121102_weekly_WEB

Big Sky

Exploring life and land from the heart of the Yellowstone Region

November 2 - 15, 2012 Volume 3 // Issue #22

election coveragE: governor's race , campaign spending, public service commission

2012 elections Nov

Rick hill vs. Steve Bullock b e s t

o f

06

b i g

lphs & ophir host veteran's day event

s k y

battle

in the

big sky i s

b a c k

ICE TOWER AT THE FAIRGROUNDS ?

Hit list: Bozeman featured in Nat Geo, Powder

media@theoutlawpartners.com

Publisher of the big sky weekly

explorebigsky

explorebigsky

Big Sky Weekly

2011 big sky chamber of commerce

Business of the Year Nov. 2-15, 2012 Volume 3, Issue no. 22 PUBLISHER Eric Ladd COO & SENIOR EDITOR Megan Paulson CREATIVE DIRECTOR Mike Martins VIDEO director Brian Niles MANAGING EDITOR Emily Stifler EDITOR Joseph T. O'Connor GRAPHIC DESIGNER Kelsey Dzintars

Santosha Wellness Center owner Callie Stolz strikes a pose in her studio. Photo by Emily Stifler

staff writer/distribution director Tyler Allen

Outlaw Yoga Yoga is an ancient discipline of Hindu philosophy that in Sanskrit literally means “to join” or “to unite.”

Every Tuesday the Outlaw team unites in Santosha Wellness Center to practice an hour of yoga with owner Callie Stolz.

videographer Chris Davis Operations director Katie Morrison WEB Developer/Designer Sean Weas

bring together people with different experiences, “bringing everyone to their edge.”

Stolz opened Santosha in August this year. In addition to yoga, she also offers massage, acupuncture, chiropractic work and Ayurveda in the wellness center.

Past experience with yoga varies among the Outlaws, and everyone’s downward dog looks a bit different, yet we all share the desire to build strength, balance and fitness, and dedicate time to clear our minds of the daily grind.

Design Intern Taylor-Ann Smith

I credit yoga with my recovery to a fully functioning athlete after a bad rock climbing accident six years ago.

And I credit it now with allowing me to come out of the studio and be a fully functioning Outlaw every week.

CONTRIBUTors

Jamie Balke, Buscrat, Mike Coil, Maren Dunn, Sean Forbes, Marcie Hahn-Knoff, Jerry House, Anna Middleton, Brandon Niles, Tori Pintar, Mary Lynn Price, Jackie Robin, Ryan Turner, Jonna Mary Yost

“I think it can create a nice collection of energy when you share experiences together, moving with a shared intention,” Stolz said. For her, it’s a fun challenge to

- Tyler Allen

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.

Letter to the Editor Parameters The Weekly accepts letters to the editor to give readers a platform to express their views and share ways they would like to effect change. These should not be Thank You notes. Letters should be 250 words or less, respectful, ethical, state accurate facts and figures, and proofread for grammar and content. We reserve the right to edit letters. Include: first and last name, address, phone number and title.

Submit to: media@theoutlawpartners.com

Big Sky Weekly distribution

BC

AK

• 6,000 issues distributed across Montana • Online at explorebigsky.com • 3,000 + rental properties • 2,500 + Big Sky taxi rides • Hotels and resorts throughout Southwest Montana • Subscriptions distributed to 32 states

Hamilton

Anaconda

Bozeman

Three Forks Wisdom

Big Timber

Livingston

Dillon

Big Sky Ennis Gardiner Virginia City

West Yellowstone

ADVERTISING DEADLINE For next issue: Nov. 9, 2012 CORRECTIONS The Big Sky Weekly runs corrections to errors we’ve printed.

Please report them to emily@theoutlawpartners.com © 2012 The Big Sky Weekly Unauthorized reproduction prohibited

2 Nov. 2-15, 2012

OUTLAW PARTNERS & THE BIG SKY WEEKLY P.O. Box 160250, Big Sky, MT 59716 explorebigsky.com (406) 995-2055 media@theoutlawpartners.com

explorebigsky.com

Table of Contents Community...5 Local News...6 Regional..9 Environment...16 Sports...17 Health...21 Business..22 Classifieds...23

Outdoors...24 Gear Reviews...26 Events...27 Entertainment...28 Fun...29 Column...31 Back 40...32

explorebigsky.com

Big Sky Weekly

CHALET 4

AT Y E L L OW S TO N E CLUB

FEATURES

LOCATION IS EVERYTHING

Incredible, Direct Ski-in/Ski-out Access 6,000+ Livable Square Feet with 5 Bedrooms Tu r n k e y P r o p e r t y w i t h B a s e A r e a L o c a t i o n Steps from War ren Miller Lodge Private Backyard Area 2,200 Acres of Private Skiing

CHALET4.COM

WHY WAIT

UNTIL 2014?

AvailableNow!

4 Nov. 2-15, 2012

explorebigsky.com

Why miss 2 ski seasons?

Enjoy the hillside base area of Pioneer Mountain - NOW Turn-key chalet with direct access to 2,200 acres of private skiing

explorebigsky.com

community

Big Sky Weekly

Letter: Erika Pankow Fund Catching up with all my back issues of Big Sky Weekly, I had the pleasure to read the article by Emily Stifler that began “Sometimes, tragedy begets positive change.” It dealt with Erika Pankow’s death in a 1996 explosives accident as she was doing avalanche control work. Not only has a scholarship been started in her name, but training for all ski patrollers has been improved – a major impact for the skiing world.

On a smaller scale, reading this article made me go on a search for a paper my son had written a few months after Erika’s passing. While skiing at Big Sky on that marvelous Christmas day, 16 inches had fallen, giving us fresh powder all day. That evening we heard rumors of a tragic accident.

The next day’s ski report included a ‘thank you’ to all ski patrollers for their work keeping us all safe; that was the only thing in print that pointed to what we heard the evening before as being true. What we did know as fact made a very big impact on my then 13-year-old son Domenick.

His English teacher assigned an essay to be written illustrating a famous quote, and it had to include a factual experience.

At right is the essay Domenick wrote. His teacher loved it!

It was the first time Domenick was encouraged to believe he could be a good writer. Now, he makes his living as a writer.

So here is one more miracle to attribute to Erika. She gave a young man the words he needed to express himself and eventually realize a future profession. Might this have come about some other way? Perhaps. But there is no way to be sure.

We never know how one life may influence another, but I’m so glad the scholarship fund is being replenished and will continue to bless our community in Erika’s name.

Sincerely yours, April Buonamici

“The snow had begun in the gloaming And busily all the night Had been heaping field and highway With the silence deep and white.”

When I read this line out of Robert Lowell’s poem, “The First Snowfall,” it filled me with a sense of joy.

This line reminded me of the feeling of waking up one Christmas morning to complete silence and seeing a strange white glow on my pillow.

The day all started when I pushed against the soft surface underneath me as I struggled to wipe the sand out of my eyes and saw the crystalline white snow still falling in large, feathery puffs of pure bliss. Anticipation filled my thinking as I began to put one pant leg on at a time. As I thought more, I believed that the only reason I have lived as long as I have was to experience a day as vibrant as this one. The pearly white snow sparkled in my eyes as I clasped the smooth, metal skis leaning against my wall pointing upward, beckoning me to get going.

The next thing I remember is the crisp mountain air blowing through my hair as I squirmed in my seat to keep my posterior warm. But as I swooped over the top of a ridge, I noticed how a fresh blanket of snow made every object look polished and extravagant. My clear state of mind was punctuated only by the soft, deep, thunderous sound of avalanche bombs echoing through the canyons.

Before I could comprehend the situation, I was gaining momentum. I flexed my knees, and my skis began carving through the billowing drifts of snow-rider’s delight! “Wait a minute,” I thought.

There was a deep, dark egregious hole above where I was skiing, and I thought that was odd because usually avalanche bombing isn’t that spectacular.

But I skied on, the powder spraying into my face. I felt like a campfire legend that just fades away like an autumn sunset. I especially loved my solo runs, because the peaceful silence evoked a oneness with nature, and my skiing flowed in a perpetual rhythm of harmony.

I was out of my family’s hotel room so swiftly I heard my brother yell as he woke up, “Hey, close the door!

It’s getting cold in here!” But I was already half way down the steep stairs by the time he finished his sentence.

Not until that evening at dinner did we learn that a member of the ski patrol had been killed before the slopes opened for skiing. She had been setting explosives off to keep the risk of avalanches away when a charge went off too close to her.

As I walked outside, I felt the cool, brisk air hit me like a snow shovel over the head. But this collision with reality only held me back for a moment as I proceeded to trudge to the nearest ski lift. I heard two thuds as my skis collided with the snow for the first time.

When I tried to get my feet into my skis, all I felt was the soft crunching of the granular snow until I heard a “click” and then another “click.” My skis were saying, “Ready, set, go!”

This event was a parallel to the poem, because the poem told how the snow looked piled onto a fresh grave. And the reason the snow that day looked extra deep and seemed extra silent was because someone was resting underneath it. The snow I had been gliding through that day was overtop of someone’s soul.

Big Sky School District plans first Veterans Day event By barbara rowley BIG SKY – Growing up in Big Sky, it’s easy for kids to take the freedom they enjoy for granted. That’s why District Superintendent Jerry House, an army veteran, decided a Veteran’s Day program to both honor local military and educate students was in order.

The all-school assembly program, to be held at the school on Friday, Nov. 9 in the gymnasium, will begin at 1 p.m. Veterans and their families are encouraged to arrive anytime after 12:30, when students will seat them in places of honor.

“Our kids are calling up all the veterans and their families in Big Sky,” House said. “We are hoping as many former members of our armed forces are there as possible, and we are encouraging them to wear their uniforms.”

All interested members of the community are also invited and encouraged to attend.

Colonel Dick Fast will give the keynote address during the hour-long as-

sembly, which will also feature high school, middle school and elementary school students in pivotal roles, giving speeches they’ve written, presenting slide shows and participating in a flag ceremony. Junior Anna Middleton will give the introductory speech; Senior Grayson Bell will close the ceremony.

“Our students are certainly taught our nation’s military history,” House said. “But it is important for them to see that history lives on, and the results of that history are our great gifts of freedom today.” He hopes the student presentations and military presence will help our nation’s military history come alive for district students and inspire reflection and patriotism on Veteran’s Day. “In the light of the recent shooting of 14-year-old Malala Yousafzai, who was shot simply for trying to attend school and encourage other Pakistani girls to do the same, I hope our students see just how lucky they are to live in the United States, and appreciate the people who protect our freedoms,” House said.

Soldier Chapel is closed for the winter but is still open for photo ops.

Photo by Tyler Allen

explorebigsky.com

Nov. 2-15, 2012 5

explorebigsky.com

local news

Big Sky Weekly

WMPAC taking shape by jerry house

big sky school district

BIG SKY - Since August, Martel Construction has been installing all aspects of the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center in what will be a new 282-seat auditorium.

Electricians, plumbers, sheet rockers, concrete workers and a host of construction trades are working daily to complete the facility, which is housed in the old Ophir School gym. Currently the demolition is complete, and crews are working on framing the walls and installing wiring for sound, lights and communications.

Martel projects it will be complete by early January.

The Big Sky School District is excited about the future for both the community and the students of the school system as we will have a premier performance hall for all to enjoy.

Photo by Anna Middleton

The Best of Big Sky is back!

The Big Sky Weekly is hosting its annual Best of Big Sky contest, and now is your chance to give love to your favorite local business, restaurant, watering hole and ski mountain. Visit explorebigsky.com to weigh in.

“The idea is to get people involved in the community where they live and recreate, in the economy of Big Sky, says Weekly staff writer and distribution director Tyler Allen, who’s coordinating the contest. “To get psyched about the place they live, and about the places where they eat, drink and be merry.”

In last year’s contest, some businesses rallied the troops and got all of their fans to vote, something the Weekly definitely encourages. Get involved!

Winners will be announced in January and will receive honorary plaques.

Categories this year: Best restaurant Best breakfast joint Best cup of coffee Best spot for lunch Best burger Best spot to grab a drink Best après scene Best live music venue Best outdoor shop Best ski mountain in Montana Best hot springs Best business ~ MVP Award Community member of the year Event of the Year

Last year’s winners:

Most extreme local: Tom Owen Best community event: Free Thursday night music Best ski run: The South Face Best outdoor shop: Gallatin Alpine Sports Best business: Gallatin Alpine Sports Best Burger: Choppers Best place to grab a drink: Choppers Best music venue: Choppers Best Breakfast: Bugaboo Best restaurant: Lotus Pad Best pizza: Blue Moon Bakery Best coffee: Blue Moon Bakery Best Hiking Trail: Beehive Basin Best local band: Bottom of the Barrel Best Montana ski area: Big Sky Resort

Who do you want to take home the honors this year? Let us know at explorebigsky.com

6 Nov. 2-15, 2012

explorebigsky.com

local news A new school for Big Sky?

Planning committee explores the possibilities By emily stifler

big sky weekly managing editor

Seven seniors graduated from Lone Peak High School last year, and 27 new kindergarten students entered Ophir School this fall.

The Big Sky School District is growing, and it needs more classroom space, says Superintendent Jerry House.

Mr. Harder’s fourth grade class has 29 kids this year – too many for one classroom, if you ask House.

“For Harder to walk through the classroom sideways because there’s so many [desks] in there, that’s not ideal,” House said.

In total, 242 kids are enrolled in the Big Sky School District – up 30 from last year. That number is projected to grow to 270 within two years.

“It doesn't take a mathematician to figure out we need more classrooms,” House said.

In light of this, the school board created a facilities planning committee to look into the possibility of constructing a new building on the school grounds for preschool through fourth grade. The committee’s 24 members represent “all walks” of Big Sky life, House said.

