my early teens that my environment was a polluted, disrespected punching bag of chemicals, self-hate, and abuse. Trauma after trauma in my community, friendships, and family pushed my authentic, bright light into a cavern of darkness without oxygen. My light became so dim that I found myself almost extinct. Time and time again, I would find myself in situations that were unsafe.

During these times, I found an ability to just transcend my physical body and watch from above to what was being done to me. I realize now that this was a coping tool. A tool I seemed to be living in— how I was actually still living is still beyond me. As trauma after trauma continued to happen, I found other tools. Drugs and alcohol.

Those tools allowed me to still transcend, but they dimmed the visual. They took me completely out. The trauma happened, I just didn’t feel it as much. It only took a few months before I realized that I could probably disappear from this world altogether if I took enough drugs, mixed them with alcohol, and put myself in terrible situations, over and over and over again. As I think back 56

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on this time in my life, I wish that I had enough courage to speak about my pain instead of showing my pain. I wish I had enough courage to trust the people in my community. My community was a good, humble community; I just didn’t feel I was worth their time.

During this dark period, I spent two weeks at St. Patrick’s Providence Center in Missoula. I had finally gotten the nerve to ask for help. The way I “asked” was waking up from being passed out drunk in a shady hotel room with two older men and a teenage boy who had taken an interest in me with the police pounding on the door.

During the hospital stay, I started to think about suicide even more. I was surrounded by suicidal teenagers and put on medication. This was my environment. Needless to say, my environment made my symptoms worse, and the medication unleashed new symptoms. After a two week stay, insurance ran its course and I was released back into the wild.

Upon reintegration into my “normal” world, shit really started to get real. The high school I attended was small— 400 students. In a very short amount of time, three teenagers died by suicide. In my young lifetime, eight people in my life circle total. Eight! Eight lives within five years.

I remember a time when I decided to end it. End the pain. I took an entire bottle of Percocet, the bright, florescent pile of orange pills sat gleaming in my hand. The flat Dr. Pepper from days before next to me— the cup becoming saturated with the brown, syrupy liquid, just waiting for me. I swallowed those huge pills one after another until the soda was drained. I then got in my 76 Chevy and drove. I drove until I felt my spirit start to leave. I remember as I got lighter and lighter, there was a voice— my Light— telling me to drive. I remember it was cold; mid-February in Montana. Somehow, I listened to that voice, and in my lightness I started to drive. I drove dirt roads and pavement, my headlights leading me-they seemed to know the way— again, the light. I started to feel my body as the car made its way into the small town in which I lived. I remember feeling heavy as I pulled into a fast food drive through. Pulling all the way to the drive-in window and whispering to the lady, “Water, I just want water…” I remember the look

what makes night within us may leave stars.

IMAGE BY BENJAMIN DAVIES

V I C T O R H U G O, N I N E T Y-T H R E E

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on her face when she saw me. She looked startled and afraid. “Are you feeling ok?!” I just shook my head, maybe yes, maybe no. My brain hurt from the movement. I greedily sucked the ice-cold water through the straw and again, my brain hurt from the movement. As I pulled away from that fast food joint, the headlights leading the way, my body started shaking uncontrollably. I was cold.

I had enough Percocet in my system to shut me down, yet my body continued letting those Chevy headlights lead me to home.

At the time of this light dimming episode, I lived in a trailer house on a property of my parents. I was 17. I had a roommate at the time, and as I turned off the car, leaving the headlights on, my roommate ran out to greet me. He took one look and knew. I remember him helping me up the rickety stairs. I remember trying to tell him how much my brain hurt. I remember him talking. I remember the feel of my feet leaving my shoes. I remember the feel of him trying to carefully drag me to the bathroom and him telling me to puke.

I then remember the darkness, so much darkness for such a long time. I was used to this out-ofbody experience from my toolbox of trauma— what I was not used to was this darkness. I was always able to see. I had always been afraid of the dark (I still am at 44), so this was a place I tried to escape. I remember my aching brain trying to grasp on to any light, anything… I did not want to be stuck in this darkness.

I then started to use my other senses. I could clearly hear my roommate talking… and talking and talking… a nervous talk of nonsense. I remember the feeling of the blanket he had covered me with on my skin. In my mind, I could see that it was a blanket from my not so far away childhood. I remember the smell of it, bringing my senses to a safer time in my life. I remember his hand on my back, rubbing. Up and down my spine like a grandmother easing away a nightmare.

