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Big Sky

Big Sky’s Locally Owned & Published Newspaper

Hunting Season

Photo by John Marshall

2010

October 29, 2010 Volume 1 // Issue #1

Bears in Big Sky Featured Artist: Mike “Ryno” Ryan Yellowstone Park Visitor Stats

Big Sky October 29, 2010 Volume 1, Issue 1 Eric Ladd CEO, PUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Megan Paulson COO & SENIOR EDITOR Mike Martins CREATIVE DIRECTOR Emily Stifler MANAGING EDITOR

Distribution Exclusive Distribution & Placement in Hamilton

Anaconda

Butte

2,000 +

rental properties

2,500 +

Big Sky taxi rides

Hotels and

resorts throughout SW montana

Bozeman

Three Forks Wisdom

Kelsey Dzintars GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Dillon

Big Sky Ennis

Big Timber

Livingston Gardiner

West Yellowstone

Abigail Digel ASSISTANT EDITOR John Marshall PHOTOGRAPHER Brian Niles VIDEOGRAPHER Doug Chabot, Brandy Ladd, Josh Howe, Jill Pertler, Kari Fieds CONTRIBUTING WRITERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS Editorial Policy Outlaw Partners LLC is the sole owner of The Big Sky Weekly. No part of this publication may be reprinted without written permission from the publisher. The Big Sky Weekly reserves the right to edit all submitted material for content, corrections or length. Printed material reflects the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the opinion of Outlaw Partners or the editors of this publication. No advertisements, columns, letters to the editor or other information will be published that contain discrimination based on sex, age, race, religion, creed, nationality, sexual preference, or are in bad taste.

Paper Distribution Distributed every other Friday in towns across Southwest Montana, including Big Sky, Bozeman, West Yellowstone, Three Forks and Livingston.

Corrections The Big Sky Weekly runs corrections to errors. Please report them to emily@theoutlawpartners.com.

OUTLAW PARTNERS & THE BIG SKY WEEKLY P.O. Box 160250 Big Sky, MT 59716 ExploreBigSky.com media@theoutlawpartners.com © 2010 The Big Sky Weekly Unauthorized reproduction prohibited

2 October 29, 2010

Dear Family, Friends and Neighbors, On behalf of the Outlaw Partners team, I would like to welcome you to our first edition of The Big Sky Weekly newspaper. Outlaw Partners is a Big Sky-based company offering full service marketing, consulting and now media services. For 14 years Faith Malpeili has owned and operated this newspaper making it a staple of our community; we would like to extend a thanks to her for all her blood, sweat and tears she poured into the publication.

We have some exciting plans for The Big Sky Weekly, and in this first edition, we have given you a taste of where we are headed.

Our goals with this paper include thoughtful journalism, meaningful discussion, quality advertising and community support. In the next few months, we plan to aggressively expand our distribution to bring this paper to over 25 towns in S/W Montana with a

Letter from the Editor Emily Stifler

goal of helping bridge the communication gap among many towns in this region. We are fortunate to all live in one of the most beautiful places in the country and our team is eager to help share the stories that we all live daily.

I moved to Montana 11 years ago and am so thankful to have found this amazing place to live. My wife Brandy is from Montana and together we own three amazing dogs and both base our work and lives out of Big Sky. I look at this opportunity of publishing this paper as a way to give back to the community that has been so great to us. Please look at this publication as a resource for you, your causes and your businesses.

Outlaw Partners is a team. Outlaw Partners is a company that is set-up to help businesses succeed.

Outlaw Partners is committed to being an integral part of the Montana communities we live in.

The Weekly is growing. Still based in Big Sky, we plan to stretch our coverage, storytelling and readership to Yellowstone and Cooke City, up the Paradise Valley, out to Big Timber, west to Whitehall, Twin Bridges and Wisdom, and south to Dillon. We hope to connect with the people, land and way of life in Southwest Montana.

stories like the hunting report and fishing season. Our health section, from acupuncturist and herbalist Kari Fields, gives tips for staying healthy during cold and flu season. In Fresh Perspectives, 10th grade students Maddie Covey and Rose Cote write about events in Big Timber and Gardiner. The Back 40 section features historian Josh Howe’s perspective on John Wesley Powell, and a winter forecast from Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center director Doug Chabot.

Like this part of the state, our content is wide ranging. In this issue we’ve covered traditional

For our ski resort update, we contacted Maverick Mountain in Polaris, Valley Bicycle in

Our team is committed to making this a world-class publication and we would like to thank you in advance for your support in this venture. If you have any ideas, comments or suggestions for any of our publications, The Big Sky Weekly, Montana Outlaw or Explorebigsky.com, please feel free to email me directly – eric@theoutlawpartners.com See you around town,

Eric Ladd

Betty, Brandy and Eric hunting in Three Forks

Hamilton for Lost Trail Powder Mountain, Discovery Mountain in Phillipsburg, Bridger Bowl and Bohart Ranch north of Bozeman, the Rendezvous trail system in West Yellowstone, as well as Big Sky Resort, Moonlight Basin and Lone Mountain Ranch in Big Sky. While still called the Weekly, our paper will now run twice a month.

This will give us space to run more in-depth stories across a broader area. Our website, ExploreBigSky. com, which is coming soon, will be a place for breaking news, videos, and other stories. As we grow, we’d love to hear from you.

Letter to the Editor Parameters We print letters to the editor. This is a platform for readers to express views and share ways they would like to effect change. The Weekly will run letters of 250 words or less that are respectful, ethical, state accurate facts and figures, and are proofread for grammar and content.

We reserve the right to edit letters.

Big Sky

Letters should include: first and last name, address, phone number and title. State your position clearly on one issue, elaborate on the issue with supporting evidence, and recommend action for a unique resolution.

Send letter to: emily@theoutlawpartners.com

Initiative 161

L I M I T E D

AD SPACE AVA I L A B L E

Initiative 161 sets a dangerous precedent of deciding hunting issues at the ballot box. The heart of this initiative aims to take away the outfitter sponsored elk and deer licenses. These are not special tag permits that residents have to apply to receive, they are simply a high priced general Montana elk or deer license that folks who hunt with an outfitter can buy to help support our nine million acres of block management hunting.

Outfitters are only guaranteed if they are able to book a hunter that person will be able to buy a license to hunt in our state. Outfitters are regulated by net client hunting use and forest service day and overnight use, and cannot take more hunters without buying an existing business or use days. Nonresident hunters are an important part of tourism that boosts the economy of every small town in Montana. This is not an access issue; we surely cannot force a private landowner to let someone on their land they do not choose.

This is an attempt to destabilize the outfitting industry that contributes so much in jobs and income at so many levels during hard economic times for every Montanan. I live, work and hunt in Montana, and I know the ballot box is not the place to discipline an industry or decide hunting issues. That’s why so many sportsmen’s groups oppose this bill, too.

Montanans are getting farther away from the land and hunting. Next we could be making changes in our own resident licenses by way of a vote from the general public.

Vote no on I-161!

Sandy Sallee Emigrant, MT

CONTACT ERIC LADD

406-570-0639 MEDIA@THEOUTLAWPARTNERS.COM October 29, 2010 3

Established in 1872, Yellowstone National Park was America’s first national park and is still one of the nation’s most popular. This year, Yellowstone has continued to set visitation records. Summer daily visits averaged between 25,000 and 30,000 people. September’s 550,504 visitors topped that month’s totals from 2009 by over 60,000. Year to date totals are up by 273,000 visitors from last year.