“As a committee, we’re saying, ‘What do we need? It’s a true citizens’ committee to help us understand what the community views as important.”

The planning committee has met three times this fall to look at the district’s policies and procedures for

proposing a new facility; timelines; budgeting; and conceptual architectural ideas.

House and an architect from the Bozeman firm Prugh and Lenon, have also met with the district’s k-5 staff twice, asking the teachers what they’d like to see in a potential new facility. House presented a draft outline of their findings at the Oct. 20 planning committee meeting. The group will continue to discuss the proposal and trim the excess, he said.

Working with the architect, the committee has also created a map of the school grounds and its adjacent property, with several suggested sites for the facility.

To fund the plan, the district will ask residents to pass a bond via mail-in ballot this spring.

“Everything is transparent,” House said. “When we go to a bond, the committee [will be] well informed, and they will have shared [that information] with neighbors, relatives and other businesses.”

House, who’s been involved with a number of school construction projects in other districts, says it takes eight to 14 months to design a building like this, and another year to construct it, so the earliest it could open would be the 2014-2015 school year.

The facilities planning committee meetings are open to the public.

The next one will be Nov. 20 at 6:30 p.m. at the Big Sky Community Library.

More Results Selling more real estate than any other firm in Big Sky for the second year running.

Jason Parks, Broker 406.580.4758

Branif Scott, Broker 406.579.9599

Ania Bulis, Broker 406.580.6852

Sandy Revisky, Broker 406.539.6316

Community library holds book fair, used book sale Nov. 13, 14 big sky community library

BIG SKY – The Big Sky Community Library’s bi-annual used book sale and annual Ophir Scholastic Book Fair is Nov. 13 and 14. Held in the school gym, it will be 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, and 8:30 a.m. to noon on Wednesday.

This is the library’s biggest fundraiser, and all proceeds from the sale go toward new books and materials for the library. Last year the fair generated nearly $1,500.

In other news, a recent $5,500 donation from the Buck and Helen Knight Foundation will help the library buy a Smartboard and two new comput-

ers. The Knights founded Buck’s T-4, and their “sincere love and commitment to this community [lives] on in their generous foundation,” wrote librarian Kathy House in her Community Library News. The Knight Foundation has been donating to the library for more than 11 years.

October/November is also the Friends of the Library annual membership drive. Visit bigskylibrary.org and click ‘FOL’ to become a member.

To volunteer for the used book sale, call Kay Reeves at (406) 600-7152 or Kathy House at (406) 995-4281 ext.

205, or show up at the next meeting, Nov. 7 at 10 a.m. in the library.

Jackie Miller, Managing Broker 406.539.5003

*Based on 2011-2012 information from Gallatin Association of Realtors MLS Data

www.purewestproperties.com | 406.995.4009

Creighton Block Rob Akey Greg Alexander Jim Barrett Susan Blackwood Diana Brady Lynn Cain Todd Connor Tom Dean

John DeMott Jerral Derr yberr y Flavia Eckholm Edd Enders Thomas English Howard Friedland Mark Gibson Don Grant

Mimi Grant Frank Hagel Ott Jones Harr y Koyama David Lemon Asha MacDonald Mike Patterson Paula Pearl

Jacqueline Rieder Hud Gar y Lynn Rober ts Daniel San Souci Deb Schmit Laurie Stevens Ezra Tucker Shirle Wempner

ARTI ST PR O F ILE: EZRA TUCKER Internationally renowned ar tist Ezra Tucker decided to become a wildlife painter at the age of 12. He pursued his dream through watching animals at the Memphis Zoological Garden and refined his talent through the Memphis College of Ar t where he received his BFA. Tucker’s unique style emphasizes details in animals that portray por trait style emotion he has witnessed through his extensive obser vations. His highly acclaimed work has received international attention through exhibitions in places such as the Kennedy Center, Canton Museum of Ar t and Booth Western Ar t Museum.

W I N E TA S T I N G S E VE RY T H U R S DAY AT 4:30 P M

p r ovi d e d by

Ezra Tucker “The Bandits” Acr ylic on Canvas 40 x 30

the

cave

Spirits & Gifts

BI G SK Y TOWN CENTER Ar twork also displayed at Outlaw Par tners and Lone Mountain Ranch Dining Room

11:00 AM - 7:00 PM // TUESDAY THRU SUNDAY MONDAYS BY APPOINTMENT

Please visit the gallery to view our extensive collection of fine works of art in the Main Gallery, the Charsam Room, and the new Private Collection Salon.

regional Changes made to southwest Montana hunting regulations By sean forbes

In hunting districts 360 (upper Madison) and 362 (lower Madison), hunters are now required to report a successful elk harvest within 72 hours — which is not necessary in the rest of Region 3.

big sky weekly contributor

There’s an old saying that describes what assuming makes out of “u” and “me.”

In HD 360 only, hunters are allowed just one elk, using either a general or antlerless B license.

“That’s a big deal if you think that you can go and take two, and you can’t,” Jones said.

The change was prompted in large part,

by FWP’s work with local sportsmen and landowners.

And it’s something that hunters in southwest Montana should take note of with the recent regulation changes in Region 3.

The southern Paradise Valley districts of 313 (Gardiner) and 314 (upper Yellowstone west) have also seen changes in elk harvest regulation.

“In this case they want to see better documentation of harvest for better future management of elk,” Jones said.

“They also wanted to take a look at where the elk are that are being harvested, whether it is private or public property.”

“I’ve been telling a lot of people, don’t trust your buddy who went there last year, because [the regulations have] changed,” said Andrea Jones with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks in Bozeman. “And they do change, every two years.”

Reflecting a slight decline in overall elk population numbers in HD 313, hunters must draw a permit for the district and can only hunt brow-tined bulls during general season. The permitted cow harvest has been removed.

Another change in HD 360 and HD 362 is that adult hunters (over 15 years old) may only use a general license for harvesting a brow-tined bull, and must have drawn an antlerless elk license to take a cow.

Many of the larger alterations this year concern elk hunting in the Madison and Paradise valley areas.

Hunters in HD 314 must have drawn an Elk B license to take antlerless elk during the general season, and may

2012 R3 Check Station Summary - Weekend 2, Oct. 27 & 28 Check Station

Hunters

Hunters w/ Game

White-tailed Deer

Mule Deer

Elk

M

F

Juv. Tot.

M

F

Juv.

Tot.

M

F

Juv.

Tot.

Gallatin (not open) Cameron

270

1

1

0

2

2

0

0

2

8

6

0

14

6.7%

Divide

189

0

1

1

2

7

4

0

11

9

2

1

12

13.2%

Mill Creek

209

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

4

1

0

5

2.4%

Silver City

560

2

1

0

3

6

2

1

9

11

4

1

16

5%

3

3

1

7

15

6

1

22

32

13

2

47

6.2%

Totals 1228

This is how Big Sky gets into hot water.

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

only hunt brow-tined bulls with a general license.

“We want people to spend some time with the regs,” Jones said. “Especially if you’re just visiting one hunt area for the weekend. Sit down, read it. Get to know the sunrise, sunset times. Get to know the boundaries, who owns the land… It’s less than a paragraph, and it’s important.”

Early statistics from opening weekend, Oct. 20-21, in southwest Montana show a slight increase in elk harvest numbers, with the highest success rate found at the Cameron check station in the Madison, and a small decline in deer harvest.

For further information and to report an elk harvest, call (877) 397-9453, or go online: fwp.mt.gov. Click the “For Hunters” menu.

All Gallatin County fire districts allow open burning As of Oct. 23, all fire districts in Gallatin County are allowing residents to activate and purchase burn permits.

This decision was made following the moisture received the previous night and that morning, as well as the forecast for more moisture predicted for the week,”said Kerry O’Connell, Gallatin County Fire Warden. Before burning, residents must purchase permits either at burnpermits.mt.gov or at a local fire department.

explorebigsky.com

regional

Big Sky Weekly

Public Service Commission election

Vincent and Koopman battle for District 3 commissioner seat By emily stifler

big sky weekly managing editor

The Public Service Commission, a state agency, works to balance the interests of ratepayers with those of the private utility companies that provide services to much of Montana.

The PSC regulates public electricity, natural gas, telephone, water, as well as private sewer companies, railroads and some motor carriers.

Rural electric co-ops are outside PSC jurisdiction.

The PSC is split into five districts, each represented by a commissioner.

Southwest Montana is in District 3.

The Race The race for the District 3 seat has been ferocious, with Republican challenger Roger Koopman repeatedly attacking Democratic incumbent John Vincent’s attendance record.

L: Roger Koopman Photo courtesy of Roger Koopman R: John Vincent Photo courtesy of Bozeman Daily Chronicle/Community News Service

In a letter to the editor dated Oct. 18, Koopman wrote that Vincent has been “physically missing from 65 percent of PSC meetings (76 percent in 2011), and hasn’t traveled to any important conferences to defend Montana’s interests. View the PSC videos and see the empty chair representing District 3.”

“It's a matter of being engaged in doing the work of the commission,” Koopman later said in a phone interview.

interests of consumers, noting Vincent “has never voted against a power company rate increase.”

For his part, Vincent claims he’s attended nearly 70 percent of all PSC Helena meetings in person, and 90 percent of all hearings, which take place around the state. “I’ve never been marked absent from any meeting or hearing, not once.”

Vincent, 70, counters he only once had the opportunity to do so, and that the commission’s legal council advised the commission against it.

A commissioner since 2009, Vincent maintains “the PSC is required, under state law, to balance the best interests of the utility industry and the best interests of consumers.”

“A commissioner is considered in attendance whether here in person or on the phone,” said PSC vice chair Gail Gutsche, a Democrat. “It’s also true that Vincent is here for the vast majority of business meetings or hearings, in person.”

Vincent is caretaker for his wife, who’s sick with multiple sclerosis, and he has indeed called in via conference call to a number of meetings and hearings.

His attendance, however, has been “pretty much at par” with the other commissioners, said PSC chairman Travis Kavulla, a Republican. The PSC main office is in Helena, but state law requires the commissionUtility

ers to live in their districts. “I’m not sure where he’s getting those numbers,” Kavulla said of Koopman.

The two candidates also argue about how the job should be done.

Koopman, 63, says his opponent isn’t adequately looking out for the June, 2007

June, 2007

Jan, 2012

A business owner for 33 years, Koopman says lowering rates for consumers should be the PSC’s chief concern.

“When the PSC is putting the consumer first – the ratepayer first – [it’s] also putting businesses first, jobs first, and putting the utility company first, because as any business person

Jan, 2012

Total Bill

knows, it’s important for businesses to be efficient and use best practices in all they do," Koopman said. "If a company isn’t being held accountable, they become weaker.”

The PSC has broad regulatory, supervisory and investigative powers over public utilities. It can investigate the business management of all public utilities, including customer service and reliability standards, as well as rates charged to retail electricity customers. The Montana Consumer Council, a separate entity, is charged solely with speaking for consumers.

“People want the PSC to fight for the lowest rates, and we really do that,” Vincent said, noting that rates for companies regulated by the commission are lower than those in many surrounding states.'

Sept, 2012

Sept, 2012

Total Bill

Total Bill

Effective Rate

Total Bill

Effective Rate

% Change

Total Bill

Effective Rate

% Change

(750 kWh)

($/kWh)

(750 kWh)

($/kWh)

2007-Jan 2012

(750 kwh)

($/kWh)

2007-Sept 2012

NorthWestern Energy

77.92

0.1039

80.98

0.1080

3.93%

82.16

0.1095

5.44%

Avista (Washington)

50.73

0.0676

57.44

0.0766

13.23%

58.57

0.0780

15.45%

Avista (Idaho)

52.32

0.0698

64.29

0.0857

22.88%

64.29

0.0857

22.88%

Idaho Power (Idaho)

50.31

0.0671

59.79

0.0797

18.84%

63.30

0.0844

25.82%

Black Hills Power

58.47

0.0780

58.11

0.0775

-0.61%

56.86

0.0758

-2.75%

Rocky Mtn Power (Idaho)

73.70

0.0983

64.19

0.0855

-13%

77.85

0.1038

5.63%

Puget Sound Energy (Washington)

64.89

0.0865

72.11

0.0961

11.13%

73.78

0.0983

13.70%

Otter Tail Power Co. (ND)

57.07

0.0761

73.42

0.0979

28.65%

76.00

0.1013

33.17%

Flathead Electric Co-op

59.50

0.0580

60.99

0.0513

3%

63.56

0.0539

6.82%

Park Electric Co-op

71.25

0.0763

82.50

0.0860

15.79%

87.50

0.0860

22.80%

Beartooth Electric Cooperative

81.25

0.0750

129.47

0.1280

59%

129.47

0.1280

59.00%

These numbers, provided by the Montana Public Service Commission, show the comparison of NorthWestern Energy rates to other regional utility companies’. NorthWestern’s rates more than doubled after 1997, when the state legislature’s “deregulation” of the company allowed changes in the supply market to affect customer rates. In the last five years, NorthWestern’s rates have increased less dramatically than its peers’. The PSC regulates it and several other private utilities in Montana.

10 Nov. 2-15, 2012

explorebigsky.com

explorebigsky.com

regional

The candidates Vincent served in the state House of Representatives from 1975 to 1990, was a Bozeman City Commissioner from 1991 to 1995 (serving two of those years as Mayor), Gallatin County Commissioner from 2001 to 2006, and a teacher at Bozeman High School from 1971 to 2000. In the last few years, he’s spoken out against the MSTI high voltage transmission line, for which NorthWestern Energy just recently scrapped its proposal. He supports renewable energy development.