I remember feeling sunlight on my face and then like magic, the moonlight. I remember holding on to these senses. I remember grasping on to every word my roommate spoke, not really knowing what the words meant. I remember the feel of my brain as my eyes finally started to listen to what my brain had been saying for what seemed like minutes, days, years? “Open your eyes! It’s too dark!” My head was pounding with pressure. My body was limp. My mouth was dry as if I had 58

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been breathing dusty silt. I tried and tried to open my eyes, to get my light back on. Finally, slowly, I was able to do it. My vision was out of focus and hypersensitive to light, but what I saw before me was that roommate of mine, with dried tears on his face— the bloodshot eyes suddenly a 50-year-old man instead of a 16-year-old boy. I saw a smile of relief creep onto his lips and fresh tears well in his eyes as he said, “Welcome back. I thought you had lost your light.”

As I sit and reminisce with the past, a tremendous amount of gratitude enters my heart. Gratitude for the community in which I live now. Gratitude for the beautiful laughter and support. Our environment, our body, mind, and spirit need a stable, safe, trusted community. One in which you can voice troubles without judgment being thrown at you. One in which your authenticity isn’t used against you. An environment in which your voice matters and your light is protected. Choose to surround yourself with the environment that is clean for you. One that has the ability to see your true light. The community with support and love. Find the people that help you up when you are down, offer support when you’re healing, and share laughter when the time is right. The time is now. The time is always now. *** In Montana, Death by suicide is the first leading cause of death in youth ages 15-24. 12% of Flathead Valley youth have attempted suicide.

120 kids out of 1000!

Connection is prevention.

STEPHANIE EVANS is a lover of nature, ceremony, movement and adventure. She is the mother of four magical spirits, Writer, Ceremony Officiant, Yoga Instructor and Retreat Leader. She was born in Montana with the spirit of a fairy, the mouth of a sailor and the heart of a hippie. She learned early in childhood that Mother Nature and expression with movement and words were three vital ingredients to a beautiful life. The ability to release tensions, aggressions, anxiety and fear while in nature is a tonic. She would like to share with all who walk into her path how to open their senses to all the magic that surrounds us in this beautiful state and to extend it into their life. Body, mind and spirit.

RESOURCE NUMBERS The Nate Shute Foundation: 1-800-273-TALK(8255) Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 Trevor Hotline: 1-800-488-7386 thetrevorproject.org glsen.org

IMAGE BY IVANA CAJINA

911

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LIFE |

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH

BY NICOLE DUNN

It’s worth starting off by saying: I’m not at all suggesting we don’t binge-watch our favorite show or down some good ole fashioned junk food once in a while, but I do think we need to be tuned into ourselves enough to know when once in a while turns into too much.

Every January, I embark upon 2-3 new mindfulness-strengthening exercises to carry with me throughout the year. Then, come the following January, I set those down and pick up 2-3 new ones. I’ve found that this helps to keep my mindfulness practice fresh and alive. Since January of this year, one of my practices has been to work with Everyday Peace Cards: 108 Mindfulness Meditations by Thich Nhat Hanh. Each Monday, I choose a card at random from the deck. Then, every day for the span of one week, I read and reflect on the teaching presented on the card. I try my best not to just use the cards as a daily reading but to really get in touch with how to put into play in my daily life what the teaching is offering.

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The cards have proven to be a wonderful addition to my daily and weekly routine.

As I write this, the card I’m reading and reflecting on this week is entitled: Peace is Contagious.

Here’s what it says: If you have been able to embrace your in-breath and your out-breath with tenderness, you know that they in turn embrace your body and your mind.

If you have practiced meditation, you have already discovered this.

Peace is contagious.

Happiness is contagious.

When the going gets tough, we must remember that our ability to stay well-balanced not only benefits our own self but, it also benefits those around us too. Just as a virus is contagious and transmittable to others, so too is how we show up in the world. Fear, worry, stress, upset, and hopelessness are contagious. And, thankfully, on the other side of the aisle: peace, solidity, joy, ease, and happiness are also contagious.

If we throw our self-care practices out the window, we’ll soon find ourselves in trouble, and the people around us will suffer too. The more we invest in taking good care of our self, the more we

IMAGE BY JOSH CALABRESE

IT’S A RELATIVELY NATURAL

human reaction in times of increased stress and uncertainty to abandon ship when it comes to our self-care and self-grounding routines and regiments. However, it is precisely during these heightened swells of upset and tumult that we need to be even steadier in the ways in which we nourish our own body, mind, and spirit.

are helping to take good care of others, too. Selfcare looks a little bit different for each of us, so it’s important to find what equates to our own version of well-being. I am reminded of one of my new favorite quotes that my instructor shared during a recent NVC (nonviolent communication) class series I took: Be fierce about your needs and creative about your strategies. I just love this. For me, this translates to: when I’m feeling depleted or overwhelmed and maxed out, I need to prioritize my need for restoration. My personal creative strategies for doing this include: hopping on my motorcycle and going for a ride; writing; dancing; getting out in nature; physically getting more sleep; watching episodes of the TV show Frasier on Hulu; reading poetry; eating good, healthy foods; and going on meditation retreats. I’m now reminded of another favorite quote by Goethe: Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least. And self-care is truly what matters most, especially when our physical/ mental/emotional system is taxed.