Park Visitors by month

Tourism boards in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho upped their marketing of Yellowstone in recent years. Additionally, the nationwide recession may have caused vacationers to stay closer to home.

Seasonal road closures in and around Yellowstone Park From early November through late April, all roads south through the park are closed to wheeled vehicles, including the road to Old Faithful Geyser.

During the winter season only two roads are plowed: 1. Between the North Entrance and Cooke City, MT 2. From Mammoth Hot Springs to the parking area at the Upper Terraces Fall storms can cause road closures. Call the current road report hotline at (307) 344-2117 for information on park roads.

250,445 694,841 957,785 854,837 550,504

Yellowstone Park: 2010 visitor numbers up from last year

4 October 29, 2010

september

august

july

june

may

april

march

february

January

• The road between Canyon and Tower is closed for the season. All others (excluding the North Entrance to Cooke City) are scheduled to close November 8 at 8 a.m.

• Norris to Madison (Gibbon Canyon)—Expect 30-minute delays during daylight hours. Possible 30-minute delays during nighttime hours • East Entrance Road (Sylvan Pass)—Possible 15 minute delay during daylight hours.

• Northeast Entrance Road (Lamar Bridge)—Bridge construction • Beartooth Highway (US 212)—Possible 20-minute delays at Beartooth Lake bridge.

• Pavement Preservation Projects - Mammoth Hot Springs Area • Canyon Village Area: South Rim Drive to Artist Point – Completed

25,959 29,108 21,028 32,763

Closures, construction, and changes:

The Local Scene Madrigal Dinner Returns to Buck’s T-4 on December 6 Festive Annual Event Kicks Off Big Sky’s Holiday Season The Arts Council of Big Sky is proud to present the 14th annual Madrigal Dinner, slated for Monday, Dec. 6, at 5 p.m. in the Buck’s T-4 Lodge Ballroom. This year, Buck’s T-4 Lodge, Karst Stage and the Half Moon Saloon are cosponsoring the event.

The Madrigal Dinner includes a three-course dinner from the chefs at Buck’s, as well as music from the Montana State University Montanans, the MSU Brass Quintet and the MSU Chorale.

The dinner has a theme of Olde English customs. The evening will begin with a no-host bar at 5 p.m. Fanfares will introduce the Ceremonial Procession of the Lord and Lady of the Manor and their guests, the Wassail Bowl and Christmas Toast, the Boar’s Head Procession and the Flaming Pudding Dessert. At the evening’s close, the audience and the musicians will join together and sing familiar carols.

Tickets are $55 per person and are on sale now. Reservations required. This event sells out quickly. Call soon to reserve your tickets: 995-2742. MasterCard and Visa are accepted.

The Arts Council of Big Sky is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing musical and artistic performances to the Big Sky Area. For more information call 995-2742 or visit www.bigskyarts.org.

Hockey & Skating Coming to Big Sky...With Your Help The Big Sky Skating and Hockey Association, Inc. (BSSHA) was officially incorporated as a non-profit entity this summer. The group is working hard to bring hockey and ice skating to its new site in the Town Center this winter.

BSSHA is drafting bylaws and seating a board of directors. They are preparing the application for the IRS’ 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status so that donors will be able to take the tax deduction for their donation.

The Montana Amateur Hockey Association (MAHA) has accepted BSSHA as a “probationary” member for two years while they track the progress of the organization.

Lone Mountain Ranch donated a 25’x70’ NiceRink that could be used as a smaller non-hockey recreational rink. BSSHA is collaborating with Grizzly Outfitters so kids can rent skates at Grizzly.

While BSSHA is off to a good start, it still needs help for the upcoming skating season. If you are interested in making a financial contribution of any amount, or if you have a business that would like to sponsor the rink or the BSSHA organization, please call the BSSHA fundraising director at 406-993-5450 or email him at bigskyice@gmail.com. Sponsorhip/donor packets are available upon request.

BSSHA will post updates on its Facebook page – check under Big Sky Skating and Hockey Association for updated information.

Items that require funding: 1. Purchase of six lights (preapproved by the county) 2. Hockey boards (early years may see a full-size rink, with 18” dasher boards while we fundraise for more expensive standard height boards) 3. Small, simple ice resurfacer 4. Warming hut rental (construction trailer, etc). Know of one that BSSHA could use/rent for the season? Please email bigskyice@gmail.com.

5. Rubber mats, goals, misc. equipment 6. Operations (power for lights, porta-potties, etc)

Skyline Bus System Gains Financial Support The Big Sky Transportation District, which operates the Skyline transit service in Big Sky, and between Big Sky and Bozeman, announced new financial support for the current fiscal year. The District received $20,000 from the Yellowstone Club Community Foundation, $10,000 from the Big Sky Owners Association, and $10,000 from the Human Resource Development Council District IX, Inc. “Many of our out-of-town members ride the bus between Big Sky and Bozeman and also rely on the local shuttle services,” says Mary Jane McGarity, Executive Director of the Big Sky Owners Association.

The new funds will fill the void left when the Big Sky Resort Tax Board reduced its funding to Skyline. The Big Sky Transportation District will continue to receive funding from the Big Sky Resort Tax Board, Big Sky Resort, Madison County, Moonlight Basin and the Federal Transit Administration.

Skyline to Implement $2 Fare on Link Express Service Entering its fourth full year of service, the Skyline transit system is going to implement a fare on its Link Express service between Big Sky and Bozeman. The local service in Big Sky will remain farefree. Fare collection will begin on November 1, 2010 and is $2 per roundtrip.

Grizzly numbers at a new high for Yellowstone Scientists from a multi-agency research team estimate at least 603 grizzlies are roaming the greater Yellowstone region

in big sky & Southwest montana

The $2 fare is based on a person purchasing a fare card. The card will be a “punch card,” with one punch being equal to one roundtrip. Without a card, the “cash fare” will be $5 per roundtrip. Three different fare cards will be available: a five-roundtrip card for $10; an 11-roundtrip card for $20; and a 23-roundtrip card for $40. The fare cards are not tied to an individual person, so friends or family can share a card.

Fare cards will be available for purchase, beginning October 18th, at a number of participating locations. Cards will not be for sale on the bus, so riders should purchase cards in advance at one of the following locations: Bob Ward and Sons, Chalet Sports, Gallatin Valley Mall office, Joe’s Parkway Market, Round House Ski & Sports Center, Town & Country Foods (11th Ave) in Bozeman; Casey’s Corner (Exxon) at Four Corners, and in Big Sky at the Big Sky Resort and Moonlight Basin (exact locations to be determined).

Visit skylinebus.com for information on where to purchase fare cards, and for the most current information on schedules. The winter schedule will begin on December 17, with seasonal service from November 25 through December 16.

Big Sky resident receives Girl Scouts’ Silver Award

Olivia Chambry recently received the Girl Scouts’ Silver Award, a high honor for a scout. To achieve this, Olivia completed a 40-hour service project and 15 hours of leadership experience. The award “represents a girl’s accomplishments in Girl Scouting and her community as she grows and works to improve her life and the lives of others.” The initial requirements of the Silver Award help girls “build skills, explore careers, gain leadership skills and make a commitment to self-improvement.” (GSMW.org) October 29, 2010 5

ski resort update

Big Sky Resort Big Sky, MT

Big Sky Resort offers the longest season in the area, the Lone Peak Tram, and quality terrain, lifts, and grooming. Open until April 24th this year, the resort is adding two full weeks of skiing to the season.