If reelected, turning back deregulation is on the top of Vincent’s list. Passed by the 1997 state Legislature, the idea was that competitive markets would lower the price of electricity supply.

In practice, however, “It leaves the supply rates up to the whims of the market,” and it more than doubled rates.

Vincent also wants to increase the number of free energy audits done in Montana. This, he says, will help boost energy conservation and efficiency, “which is the cheapest way to keep rates down.”

Koopman served four years in the Washington, D.C. offices of Steve Symms (R-Idaho) and Ron Paul (R-Texas), as press secretary and chief of staff.

He has worked for the National Rifle Association and started his business, Career Concepts, in 1980.

He was elected to the state House of Representatives in 2004 and 2006, and spent the last three years as a mergers and acquisitions specialist.

For Koopman, cost savings is also about efficiency – but in the business sector. He says his business experience will allow him to hold utility companies more accountable. “[I will] know what to look for in the details to require them to be more efficient, more competitive.

I’m not only helping the consumer and keeping utility rates down, but also helping the company become stronger and more cost effective. One isn’t mutually exclusive to the other.”

Big Sky Weekly

If elected, Koopman plans to use PSC hearings “to look more deeply into the companies and ask more delving questions.”

natural gas that will be viable on the market.”

That, he says, might justify the cost of building a $1.5 billion transmission line out of Montana.

Between hearings, he’d like the commission to do more fact finding, and have PSC staff in the field observing utility companies. As monopolies, Koopman says, the companies are guaranteed a return from the PSC and a customer base. “The PSC has the right to hold them accountable.”

Even though bringing more renewable energy resources online might raise rates in the short term, Vincent says it would eventually bring down or stabilize rates, because “the fuel…is free.”

Renewables versus traditional energy sources While both men agree the PSC should be nonpartisan, each has interests aligned with his party.

“I do not believe a commissioner should walk in with an agenda promoting one form of energy over another,” Koopman says. “I believe any form of energy that is reliable, cost effective and affordable is great.”

He cites Vincent’s bias against coal and toward wind, saying “[Vincent] totally misrepresents the cost of coal versus wind energy. Wind is much more expensive – there are hidden costs.”

Although the legislature – not the PSC – sets energy policy, it’s something Vincent wants to be involved in. “I think we need people on the PSC willing to look at the long range future of energy in Montana.”

This is evidenced by his efforts fighting MSTI, which would have shipped energy on a 500-kilowatt line from Townshend to Jerome, Idaho.

“We have about 13,000 times the amount of energy we need in Montana,” Vincent said. “We already export 50 to 60 percent of all electricity we generate to out-of-state markets, most on the BPA (Bonneville Power Administration) line coming out of Colstrip.”

“There are bright prospects for a project like MSTI, but I think it’s a decade away. When that time comes, there will be wind power and maybe

Koopman suggests letting all forms of energy “stand on their own two feet,” letting each compete without having one penalized and another subsidized.

“Anything you prop up, you weaken," Koopman said. Those that want to see so-called renewable energy come more to the fore and be used in higher percentages – the best thing they can do is say, ‘OK, we need a level playing field.’ … The market works, economics work. Trying to create winners and losers will foul things up in a hurry.”

Koopman sees a big future for natural gas – “if the government doesn't step in and intervene with the marketplace and mess everything up.” He also believes Montana’s ample coal reserves will continue to be important.

Regarding other sources like small-scale hydroelectric power, solar and geothermal, Koopman says the PSC “needs to really cast a wide net and really look at what’s out there and what’s efficient. I think too often they look at whatever the utility company brings before them.”

Montana’s electricity prices are 25 percent lower than the national average, according to the Institute for Energy Research. The state relies on coal for almost 60 percent of its electricity production, with hydroelectricity contributing another third, and wind and petroleum providing smaller amounts.

Home to more than a quarter of the country’s estimated recoverable coal reserves as well as large deposits of oil and natural gas, Montana produces about 4 percent of U.S. coal. It’s also a top hydroelectric producer.

Happy Holidays from 3 Rivers!

As a thank you to all of our subscribers, we are throwing everyone’s name in a drawing for one of five $50 gift cards from the QVC shopping channel—just in time for the holidays!

If you’re a current subscriber to 3 Rivers local telephone, High Speed Internet or 3RTV Digital Video or Cable TV as of November 1, 2012, you’re automatically entered!

No purchase or sign up necessary!

We’ll pick one name each Friday beginning Friday, November 9, and will announce the winner on Facebook (facebook.com/3RComm). A complete list of winners will be available after December 7, 2012.

1.800.796.4567 ● 467.2535 Winning subscribers’ 3 Rivers account(s) must be up to date and in good standing to claim gift card. You must have a QVC customer number to redeem the gift card. If you don’t have a QVC number, you need to contact QVC at 800-345-1515 or go to QVC.com to get one. 3 Rivers cannot set up a QVC number for you.

explorebigsky.com

Nov. 2-15, 2012 11

explorebigsky.com

Peace of Mind

Big Sky Weekly

2 Years Complimentary Maintenance: • Oil & Filter Change • Tire Rotation • 19-point Inspection 24/7 Roadside Assistance: • Tire Change • Lockout Protection

• Towing

ToyotaCare covers normal factory scheduled service. Plan is 2 years or 25k miles, whichever comes first. The new Toyota vehicle cannot be part of a rental or commercial fleet or a livery or taxi vehicle. Other restrictions may apply. See local participating Toyota dealer for coverage and details.

Toyota of Bozeman INSERT DEALER INFO HERE 866-623-5535

BU C K HO R N R A N C H

Wallowa County, Oregon / $18,200,000

Buckhorn Ranch is the largest premiere operating cattle ranch in Wallowa County. The Ranch Headquarters are located in some of the best deer and bird hunting in the area, as well as home to an elk herd of over 300 head. This Ranch has it all; irrigated farm ground, ample water for cattle and working facilities.

This Ranch is surrounded by three pristine wilderness areas and several worldclass fishing rivers. Includes main house, 2 guest houses, & other outbuildings to sustain ranch. The Buckhorn Ranch could truly be an amazing legacy.

®,™ and SM are licensed trademarks to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company.

Equal Housing Opportunity. Each Office Is Independently Owned And Operated.

Deb Tebbs, President Cascade Sotheby’s International Realty Cell: 541.419.4553 Broker, Licensed in State of Oregon www.debtebbsgroup.com

explorebigsky.com

Big Sky Weekly

montana Montana governor race scrappy, fraught with turmoil Brings Citizens United to forefront

By JOSEPH T. O'CONNOR big sky weekly editor

In the race for Montana’s next governor, candidates Steve Bullock and Rick Hill have had their hands full.

This campaign season in Montana has been dominated by electoral ads and funding controversy, and these two men were caught right in the middle.

Bullock, a Democrat, and Hill, a Republican, each hoped to replace Gov. Brian Schweitzer, who has reached his term limit. Going into their final debate in Bozeman on Oct. 27, both candidates were trying to gain footing in a race many called a toss-up.

Debate moderator Jill Valley asked the first question, one the candidates had sidestepped in the previous night’s debate in Great Falls.

“It is the 500,000-pound gorilla in the room,” Valley said, referencing the $500,000 campaign donation Hill accepted from the state GOP on Oct. 4.

The Montana Republican Party dumped the money into Hill’s campaign the day after a U.S. District Court judge ruled the state’s law, which limits campaign finance amounts, was unconstitutional, citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on the Citizens United case in 2010.

Five days later, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated those contribution limits.

Bullock filed a lawsuit against Hill, claiming Hill’s acceptance of the money was illegal, which effectively forced the Republican to stop campaigning. After

PLAY VIDEOS TO LEARN MORE AT FLATHEADLAKETIMBER.COM

Steve Bullock and Rick Hill debate at Riverside Country Club in Bozeman Oct. 27. Photo by Tyler Allen

Hill was denied a request to move the suit to federal court, District Judge Kathy Seeley issued a temporary restraining order, which put a hold on “campaign contributions in excess of the aggregate amounts permitted by [state law].” As of press time, Seeley had not ruled in the suit.

PBS’ Frontline aired the documentary “Big Sky, Big Money” on Oct. 30, investigating outside campaign financing and showcasing Montana as a microcosm of what’s become a heated issue nationwide, since the U.S. Supreme Court issued its Citizens United decision.

That decision gave corporations the same First Amendment rights of free speech, and campaign donation

privileges, as individual citizens and was ultimately the reason Hill could accept the large GOP donation.

The first election season since the Citizens United decision, it brought political spending back into the national picture for the first time since that 2010 ruling. The Hill and Bullock race highlighted that issue.

Big Sky Weekly went to press on Nov. 2. Election Day is Nov. 6.

See the following pages, where Bullock and Hill weighed in with the Weekly.

ti meles s uni que hist oric FLATHEAD LAKE HISTORIC TIMBER was harvested from pristine wildlands surrounding Flathead Lake at the turn of the 20th Century. Millions of feet of this lumber sank to the bottom of the Flathead, where the cool water preserved and enhanced the beauty of the wood over the last 100 years. Northwest Management Inc. is salvaging the submerged logs with the aid of scuba divers, giving new life to this uniquely beautiful, brilliant colored timber.

Every aspect of these “historic timbers” is hand manufactured piece by piece by our well trained staff who sort and select materials designed to meet your specific needs.

FLOORING • FURNITURE • CABINETS • TIMBER ACCENTS FLATHEADLAKETIMBER.COM

|

(406)465-4346

explorebigsky.com

montana

Big Sky Weekly

Q & A: Candidates for Montana's next governor

By JOSEPH T. O'CONNOR Photos by tyler allen big sky weekly editor

The race for the Montana governor’s seat has been heated between Democrat Steve Bullock and Republican Rick Hill.

Bullock, 46, was born in Missoula. He earned a law degree with honors from Columbia University Law School in New York and has been Montana’s attorney general since 2008. His running mate for lieutenant governor is John Walsh.

Hill, 65, born in Grand Rapids, Mich., represented Montana for two terms in the House of Representatives from 1996 to 2000. He received a Juris Doctor degree from Concord Law School in Los Angeles, in 2005. His running mate is Jon Sonju.

Steve Bullock BSW: Do you ski in Big Sky?

our 100-year-old law on corporate expenditures was challenged, I was proud to be the attorney general in the nation that said, ‘You know what? We need to preserve the integrity of our elections and undisclosed corporate expenditures.’

Bullock: We were there last winter, and we [visit] often during the summer, although this year’s a little hectic. The last time [my wife] Lisa, my family and I were up was over Labor Day, which we’ve done for the last eight years, doing the 5k and also hiking.

And this last round, my opponent took a $500,000 check from one party, and they haven’t even disclosed where the funding came from. That’s not only illegal, it’s against everything we stand for in Montana. We stand for making sure every individual and every vote matters, and that people can’t buy elections.

BSW: Talk about the importance of Big Sky and Yellowstone and their significance to tourism in Montana.

Bullock: It’s a special place to me. It seems like the Ousel Falls hike is just a walk in the park, compared to when we were carrying our kids. We’re getting closer each year to making it up Beehive Basin.

More important is that tourism in Montana is our second largest industry. We’re seeing the economic impacts of it in winter [and] summer. It’s been a real connecting point for people across the state and across the world.

Nobody had sway over me [in this campaign], or more of a voice than anybody else. A $25 check or a $600 dollar check – that all mattered. Nobody’s trying to buy me with a $500,000 check.

BSW: Have you received money for this campaign exceeding the amount limited by Montana state law?

Bullock: We’ve certainly received a couple, not in that last window (Oct.3 to Oct. 9), that I know of.

But what we do is we write a check back. We certainly weren’t taking or soliciting checks for $500,000.

BSW: Part of Montana’s appeal is it’s the third least-densely populated state in the country.

Yet Gov. Schweitzer expects it will eclipse 11 million visitors this year. How would you promote Montana tourism, and at the same time keep it for Montanans?

Bullock: It’s more than just showing our state, it’s also a big economic driver. Tourism brings in over $680 million per year. Promoting our state is essential. The last legislature tried to take bed tax dollars used for tourism and state promotion and use it for the department of corrections.

Promoting Montana isn’t just something that ends up through one medium or one technology or one opportunity. We need to coordinate the various regions of the state and bring people in all over.

We have 140,000 square miles with great treasures in all corners, and we finally hit 1 million people. We can enjoy the quietness, the places to hide, the places to hunt and fish. I don’t have great concerns we’ll be overrun.

People come to Montana because of our quality of life, our unparalleled recreational access. I think we can have it all.

BSW: Gov. Schweitzer has one of the highest approval ratings in the country. How would you fill his shoes?

Bullock: [He has] done some incredible things, and I want to build on them. When other states were upside down, we’re one of only a couple that stayed in the black. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce recently said we’re eighth best in long-term growth and also one of the best places to have start-ups. I think the governor’s done a great job in responsibly developing our resources, and also diversifying our economy. He’ll be remembered for his investments in education, including getting fullday kindergarten.

14 Nov. 2-15, 2012

BSW: What is the most important thing you hope to accomplish, if elected?

John Walsh and I will build off the platforms the governor built. We can do more with economic development, and we’re going to make a Main Street Montana Task Force starting on day one, given we know 97 percent of Montana businesses have 50 or fewer employees. If you look at the greater Gallatin Valley, there are well over 100 start-ups – everything from biotechs to lasers to computers.

Bullock: It’s jobs. It’s really only as good a state as we can imagine it being. We could continue to develop our resources, but we can expand in other ways: tourism and agriculture. Right now, 85 percent of what we grow is shipped out without additional added value and processes, but we need to keep more of that in Montana.

When I walk out of the governor’s office in four or eight years, a lot of those jobs of the future – the jobs that weren’t around when I was growing up in Montana – we want to make sure they’re here. I want to make sure, in government, we’re providing opportunities for job growth, not obstacles.