We cannot give to others what we do not extend towards our self. So, when the going gets tough— and it will, cuz that’s life— may we all be fierce about our needs and creative about our strategies for refueling our tank. That way, we can help care well for ourselves and others, with a deep understanding of how the peace we are able to generate in doing so is contagious.

NICOLE

DUNN

is the director of the Open Way Mindfulness Center in Missoula, MT, and helps lead retreats, organize events, and serves as the program director for Be Here Now, a weekly meditation group she founded in 2002. For more info: InMindfulMotion.com

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LIFE |

fixing the climate crisis means fixing our community crisis

BY SARAH HARDING

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IMAGE BY ELAINE CASAP

WINONA BATEMAN is a climate activist in Missoula, where she lives with her husband and daughter. In 2019 she started the community group, Families for a Livable Climate. Winona and I met in 2013 at an AERO conference in Great Falls. livableclimate.org

So, Winona, I want to hear about where you grew up and where you came from.

mastered those values. I’ve certainly been caught up in the culture of the last 30 years.

I grew up mostly in North Dakota. I was raised by my grandparents who had gone through the Depression and World War 2. My greatgrandfather built a sod house on the Knife River in the late 1800s. My grandfather grew up 50 ft from The Knife River in Hazen, North Dakota.

He was a little boy during the Depression, and those lessons were seared in his brain. My grandparents were conservatives, and they embodied their conservative values with actually conserving things. That was who they were. Those basic rural values from my grandparents are really central to who I am: be kind to your neighbor, whenever someone comes over you bring a platter of food out, don’t waste things. Save everything and don’t waste food. For my grandmother, if food had been in the fridge for six days, it was fine. Seven and a half was the cutoff. The seventh day was time to finish it, seven and a half was like, “okay, we’ll throw it out.” I would say their values are a huge part of my own value system.

But it’s interesting how in the last couple of years as I became a climate activist, engaging more as a citizen, using the tools of community and citizenship to make change, those values are really coming to the fore of myself. Part of that is the privilege of having property where I can grow stuff— that’s a real privilege now. It used to be that lots of people had land, but now it’s changed.

I think when proselytizing about doing things a certain way, you have to check your privilege and see how that might not apply across the board.

I inherited my great-grandmother’s genes directly for growing things and saving things. I am very much in alignment with those values. I’m not always good at it. I don’t mean to say that I’ve

Will you tell me about what you are doing with Families for a Livable Climate right now? I know what you were doing; you were organizing events and all sorts of great campaigns. Now it's changed.

Our in-person events are canceled now. We’re thinking creatively about how we can move the different pieces of what we do online. I think it’s an organizing moment. We’ve been working on reconfiguring our Community Climate Conversations; now I will reconfigure and do them online. For me, what’s coming into focus is holding free online Community Climate Conversations webinars for people to have those mon tan awoman .com | m ay/j une 2 02 0

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conversations. We will do Zoom calls to articulate our own climate stories, our own community resilience stories, and talk about, how we’re building resilience in our communities. How can we help each other?

In our Friday Action Group, we’re bringing families together who want to reach out to other families, get organized, and get involved in the community resilience movement. This is an opportunity for the Friday’s for Action working group to be shifting and looking at how the COVID-19 pandemic exposes the weaknesses in our system, our neoliberal capitalist system, and our consumer culture. We need to address creating a social safety net for people, for families everywhere so that we are using our tax money and our government to serve families and not to serve corporate interests.

Obviously I’m not an economist, but it seems to me if anything, this pandemic is revealing that global consumerism and markets are really vulnerable. It seems like it’s been a big reality check. I’ve always said that fixing the climate crisis means fixing our community crisis.

Right now, what we need to focus on are our communities and building strong connections and networks within our communities and using those connections to talk about what our future

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should look like. How do we create stronger, resilient communities both economically and in terms of Healthcare? In terms of Transportation?

Are all of these pieces that are falling apart right now because we weren’t prepared and we were relying on an unsustainable system?

I’ve been working on planning a Montana Climate Summit, which would be a full day of organizing, training, and storytelling in Missoula.

That Summit will really focus on storytelling, understanding the impacts on Montana, and talking about what a resilient future for Montana could look like. We will work together through some models and talk about how we organize other Families. How do we get them involved?

Help them tell their story? Help them speak up in a public context and use the tools of civic engagement to make change?