Big Sky Resort is committed to supporting students and educators, especially within the Montana community. The resort offers many discounts and programs to local schools including free season passes for students at Ophir School, discounted passes for students at Lone Peak High School, additional discounts for Lone Peak High School students with high GPAs or who participate in community service, as well as discounted passes for local teachers.

With the Ski PE program, Big Sky is will offer $38 lift tickets for Montana school kids who come with gym class during the school week.

The package includes a lift ticket, a two-hour lesson with a certified instructor, and ski equipment rentals for each student and chaperone.

Beginning November 25, Big Sky Resort is offering the second season of the Junior Has A Fit Program.

This program, available in Big Sky Sports, will allow skiers and riders ages 2-14 to have access to inexpensive, quality ski and snowboard gear that can then be exchanged for credit towards a new set-up the following year.

Big Sky has also added a fourth and a fifth zipline for winter of 6 October 29, 2010

2010-2011 winter. The new lines will be in the form of three times the length of Big Sky’s current longest zipline, and will run all the way from Chet’s Knob to Tippy’s Tumble, passing directly over the base area. Big Sky also offers the Tube Park, Bungee Trampoline and Climbing Wall challenges, Guided Snowshoe Tours, Snowcat Rides, and High Ropes Course challenges bigskyresort.com

Moonlight Basin Big Sky, MT Moonlight Basin is a place of spectacular contrast. Miles of scenic groomed trails roll gently, while the Headwaters and the North Summit Snowfield are as steep and alpine as inbounds skiing gets in the US. Lone Tree and glades like Single Jack round out the package.

Projected opening day for 2010 is December 11, with a special opening for season pass holders on Friday December 10.

Scheduled to go to court in December 2010 for Chapter 11 proceedings, Moonlight’s trial date has been rescheduled for April 18, 2011. Financing has been extended through September 15, 2011.

All of Moonlight’s winter and summer operations will continue to run as normal.

This year, Moonlight has removed the Pony Lodge and consolidated the base area operations, including the daycare, to the Madison Village. Parking is still available at the Pony Express lift.

New this year is a Derringeronly lift ticket ($25), designed for beginner skiers. For experts, Moonlights’s ski patrol will open the North Summit Snowfield as conditions permit.

In keeping with its vision to support local communities and be environmentally respectful, Moonlight partnered with an organic grass-fed cattle ranch that uses no pesticides, antibiotics, or hormones. All beef products at Headwaters Grille this winter will be locally produced.

Upcoming events and programs include the Turkey for a Ticket food drive (December 17) to support the Gallatin Valley Food Bank. Last year, Moonlight collected over 6,000 pounds of food, and this year they hope to double that amount. The M-BAR-T program will continue this year, as well. For $99, Montana school kids with academic excellence or improvement can ski and rent equipment for winter of 2010/11.

Moonlight will also host the annual Headwaters Spring Runoff competition. moonlightbasin.com

Bridger Bowl Bozeman, MT Bozeman’s hometown ski hill has something for everyone. This year, a new Doppelmayr CTECH triple chair will replace the old Bridger and Deer Park Riblet Lifts, which were originally installed in 1964 and 1971, respectively.

The new lift will have a maximum capacity of 1,800 skiers per hour,

providing 7.5% more uphill vertical transport feet than the older lifts combined.

The old Deer Park road and lift unloading area will be reclaimed and contoured to that slopes’ original state, providing uninterrupted runs from top to bottom with no road cuts from Avalanche Gulch to Bronco. There will also be a mid-way unloading ramp and expanded snowmaking. A rope tow will provide access to the new lift and Deer Park Chalet.

Annual events include the Skin to Win Randonee Rally, King and Queen of the Ridge, and the Pinhead Classic. Projected opening date: December 10, but possibly as early as Thanksgiving weekend, snow conditions permitting. bridgerbowl.com

Lost Trail Powder MTN Conner, MT A local’s ski area on the continental divide between Montana and Idaho, Lost Trail is famous for early season dumps and powder Thursdays. All-mountain and kids programs, and ladies clinics are available. Hit up the customer appreciation steak fry or the spring pond skim! Annual events include a slopestyle snowboard competition and the Special Olympics.

Discounted season passes and 10day passes on sale now. Gift certificates for sale. Predicted opening: when there is enough snow. Open Thursday-Sunday. losttrail.com

Maverick MTN Polaris, MT Maverick is a small family ski area with nearly 2000’ of vertical. Get involved in the Home and Rural School Ski Program, the Little Skiers’ Program, or the Masters Program. Catch an annual event like the New Years Eve torchlight parade, the Bartender’s Cup team race, the slalom or the downhill.

Discounted season passes and tickets available until opening day.

Predicted opening date is December 11. Open Thursday-Sunday. skimaverick.com

Discovery Ski Area Phillipsburg, MT Discovery’s 2,388’ of vertical has three faces: The front face is a blend of gentle runs and long, intermediate cruisers. The Granite Chair has continuous steep groomers and mogul skiing. The backside is steep, ungroomed and rowdy. A new backside chairlift will add 250 acres of terrain this year. Kids programs include Kinderski, and the ESP program for kids 7-12. Season passes and discounted tickets are on sale now.

Predicted opening date is November 25. skidiscovery.com

Lone Mountain Ranch Big Sky, MT Lone Mountain Guest Ranch grooms over 90 kilometers of Nordic ski trails and offers terrain for all abilities. The addition of dog-friendly Town Center trails last year means even more opportunity to play on skinny skis. Stop by the Ranch for Winter Trails Day, January 8, for equipment rentals, trail passes and lessons, only $5 per person.

with the Gallatin Valley Land Trust. Bohart hosts many events like the Bobcat Christmas Pole, the Bozeman Nordic Fest, Make Tracks for Trails, and the Senior Olympics. They offer ski school classes and programs throughout the season. Discounted season passes are for sale through November 15 - available at Bohart Ranch, Bangtail, Northern Lights and Summit. Season pass perks include skiing before and after season, before and after daily hours during season, and opportunities to bring your dog skiing. Planned opening: December, snow conditions permitting. bohartranchxcski.com

Rendezvous Ski Trails

IN LIFE’S GREAT ADVENTURE EVERYONE COULD USE A HAND.

West Yellowstone, MT Planned opening: November Rendezvous Ski Trails are 35k of groomed classic and skate crosscountry trails managed through a partnership agreement between the West Yellowstone Ski Education Foundation (WYSEF), the Chamber of Commerce, and the USFS. Rendezvous is updating and replacing the biathlon targets to meet international standards this year. Also in the works is an expansion of the inner loop system, to be completed by 2012.

This winter’s events include the Yellowstone Ski Festival in November, the Yellowstone Rendezvous Race, and the 24-hour Equinox Ski Challenge. Day and season passes are available at the West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce Visitor’s Center, Bud Lilly’s Trout Shop, Freeheel & Wheel, and at the trailhead.

Projected opening date is midNovember or as soon as there is 4” of snow on the ground. rendezvousskitrails.com

WE’RE COMMITTED TO HELPING YOU MOVE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. At First Security Bank, we know that you have individual goals, and our products and services are designed to help you reach them – faster.