As governor, I want to invest and improve in education.

Generally what attracts business is quality education, not only k-12, but also university. We need to make it affordable. The last legislature didn’t adequately fund higher education, and that’s a tax on every working family. I’m going to freeze tuition.

BSW: Talk about your relationship with Gov. Schweitzer.

We live here not only to enjoy beautiful places like Big Sky, but to be able to hunt and fish on public lands. I fought for public access for both hunting and fishing as attorney general. I’ll continue to fight for it as governor.

Bullock: We’ve had a good relationship. We’ve greenlined a lot of projects around the state. The Land Board [we’ve] been on has brought in almost $200 million in the last four years. It represents not only money for schools, but also helped build economic development and resources. We’ve sold 215 million board feet of lumber, created 2,156 jobs.

I consider him somebody I’ve enjoyed working with in public service, and also a friend.

BSW: What do you think about the 2010 Citizens United case?

Bullock: In Montana we’ve had something really unique. [Here], candidates need to talk to people across the state. No one can buy our elections… And when

explorebigsky.com

BSW: What do you want voters to know about Steve Bullock, the man?

Bullock: I want voters to know that in [Big Sky], they probably saw me at the volunteer firefighter picnic on Labor Day, [or] on any of the trails walking around with my family.

Montana was a gift of a place to grow up. The governor’s mansion was actually on my paper route. I was a product of the public school system. Me and my wife are raising three kids – we were both raised here – we want them to have every opportunity we had and more. We’ll get there by moving our state forward and investing in our schools.

explorebigsky.com

montana

Big Sky Weekly

Rick Hill BSW: Do you ski in Big Sky?

Hill: I haven’t been involved in the political process in a direct way. I got to know him a bit on the campaign trail when he ran in 2000 against Sen. Burns. But we don’t have any direct interaction.

Hill: I do ski. In fact, I used to volunteer ski patrol a little bit at a little ski hill in Helena. In those days it was called Belmont and now it’s Great Divide. Then my wife blew out her knee and sold my skis, so I quit for a couple years.

My grandkids two years ago gave me a couple passes as a Christmas present, so I went out and bought new equipment and started skiing again.

BSW: What do you think about the 2010 Citizens United case?

Hill: [That] case basically said corporations have the same rights of free speech as individuals. I’ve been involved in trying to bring campaign finance reforms since I was a member of Congress in 1997, and the Citizens United case is the latest in a series.

I used to own a couple condominiums in the Big Sky area. I’ve spent a lot of time skiing at Big Sky over the years and even summer resorting up there.

What we have now is not a very good system. In fact, you can look at the governor’s race, where outside groups have spent, literally, millions of dollars attacking me, misrepresenting my record, trying to damage my reputation. Montanans are very limited in terms of how much they can contribute to help us offset that, and the system is way out of balance.

BSW: Talk about the importance of Big Sky and Yellowstone and their significance to tourism in Montana.

Hill: [They] attract people from all over the country, and they’ve got wonderful reputations. Some people who go to Big Sky probably also take in the park. The park is a national treasure, and as a member of Congress I worked on making sure we were reinvesting on [its] infrastructure so we could accommodate visitations and make sure Montanans enjoy it.

I ride a motorcycle and so does my wife and on several occasions we’ve ridden our motorcycles into Yellowstone Park. Big Sky is a destination resort and is world-renowned. Even though in its early years it struggled, it has a great reputation for quality of skiing and affordability, and it sits in a pretty beautiful place.

BSW: Part of the appeal of Montana is it’s the third least-densely populated state in the country. At the same time Gov. Schweitzer expects it will eclipse 11 million visitors this year. How would you promote Montana tourism, and at the same time keep it for Montanans?

Hill: Well, that’s the challenge, isn’t it? Tourism is important to Montana. I think 90,000 or so people earn their living working for businesses in the tourism industry... We have incredible fly fishing and angling; we’ve got great hunting; we have great sight-seeing; we’ve got these two wonderful parks, and we’ve got a lot of in between.

I support making sure we retain the bed tax … to promote tourism. We need to examine how we’re spending those dollars to make sure we’re spending them effectively.

One of the challenges is that Montana is known for being a bit hostile to business. Our legal climate is rated 45th in the nation, and most business groups rate our regulatory climate in the bottom third or worse.

In my view, the solution looks something like this: Everybody has to play by the same rules, and the process has to be completely transparent so … nobody gets the upper hand in the political process.

Part of our agenda is to move where we’re out in the fringe – in legal and regulatory processes – move those more to the mainstream. We plan to cut property taxes for businesses and homeowners in Montana, [which] should help lower the operating costs of those businesses. This is all about creating more jobs and obviously, better paying jobs.

BSW: Gov. Schweitzer has one of the highest approval ratings in the country. How would you fill his shoes?

Hill: I have a little different emphasis than the governor does. [He] is supported by trial lawyers and others that aren’t supporting my campaign. But he’s also governed as a fiscal conservative. The budget has been kept in balance without raising taxes, and I agree with him about that. [He thinks] a third of the surplus should be used to reduce taxes. We’re proposing a bit more, but I agree we should be lowering taxes on a permanent basis.

As we generate more revenues on gas and other natural resource development, we should be using those revenues to further lower property taxes by changing how we fund education. There are a lot of things that I agree with the governor [about]. He has been a strong advocate for coal and energy development in Montana, and I agree with him about that.

My opponent and I disagree on that issue. [Bullock] voted against the development of Otter Creek Coal and voted opposite of the governor on that.

BSW: Talk about your relationship with Gov. Schweitzer.

BSW: Have you received money for this campaign that exceeds the amount limited by Montana state law?

Hill: We accepted a contribution from the Montana Republican Party, based upon an order of Judge Lovell that said it was acceptable. Even Steve Bullock has indicated the contribution was legal at the time we received it. We believe it was and remains so.

BSW: What is the most important thing you hope to accomplish, if elected?

Hill: More jobs and better paying jobs for all Montanans. The tragedy is we’re near last in per capita income, and that translates into low wages and salaries, particularly when you compare us with neighboring states. Montana should be and could be producing jobs at a much faster pace, if we dealt with the legal and regulatory barriers that hold back investment.

BSW: What do you want voters to know about Rick Hill, the man?

Hill: I’m known as a problem solver. I like to take on difficult, complex problems and come up with solutions. I like working with people of both political parties. I have a reputation of being able to come up with solutions that are meaningful that have a positive impact on peoples’ lives. That’s what I want to do as governor.

explorebigsky.com

Nov. 2-15, 2012 15

Big Sky Weekly

environment

MSU team faces new challenges studying Antarctica’s Weddell seals msu news service

as well as its mother, brothers and sisters. They know which pups have thrived and which haven't. Since the seals always return to the same colony, the researchers have been able to monitor some individuals for more than 30 years.

BOZEMAN – Montana State University faculty and students are back in Antarctica working on the tail end of a five-year grant from the National Science Foundation. The team is monitoring Weddell seals in the most pristine ocean left in the world, but dramatic changes in the sea ice are causing new challenges. Specifically, the ice is too thin.

MSU ecologist and principal investigator Bob Garrott said their study area sits atop first-year ice, meaning it's about three-feet-thick. Last year, the ice was 12 to 16 feet thick, stable enough for snowmobile travel, but not for heavy vehicles to haul the huts over it for their base camp.

Because of large cracks in the ice and active breaks, the researchers have moved their base to a safer location, on the sea ice of Erebus Bay near the Erebus Glacier Ice Tongue. They’ve prepared emergency camps in case they get stranded while visiting seal colonies. They may also have to use helicopters at times, instead of driving snowmobiles.

For the last decade or so, the sea ice in the area was plenty stable. About 10 years ago, an iceberg approximately

MSU graduate and research technician Jesse DeVoe, left, and Thierry Chambert, a doctoral student in ecology at MSU, work together to tag a new Weddell seal pup as part of an ongoing MSU Weddell seal population and mass dynamics study in the Erebus Bay area of Antarctica.

Photo courtesy of Mary Lynn Price.

1,000 feet thick, 30 miles wide and over 100 miles long, broke off the Ross Ice Shelf and became grounded on the sea floor. It stayed there, preventing currents from coming into the sound and sweeping out the ice.

As a result, the ice built up until a few years ago, when the huge iceberg broke apart. Then, a major blow out occurred this year, sending the old thick sea ice out of the sound. Garrott said he doesn't know why the blow out happened, but noted the weather in Antarctica is unpredictable.

Big Sky Vacation Rentals is excited to welcome the addition of two long-time Big Sky residents to our growing team:

Temperatures can range from 10 F to minus 30 F. The study concentrates on pups and adult breeding females. The researchers start the season by weighing and tagging every pup when it's about two days old. Later, the researchers visit every colony in their study, collecting genetic samples and recording every tag they can find.

Weddell seals are relatively gentle for being a top predator in the ecosystem, but they can weigh over 1,000 pounds and have a set of teeth like a bear's, Garrott said.

Last year, the researchers saw a bumper crop of pups, Garrott said. So far in the study, the researchers have tagged more than 20,000 seals and maintain such a complete database that it's used by scientists all over the world.

The Ross Sea is part of the southernmost ocean on the planet and the only marine system whose top predators – including the Weddell seal – still flourish. The researchers said theirs is one of the longer running animal population studies and the longest marine mammal study in the southern hemisphere. It not only focuses on changes in the Weddell seal population, but also yields broader information about the workings of the marine environment.

Garrott and Rotella began the outreach and educational effort in 2010 and hope to expand those efforts if the NSF awards them another fiveyear grant after this season. This is the 44th season for the Weddell seal study that Garrott and Rotella took over around 2001 from Don Siniff at the University of Minnesota.

Mary Lynn Price, a video journalist, joined Garrott, graduate students and technicians again this year as they continue working in the Ross Sea. Some of Price's work will be available to the public while the group is in Antarctica.

For more information, visit the video blog: inmotion.typepad.com/weddell_seal_science and the WeddellSealScience YouTube channel.

This article was adapted from one originally written by Evelyn Boswell.

Co-principal investigator Jay Rotella said the researchers know every Weddell pup in the study population,

Grizzly bear committee to meet in Bozeman Nov. 7, 8

Ennion Williams General Manager Ennion@BookBigSky.com

Jackie Harrison Sales & Marketing Jackie@BookBigSky.com

Ennion has lived in Big Sky for over 20 years and was previously the General Manager at Lone Mountain Ranch. In addition, Ennion is the current Chair of the Big Sky Transportation District as well as the Big Sky Convention and Visitors Bureau. In his spare time, Ennion is an expert fly fishing guide and has extensive Catering and Private Chef experience.

Jackie has lived in Big Sky for over 15 years and previously was the Guest Services and Sales manager at the Big EZ Lodge. Jackie has extensive experience in the travel industry and is very active in the community. Her contagious smile and passion for creating the best possible Montana experience has guests returning year after year.

Big Sky Vacation Rentals, Inc. • www.BookBigSky.com • 406.600.0210

16 Nov. 2-15, 2012

explorebigsky.com

BOZEMAN – The Yellowstone Ecosystem Subcommittee of the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee will hold its fall meeting Nov. 7 – 8 in Bozeman, at the Hilton Garden Inn (2023 Commerce Way). The meeting is open to the public.

YES is the multi-agency group responsible for the recovery, delisting and management of the grizzly bear in the Yellowstone Ecosystem. Its membership includes the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service, state wildlife management agencies, Native American tribes and county commissioners.

YES members assist the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team with collection of biological and habitat data, and also work with citizens, communities and local governments to educate the

public about living in bear country and create solutions to reduce conflicts with bears.

On the agenda are reports from the member agencies about number and types of conflicts that occurred this year, as well as the annual population status update and discussion of the methods used to arrive at the population estimates. Unlike last year, no grizzly bear caused human fatalities have occurred this year in the Yellowstone Ecosystem or any of the grizzly bear recovery areas in the contiguous states.

Each session will end with an opportunity for public comment. The complete schedule and agenda are available at igbconline.org/YES-fall-2012-finalagenda.pdf.

explorebigsky.com

Section 2:

Big Sky Weekly

Nov. 2-15, 2012 Volume 3 // Issue No. 22

sports, health and business

Big Sky Freeride Team hires new head coach

By Jackie robin bssef

BIG SKY – The Big Sky Ski Education Foundation recently hired a new head coach and program director for the freeride team, Peter Manka. Manka is a father of three young skiers, and a former collegiate racer, coach and big mountain competitor.

“Freeskiing offers young athletes the opportunity to learn life skills and confidence through the focus and effort required to ski challenging terrain in a constantly changing mountain environment,” Manka said.

The Freeride Team is open to skiers 12-18 who want to ski and compete on big mountain terrain. Coaches focus on technique, fluidity, control and style.

Snow safety and avalanche awareness are also a large part of the program, as are teamwork and communication.

Representatives from the Freeskiing World Tour, as well as professional ski patrollers, mountain rescue and snow science experts join the team as on-mountain guest coaches. Local big mountain skiers interested in coaching can contact the team.

The BSSEF team will have the opportunity to compete in regional events at Jackson Hole, Grand Targhee, as well as Moonlight Basin’s Headwaters Spring Runoff, now an IFSA sanctioned event for juniors on March, 30 2013. (The adult Runoff will be one week later on April 6.) Some athletes will also compete at national events at areas around the Western U.S. and Canada.

BSSEF Freeride Team informational meetings

Meet the coaches and learn more about the 2013 BSSEF Freeride Program Bozeman: Wednesday, Nov. 7, 5:30 – 7 p.m.

Upstairs at the Community Food Co-op on Main Street and 9th Ave. Big Sky: Thursday, Nov. 8, 5 – 6 p.m.