The COVID-19 pandemic is revealing problems with social justice and the need for social justice in our country. That awareness and movement has always needed to merge with the climate movement. It will merge because as we’re rethinking how we do things from top to bottom, there are going to be corporate and moneyed interests that want to take advantage of the disaster aid. They’ll want to get that money and suck it away from protecting human life and

communities. We really need to be organizing and connecting with each other and saying, how do we raise our voices right now? We need to take care of our communities. Which is the exact same conversation we’re having when we’re talking about mitigating the climate crisis. The climate crisis is already impacting our safety, our Public Health— all sorts of things.

Let’s make sure that this moment right now does not become one that translates into more oppression, social divides, and economic disparity, but into prosperity and the thriving future for everyone. One where everyone gets Healthcare, everyone can get an education, and our government is serving the needs of the people, not the needs of Corporations.

Can you talk a little bit about fear? What's Families for a Livable Climate’s take on fear, and what's your take on fear?

I have my moments of fear, of deep sadness, of morning, and grief. Resolve to act is where I find hope. Our only hope is action. On all these things, our only hope is action. And we have to talk to each other as individuals in order to change the systems that are so clearly oppressive to most people and very oppressive to some people. To change the systems, we have to work together. We have to coordinate. We have to talk about climate change. We have to talk about the injustices of our systems. We have to have those be part of our conversations. People rarely talk about it, even in places where there’s a high degree of belief and engagement on the issue. It’s like this forbidden thing to talk about, right? Because it’s perceived as very political. So start by talking to each other and talking to our friends.

Our lives are going to change so dramatically in the next few months. Our identity as consumers has just officially ended for the foreseeable future.

And for a lot of people, that’s a forced ending. But I think shifting our thinking from, “I’m a consumer in a society where my job is to be entertained and buy the right products for my family” to, “there

IMAGE BY HENRY BE

We’re going to have it at times. I have it at times.

It’s not an emotion we can sustain long-term without serious detriment to our health and well-being. So I think informing yourself on the facts is super important, and then starting to move your mind into thinking about connecting with others who care and solutions. Move into working. Rolling up our sleeves and engaging as community members. Engaging in civic action

and civic change. Not being caught up with this idea that the most important thing is the federal change. That’s important, but where we can have a lot of impact— even if it feels more boring is on the local, state, and regional levels.

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are big problems we have to solve. We need creative energy and lots of people to get on board.

We need you. We need everybody.”

Unfortunately, this is a big wake-up call that we’re all super interconnected and dependent on one another. We need to raise our voices now; otherwise moneyed corporate interests are going to take advantage of this moment.

If there was no climate crisis, what do you wish that you were doing?

As far as what I wish I could be doing, if there was no climate crisis and no COVID-19, I would want to be focusing on just writing and being with my kiddo and my family. And raising food.

A lot of food this year.

It’s important to remember that none of us have to solve it ourselves. We only have to do what we can. But part of doing what we can is staying connected to what matters, what makes us happy, and what’s important in our lives— our families, our passions (like our writing), and having down rest time. Our minds are going to be stretched, and that’s good. We should be asking lots of big questions. We should be talking about it. We can obviously change on a dime; we just did it. So how do we build a resilient, thriving future and take the lessons from this moment, the science and physical reality of the climate crisis, and build a future that is thriving and just for everyone?

And I mean everyone. Because we have to change it for everyone.

We can do better. We can wake up from the sleepwalk of consumerism and begin living strong, passionate lives within our communities.

SARAH HARDING grew up in North County

San Diego. She spent her childhood surfing and loving the ocean. She and her husband, John, moved to Montana when they were 22 and spent the second half of their lives farming and raising a family.

Now they’re Coconut at Sea Soap Co.; a family business determined to reduce the amount of plastic in our world. Sarah and her family live on their tiny homemade farm in Whitefish. For more information on her soap and shampoo bars, visit her website at coconutatsea.com

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IMAGE BY TEVIN TRINH

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TRASH COLLECTED ALONG A SMALL SECTION OF THE FLATHEAD RIVER decomposition rates ORANGE PEEL: 2-5 weeks COTTON SHIRT: 2-5 months CIGARETTE FILTER: 1-5 years PLASTIC BAG: 10-20 years STYROFOAM: 50 years ALUMINUM CAN: 80-200 years GLASS BOTTLE: 1 million years

do your part to protect our wildlife and watersheds.

IMAGE BY CARRIE CRAWFORD | DATA FROM SAVEONENERGY.COM

Coconut at Sea Soap Co. w w w . c o c o n u tat s e a . c o m

O u r m i s s i o n i s t o h e l p f o l k s f eel go o d — i n s id e a n d o ut . Hea l t hy, c l e a n s k i n a n d h a i r o n t h e o ut s i d e , a n d go o d ka r m a o n t h e i n s i d e .