And, with a friendly staff of experts always willing to lend a hand, you’ll never feel like you’re alone in the wilderness. Stop by the branch in Meadow Village or call us for more information.

www.ourbank.com

(406) 993-3350 Member FDIC

This is how Big Sky gets into hot water.

The first annual Big Sky Nordic Ski Festival will be March 6-13.

This fun week will include clinics, downhill races, family programs, terrain park challenges, and even events for dogs. Proceeds from the Big Sky Nordic Ski Festival help fund the Nordic programs of the Big Sky Ski Education Foundation.

Discounted season passes are on sale now, with special discounts for seniors and chamber members.

The Nordic trails will open in early December, depending on ski conditions. lonemountainranch.com.

Bohart Ranch Bozeman, MT Located in the Bridger Mountains, Bohart’s 25k of groomed trails are part of a conservation easement

Nordic Hot Tub We service what we sell!

Spa sales to fit your budget Pool and spa care after the sale Custom maintenance plans

Spa covers and custom lifts Lots of accessories for your spa Special orders available

www.BigSkyHotTubs.com (406) 995-4892 • NordicHotTub@aol.com 47520 Gallatin Rd. • Big Sky, MT 59716

October 29, 2010 7

harvest

Farm to Table Big Sky Local Food connects local producers and consumers

By Emily Stifler

Starting this fall, Big Sky Local Food will make it easy for Big Sky and Bozeman residents and restaurants to order locally produced food. An online ordering system at bigskylocalfood.com offers over 75 local products like meat, cheese, produce, bread and eggs. Customers sign up for the program on a six-month basis, order from a seasonally changing inventory, and pick up orders once a week at locations in Big Sky and Bozeman.

Founder Ennion Williams of Big Sky compares the online food co-op to a farmers market.

He wants to connect with all producers of local food in the greater Gallatin Valley area.

“I am excited to create the consumer demand for local products so that local area farmers, ranchers and producers will be able to have a greater demand for their product. [I’d like] to see our local dollars going back to our community.”

In its third week of business, Big Sky Local Food is already working with 15 Gallatin Valley area producers. Williams plans to have 30 by the end of November.

Gena Haas of Big Sky says she ordered bison burger last week “because it was different. This encourages me to be more creative.” In the past, Haas didn’t buy many local products. “I didn’t want to drive around to pick it up,” she says. “But this makes it easy to support local farmers and business and give my family organic food.

8 October 29, 2010

Williams’ business partner, Kim Schmidt, runs the Bozeman program at bozemanlocalfood.com. “I love farmers’ markets,” she says. “Now we are providing a place where people can buy local products all in one venue, year round.”

Schmit wants to create a system in Bozeman, where she delivers products to consumers at home.

community view In light of the upcoming election we asked a few people on the street about voting and about what issues were important to them.

Joan Wright, Bozeman “I may or may not vote. I haven’t had much time to research the issues at hand.”

Roger Olson, Belgrade “I’m definitely going to vote. I’m a life member of the NRA. I’m a republican, so I’m voting for the right to own firearms.”

In 2008, Williams’ sister, Molly Harris, developed Lulu’s Local Food in Virginia on the same model of connecting local farmers to consumers. The following year she expanded the system statewide.

Big Sky Local Food plans to work with farm to restaurant and farm to school programs.

Williams says it will facilitate a chef’s work, making it convenient to order local food.

Down the road, he’d also like to expand to Helena, Billings and Missoula. “We are going to create a network of local food across the state, [keeping] our purchases local.”

Local food is a “growing trend,” says Mike Lang from Big Sky Premium Meats in Four Corners. Lang is enthusiastic about helping Big Sky Local Food grow their operation, but says, “I want to find a good balance.

I would hate to see this have an adverse effect on the retailers that already sell local products.

Interested? Signup is $50 for a six-month membership at bigskylocalfoods.com. Customers order over the weekend (Friday 6 p.m. - Monday 6 p.m.) Pickups are Thursday between 3 and 6 p.m. at the Big Sky Town Center show room or in Bozeman at the Kmart. Field Day Farms in Bozeman also runs a similar operation, offering online ordering for local produce, meat and eggs.

Jean Palmer, Big Sky “I voted with an absentee ballot. The language of ballot issue CI-105 is convoluted, which confuses voters regarding the real focus of the issue.”

Editor’s note about ballot issue CI-105 (from the Montana Secretary of State’s voter information pamphlet):

There is no existing state or local tax on transactions that sell or transfer real property in Montana. CI-105 amends the Montana Constitution to prohibit state or local governments from imposing any new tax on transactions that sell or transfer real property, such as residential homes, apartments, condominiums, townhouses, farms, ranches, land, and commercial property, after January 1, 2010.

Montanans already pay property taxes. But in recent years there have been several proposals in the Montana legislature to implement a second tax on real property, referred top as a Real Estate Transfer Tax (RETT). This new tax would be assessed any time real property—such as a home, farm or business—changes ownership. CI-105 is a constitutional amendment that will prevent the Montana legislature and local governments from imposing an RETT.

Voting ‘yes’ on CI-105 means that you want to prevent a new tax on the sale or transfer of a home or real property as well as not allowing lawmakers in Montana to implement a Real Estate Transfer Tax. Voting ‘no’on the initiative is voting in favor of a new tax on sold or transferred property.

6.8 % of hunters harvested game on opening weekend

Hunting

from Fish Wildlife and Parks

New Opening Day:

Deer Youth Hunt at Fall Break:

Antelope, deer and elk seasons open on a Saturday instead of Sunday for the first time in recent years. Elk harvest was up compared to 2009 in the opening days of the 2010 big game season in southwest Montana. Mule deer harvest was on par with 2009 while whitetailed deer harvest was down.

Overall on opening weekend about 6.8 percent of hunters harvested game—3,173 hunters passed through the seven check stations with 178 elk, 30 mule deer and seven white-tailed deer.

October 21-22, the Thursday and Friday preceding the Saturday opener, were approved days for a deer hunt for youths 12-15. These dates coincided with Montana’s annual two-day teachers’ convention, which were no-school days for most public school students. Also, a new youth rule reduces the age limit for certain hunting licenses with the completion of an approved hunter education course.

Come Home to Hunt: A new law encourages nonresidents who once lived in Montana to “come home to hunt” with parents, siblings and other close family members. The program is aimed at continuing Montana family traditions by making an effort to bring sons and daughters and family back home during hunting season. A total of 500 Nonresident Big Game Combination licenses and 500 Nonresident Deer Combination licenses will be issued to nonresident adults who have completed a Montana hunter safety course prior to March 1, 2010, or have previously purchased a Montana resident hunting license and who are sponsored by a Montana resident family member.

For more information about these and other Fish Wildlife and Parks programs, visit: fwp.mt.gov/hunting/news.html

October 29, 2010 9

photo by Royce Gorsuch

BY EMILY STIFLER This fall, Montana bears have been interacting with humans more than usual. A Missoula-area grizzly made national news when it fled from a woman wielding a zucchini. Violent maulings occurred in Yellowstone and in the Gravelly Range. Mischievous black bears have been dumpster diving and breaking into cars in Bozeman and Big Sky. In the fall, as bears prepare to hibernate they go through a stage called hyperphagia, when they eat up to 20,000 calories a day. In the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem, whitebark pine seeds are one of bears’ main food sources during this time. In recent years however, white pine blister rust fungus and mountain pine beetle epidemics have caused a major decrease in Western Montana whitebark pine stands.