The Hungry Moose Market and Deli

For more information about joining the BSSEF Freeride Team, contact head coach Peter Manka at pmanka@ hotmail.com, parent coordinator Jackie Robin at jackie@hungrymoose.com, or visit bssef.com. Meet the coaches informational gatherings will be held in Bozeman and Big Sky, Nov. 7 and 8 (see sidebar).

Joey Manship, Solomon Amsden and Micah Robin arriving at Crystal Mountain Photo courtesy of Jackie Robin

New BSSEF head freeride coach Peter Manka skiing on Lone Mountain.

photo by ryan turner

The BSSEF team at Targhee in 2011. Photo courtesy of Jackie Robin

explorebigsky.com

Nov. 2-15, 2012 17

sports

Big Horns football wrap-up Season ends with playoff loss

Coach Beardsley talks to his players after the last game of the season

story and photos by mike coil

Big sky weekly sports columnist

BIG SANDY – The Lone Peak High School Big Horns ended their football season Oct. 26 with a 39-8 playoff loss to the Big Sandy Pioneers (8-1).

The Big Horns (4-5) wrapped up their second season of Class C-six man facing one of the best teams in the Eastern Division. The Big Horns scored first with a rushing touchdown by Tucker Shea early in the first quarter, and the half time score was 18-8.

Big Horn swarming defense

A number of parents, students and fans traveled from Big Sky to cheer for the Big Horns on a cold and windy evening.

It appeared LPHS had a chance to keep the game close, until the Pioneers broke it open in the third quarter, reeling off another 21 unanswered points.

In just their second ever season of competition, the Big Horns showed improvement over last year's playoff appearance, an 87-0 to Denton.

At the end of his two-year career at LPHS Shea has been the leading rusher

and has the most touchdowns. During this season, Shea scored 11 touchdowns and rushed for more than 2,300 yards.

He has also been selected as a finalist for Montana’s High School Heisman award, which is sponsored by Wendy’s.

Making history again, Shea, who scored the first touchdown in Big Horns history on Sept. 3, 2011, scored the final touchdown of this season. It was also Shea's last as a Big Horn – he graduates in the spring. The LPHS will graduate four other seniors as well.

Lady Big Horns wrap up season two

By JOSEPH T. O'CONNOR big sky weekly editor

BUTTE - The Lone Peak High School girls’ volleyball team wrapped up their 2012 season in Butte, Mont. on Oct. 25, with a hard-fought match against the Twin Bridges Falcons.

A qualifier for the state’s divisional tournament, the match highlighted a season of growth for the lady Big Horns, Head Coach Sarah Phelps said.

Though LPHS lost the match, the team stayed to watch the rest of the tournament.

“We hung with that team,” said Phelps, who has coached the varsity team in its first two seasons and in Big Sky for eight years. “It was great for our girls to see they could compete with some of these other teams.”

Phelps has big plans for the girls this summer, in preparation for what she expects to be a breakout season next year. “We have a couple summer camps planned, and open-gym time,” said Phelps, who is excited to have greater numbers next season – enough to field a junior varsity team.

“I’m thrilled. We have 24 girls in fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grades, and will have enough to hold tryouts.”

18 Nov. 2-15, 2012

LPHS went through a difficult season two years ago – their first as a team. But Phelps set some objectives at the beginning of this season.

“My goal for [the team] was to win some matches this year,” she said.

“When we came out and beat West Yellowstone on senior night, the girls realized how good they can be.”

Phelps said the win was the highlight of this season.

“That point exceeded my expectations by 11 fold,” Phelps said. “Throughout the season, we were competitive. Our improvement was 1,000 percent.”

Michelle Burger, a junior, led the team in District 8C rankings. She placed in the top 40 in all five categories, including aces, kills, assists, digs and blocks.

Five other Lone Peak players landed in the top 40. Tehya Braun, Katie Reid, Janie Izzo, Kaela Schommer and Gabrielle Gasser joined Burger on the list.

Phelps remains confident about season three, next year. The fact that Lone Peak had at least two girls in each of the District 8C categories helps. “This puts other teams on the alert,” Phelps said.

“We’re an up-and-coming program.”

explorebigsky.com

Photos by Tori Pintar

Among the Big Horns’ 2012 season highlights was a 94-0 victory over Two Eagle River on Sept. 8, and wins against St. Regis (49-0) and West Yellowstone (55-33). The most exciting game of the season was against Lima, which the Big Horns won 41-36. Six-man football does not lend itself to low-scoring games, and the Big Horns lost big a couple of times, against Alberton (7032) and Billings Christian (79-32).

For next season, the Big Horns expect 10 returning players, as well as coach Tony Beardsley and his staff.

-ELK RIDGE RANCHexplorebigsky.com

sports

Big Sky Weekly

NBA Commissioner Stern set to retire favoring the owners.

By Brandon Niles

Big sky weekly sports columnist

Longtime NBA Commissioner David Stern is planning to step down on Feb. 1, 2014. After 30 years as the NBA’s top executive, he’ll leave behind a league that saw tremendous success under his reign.

On the other hand, “reign” is an apt description of the legacy of Stern’s tenure. He had to make many difficult decisions, often under heavy pressure from owners and the consistent threat of declining ratings. Many of these decisions were criticized as causing some of the most notable problems during his time.

The four NBA lockouts Stern presided over weigh heavily upon his resume, though only two resulted in game cancellations. Furthermore, he has been accused of unethical behavior. During the 1985 lottery, for example, Stern picked a supposedly marked envelope out of the tumbler that ensured Patrick Ewing would go to the New York Knicks. From the dress code, to countless suspensions handed down from the league office, he’s certainly left his mark on the controversial issues in the NBA over the past three decades.

Most recently, the lockout from last season has left a negative taste in the mouths of many NBA fans, particularly because Stern clearly placed himself on the side of the owners during negotiations, causing animosity between himself and the players. Despite the owners sharing the blame for the problems that caused the lockout, Stern seemed like the greedy politician in negotiations that ultimately wound up

Perhaps the most egregious abuse of power came after the lockout ended last season, when Stern vetoed a three-team trade that would have sent Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers. The argument was that a team owned by the all of owners collectively (as Paul’s Hornets were at that time) could not make such a trade. Nevertheless, it was only a short time before Paul was traded to the Clippers instead, a move still chastised

by NBA fans.

It’s easy to criticize Stern and point out all the controversies that will stain his legacy. However, it’s also important to note the league enjoyed more success under Stern than ever before, and that he is leaving the NBA in good shape with a solid group of young stars.

Some fans will remember the lockouts and the controversies. Others may remember the success. Still more might view him as the showman he has been during every draft night, encouraging the raucous boos he annually receives from the crowd in attendance. I’ll remember him as the guy that looks like Kermit the Frog.

LIVINGSTON • $2,100,000 640 +/- acres (4 parcels), spectacular elk, deer and antelope hunting, borders USFS land, Yellowstone River access, minutes to town

More Fine Ranch & Recreational Offerings: ROCKY MOUNTAIN ROAD • BELGRADE • $4,300,000 719 +/- acres, 3,622 +/- sf home, primitive cabin, borders USFS land, Mill Creek runs through, water rights, productive hay ground ROCK CREEK SECTION • GARDINER • $2,700,000 640 +/- acres, log cabin, meadows, creeks, springs, trees, borders USFS land for 3.5 +/- miles, excellent recreational property T BAR Z ROAD • WHITEHALL • $1,450,000 237 +/- acres, 6,048 +/- sf home was lodge for the historic T Bar Z Ski Area, Locati designed addition, trees, alpine meadow

Don Pilotte

Broker, GRI, SFR Resort & Recreation Specialist

RanchMT.com

(406) 580-0155

From here, it will be up to Adam Silver, the deputy commissioner pegged to replace him, to find a path of his own and to continue the NBA’s popularity and success.

Despite the criticism, I wish Stern good luck, and I hope his replacement can avoid the same pitfalls and power struggles.

Brandon Niles has done online freelance writing about the NFL since 2007. His articles range from NFL news to teamspecific commentary. A Communication Studies graduate student at the University of North Carolina Greensboro, Niles is also an avid Miami Dolphins fan, which has led to his becoming an avid Scotch whisky fan over the past decade.

explorebigsky.com

Nov. 2-15, 2012 19

RIVER RUN

explorebigsky.com

Big Sky Weekly

AT YELLOWSTONE CLUB

Fly Fishing · Horses · Skiing

RIVER RUN

Available for purchase:

AT YELLOWSTONE CLUB

Fly Fishing · Horses · Skiing

7-acre estate featuring skiing, fly fishing & horses onsite Contact sales@riverrunatyc.com www.riverrunatyc.com 406-995-4900 Big Sky, Montana

RIVER RUN SITE

BIG SKY ’S FULL SERVICE GROCERY STORE Hand- cut meats • Fresh baked goods • Gourmet items • Beer & wine

LOCAL F R E SH Delivery available - have your rental unit stocked upon your arrival! 406-995-4636 Open 7 days a week, 6:30am to 8pm Extended hours 6:30am to 10pm December 15-April 15 and July 1- Labor Day

Located in the Meadow Village Center next to Lone Peak Brewery

20 Nov. 2-15, 2012

explorebigsky.com

explorebigsky.com

health & wellness

Big Sky Weekly

Ask Dr. Dunn By maren dunn

big sky weekly health writer

Last year I burned myself on the wood stove, and now have a scar. What should I do if this ever happens again?

It’s fire season in Montana, of the indoor variety.

With the temperatures falling, families are firing up wood burning stoves and fireplaces to heat their homes. While an effective and efficient heating method, wood fires do pose a few risks.

One is burns.

A burn is a flesh injury where skin cells and other tissues are destroyed. They can be caused by heat, cold, electricity, radiation, chemicals, light or friction. Adults commonly sustain thermal burns from flames, while children mostly sustain scald burns from hot water or steam. While prevention is the best medicine, it’s important to know what to do if someone becomes burned.

First, it’s important to decide the depth of the burn. In first-degree, or superficial burns, the top layer of skin has been damaged. The skin is usually red and may be swollen or painful. A mild sunburn is a good example. This type can be treated with pain medications like ibuprofen or acetaminophen and topical coolants or creams.

As with any burn, immediate treatment consists of cool water or compresses to transfer the heat out of the skin and reduce swelling. Ice is never indicated when treating burns. First-degree burns usually heal in six days without any scarring.

When the skin has blisters, is splotchy and intensely painful, it has sustained a second-degree burn. This type extends into the second layer of skin. If your second-degree burn is larger than three inches in diameter or includes the hands, feet, groin, buttocks or a major joint, you should seek medical attention. Prevention of infection and promoting healing are the two highest priorities with second-degree burns. Therefore, do not rupture intact blisters. This type of burn usually heals in one to three weeks and rarely scars, although pigment changes are common. As with first-degree burns, immediate treatment includes cooling with water followed by a sterile dressing to keep the air out. If signs of infection such as increased pain, swelling, drainage, redness or oozing occur, seek medical attention immediately.

Third-degree burns are the most serious, cause permanent damage to the tissue and involve all layers of the skin. They can appear waxy white, or charred and black. There is little or no pain, and the skin does not blanch with pressure. There

are no blisters. This type must be treated with surgical intervention in order to heal properly. It’s important to note that all types of burns can coexist within one injury.

Since prevention is the best medicine, make sure to teach your children proper fire safety, wear gloves when tending a fire, and always have a fire extinguisher near your fireplace or wood stove.

Maren Dunn, D.O., is owner of Gallatin Family Medicine, a medical clinic in the Big Sky Meadow Village. Gallatin Family Medical offers reduced cost and free mammogram screening. Have a question?

Email her at inquiries@gallatinfamilymedicine.com. gallatinfamilymedicine.com

Flu shots available in-home for seniors No cost to Medicare and Medicaid recipients BOZEMAN – First Choice Home Health, a locally owned home health care agency in Bozeman, is making it easy for seniors on Medicare or Medicaid to get a flu shot No prescription or doctor’s order is required.

Getting the influenza vaccine at home saves time and effort going to a clinic. Plus, it saves seniors from being exposed to germs by visiting a clinic.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people age 65 and older get vaccinated, as well as people who have certain medical conditions including asthma, diabetes and chronic lung disease.

For those with Medicare or Medicaid benefits, there is no cost for the vaccine.

First Choice Home Health will take care of the billing. The shots are available now through flu season. Call First Choice Home Health at (406) 551-2273 to schedule an appointment with a nurse.

Bozeman Deaconess five-star recipient for joint replacement BOZEMAN – On Oct. 23, Bozeman Deaconess Health Services’ joint replacement program received a five-star rating from Healthgrades, a leading provider of information to help consumers make informed decisions about physicians or hospitals.

The findings are part of “American Hospital Quality Outcomes 2013: Healthgrades Report to the Nation,” which evaluates the performance of approximately 4,500 hospitals nationwide, in nearly 30 of the most common conditions and procedures. Healthgrades bases its objective measures solely on clinical performance.

Healthgrades gave BDHS a fourth place ranking for Overall Orthopedic

Services in the state. This is the fourth year in a row the hospital ranked among the top five in Montana for Overall Orthopedic Services.

American hospitals vary widely in quality, according to the Healthgrades report. Patients were 61 percent less likely to experience a major in-hospital complication when being treated at a hospital receiving five stars, when compared with hospitals receiving one star across a range of procedures, the report said.

“American Hospital Quality Outcomes 2013: Healthgrades Report to the Nation,” including the complete methodology, can be found at healthgrades.com/quality.

explorebigsky.com

Nov. 2-15, 2012 21

explorebigsky.com

business

Big Sky Weekly

Report: More people investing in land Acreage owned by top 100 private landowners up 18.6 percent

Foreclosure victims may be eligible for compensation

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – According to a new survey published by The Land Report, more people are investing in undeveloped land than five years ago.

Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis

As well, the data shows the private holdings of the top landowners have grown, with the total acreage owned by the 100 largest private landowners up by 18.6 percent, from 27.2 million acres in 2007 to 32.3 million in 2012.

“Land and land-based assets have propelled our economy out of the doldrums,” said Land Report Editor Eric O’Keefe. “Look at farmland prices. Look at energy assets. Look at the rise in minerals and commodity prices.” Each of these is tied to the land, which O’Keefe says is the reason many savvy investors are anchoring their portfolios with this asset.

The Bozeman-based land brokerage Fay Ranches sponsors the magazine.

Company owner Greg Fay says the survey results confirm a trend he sees today.

“Today’s ranch investor understands the importance and interconnectivity of agricultural production, healthy

ecosystems and quality recreation, and how it affects value,” Fay says.

Several landowners are new to this year’s 100 list, including the Flitner Family, at no. 25, who own the Hideout, a working ranch with high end guest accommodations east of Yellowstone National Park.

David Flitner is a third-generation Wyoming rancher, and many of his family’s 300,000 acres are near the Bighorn National Forest.

Also new to the list is no. 86 Roxanne Quimby, an entrepreneur, healthy-living visionary, philanthropist and conservationist who owns 119,000 acres, mostly in the north woods of Maine. Quimby was a co-founder of Burt’s Bees, a best-selling brand of natural personal-care products that sold to a multinational firm.

The 2012 edition of The Land Report 100 is an annual survey of the largest private U.S. landowners.

It excludes leased and public lands and focuses exclusively on deeded acreage owned by individuals, families, family-owned companies and family-controlled foundations.

vintagewinter.com

A collection of Alpine Home Decor and Chalet Style Antiques

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Area residents who experienced home foreclosure in 2009-2010 have until Dec. 31, 2012, to request an independent assessment of whether they deserve monetary compensation for foreclosure processing deficiencies.

redemption period –can request an independent review, Bridges said.

An impartial expert will re-examine each case, and recommend whether compensation is warranted for mortgage servicer deficiencies that resulted in financial harm to the borrower.

More than 700 Gallatin County households may be eligible for a free and impartial third-party review of whether their mortgage servicer handled their foreclosure inappropriately.

There is no charge for these reviews, Bridges said. To avoid scams, she recommends using these official sites and absolutely avoiding any person or organization asking you to pay for this review.

“These reviews are not just for those who lost their homes to foreclosure,” said to Dorothy Bridges, senior vice president at the Federal Reserve Bank.

Together with its branch in Helena, Mont., the Minneapolis Fed serves the Ninth Federal Reserve District, which includes Minnesota, Montana, North and South Dakota, 26 counties in northwestern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. For more information, visit federalreserve. gov/consumerinfo/independentforeclosure-review.htm.

Homeowners with mortgages serviced by one of the 14 covered servicers and involved in any part of the foreclosure process that year – from initial filing to sale or

NFL & COL

LEGE

FOOTBALL

HEADQUA

RTERS

Vintage Ski Posters $19

collectable ski sets starting at $325

OPEN 11AM SUNDAYS FOR EARLY NFL GAMES OFF-SEASON HOURS: OPEN THURS- MON AT 11:30 A.M. LUNCH & DINNER

LOCATED IN THE BIG SKY TOWN CENTER big sky, montana 406-995-3830 three pane ski frame $359

any items at

VintageWinter.com

15

off

Ski wall sconce $229

%

use promo code:

Outlaw

Classifieds help wanted Hungry Moose Market and Deli Accepting applications for career-oriented, full-time, year-round staff.

One posititon available in grocery and one in deli. Commercial kitchen skills required for Deli. Outgoing, friendly personality required for both. Health insurance, ski pass, vacation pay are just some of our benefits for full-time staff. Pick up an application at the store or online: hungrymoose.com.

explorebigsky.com

Big Sky Weekly

Email classifieds and/or advertising requests to media@theoutlawpartners.com or call (406) 995-2055

Big Sky Chamber has a permanent, part-time (16hrs/wk) clerical position at the Big Sky Visitor’s Center. Must have strong customer service skills.

Pay is $9/hr. Email resumes to info@ bigskychamber.com or mail to PO Box 160100, Big Sky, MT 59716

The Big Sky Chamber of Commerce is seeking a Membership Sales & Events Manager. This position is full-time/ year-round. More info at www.bigskychamber.com/staff. php. Send resume and cover letter to mailto:info@bigskychamber.cominfo@bigskychamber.com or mail to Big Sky Chamber, PO Box 160100, Big Sky, MT 59716, no phone calls please.

The River Rock Lodge is now taking applications for front deskfull or p/t positions- day, evening & night shifts available.

Apply in person at the River Rock Lodge, 88 Big Pine Dr, Big Sky. Call Susie 995-4455 for an interview. Email resumes to Susie@rpmbigsky.com

for rent

RENTALS ATV'S, Polaris RZR side by sides, RV's, Driftboats & SNOWMOBILES when the snow flies! bigboystoysrentals.com 406-587-4747

forADVERTISEM sale VERIFICATION COPY OF YOUR 1998 Chevy S10 Blazer, heated leath-

er seats, set of snow and summer tires, Attn:Bailey Paving 211,000 miles and still in great condition. $2,750/OBOedition Call 995 2091 This is a copy of your advertisement which will appear in the 2009-2010 of the Big S Shuttle to Big Sky & Taxi Directory published by Statewide Publishing - Montana under the heading(s) of: Need Some Extra Money This Win-

Paving Contractors

ter? Come share your passion for the Big Sky area as a Part Time Driver for Shuttle to Big Sky & Taxi. Must be at least 25 yrs. of age with a clean driving record and able to lift 50 lbs.

Prior experience preferred but not required. Must past Drug Test & DOT physical exam. PT positions available.

Flexible hours Please submit resume to info@bigskytaxi.com. EOE. Or call our office at 406-995-4895

FOR SALE

one of a kind antique 1. Is spelling and ad information correct? ...................................................................................

2. Is your phone number and address correct? .......................................................................... management company in 3. I Property understand that colors in my ad may vary due to differences in printer inks & pape Big Sky is seeking part time general laborers formark fall & winter 4. Please theseason. necessary corrections directly on the ad as neatly as possible.

Peninsular 414

wood burning stove

Duties include: snow removal, wood stocking, etc. Could possibly work into a full time position. Must have reliable winter transportation, good work ethic, and attention to detail.

Fax resume to 406-763-9008.

PRICE: $ 5,000 CONTACT: Tim 580-0624

• Maintenance AsphaltAsphalt Paving Paving • Maintenance • Seal Coating Seal Coating • Lot Striping Lot Striping • Patchwork Crack Sealing Patchwork • Crack•Sealing

Owner Supervised - 30 years Experience Owner Supervised 30 years Experience

Serving all of Southwest Montana Serving All of Southwest Montana

TREE REMOVAL 995-7852

REMOVING DEAD AND INFESTED TREES

FIREWOOD AVAILABLE

Grants Available for Home Fire Suppression

� PILATES

Approved RC&D Hazardous Fuels Reduction Contractor

� MASSAGE

� YOGA � PERSONAL TRAINING � HEALTH COUNSELING

Tom Newberry:

995-7852

BigSkyTrees@aol.com

Victoria Bentley, Certified Health & Lifestyle Coach

Call for appointments in Bozeman or Big Sky

Appointments only [ 406.570.9154 ] bentleybodies.com

PLEASE sign, date, and return within five working days for complet

Your prompt attention is greatly appreciated in returning this proof even if t

explorebigsky.com

outdoors

Big Sky Weekly

Ice tower would make Bozeman a world-class climbing destination Outdoor concert venue to fill major cultural need

By Tyler Allen

big sky weekly staff writer

BOZEMAN – Southwest Montana has long been an adventure destination. The exceptional skiing, world-renowned trout streams, and abundance of natural frozen waterfalls in Hyalite Canyon attract recreationalists from around the world. A 75-foot-tall ice climbing tower proposed for the Gallatin County Fairgrounds would bolster that status, and also add a major concert venue – something Bozeman lacks.

“Bozeman has lacked big ideas since the national rodeo left town [in the late ‘90s],” said Deputy Mayor Jeff Krauss, an outspoken supporter of the project.

“This would put us on the map and be a landmark from the interstate. I think it fits with how we’ve evolved as a community and the natural resources we have.”

The structure would be one-of-a kind in the western hemisphere, and it would mean more than just tourism and recreation for Bozeman, said Conrad Anker, a Bozeman-based alpinist who’s one of the lead organizers. It would be a training facility for Gallatin Search and Rescue, a rock climbing wall in summer, and a concert venue with a capacity for 2,000 to 3,000 people.

The intent was to have it built in time to host the 2013 UIAA World Cup of Ice Climbing, an event that’s never been held in North America. However, that’s probably not realistic, Anker said, “unless someone stepped in with the money tomorrow and [we] could start on it.”

The facility is projected to cost $4-5 million, the first $2.5-3 million for construction, and the rest for an endowment that would generate interest for upkeep, Anker said.

The sport of ice climbing is growing both in Montana and worldwide.

The Bozeman Ice Festival, now in its 16th year, draws an international crowd to the Gallatin Valley each December.

This year’s event will be Dec. 5-9, and festival organizer Joe Josephson expects at least 2,000 attendees, between the clinics and evening entertainment. This

crowd of climbers also has their eyes on the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia where mixed climbing will be a demonstration sport for the very first time.

“We have great ice climbing here, some of the best in the Lower 48, and we should showcase that,” Anker said. “You have to play to your strengths. This would get people from all over the world here.”

He stressed the importance of having a competition venue for ice climbing, as compared to competing in a natural setting, which can be dangerous, “since you bring the testosterone and intensity into the mountains, where there are so many other factors.”

Tate Chamberlin, owner of Chamberlin Productions in Bozeman and a supporter of the project, says the community needs a music venue.

“Developing festivals, venues and a culture [of music] help create sustainability for communities… People would move here for it, go to school here because of it.

It would give Bozeman a pretty big head start launching into the 21st century.”

Chamberlin plans to conduct sound tests for noise prior to the Avalaunch Festival at the fairgrounds, Nov. 8-10. Noise and traffic are major concerns coming from neighbors and community members opposed to the ice tower project.

“The best thing we can do is open up discussion with citizens in the surrounding neighborhoods and hear their concerns,” he said.

The noise issue should be addressed by the venue’s orientation, which will face north for the best ice production, according to fairgrounds manager Sue Shockley.

“The noise will naturally go that direction where there are no neighbors.”

Ultimately, Shockley said, the fairgrounds’ master plan is to move the main entrance from Tamarack to Oak Street, addressing the traffic issue, as well.

“It’s going to be such a cool thing for our whole area,” she said. “Having events at

Three women climb Mummy II during the Bozeman Ice Festival last year.

PHOTO BY EMILY STIFLER

the fairgrounds has such a positive impact on the community, people and businesses.

It will happen, as long as we can answer all the questions the community has.”

MSU architecture students Michael Spencer and Tymer Tilton, together with engineering student PJ Kolnik, won a design competition for the structure in March 2011 and have since worked with Nishkian Monks Engineering on design development. The infrastructure design is now completed, and the School of Architecture is working on the climbing surface, said architecture professor Michael Everts, who’s helped coordinate the process.

The proposed structure would be built out of eight re-purposed steel shipping containers, have rainwater collection on the roof to grow the ice, and solar panels to produce some of the electricity.

“We have a young and vibrant town, full of athletic people who also appreciate music,” Krauss said. “We need an outdoor venue that could hold events appealing to a wide range of musical events: jazz, electronica, classical, rap. This is how we keep the fairgrounds vital. Now it’s all about fundraising.”

It's avalanche season GNFAC fundraiser best yet On Oct. 28, three skiers in the northern Bridger Range triggered an avalanche at 9,000 feet, just south of Frazier Basin.

They were ascending a south-facing slope when they felt it collapse with a “whumph” and saw it fracture above their skin track.

The crown broke near the ridgeline, and the avalanche swept all three to the bottom, according to the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center report.

The skiers were buried to their chest or armpits, and one, a 53-year-old man, suffered a deep knee laceration and hip

24 Nov. 2-15, 2012

injury. At noon, they called Gallatin County Search and Rescue.

of only traveling one at a time in avalanche terrain and carrying rescue gear.

Twenty SAR volunteers responded via snowmobiles, four-wheelers and skis, with two flown in by Summit Air Ambulance. They evacuated the patient in a couple of hours, and he was transported to Bozeman Deaconess Hospital.

"The avalanche," he said later, "is a reminder that even when the snowpack is thin, if there’s enough to [ski or snowboard] on, there’s enough to avalanche.”

“Thin snow cover also increases the chances of getting seriously injured by rocks up and ruining a ski season.”

“This time of year, the best skiing will be found on wind-loaded slopes, where the snow is deepest,” wrote GNFAC director Doug Chabot in the report.

“This accident reinforces the behavior

explorebigsky.com

Looking forward, Chabot says, October snow “usually comes back to haunt us. The longer it sits on the ground exposed to cold air temperatures,

the weaker it becomes. And a weak foundation will not support an entire winter’s snowfall. It will avalanche.”

The avalanche center held its 14th annual Powderblast fundraiser on Oct. 26 in Bozeman, packing the house at the Emerson Ballroom.

The center’s largest fundraiser, this was the most successful to date, according to GNFAC board member Jeannie Wall.

outdoors

Bozeman on Nat Geo’s top 25 ski towns Top seed in Powder’s ‘ski town throwdown’

By emily stifler

big sky weekly managing editor

Bozeman has once again made the list.