We a r e a f a m i l y r un b us i n es s c o m m i t t e d t o s us t a i n a b i l i t y a n d z e r o wa s t e. c olumbia fall s | helena | kalispell | whitefish

| ACTIVE & OUTDOOR

BY CARRIE CRAWFORD

When we moved to Montana 6 years ago, I had no idea what the transition would be like moving from southern California to Columbia Falls. Going from a county with over 3 million people to a town with less than 5,000 was surprisingly easy for me. Montana and its people made me feel like this was where I was meant to be–– I was home.

Now the part of living in Montana that makes me sad and angry–– litter.

How is it that we can live in the Last Best Place and, at the same time, throw trash out of our vehicles? Every spring, I walk along the roads near my house and pick up trash. In the last two weeks, I’ve filled 8 large trash bags in just a two-mile area. This trash then gets blown into rivers (Flathead, Missouri, Clark Fork, Gallatin, Yellowstone, to name a few) and is washed downstream to the state’s beautiful lakes–– the Flathead, Swan, and Fort Peck lakes, for example.

Take the time to secure your trash in your truck bed when going to the dump, keep cigarette butts in your vehicle’s ashtray and dispose of them when you get home. It just takes a split second to stop before you throw trash out your car window–– change that habit and be part of the solution.

I am hoping that in this last month of social isolation, people have taken the time to notice that mother earth has had a chance to breathe and begin the healing process. Let’s not waste this opportunity to make changes for the better: be conscientious about the trash you create in your home. Getting away from purchasing plastic is a must, and single-use water bottles are a great place to start. Take reusable bags with you when you go shopping or use bar shampoo and soap— my favorite is homemade laundry detergent in refillable glass bottles. The possibilities are endless!

Let’s come out of this crazy situation united as one race–– the human race. Bring common sense back in style, think about the consequences of your actions and words, and treat people how you would like to be treated.

If you see trash when you are out enjoying this great state, pick it up and make a difference. In the grand scheme of life, being kind wins every time.

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ACTIVE & OUTDOOR |

TWO BEAR therapeutic riding center

BY KRIS SELL

WES & BOOMER | IMAGE BY KRIS SELL 70

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MILES ECKLUND PLAYS A GAME WITH A VOLUNTEER 'SIDEWALKER' WHILE IMPROVING HIS STRENGTH | IMAGE BY ECH PHOTOGRAPHY

T

here is magic available to people with physical and mental challenges at Whitefish non-profit facility called Two Bear Therapeutic Riding Center.

Pediatric Physical Therapist Leslie Hayden says she was initially skeptical about what horses could do for people like her autistic son, Wes Hayden. Now she uses a word not often used by medical professionals to describe any therapy.

That word is ‘Magic.’

Leslie Hayden provided Wes all the traditional physical therapies she learned over a 30-year career. She had no idea how much of her life would change once Wes started adaptive riding in August 2017, with Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH) certified instructor Sally Conrad. Wes rode with a volunteer on each side and another volunteer leading the horse. By February 2018, Wes was riding independently and dismounting without help. By early 2019, Wes could follow multi-step instructions and take his horse through an obstacle course. Wes’s improved trunk strength and posture caused him to gain two inches in height, edging out his father, Clif Hayden. By the summer of 2019, Wes could ride a horse at a trot and ride alone in a pasture. These were developments that astonished Leslie and Clif Hayden.

Wes says he has come so far since he started riding because when he is on a horse, he listens and tries hard to follow instructions. Wes tries so hard because he wants his best friend, ‘Boomer,’ to be comfortable. Wes knows that a good horseman needs to sit tall and balanced while keeping his hands low and quiet.

Leslie Hayden had never seen anything like Wes’s transformation in her professional career, how love for a horse could be such a motivator for someone to develop physically. She soon found the motivation and improved strength pieces were just two of the benefits a horse could bring to a medical therapy session. Leslie Hayden learned the motion of a horse provides a percussive rhythm that mimics human walking.

The rhythm stimulates the speech center of the brain so it can help a non-verbal person speak.

Percussive rhythm can also improve digestion.

Leslie Hayden decided she wanted to be able to offer all these potential benefits to her patients.

Leslie Hayden looked to the American Hippotherapy Association Incorporated (AHA Inc.) Certification Board for appropriate standards and has now become that organization’s only certified physical therapist in Montana. The AHA Inc. consists of occupational therapists, physical therapists, and those working in speech and language therapy who use horses and the movement of horses as part of medical treatment. mon tan awoman .com | m ay/j une 2 02 0

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KATHERINE LICENCE, SALLY CONRAD, AND WES HAYDEN RIDING TOGETHER DURING HAYDEN'S ADAPTIVE RIDING LESSON. | IMAGE BY KRIS SELL

Leslie Hayden partnered with Conrad under the Two Bear Therapeutic Riding Center structure, working with Executive Director Katherine Licence, who happens to be Conrad’s daughter.