“When there is a shortage of pine nuts…ravenous bears are more likely to focus on alternative foods, like garbage or hunter ‘gut piles,’ which brings them into conflict with humans more often,” states the American Institute of Biological Sciences.

To learn about bear attractants, how to tell if your residence is bearfriendly, and some bear-aware tools to help keep bears wild, visit the FWP online.

BEARS IN

BIG SKY The Montana department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks suggests following basic bear safety: • Do not put out salt licks, grain, or deer blocks to attract wild animals, as these create areas of concentrated animal scent that will then draw in bears and mountain lions.

• Use native plant landscaping whenever possible. Be aware that a watered lawn with lush grass, clover, and dandelions is an attractive feeding site for bears.

• Close all windows when not at home or when cooking.

• Talk to your children about bears and how to avoid them.

• Have a plan in case a bear comes inside your home and keep bear pepper spray handy.

• Give a bear that is in your home an escape route by propping all doors open with something heavy that will act as a doorstop.

• Never approach a bear in your yard, always give bears an escape route and never crowd or harass a bear.

Photo by John Marshall 10 October 29, 2010

health & wellness Staying Healthy through Cold and Flu Season

this your wei qi. You can strengthen your wei qi by getting a few acupuncture treatments at the beginning of the season, followed by bi-monthly or monthly tune ups. If you do not like the thought of needles, herbal qi tonics also do the trick. The best formula to boost your wei qi and fight of these exogenous pathogens is Yu Ping Fang San.

adults. The best way to use them is to rub them on points along the lung meridian, specifically, on lung points seven and nine, both located on the wrists. Children should use Eucalyptus Radiata along with Douglas Fir or Pine.

Adults can use Eucalyptus of any kind, Pine and Tea Tree. Please note that you must use a carrier oil with these.

Along with these changes comes cold and flu season. However, there are natural, safe and effective ways to ward off colds and the flu, and if you do become sick, there are also ways to shorten the duration and intensity.

Tinctures of Yu Ping Fang San are also good for children. Depending on their age and bravado with tastes, you can squirt a little right into their mouths. Otherwise, you can put a little into water or juice to cover up the taste. For babies under a year old, boil off the alcohol and administer it either of the ways listed above, or put it into a bottle.

Preventatively, you want to boost your body’s defense system. Practitioners of Chinese medicine call

Essential oils can also be used to ward off colds and the flu. These oils are great for babies, kids and

What happens if you do come down with something? Usually, the first sign of sickness is a sore or itchy throat, which is shortly followed by body aches. Typically, if you have an itchy throat you probably have a wind-cold invasion. If this happens, I suggest you visit a natural health care clinic soon. If the pathogen is still on the surface, we use acupuncture to release the wind and cold from your body. We will follow this up with the herbal formula Gan Mao Ling.

If you come in with a sore throat

By Kari Fields L Ac, Herbalist The colder weather typical of fall in Montana has arrived. The winds are picking up, and the air is turning cool. The peaks surrounding us are dusted with snow. Soon the snow will be falling at our feet, and ski season will be growing nearer.

then you have caught some windheat, and we will release the wind and heat and give you Yin Qiao.

Now, if the pathogen is really strong, your defenses are down or you have waited too long to be seen, then the pathogen moves deeper into your body. At this time, the treatment and herbal prescriptions will vary. The course of treatment depends on where in your body the pathogen has moved. We can still help shorten the duration and intensity, so that you will feel much better.

Chinese Medicine is fabulous at treating colds and the flu. If you have any questions please feel free to call Great Turning Healing Center, located on W. Kagy Blvd. Our phone number is 406-922-2745 and our web address is greatturninghealing.com.

E tymology:

O r i g i ns of

‘Indian Summer’

BY EMILY STIFLER

“A severe frost succeeds which prepares it to receive the voluminous coat of snow which is soon to follow; though it is often preceded by a short interval of smoke and mildness, called the Indian summer.” - Letters From an American Farmer, Michel-Guillaume-Jean de Crèvecoeur, 1778

De Crevecoeur’s description of Indian summer in rural New York State is the first recorded mention of the meteorological phenomenon that occurs across the Northern Hemisphere. This period of sunny, warm weather after the first frost was long in Montana this year.

An online phrase finder (phrases.org) states, “The term Indian summer reached England in the 19th century, during the heyday of the British Raj in India. This led to the mistaken belief that the term referred to the Indian subcontinent. In fact, the Indians in question were the Native Americans.”

In the 1830s the term was used figuratively in American literature, referring to a late flowering after a decline. In 1834 John Greenleaf Whittier wrote of “the Indian Summer of the heart” in his poem “Memories.”

The actual origin of the name is unsure, though there area many speculations: • Early European settlers named it ‘the Indian’s summer.’

• Indian tribes set prairie fires, creating hazy skies in early fall.

• Native Americans harvested crops during this time.

• ▪The weather pattern was common in what were North American Indian territories.

• It could be related to marine shipping trade in the Indian Ocean.

• Indian war raids of European settlements typically ended in fall.

• Parallel by other ‘Indian’ terms, it implied a belief in Indian falsity: an Indian summer was a fake reproduction of summer.

October 29, 2010 11

backcountry snowcat skiing & boarding NELSON, BC CANADA

32,000 acres just over the border

Upcoming Ski Swaps Clean your closet and refresh your quiver with ‘new’ gear

By Megan Paulson Three prominent ski swaps are set to take place in Big Sky, Bozeman and West Yellowstone in the next two weeks. These swaps offer unparalleled bargain hunting for devoted athletes and deal-seekers alike.

“In addition to providing good deals, it’s great because all the events help a good cause,” says West Yellowstone Ski Festival Director, Sara Hoovler.

Local ski education foundations and volunteers are the core of organizing and sponsoring these events. The Big Sky Ski Education Foundation, Bridger Ski Foundation and West Yellowstone Ski Foundation all benefit from sales – either sharing in a percentage of the ticket price of gear sold, or charging flat fees paid at the time of consignment.

The key to finding the best deal?

“Get there early,” says Bozeman local, Suzi Custis. “Last year I scoped out some skis during consignment and was one of the first ones in line in the morning. I had to throw a couple elbows, but I got them and at a really good price.

I’m a poor college student, so it’s an affordable way for me to shop for quality gear on a budget.”

Big Sky Ski Education Foundation Ski and All Gear Swap Saturday, October 30 Location: When: 9:00 a.m.

10:00 a.m.

– 1:00 p.m.

B A L D FA C E . N E T I N F O @ B A L D FA C E . N E T 250-352-0006

12 October 29, 2010

Ophir School (Old Gym) – Big Sky Saturday, Oct. 30 Registration and Consignment Open to Public

Details: This is an all gear swap with equipment from any season – golf clubs, kayaks, snowboard boots, skis, soccer gear and more.

General admission is free; $10 to sell any amount of gear from one to 100 items. Proceeds benefit the Big Sky Ski Education Foundation

Bridger Ski Foundation Annual Ski Swap November 5-7 Location:

Gallatin County Fairgrounds When: Nov. 5 - 7 Friday, November 5 10:00 a.m. Consignment - 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, November 6 8:00 a.m.

Open for BSF Member Volunteers 9:00 a.m.

Open for BSF Members 10:00 a.m. Open to Public - 5:00 p.m.