National Geographic magazine’s online “World’s Best 25 Ski Towns” included the town among giants such as Chamonix, Zermatt, Fernie, Jackson and Whistler.

Dubbing Bozeman “the adventure capital of the Northern Rockies,” the article points to Montana’s cowboy culture and quality, “no frills” skiing, noting the locals are “diehard skiers who wear their duct tape with pride.”

“You don’t come here for the restaurants, you come to ski the two wild Montana mountains,” it proclaims, referring to Bridger Bowl and Big Sky/ Moonlight, and noting the proximity to Yellowstone National Park.

Powder magazine also has Bozeman and Big Sky in its sights. It named Bozeman the No. 1 place to “Live to Ski” in 2010, and No. 3 in its November 2012 “Best 32 Best Places to ski in North America” feature, behind only Revelstoke, British Columbia and Ogden, Utah.

The ranking was based on a “P3” formula, short for “powder per person.” The idea: “Obviously you want powder, but you don't want it to be tracked out by 10:30,” Powder editor John Stifter told the Weekly. Included in the math were annual snowfall, acreage, skier numbers and the cost of beer.

In conjunction with that feature, powder.com is hosting an online “Ski Town Throwdown,” where readers weigh in. Set up with brackets á la March Madness, Bozeman startedas a top seed and clob-

A local Bridger Bowl die-hard dropping off the Ridge above the Slushman's Lift. Photo by Tyler Allen

bered Marquette, Mich., seeded eighth, 1116 to 151 during the Oct. 29 – 30 voting.

“As a skier it's hard to want to promote where you love to ski = more people. However, it's also a pride thing, and we need to win this one hands down,” wrote Bozeman ski photographer Travis Anderson on Powder’s Facebook page. “Since we live here and are making a living here with our families, it makes sense to self promote.”

Bozeman’s next match is Nov. 28 – 29, against Park City, Utah or Taos, N.M., and if it moves on to the final four, Dec. 10 – 11. The final throwdown will be Dec. 19 – 20. The winning resort will present a prize package to one of its loyal voters.

VOTE Nov. 28-29

when Bozeman goes up against either Park City, Utah or Taos, N.M. in Powder magazine's "Ski Town Throwdown" “It’s a fun way to get people involved with the magazine and also create this communal stoke before the season,” Stifter said. “Let’s let the readers decide the best ski town in North America.”

The deeps Breckenridge, Colo.-based photographer/writer Liam Doran wrote about Big Sky and Moonlight in his essay “On a Whim,” in Powder’s November 2012 issue.

Dropping into the North Summit Snowfield, Doran described “[picking] up speed with a 100-foot straightline into a huge left turn that sent me deep into the storm’s bounty.”

It’s coming.

North Summit Snowfield Photo by Emily Stifler

explorebigsky.com

Nov. 2-15, 2012 25

Gear reviews

The Big Sky Weekly/explorebigsky.com staff is a group of outdoor-loving men and women who play hard almost every second we’re not in the office. Some of the gear seen here is brand new, and some of it’s stuff we’ve had for ages—we think it’s worth the ink to tell you about some of the gadgets, gizmos, gear and garb that make our lives even more fun.

Gibbon SlackRack Slacking off has never been so productive

By Tyler Allen

big sky weekly staff writer

The winters in southwest Montana can be long, especially if you’re a climber dreaming about dry rocks and temperatures warm enough to enjoy them. As the snow piles up and the days get shorter, one’s balance and fitness can fade with the summer sun.

Work consumes the daylight hours of the Outlaw winter, and weekends spent skiing or ice climbing are but a fleeting fix. The Gibbon SlackRack is our remedy. Its two-inch wide webbing stretches 12 feet long, just enough to wake up the core muscles on our way from our desks to the coffee maker or morning meeting. And the challenges are endless in the office setting: walking it with a full cup of coffee, while talking on the phone for a story, or while eating a monster burrito from the Wrap Shack.

The concentration required to walk the SlackRack – or challenge ourselves with new tricks – wipes the mind clear for a few minutes, and we return to our desks restored from the compulsory meditation.

There are some tricks you can’t do on the SlackRack, since it stretches just a foot off the ground. If you’re a sponsored Gibbon slackliner used to busting chest bounces and other aerials, well, you probably go to a gym to slack off anyway. However, it’s perfect for the casual slackliner looking to improve skills and general balance. Nearly every Outlaw client that’s walked into the office has been compelled to give it a go. $299.99 gibbon-slacklines.com Tyler Allen slacks off in the Outlaw office. Photo by Chris Davis

It ’s n ot to o la te !

cklist Your Summer Fly Fishing Che fly C at ch a cu tth roa t on a dr y of our Ta ke you r kid fis hin g on one d fa mil y tri ps or in our pri va te pon

Ri ve r Dr ift bo at flo at th e M ad iso n in a St alk a mo ns te r br ow n tro ut se cr et cr ee k Pe rfe ct you r do ub le- ha ul

Since ’84. Fine Purveyors of Fly Fishing Awesome-ness.

BIG SKY’S ONLY FULL-SERVICE WORKOUT FACILITY OPEN 5 A.M.-10 P.M. 7 DAYS A WEEK DAY, WEEK AND YEAR-LONG MEMBERSHIPS AVAILABLE VISIT OZSSAGE.COM/GYM.PHP FOR DETAILS 32 MARKET PLACE, MEADOW VILLAGE, BIG SKY (406) 995 4522

26 Nov. 2-15, 2012

explorebigsky.com

GEAR. GUIDES. HONEST INFO. Serving Big Sky, Yellowstone Park, and Southwest Montana

montanaflyfishing.com • 406-995-2290 Pat Straub; Montana licensed outfitter #7878

EVENTS

explorebigsky.com

Big Sky Weekly

Planning an event? Let us know! Email tyler@theoutlawpartners.com, and we’ll spread the word.

Daylight Savings is Nov. 4. Don’t forget to set your clocks back.

Bozeman

m p..sunday, Bozeman

Tango Workshop Have Fun Dancing, 6 p.m.

Judy Carmichael Trio Ellen Theater, doors 6:30

friday, nov. 2

nov. 4

Bozeman

Bridger Ski Foundation Ski Swap Gallatin Fairgrounds, 10 a.m.

Silly Moose Comedy Improv Equinox Theater, 2 p.m.

Art Sampler Emerson Cultural Center, 6 p.m.

MSU vs. Minot State Women’s Basketball MSU Fieldhouse, 6:30 p.m.

Acoustic Guitar Workshop with Mike Gurzi & John Lowell Music Villa, 2 p.m.

Kesselheim/Lee Book Reading REI, 6:30 p.m.

monday, nov. 5 Bozeman

Sunspot Jones and Pigeon John Zebra Cocktail Lounge, 10 p.m.

West Coast Swing on Mondays Baxter Ballroom, 6 p.m.

Horse Feathers w/ Devi Sant Filling Station, 10 p.m.

Dropkick Murphy’s Shine Auditorium, 7 p.m.

livingston & paradise valley

Bozone Open Mike Haufbrau, 10 p.m.

tuesday, nov. 6

election day

Sweeney Todd Shane Lalani Center, 8 p.m.

big sky

Tom Catmull & the Clerics Chico Hot Springs Saloon, 9 p.m.

Open Mike Night Choppers, 8 p.m.

saturday, nov. 3

Bozeman Winter Farmer’s Market Emerson Cultural Center, 9 a.m.

Bridger Ski Foundation Ski Swap Gallatin Fairgrounds, 10 a.m.

Silly Moose Comedy Improv Equinox Theater, 2 p.m.

Tango Montana Beall Park Art Center, 7 p.m.

Turquoise Jeep Artists Zebra Cocktail Lounge, 10 p.m. livingston & paradise valley The Saddle Tramps Band Chico Hot Springs Saloon, 9 p.m.

sunday, nov. 11 Bozeman

nov. 7

Pecha Kucha Night Ellen Theater, 6:30 p.m.

Jawbone Railroad Starky’s, 7 p.m.

Musical Salute to Our Veterans Senior Center, 4:30 p.m.

Bridger Mountain Big Band Colonel Blacks, 7 p.m.

Sleepwalk with Me Emerson Crawford Theater, 7:30 p.m.

West Coast Swing on Mondays Baxter Ballroom, 6 p.m.

Ryan Matzinger Ellen Theater, doors 6:30 p.m.

livingston & paradise valley

Wind Energy Talk Hope Lutheran Church, 7 p.m.

thursday, nov. 8 Bozeman

Skavacado Eagles Bar, 9 p.m.

Programming and Events all Weekend at Museum of the Rockies For more info: museumoftherockies.org

Landlocked & Elaine Lil’ Bit Zebra Cocktail Lounge, 9:30 p.m.

Phil Hamilton Filling Station, 10 p.m.

Judy Collins Ellen Theater, doors 6:30 p.m.

friday, nov. 9

livingston & paradise valley

Bozeman

Dave Walker Band Pine Lodge & Café, 7 p.m.

MIP The Zebra Cocktail Lounge, 10 p.m.

Sweeney Todd Shane Lalani Center, 8 p.m.

livingston & paradise valley

Tom Catmull & the Clerics Chico Hot Springs Saloon, 9

Le Vent du Nord Reynolds Recital Hall, 7:30 p.m.

Broad Comedy Emerson Cultural Center, 8 p.m. livingston & paradise valley

Wren’s Remedy Pine Creek Lodge & Café, 7 p.m.

Sizzling Salsa Baxter Ballroom, 7:30 p.m.

6th Bozeman Bluegrass Festival Emerson Ballroom, 7 p.m.

Cat & Griz Pep Rally Downtown, 5:30 p.m.

Christian Simmons Band Chico Hot Springs Saloon, 8 p.m.

Tango Workshop Have Fun Dancing, 6 p.m.

MSU vs. S. Dakota Tech Basketball Shroyer Gym, 6:30 p.m.

thursday, nov. 15

livingston & paradise valley

Bozeman

Writer’s Night Pine Creek Lodge and Café, 7 p.m.

Elk River Writer’s Night Pine Creek Lodge & Café, 7 p.m.

Backcountry Film Festival The Winter Wildlands Alliance Fundraiser Elks Lodge, 7 p.m.

Uke Group Wild Joe’s Coffee House, 7:30 p.m.

Macbeth- Elise Event MSU SUB, 6:30 p.m.

livingston & paradise valley

David Sedaris MSU SUB, 7:30 p.m.

Acoustic Guitar Workshop with Mike Gurzi & John Lowell Music Villa, 2 p.m.

David Quammen book signing Elk River Books, 7 p.m.

Sizzling Salsa Baxter Ballroom, 7:30 p.m.

Bozeman

MSU vs. Portland Basketball Shroyer Gym, 6:30 p.m.

Open Bluegrass Jam Pub 317, 7:30 p.m.

UKE Group Wild Joe’s Coffee, 7:30 p.m.

Basement Jazz with Eric Funk Reynolds Recital Hall, 7:30 p.m.

The DupliKates Eagles Bar, 2 p.m.

Bozeman

m p..wednesday, Bozeman

Comstock Lode Eagles Bar, 8 p.m.

The Exchange Sale Gallatin Fairgrounds, 8 a.m.

big sky Pretty Paws VanCan Food Drive Country Market, 9 a.m.- 5 p.m.

wednesday, nov. 14

Bozeman

Skavacado Eagles Bar, 9 p.m.

Dave Walker Band Pine Lodge & Café, 7 p.m.

saturday, nov. 10

monday, nov. 12

Bozone Open Mike Haufbrau, 10 p.m.

Strangeways Murray, 9 p.m.

NORRIS HOT SPRINGS

Music starts at 7 p.m.

Shea Stewart, Friday, Nov. 2 Bozo Mojo Saturday, Nov. 3

big sky

Susie & The Tall Boys Sunday, Nov. 4

Open Mike Night Choppers, 8 p.m.

Free Radicals Friday, Nov. 9

Bozeman

Dan Dubuque Saturday, Nov. 10

tuesday, nov. 13

Macbeth Black Box Theatre, 6 p.m.

Art Samplers for Children Emerson Cultural Center, 6 p.m.

Tom Murphy & Friends Sunday, Nov. 11

Tango Montana Beall Park Art Center, 7 p.m.

Jeremy Morton Bacchus Pub, 8 p.m.

The Saddle Tramps Band Chico Hot Springs Saloon, 9 p.m.

explorebigsky.com

Nov. 2-15, 2012 27

explorebigsky.com

entertainment

Big Sky Weekly

Comedy in the Key of Broad Broad Comedy returns to Bozeman

By Marcie Hahn-Knoff Big Sky Weekly Contributor

The audience files out of the Emerson Center’s Crawford Theatre, their faces rosy and smiles wide. They chatter about the show thus far, trying to re-create their favorite sketches and cracking up while fumbling over the punch lines. One woman exclaims she laughed so hard during one sketch she almost peed.

Welcome to intermission at Broad Comedy.

The brainchild of husband-and-wife duo Soren Kisiel and Katie Goodman, Broad Comedy mixes comedy, music and dance into sketches with a focus on women’s issues in women’s voices. Kisiel and Goodman co-write and co-direct the show – Goodman and a handful of other talented women, also known as ‘broads,’ perform the sketches.

The show has a new script every year, and the selections for the coming season are kept quiet so as not to ruin the surprise. Goodman and Kisiel are cut out for the annual undertaking: Kisiel is a gifted comedic writer who has a keen grasp on women’s studies, and Goodman, daughter of a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, is a critically acclaimed musical comic herself.