When Conrad is not doing adaptive riding lessons, she assists Leslie Hayden with patients. You will often find Licence handling the horses. She trains the horses, leads them during sessions, and rides them alongside clients. The rest of the work at the facility is done by volunteers, including Wes. He has gone from needing volunteer support to being a ‘sidewalker’ to support other riders.

Scott Ecklund’s son, Miles, starting working with Leslie Hayden and horses two years ago. Ecklund says his son giggles when they get to the familiar road that leads to the arena. Miles has learned to hold himself up on the horse, wave to his audience, and flatten his hand to pet the horses.

Ecklund also appreciates being able to afford physical therapy using horse movement. At Two Bears Therapeutic Riding Center, both riding lessons and physical therapy are heavily subsidized. The ranch owner is the primary supporter with volunteers and fundraising filling in the gaps. Riders and patients receive about 72

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$250 worth of services per session for a cost of $25 to $35. Leslie Hayden says the financial support is crucial— Montana insurance companies have labeled physical therapy involving horse movement as experimental, unlike thirteen other states where the treatment is deemed sciencebased and appropriate for coverage.

As of February 2020, Two Bear Therapeutic Riding Center has added Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy with Counselor Emily Swisher. It is their only service that is covered by insurance.

During the recent pilot program, a client was anxious but not admitting how much her anxiety impacts her relationships. Then, during a treatment session, a normally friendly pony looked at her and went to the far side of the arena, away from her, and put his head in the corner. The horse showed the woman, more clearly than a human could, how her anxiety causes stress to those around her. The woman is working with Swisher on appropriate techniques to calm herself.

While it is easy to see the horses are helping people through adaptive riding, physical therapy,

and psychotherapy at the Two Bear Therapeutic Riding Center, a more subtle development is the people are also helping horses. Boomer was a ranch horse who developed respiratory problems. Licence says during the horse’s first year with them, even visitors commented that he seemed angry a lot, with his ears back and a sour expression. Then Wes and Boomer formed a bond— Boomer would lift his head in the pasture and watch for Wes. Boomer started to warm up to other people.

He has now become a reliable partner for Wes and other people who need him.

Conrad, Leslie Hayden, Swisher, and Licence are regularly motivated by the improved quality of life they see in riders and patients. It seems these dedicated women have found that love plus science equals magic.

WES ON BOOMER IMAGE BY ECH PHOTOGRAPHY

WES SADDLING IMAGE BY ECH PHOTOGRAPHY

please recycle this magazine. give it to a friend, mail it to a relative who loves montana, use your favorite pages in a journal, leave it at a coffee shop or bookstore!

IF THIS COPY HAS LIVED A LONG & HAPPY LIFE, PLEASE CONSIDER TAKING IT TO YOUR LOCAL RECYCLING CENTER mon tan awoman .com | m ay/j une 2 02 0

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Montana

HEALTH & WELLNESS |

last best place, now more than ever

BY NIKKI EISINGER

NOTHING IN NATURE LIVES FOR ITSELF. RIVERS DON'T DRINK THEIR OWN WATER. TREES DON'T EAT THEIR OWN FRUIT. THE SUN DOESN'T SHINE FOR ITSELF. A FLOWER'S FRAGRANCE IS NOT FOR ITSELF. LIVING FOR EACH OTHER IS THE RULE OF NATURE.

– UNKNOWN

AS I WRITE, the robins have returned to northwest Montana, and the beautiful

The headlines are full of human suffering, and to me they recall one of the primary tenets of Buddhism: Human suffering comes from our illusion of separation. Seeing ourselves as separate from each other and nature creates factions, suspicion of others, enemies, harm to animals and the planet— it cuts us off from our own true nature. But reducing feelings of separation decreases fear and increases love. Love of neighbors, love of self, love of nature.

Time is a blur. The internet is full of jokes about what day it is, and this ever-present virus is a constant reminder of how connected— and fragile— we are. We are connected through technology of course, but today, even in our remote state, we are hyper-connected to the world in so many ways; through travel, transport systems, migration, goods and services, connectivity of products, genetics, the global food chain, bacteria, viruses… and through nature and our humanity.

“WE ARE HERE TO AWAKEN FROM THE ILLUSION OF SEPARATENESS.”

Tobacco River, which runs through our property, is rising daily as the snowpack from the Whitefish Range melts off. But the Spring of 2020 will go into the history books as a different kind of spring for humans. We are a month into social distancing and the end, or a return to normalcy, still has no hopeful date to put on the calendar.

While the birds of spring sing, this silent virus shows us just how entangled life is, and it has required physically distancing, closing schools, businesses and churches, and a new way of life.