Sunday, November 7 10:00 a.m. Open to Public - 2:00 p.m. *All unsold gear must be picked up between 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. on Sunday or will be considered a donation to BSF Details: General admission $2 (Saturday), children 44 inches and under free; Sunday free; BSF members attend free of charge – one-year BSF memberships can be purchased the day of the sale for $20 and allow early access.

Credit cards are accepted for purchases with a percentage of sales benefiting the Bridger Sky Foundation.

West Yellowstone Ski and Gear Swap November 12 Location:

Rendezvous Trailhead Building – West Yellowstone When: Nov. 12-13 Friday, November 12 4:00 Consignment 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, November 13 8:00 a.m. - Open to Public 12:00 p.m.

12:00 Pick up unsold 1:00 p.m. items Details: General admission is free. All non-motorized winter gear welcome for consignment.

A percentage of sales benefit the West Yellowstone Ski Education Foundation

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slice of life The urgency of the dishwasher

By Jill Pertler

I meant to start the dishwasher, I really did. It was full of dishes – dirty ones.

Then the phone rang. You can’t ignore the phone because if you do, the ringing continues. So I answered, and discovered my son needed a ride home from practice. I couldn’t leave him in the lurch, so I left. Somewhere enroute to the garage, I forgot about the dishwasher.

I got home, went to put my coat away and came face to face with the laundry pile. Good news: the clothes were clean. Bad news: they needed folding.

I would have disregarded the whole folding thing, but the laundry (clean as it was) rested atop a bed. My bed. Since I consider sleep a priority on a nightly basis, the unfolded laundry needed attention before nightfall. It couldn’t wait long.

I finished the laundry and remembered the dishwasher.

For the second time in an hour, I meant to start the dishwasher. Then I heard the dog barking by the back door.

You don’t want to make a dog wait if you can avoid it, especially when the dog in question hasn’t been out since noon and is currently jumping up and down in a frenzied, I-have-to-go manner. Letting the dog out becomes a priority at that point.

Before the dog finished her business, the doorbell rang. The mailman stood on my front stoop holding a package. I love getting packages; reminds me of Christmas. Somewhere between the excitement of signing and unwrapping of the package (turned out to be a book), I forgot about the dog and the dishwasher.

Until I heard barking. Then I remembered about the dog. The dishwasher does not bark, so I did not recall the need to start the dishwasher right then.

What can I say? It was a busy day.

Which is exactly the problem with my life and society in general: our overabundance of busy. Some think it is good – a status symbol, even. I’m not convinced.

My mom did laundry on Mondays.

That is what she did. She devoted Mondays to one task: cleaning clothes. Can you imagine this luxury? I’m guessing the answer is no. My mom was a hard-

working, imaginative and resourceful woman. Her abilities to remove set-in stains surpass my fantasies. Well, they would, if I entertained fantasies about stain removal.

My mom did laundry on Mondays. She didn’t feel the need to multi-task or fret about how busy she was. She just did the laundry.

I recently read something about the state of our current society. It said we are intent on giving our attention to tasks that are urgent, and in doing so we are missing the tasks that are important.

Do you see the difference?

When you compare the two words: urgent and important, urgent sounds more… well… urgent. Emergencies – real ones involving blood or babies being born – are urgent. They must be attended to. No argument there.

Answering the phone, folding the laundry, letting the dog out and even starting the dishwasher can seem urgent. But, in the big picture, are they important? If I don’t start the dishwasher today, what will the implications be tomorrow? In a year? In five years? Who’s going to remember my dirty dishes?

On the flip side, if I don’t tuck my eight-year-old into bed; if I don’t tell my aging dad that I love him; if I don’t show kindness to the person behind me in the check-out line, what will that mean in those same five years?

We live in a scattered society. We run from here to there and we struggle to keep up with all the urgent – albeit necessary – things in our lives. We do laundry during our spare moments because we are busy; we forget to start the dishwasher because the doorbell rings or the dog barks; we rush because we think we must. We have our blinders on and don’t realize we have a choice.

My mom did laundry on Mondays.

That was her chore for the day. It was an important task, but she didn’t make it an urgent one. She was a smart woman who taught me much. Her lessons remain pertinent today because, while not necessarily urgent, their importance is uncontested.

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I really do have to start the dishwasher.

Jill Pertler is a syndicated columnist and author of “The Do-It-Yourselfer’s Guide to Self-Syndication.” Email her at pertmn@qwest.net; Follow Slices of Life on Facebook, or check out her website at marketing-by-design.home.mchsi.com

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Gallery

Featured Artist: Mike ‘Ryno’ Ryan

By Emily Stifler

“It’s about the relationship of colors” Originally from Burnsville, Minnesota, Mike ‘Ryno’ Ryan studied media and theatre arts at MSU in the early 90s. The lifelong artist has been painting a colorful series of vintage cars and trucks for the past five months. After 14 years in Montana, Ryno says living here gives him balance. “I can go for a hike, and then paint until it gets too to see dark in the garage.”

Words from Ryno: I’m a downhill skier.

I was an extra in A River Runs Through It. I once painted the inside of a bear cave for an IMAX film about black bears.

I broke my shoulder and elbow skiing three years ago and was in a sling for two months. I did one left-handed painting, of two friends and a dog at Hebgen Lake. That taught me applying the paint isn’t that important to get per-

fect. It’s more about the relationship of colors. It made me slow down and think before painting.

old appliances and vacuum cleaners.

In 1994, I worked as a props assistant on a PBS documentary called “Nobody’s Girls,” shot in Virginia City and Nevada City. It sparked me to do art for myself again.

In November I’m going to Texas, Kansas and Louisiana to work on the set for two hunting shows, Buck Commander and Duck Commander. Those guys have big beards and duck hunt every day of the 60-day season.

When I was a kid I drew animals and cartoons. I liked tigers, dogs and black panthers.

I’d never thought about trying to make a living as an artist until recently.

My first art show was a series of female nude acrylics I had in the Zebra Below in 1999.

-----------

I lived in Wilmington, North Carolina for two years. Every Saturday night a music club invited an artist to paint live while a band played.

Sometimes it was rock, sometimes jazz. One woman did abstract finger paintings. I used a big canvas and painted acrylics. Those paintings have a frenzied energy.

To see more of Ryno’s work, please visit him online at: etsy.com/shop/rynoprints. His prints are for sale at Shoefly in downtown Bozeman, and Fraid Sew in Helena. He will have work at Tart, in the Emerson Cultural Center in Bozeman, starting in November.

I’m drawn to cars and trucks from the 60s and 70s. They’re like art, with the detailed chrome and colors. The first one I painted was an International truck that belonged to my friend Shaw.

He owns the Misco Mill, the peach-colored mill on Wallace Avenue in Bozeman. He’s an oil painter and has a gallery in the Mill. He also builds really cool furniture.

I’m trying to convey each car as having a personality.

A friend of mine is filming a show called ‘Friends of the NRA.’ The promotional vehicle for the show is a brand new, black Ford 250 diesel. It has a bullet shooting out in the back and ‘Friends of the NRA’ plastered all over it.

The license plate has the American flag and a bald eagle on it. He’s commissioning me to do a painting of the truck. I’m going to paint an American flag in the background.

I’m into cooking, so I’ve thought about painting October 29, 2010 17

kids corner What are you dressing up as for Halloween?