Broad Comedy is left-leaning, liberal, edgy and thought provoking, as well as R-rated. Hot-button women’s and progressive issues such as parenting, reproductive rights, science, healthcare and politics provide an impressive array of fodder for the creation of the sketches.

“Broad Comedy shares a woman’s eye on culture and politics,” Goodman says. “It is a very different [view] than what you normally see in the news and media.”

The show debuted in Bozeman in 1999, after George H. W. Bush was elected into office. Goodman and Kisiel saw it as a way to communicate real issues and concerns in a comedic frame. Since those early days, Broad Comedy has traveled all over the U.S. and abroad, with casts in Bozeman, Los Angeles, New York and Boston – gaining critical acclaim along the way.

Kisiel and Goodman called Bozeman home for nearly 15 years before moving full time to New York City

several years ago; today, Goodman still refers to her Bozeman cast as her “home team.” Goodman, Maggie Garver, Erin Roberg, Cara Wilder and the newest cast member local celebrity DJ Missy O’Malley, use Bozeman as a proving ground for new material.

show. Her solo musical comedy career is blooming – she will be featured in the New York Comedy Festival on Nov. 7. One recent video on her YouTube channel has more than 400,000 views, and her combined channel has received more than a million views.

The most recent incarnation of Broad Comedy will premier this November in Bozeman, featuring new sketches, songs and dance numbers. Since the show is heavily based on current events, some material is still being written to reflect real time politics – the performance happens after the November elections.

“I love performing, writing and creating, changing up my material and trying something new,” Goodman says. On the horizon, she sees more touring for Broad Comedy, professional writing for online publications such as the Huffington Post, and putting together more shows in new markets.

Fans will be delighted to see recurring characters with fresh dialogue such as the park bench mothers, as well as new material including a roller derby sketch featuring the local Gallatin Roller Girlz.

Broad Comedy runs in Bozeman at the Emerson Center for the Arts and Culture, Nov. 15-17. The show is appropriate for attendees 18 and older, and typically sells out in advance. Tickets are available at broadcomedy.com and at Cactus Records on Main Street.

In the meantime, Goodman will be flying back and forth from New York in preparation for the Photos courtesy of Katie Goodman

28 Nov. 2-15, 2012

explorebigsky.com

“Everyone gets burned out,” Goodman says. “Broad Comedy helps our audience get a better perspective on the world, inspires them and gives them renewed energy.”

Marcie Hahn-Knoff is a proud member of the Gallatin Roller Girlz roller derby team and is looking forward to watching GRG in their ‘roll on’ cameo at Broad Comedy.

When not skating or writing, she assists her clients purchase or sell their own little piece of Big Sky country as a real estate broker with Winter & Company Real Estate.

Find her at homeinbigsky.com.

explorebigsky.com

fun

Big Sky Weekly

Buscrat's Fables Consequences of the Fountain of Youth Three fellers came wanderin’ past my cabin in the mountains of Montana and asked me a question about a carefully guarded secret.

“Not yet.” I said. “And that was quite a few hundred years ago.”

“We heard there’s a fountain of youth up here somewhere that will make you live forever if drink some of the water,” one feller said.

“That’s ridiculous. Everybody has their bad points.

Take the president of our country. He’s made so many stupid decisions. I could have even done a better job than…..” just then a tail grew behind him. His hair grew longer until it became a mane. He fell to his hands and knees, while his hands and feet became paws. As he tried to complain about his new situation, out came the roar of a lion.

“Now where’d ya hear about a story like that?” I asked.

Another feller spoke up. “Well, we’re not sure it’s true.

The guy that told us said a talking goat told him.”

“Seems like a strange thing to me, believing a feller what heard it from another feller what talks to goats,” I said.

Then the third feller jumped in. “He said to find an old white haired, white bearded man that has lived in these mountains for hundreds of years with his wife.

We think that’s you.”

“Yeah, so don’t try to fool us into thinking there isn’t a fountain of youth,” said the first feller.

“We’re not leaving until you lead us to it,” said the second. I sat there fer a few minutes contemplatin’ their determination. Then I said, “The fountain of youth has some serious consequences, friends.”

“Are they bad?” the third feller asked.

“Could be bad, could be good, depends on the person what drinks it.”

“What happens?” they asked.

“It’s different with each person,” I said. “But if you’re pure in heart it can be good. If not, I dunno what’ll happen.”

“We’re all pure in heart,” said one.

“Yeah,” the others chimed in.

“Okay,” I said, “but I warned ya.”

I took them three fellers deep into the woods to a small spring of water trickling down a hill.

“That’s it?” bellered the first feller.

“It’s so puny,” said the second.

“Yeah, I was expecting a beautiful waterfall or geyser,” said the third. “Have ya ever heard of judging a book by its cover?” I asked.

But none of em listened. They just ran to the water, cupped their hands, scooped some to their lips and drank. .

“I think you fooled us old man,” said the first feller. “I don’t feel any different. You’ve been wasting our…”

Just then he dropped down to his hands and knees.

His fingers and toes sprouted into hooves. His nose stretched longer, and two horns popped out atop his head. “Baa-aa-a,” he said.

“He turned into a goat!” yelled the third feller.

“He deserves it,” said the second. “He’s always complaining like a goat anyway.”

Just then the second feller’s arms stood straight out to his sides. They started to grow black feathers, and he began shrinking until he was a foot tall. His small head with his pointed beak cocked sideways as he looked at the first feller.

Then he said, “Kaaa, kaaaaa.”

“He turned into a crow!” yelled the third feller. “What have you done to my friends?”

“I ain’t did it,” I said. “I told ya drinking the fountain of youth has consequences.”

The lion, the goat and the crow wandered into woods, their new home. The lion lived the rest of his life boasting he was king of the jungle, smarter and stronger than any other animals. The goat criticized every animal he met, and the crow mocked every animal he flew past.

The fountain of youth remains a secret in the woods known only to the few pure in heart, carefully hidden from those whose fate would dramatically change if their hearts were revealed.

Buscrat’s Fables are simple stories that teach a moral.

Buscrat welcomes you to visit buscratsfables.com for more fables and to post your comments.

“Do you know anybody that drank from it when something good happened?” he asked.

“Why sure,” I said.

“Not too many, but there have been some what drank from the water years ago and still live in this world today. I even married one of ‘em. Her name is Clairebelle.”

“Is she an animal now?” he asked.

“Oh no. She’s a healthy human being.”

“What happened when she drank the water?” he asked.

“Well, after she drank the water I asked her a question,” I said. “Tell me about the worst person you’ve ever met.”

Clairebelle then said, “I don’t think I’ve met a worst person.

They all have good in ’em. Everybody I’ve met each have their qualities, something that I can learn from each one. I would pass no judgment on anybody,” “And she didn’t turn into anything?”

explorebigsky.com

Nov. 2-15, 2012 29

some restaurants do italian food. some do chinese food.

explorebigsky.com

WE DO BIG SKY FOOD

we deliver 4069952305

serving breakfast lunch & dinner

HELMS JAMISON KULESZA

We have access to opportunities at Yellowstone Club, The Club at Spanish Peaks, Meadow & Mountain Villages, Moonlight Basin and the Canyon

bigskysothebysrealty.com Tallie Jamison Ryan Kulesza 406.600.8081 406.539.4666 This information is based upon information which we consider reliable, but because it has been supplied by third parties, we cannot represent that it is accurate or complete, and should not be relied upon as such. These offerings are subject to errors, omissions, and changes including price or withdrawal without notice. All rights reserved. Sotheby’s International Realty is a licensed trademark to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates Inc. An equal opportunity company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Each office is independently owned and operated.

30 Nov. 2-15, 2012

explorebigsky.com

Big Sky Weekly

explorebigsky.com

wanderer at rest

Big Sky Weekly

The Denver Wiggle Story By Jamie balke

BIG SKY WEEKLY COLUMNIST At the end of September, I traveled to New Mexico to cheer on a friend in his doctoral defense. It was a wonderful trip filled with friends, old and new, as well as celebration and lots of food smothered in green chilies. I want to tell you about something that happened en route.

I have made the flight to New Mexico several times during the course of my friend’s studies, and every time it involved a stop in Denver. The terminal corridors at DIA are incredibly long, and the layovers are often quite short. This can be a bad combination when flights are running even a little bit late.

Fortunately, there is a TCBY, which makes it better, mostly – I’ve been dismayed to discover the menu no longer includes strawberry yogurt.

On one such occasion when my flight home from New Mexico was running behind schedule, I asked an airline representative which gate took me to Bozeman. A look of panic crossed her face, and she yelled, “That way, just run!” I made it in time, winded and upset.

During this latest trip, I encountered an entirely different kind of startling experience in DIA. I boarded in Bozeman after consuming a pre-flight fluffy magazine in anonymity, and the flight was uneventful. We passed over the mountain landscape scattered with sage-green high elevation lakes partly

shrouded in smoke. I perused the always-entertaining SkyMall magazine and wondered if anyone ever buys the giant Sasquatch or velociraptor statues.

Before long, our flight landed in Denver, and it happened. Upon arriving at the gate, one of the gentlemen on the runway moving a luggage cart turned toward the plane. Grabbing the cart with his hands behind his back, he began dancing. Well, actually it was more of an uninhibited full-body wiggle. It was disarming, hypnotic and prolonged. He smiled mischievously in the direction of the plane – I suppose he could have been interacting with a co-worker, but I choose to believe he was welcoming our plane with what I think of as a “Denver Wiggle.” It turned out to be a good omen for my long layover.

After getting settled with some disappointinglynot-strawberry TCBY, I sent a message to a longtime friend that I hadn’t seen in years. As luck would have it, we were both passing through the airport at the same time and got to spend a few minutes catching up.

This trip was excellent, starting with the Denver Wiggle.

Jamie Balke moved to Bozeman in the fall of 2009.

She can generally be found behind the cover of a book, meandering down a trail or desperately trying not to kill houseplants.

Denver International Airport resembles the area's famous Rocky Mountains

explorebigsky.com

Nov. 2-15, 2012 31

explorebigsky.com

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

Big Sky Weekly

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. Topics include regional history, profiles of local artists and musicians, snow and avalanche education, how-to pieces for traditional or outdoor skills, and science.

To hike, To hunt

By Jonna Mary Yost big sky weekly contibutor

We didn’t hear a sound, not even a meadowlark trilling its symphony; not the caw of a crow, not the sharp woof of a black lab in the distance. The absence of sound was deafening. And I was not to ruin it.

My dad and I were on my first hunt – not of the season, but of my life. I’d undergone the long hours of Hunter’s Safety and passed my test with 100 percent accuracy, both in the field and on paper. And there we were in late October, packed into the silence, trudging uphill in search of “the big one,” the trophy every hunter seeks.

First light is when the hunting is best, just as soft rays of daylight touch frosty ponderosa pine needles.

I traipsed behind, him acting as guide, instructing me as we went: ‘Step lightly. Stop often. Keep your eyes peeled.’ Every particle of my being vibrated, itching to tell Dad just how much fun I was having; to point out the way the light streamed through misty coves of mossy foliage; to ask when it was his turn to carry the hefty .243 caliber rifle.

That morning I stumbled through the dark house, attempting stealth and bundling as if I were headed out to ice fish. Piled in the pickup, rifles in the back, I looked to Dad: He was giddy.. He’d waited 15 years to take me hunting.

And he never once spoke of not harvesting the big one, much less seeing him. That first season was long, it was cold, but mostly, it was just Dad and me. We’d go out every weekend and come home with nothing more than fresh mud on the cuffs of our pants.

The author atop Black Butte on her first hunt Photos courtesy of Jonna Mary Yost

We marched a few steps, and then stopped. We squinted through branches ornamented in moss.

Dewey brush clung to our pants. Droplets were repelled by his wool trousers, but cleaved to my jeans to create a damp cold that forced goose bumps out every hair follicle on my thighs. We walked further, winding up through serviceberry bushes, naked of their leaves.

Nearing the top, our soft breathing created dainty clouds by our faces. At last, we came to a standstill.

Sunset on the way home from the hunt

32 Nov. 2-15, 2012

When we returned to the truck, the diesel engine started right up, but the truck took its time with the heat. I shivered in the passenger seat until Dad spoke.

He recapped the hunt. The highlights. The lessons.

He let out the laughter he had held in for the past six hours of hiking in silence. He broke out hot cocoa and almonds. He sang to Conway Twitty and couldn’t get in the house fast enough to tell Mom about our day.

Leaves crackled beneath dad’s Gore-Tex boots, worn flexible by decades of hunting seasons. Since age 12, maybe even before, my father had been an avid big game hunter. He worked harder than any other businessman through the summer, so he was prepared for the 77-day season, taking more time off than he used for holidays or vacation.

In November 1986 he married my mom, and each year after that he presented her with what he called “hunting credits.”

Those thoughtful gifts functioned both as anniversary gifts and as “thank yous” for putting up with his absence during the fall; he would sometimes miss Thanksgiving and often their anniversary. Dad took his role as provider very seriously. Including me in this event meant more to both of us than we could articulate. So we just went.

Shoulders aching, arms locked in 90-degree angles, I was finally able to set down the weighty gun. Now we paused above the amber and gold of the western larch standing proud in their valley, bark sodden with moisture, a striking dark against lit clusters of needles.

We hadn’t seen a thing.

explorebigsky.com

That season became the prologue in my journal of hikes. The solitude and stillness of the mountains always beckons, and I can’t get enough of the climb, the anticipation, the elation of the summit. I hike anywhere, anytime. And in the fall, I take my gun.

Jonna Mary Yost grew up in Eureka, Mont., with her father, mother and older brother. A passion for the outdoors has led the Yosts through much of the state to hunt, fish and hike. Currently a senior at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash., Jonna will graduate in May with a B.A. in Journalism and English Writing.