It’s unfamiliar, emotional, and stressful, there’s no way around that. And although we are used to isolation in Montana, when it’s not a personal choice, it feels heavy.

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– THICH NHAT HANH

There is a lot of fear in Montana, and in the world right now, but I also take comfort that there is so much hope brewing along with the spread of this virus. Hope that we will all come out of this renewed and with more understanding and compassion for the human race. I believe we can improve our ways of doing business and simultaneously care for our planet and each other.

Human beings are not separate from each other or nature. What we do to others we do to ourselves.

What we do to the earth, we do to ourselves.

We are part of the natural world. But our influence on it is greater than any other animal

or plant life, and we have the responsibility to protect it. The well-being of this pale blue dot we call home cannot be unhitched from our own health, happiness, and safety.

Our current suffering or enemy is not a virus.

Our adversary is seeing ourselves as a separate entity from our planet and our world. Life and all of existence are sacred and interconnected.

Especially in these times, it’s important to remember that you and me, our families, neighbors, rivers, oceans, animals, and even these catastrophic viruses are all part of the magnificence of the universe.

Our leaders and experts say to brace ourselves, because even when business is allowed to resume, life won’t go back to what was ‘normal.’ So, to

me, our daily practice for some time is going to be to remember the magnificence that is still out there in these woods and mountains, to put faith before fear, and to maintain our connections to ourselves and to each other in these times.

FOUR SIMPLE THINGS WE CAN DO TODAY TO FEEL CONNECTED AND RELEASE FEAR:

1

Set an intention to choose to move through difficult times with compassion for self and each other, with awakening hearts, and choose to look for and celebrate the goodness. Create space for the connection with each other and allow nature to be present within us. mon tan awoman .com | m ay/j une 2 02 0

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2 3

Reach out to an old friend. They will be happy to hear from you, and you’ll connect with different parts of your life instead of worrying about the future.

Walk outside and open up, observe. Listen to nature, smell it, inhale it deep in your lungs and simply be present in it without thoughts, taking a break from worrying.

This is Montana, it’s why we are here. We have so much space and natural beauty.

We have an abundance of clean air, water, and our public lands, including Glacier National Park, boast the most intact ecosystems on our continent. Time spent in wild places seems like a vital antidote to our suffering now (and always).

4

Meditate. Meditation has been clinically proven time and time again to be one of the best ways to reduce anxiety or fear, and if you haven’t tried it, now is the perfect time— both because we have time and because many teachers are offering free online courses now to help us cope. My personal recommendation is the Headspace App, (N.B., I worked for Headspace when it launched in the U.S.) What I appreciate about Headspace is that its meditations include explanations of the science behind why meditation is good for our brains. Headspace is also offering free “Weathering the Storm” mediations right now, as are many other great apps. (www.headspace.com)

Do not lose heart. We are all connected. We are woven together in this pandemic. We are entangled in our humanity, in our courage, and most of all, we are connected in our compassion.

"WHEN WE TRY TO PICK OUT ANYTHING BY ITSELF, WE FIND IT HITCHED TO EVERYTHING ELSE IN THE UNIVERSE." – JOHN MUIR

NIKKI EISINGER lives on a 1901 ranch in northwest Montana with her partner, twin teen girls, a herd of goats, chickens, and two dogs. Like most folks in Montana, Nikki doesn’t “do” just one thing. She is the founder of www.glad.is— a guide to intentional living & mindfulness— and co-owner of Tobacco River Ranch Glamping, www.tobaccoriverranch.com; Nikki is also a fundraising professional. She recently served as the Development Director of the Glacier National Park Conservancy.

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CLOSE TO HOME WHEN IT MATTERS MOST When your child is sick, you’ll do anything to stay by their side.

For many Montana families, getting specialty care used to mean traveling out of state, separating siblings, and missing school and work. Pediatric specialists at Montana Children’s are the

montanachildrens.org

largest group of pediatric physicians in the state, and they have the expertise and resources to provide comprehensive care for a wide range of medical conditions — so kids can heal and families can stay close.

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practicing

HEALTH & WELLNESS |

SOCIAL D I during S T ACOVID-19 NCING

BY MAGGIE NELSON | KALISPELL REGIONAL

E

vents have been cancelled, gatherings are limited, schools are closing, and employees are being asked to work from home. This is an effort to practice social or public distancing. While all these things may be an inconvenience to many, the tactic has been studied and proven effective in controlling the spread of disease.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), social distancing or public distancing means remaining out of group settings, avoiding large gatherings, and keeping a distance of 6 feet from other people when possible.

The goal is to slow the spread of disease. This helps to prevent large numbers of people becoming sick at the same time, which can overload hospitals and deplete necessary resources.

Slowing the infection rate can allow patients to receive the care they need. This is also referred to as flattening the curve.