Name this year’s Halloween costume – here’s what kids are saying around town:

Bumblebee Transformer

Bailey, age 4 Ballerina with pink slippers and a silver crown

Halloween 2010

1. Why are Halloween colors orange and black?

2. What is the origin of the Jack o’ Lantern?

3. Where did Halloween celebrations begin?

4. What was the first wrapped penny candy in America?

5. What is the average annual Halloween candy

jedi knight

Hudson, age 8 Spiderman

sale dollar amount in the United States?

6. What are signs of a werewolf?

7. Why do vampires suck human blood?

8. Where do vampire bats live?

9. What is the average life span for a common

buzz lightyear

Noah, age 7 Farmer (who gets to drive the BIG tractors!)

North American brown bat?

10. The vehicles in the movie “Halloween” have California license plates. Where is the movie supposed to take place?

11. Why is Halloween on October 31st?

------

superman & turtle

Sidney, age 10 Black Cat (meowing optional) Nate, age 5 Scary Werewolf (blood & howling mandatory) Aislinn, age 10 Old-school Mobster/Gangster Girl (with pink pin stripe suit, bowtie and hat)

1. Orange is associated with the Fall harvest and black is associated with darkness and death.

2. Jack o’ Lanterns originated in Ireland where people placed candles in hollowed-out turnips to keep away spirits and ghosts on the Samhain holiday.

3. Emmigrants to North America brought Halloween from Europe, where they celebrated the harvest around a bonfire, shared ghost stories, sung, danced and told fortunes. The ancient Celts thought that spirits and ghosts roamed the countryside on Halloween night. They began wearing masks and costumes to avoid being recognized as human.

4. Tootsie Rolls 5. $2 billion 6. A unibrow, hairy palms, tattoos and a long middle finger.

7. Vampires are mythical beings who defy death by sucking the blood of humans.

8. Vampire bats live in Central and South America (not Transylvania). They feed on the blood of cattle, horses and birds.

9. 32 years 10. Illinois 11. October 31st is the last day of the Celtic calendar. It was originally a pagan holiday, honoring the dead.

Halloween was referred to as All Hallows Eve and dates back to over 2000 years ago.

Halloween Trivia from halloween-website.com

18 October 29, 2010

The Weekly’s fresh perspectives section is an opportunity for young adults from schools around Southwest Montana to share stories and opinions about local community events.

For more information, or to contribute, please have your teacher contact us at: brandy@theoutlawpartners.com

“We want to help with social issues, such as war, world hunger, human trafficking, but sometimes we feel helpless.”

A Global Perspective for 10th Graders

by Rose Cote

Tenth graders from Gardiner are well aware they live in a community sheltered from many of the world’s problems.

“This is a very safe area to grow up.

In a way, it’s good to feel protected and safe, but knowing the rest of the world is different, makes you wonder how you’ll react when you enter the real world,” says Julia Porzner.

Our outlook on the world can sometimes be small, but our teachers try to help us. Right now 10th graders are reading,

A Long Way Gone, a book about a boy soldier from Sierra Leone, which many students think is helping them better understand the world. We want to help with social issues, such as war, world hunger, human trafficking, but sometimes we feel helpless.

“I am definitely concerned with all these things, but I’m not sure how to take action or help,” Sarah Manry says.

Although our world can sometimes be small because of where we live, the lessons we learn through reading and experiencing other cultures are changing our worldviews.

Olivia Cretella shares, “I think that now we’re older, we begin to focus more on larger issues, rather than the irrelevant childish ideas we used to care about.”

Rose Cote is a 10th grade student at Gardiner High School.

The Women’s Bazaar in Big Timber

By Maddie Covey The Women’s Bazaar in Big Timber is a great way to get out and enjoy talented local vendors, and to spend some time with family and friends, get started on Christmas shopping, and maybe even find a trinket or two for yourself. While you are there, you can also fill up on some delicious, homemade meals.

tie the scrumptious meal together and will leave everyone in the joyous mood of the season. All proceeds go straight back into the community to help refurbish local places that have brought out community together for years. Those places include the park, the library and the Dugout.

The Bazaar has been sponsored by the Big Timber Women’s Club for over 20 years. They bring in more than 100 vendors who sell everything from homemade dog treats to handmade rings, chocolates to furry toy animals. There is such a wide variety that they fill two local venues, the Civic Center and the American Legion.

The Women’s Club has always been very supportive of the students here in Big Timber. Every year they are generous enough to give out a scholarship to a high school senior here at Sweet Grass County High School.

After checking a few things off your Christmas shopping list, treat yourself to a meal in the basement of the Legion. It is usually provided by one of the local churches and features mouthwatering soups and your choice of sandwich or side to satisfy your chilled hunger. Their homemade pies and cheesecakes for dessert

No matter if you’re young or old the Bazaar has something for everyone. Come out and support our great community, and get into the Christmas spirit by attending the 2010 Women’s Bazaar in Big Timber on November 6. It’s sure to be an exciting, if not bizarre event!

Maddie Covey is a 10th grade student at Sweetgrass County High School in Big Timber.

October 29, 2010 19

business Marketing in a Recession

by Megan Paulson The term ‘recession’ has topped the charts as the number one buzzword for 2010. With gloom and doom at the forefront of the news, small and large businesses have made reductions in work force. Feeling uncertain about the future, many of these businesses are hesitant with marketing expenditures.

Although it may seem contrary to market during an economic downturn, many experts suggest exactly the opposite: recessions are an ideal time to market and actually increase your efforts as a way to gain market share and stay on top of the game.

According to Advertising Age, when a recession occurs, consumers do not go away so neither should marketing. What changes is consumers’ approach on buying. It’s up to businesses to reach out

Business Profile of the Week Tear It Up LLC Professional Document Shredding & Recycling; Leaders in Identity Theft Protection Inspired by a TV show nine years ago, brothers Tony and Brandon Sorenson opened Tear It Up with a pickup truck and trailer, outfitted with a small, traditional office paper shredder. After a month the duo built their first custom truck in Missoula. After a year and a half, they needed a second truck. Now the Sorensons have four trucks–two operating in Gallatin Valley and two serving the Missoula area.

in new and interesting ways. A few important concepts to keep in mind:

Purchase Power – Tied to the U.S. Cost of Living Index, consumer purchasing power measures the value in money for which consumers may purchase goods or services.

During a recession, purchasing power is likely reduced for two reasons: an actual decrease in spendable income, or fear of a future decrease. What does this mean for my business? Less consumer purchasing power increases competition for every dollar spent – a dynamic and often volatile environment. How do you stand out?

Research – Determine your position among competitors in the marketplace. It’s extremely important to know who your clients are in order to better respond to their needs, as well as earn and retain their trust.

Impact – Reach beyond the competition. What can you offer that makes a statement and allows you to gain market share?

Value – Consumers find comfort in value-driven efforts.

Consider discounts, coupons or special pricing, and use multiple channels to get word out.

Communication – Reach out. As a business it’s important to connect, and even more so during a recession.

Leaders in identity theft protection, Tear It Up provides professional document shredding and paper recycling–from medical records and receipts to legal documents and magazines.

“People are usually surprised to know we’re Gallatin Valley’s first document shredding company,” says co-owner Tony Sorenson. “Tear It Up is not a franchise. We are local and 100 percent family owned and operated. Our mother is an owner in the company as well. From the beginning we were proud to be a family-run operation.”

Tear It Up recycles 100 percent of the paper they shred. Depending on the broker, the majority of paper waste is transformed into egg cartons and carton separators for shipping produce. Rated as a Level II security shredder, Tear It Up utilizes state-certified scales and trucks that are self-contained–no need for idling or running the truck while shredding–thus saving emissions.

Sorenson notes that although he works mostly with professional businesses, Tear It Up serves individuals and personal residences, as well.

“Because we realize a family will usually have much less paper than traditional businesses, we waive the onsite fees and only charge by the pound, allowing customers to order our service on an ‘on call’ basis,” says Sorenson.

Tear It Up is HIPPA compliant, accredited with the Better Business Bureau and members of the National Association of Information Destruction. Although not required by the association, Sorenson says they have implemented background checks and drug testing on all employees.

effective ways to reach out to past customers and future patrons.

“We want to ensure our customers have the utmost confidence and trust in our service.”

Overall, focus your marketing efforts to get the best return on

For more information on Tear It Up document shredding services in Gallatin Valley call 406-581-9612 or visit tearitup.biz.

Use different mediums – web, email and print are all easy and

your investment. A difficult economic landscape is not the time to shy away, rather an opportune time to make strides towards a more prosperous future.

20 October 29, 2010

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Ruminations on

John Wesley

Powell Lesso n s o n C l i mat e C h a n g e from M o n ta n a ’ s 1 8 8 9 Constitutional Convention

By Joshua P. Howe

In August of 1889, John Wesley Powell of the U.S. Senate’s Special Committee on the Irrigation and Reclamation of Arid Lands spoke to the framers of Montana’s constitution at a meeting in Helena. Powell was a selftaught scientist, an explorer of the rivers of the American West, and the head of the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Ethnological Survey. In Helena, he delivered an argument about irrigation in the American West, specifically tailored to 90 million acres in Montana he estimated could be productive as timber, range and farmland.

conviction that “rain follows the plow.” This conviction supported an ideologically powerful commitment to Western expansion and an economically important vision of Western development. Careful and realistic, Powell questioned reports from other government scientists who drew support from railroad boosters and members of Congress interested in promoting agriculture in the West. While the Montana delegates lauded Powell’s science, they were more invested in economic development than ecological reality. Like their

“

Gallatin Valley to undestand their water as a common resource, but he approached Montana with the same kind of extractive ethos that drove his contemporaries to their “rain follows the plow” conclusions. Ultimately, Powell’s legacy exists as much in the metal and concrete of the dams of nearly every major river in the American West as it does in the dust and ruin that came from ignoring his advice. He certainly did not articulate the image of a wild, wide-open, unsullied Montana that many who live here consistently, if sometimes controversially, seek to uphold.

Easterners, Powell contended, If we are to revisit the parable Powell stands as a historical corollary to modern had built the structures of local, of climate change, then, what climate scientists whose policy recommendations is the lesson of John Wesley state and federal government upon “the physical condition Powell? If Powell’s story sugpoliticians ignore, and whose science is so often of their country.” In the West, gests that we ignore uncomfortchallenged by industry-funded opponents. and in Montana, this kind of able scientific realities at our development failed to account own peril—and I am convinced for the region’s vast landscapes that this is true—so too does it Eastern counterparts had done, the men who and its arid climate. As the Montana Constituremind us that our responses to those realities wrote Montana’s constitution ignored Powell’s tional Convention’s delegates set out to define need not only be the stuff of science. On the recommendations. the political contours of the new state, Powell contrary, though we ought to use science to urged them to organize Montana’s political help us make decisions about climate change, The parable is imperfect and simplistic, but boundaries around natural watersheds in as Montanans our engagement with the issue it is effective. Powell stands as a historical order to tie the politics of land directly into must also include a larger conversation about corollary to modern climate scientists whose the communal politics of its water. Montana’s how we want to live and what we value about policy recommendations politicians ignore, leaders applauded politely, but a quick look at our state. and whose science is so often challenged by a modern map of the state’s counties (Powell industry-funded opponents. There is another, Joshua Howe is a Postdoctoral Fellow with the County included) reveals that the delegates in more subtle lesson in John Wesley Powell’s John Tyndall Correspondence Project in the Helena did not buy what Powell was selling.

Helena address, however. Powell recomDepartment of History, Philosophy and Religion mended that “no drop of water falling within Imagine Powell as a historic parable for modat Montana State University. He teaches in ern concerns about global warming. In the the area of the state shall flow beyond the Environmental History and the History of Sci19th century, he was a well-respected scientist ence, and he is currently writing a book about boundaries of the state” without first finding challenging the see-no-evil, semi-scientific the political history of global warming. its way to a field. He urged the residents of the

For more reading on John Wesley Powell, check out Wallace Stegner’s popular Beyond the Hundredth Meridian: John Wesley Powell and the Second Opening of the West (New York: Penguin Books, 1992), and Donald Worster’s more rigorous, definitive biography, A River Running West: The Life of John Wesley Powell (New York: Oxford University Press, 2001).

For more on the relationships between climate change and western water, I recommend James Lawrence Powell, Dead Pool: Lake Powell, Global Warming, and the Future of Water in the West (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2009).

For Powell’s writing in his own words, I suggest William deBuys (ed), Seeing Things Whole: The Essential John Wesley Powell (Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 2001).

October 29, 2010 23

Noun: wild or rough terrain adjacent to a developed area Origin: shortened form of “back 40 acres”

For The Big Sky Weekly, the Back 40 is a resource: a place where we can delve into subjects and ask experts to share their knowledge. Our list for upcoming issues includes regional history, profiles of local artists and musicians, snow and avalanche education, and how-to pieces for traditional or outdoor skills.

La Niña expected to give montana above average snowfall in 2011

By Doug Chabot, Director This winter, the Climate Prediction Center is predicting a La Niña (the girl) weather pattern, which should bring colder temperatures and more snow to western Montana. Like a Vegas bookie, the CPC put the odds of La Niña at 70%.

Nothing is sure when it comes to weather, but 70% is better odds than a coin toss, and average snowfall around here is pretty good, anyway. To be fair to the bookies, this also means we have a 30% chance to receive below average precipitation. But who wants to think about that?

// Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center

Ocean temperature in the southern Pacific is a driving force of global weather. Warmer ocean temperatures cause El Nino (the boy) patterns, which often brings below average snowfall to Montana and deep snow to the Arizona deserts. Last winter was an El Nino season. We suffered through thin snow cover and breakable crusts, while powder fell near the Grand Canyon. This year, cooler ocean waters have set La Niña on track to drive the jet stream across the northern United States. This should pump cold, moist air into

due to La Niña, Montana is expected to receive a 25% to 50% higher than average amount of s n o w f a ll t h i s y e a r 24 October 29, 2010

Montana—essential ingredients for an epic winter. This year’s long range weather models predict a moderate to strong La Niña lasting through March. The two stormy winters before last were also La Niña. And remember the biblical snowstorms of 1996-97? The Girl.

More snow equals more avalanches, says an old adage. While we do need snow to have avalanches, there is also another more complicated reality to contend with: in a low snow year, days and weeks pass without snow accumula-

tion. This causes surface snow to weaken and form facets. When buried by new snow, these facets become persistent weak layers.

Last winter, Southwest Montana had never-ending dangerous avalanche conditions. However, during a winter of steady snow, weak layers are less likely to form.

If we’re lucky, this year a steady, almost daily stream of storms will put perma-grins on our faces and keep the backcountry safe. How’s that for optimism?