Some things to expect from social and public distancing include: working from home, virtual meetings, cancelled or postponed events, school closures, limited access to public gathering places, and restricted patient visitation to those most vulnerable. But, social and public

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distancing does not mean you have to lose your connection to others. Phone calls, FaceTime, and other virtual apps are great ways to keep in touch with friends and family. Even a small dinner with one or two friends who do not have symptoms is OK. The key to social and public distancing is the avoidance of large groups and public places.

The impact that social distancing has on decreasing the spread of disease far outweighs the temporary inconveniences that come with it. Controlling the rate at which the community is impacted is crucial to delivering timely and critical care to those impacted by the virus. It takes community participation for this to be most effective.

KRH Hospital Incident Command will continue to monitor the evolving COVID-19 situation.

Log on to www.krh.org/covid-19 for up-to-date information.

If you are experiencing symptoms of cough, fever, or difficulty breathing, please call our 24-hour call center at (406) 890-7272.

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HEALTH & WELLNESS |

avoiding exposure to pesticides

& other toxins

BY MINDY COCHRAN | LEVITATION NATION

Living on a small city lot gives me a chance to get to know my neighbors.

I love them all, but I will admit that some of them take better care of their yards than others. This leaves one minor downside of city living: when the dandelion seeds from unattended yards blow right into my own. In years past, this didn’t pose that much of a dilemma for me. I would just pull out the pesticide and get busy spraying.

In recent years, I have become aware of the detrimental role pesticides play in my quest for wellness. Even if I wear a mask to minimize inhaling toxin as I spray, pesticide can still be vaporized to the atmosphere and 80

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later re-deposited by rainfall to unwanted areas.

Pesticide can also make its way into surface water systems that can eventually affect the quality of our drinking water. Fortunately, I have found a simple solution to avoid exposing myself to pesticide toxins. I use a steel device called a “weed claw” to pull weeds out by the roots. Such a simple modification, I wish my younger self had known about the claw!

Which begs the question: Are there other areas where I am unnecessarily exposing myself to toxins? My older, more knowledgeable self put pen to paper to come up with a list: LOTIONS, MAKE-UP, DEODORANTS, SOAPS, AND PERFUMES: Pay attention to what you

are putting onto your body and make swaps for greener supplies where you can.

CLEANING PRODUCTS: You can swap for

greener cleaning supplies too. Also, wearing gloves will minimize the absorption of the cleaning supplies into your skin.

HAIR DYE: Now, this one hurts me a little because I love my hair dyed bright red, but my commitment to my column readers requires hair dye be included on this list. Here’s the lowdown: New studies came out last December that found women who used hair dye had a higher risk of developing breast cancer. Now I am not promising I am going to go all natural, but I will be following directions on the box to a “tee.”

MICROWAVING PLASTICS: I work with a

IMAGE BY BROOKE LARK

I

love living in downtown Kalispell. I am within walking distance of my work and gym, and there are numerous restaurants and breweries only minutes away.

In the winter, there is a sledding hill just down the road. In the summer, we have massive oak and chestnut trees that shade our back patio. Those same trees provide a stunning sight in the fall when they let filtered sunlight through their orange and yellow leaves.

gal who was stoked to find a Styrofoam that didn’t melt when microwaved. I am aware of dangers associated with microwaving plastic and how it can leach chemicals into your food, so I can’t imagine Styrofoam would be any different (possibly worse). Purchasing glass food storage containers is well worth the money, in my opinion. If you can’t afford to upgrade your storage containers, at least transfer your food out of plastic before microwaving.

WATER BOTTLES: Just like microwaving plastics can pose a threat to your health, so can drinking water from plastics bottles that have been left sitting out in a hot car. Switch to a stainless steel bottle and you also cut down on the waste that comes along with single-use plastic water bottles— now that’s a win-win.

I am not suggesting you try to completely avoid toxins because, unfortunately, that would be nearly impossible in this day and age. But you can pay attention to the products you use and consider alternatives when they exist. Also, keep in mind other factors that affect your wellness like nutrition, hydration, physical activity, and sleep. I am a big believer that your body is well equipped to detoxify itself without any fancy detox diets or supplements. Take care of your body by giving it lots of water, antioxidant-rich foods (organic if possible), quality movement and quality sleep, and your body will take care of you.

MINDY COCHRAN Is a columnist for Montana Woman Magazine. Her column, “ The Real Levitation Experience,” shares expertise for elevating health & wellness that she has acquired through her certif ications as a personal trainer and life coach. Mindy is also the founder of Kalispell ’s Levitation Nation Aerial Studio, where the catchphrase “f itness is fun” is embodied alongside a culture of movement & women empowerment. For more about Mindy or Levitation Nation, please visit levitationnation.org.

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