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Big Sky

Exploring life and land from the heart of the Yellowstone Region

November 16 - 29, 2012 Volume 3 // Issue #23

Photo by Erik Morrison

Elections:

Montana reflects national stage

Give thanks: Opening day at Big Sky

Freeride World Qualifier returns to Moonlight in 2013

Morningstar receives $200,000 donation

school house news gallery: carol tomlin

Big Sky's locally owned and published newspaper

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Big Sky Weekly

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On the cover: Diva and her human companion kicking it after a recent snowfall Photo by Erik Morrison

2011 big sky chamber of commerce

Business of the Year Nov. 16-29. 2012 Volume 3, Issue no. 23 PUBLISHER Eric Ladd

editorial MANAGING EDITOR Emily Stifler EDITOR Joseph T. O'Connor staff writer/distribution director Tyler Allen Editorial assistant Maria Wyllie

creative CREATIVE DIRECTOR Mike Martins VIDEO director Brian Niles GRAPHIC DESIGNER Kelsey Dzintars videographer/photographer Chris Davis WEB Developer/Designer Sean Weas Design Intern Taylor-Ann Smith

SALES and opeerations COO & SENIOR EDITOR Megan Paulson

Big Sky Resort snowmakers Jake Rylander and Beau Nordberg are thankful for the recent snowstorms Photo by Chris Davis

A season of giving thanks Last Thanksgiving, my cousin and aunt started a new tradition: They baked a loaf of bread shaped like a tree.

We passed the bread around the circle of 25, each person picking off a piece of the bread and saying something for which they were thankful.

My extended family gathers every year for Thanksgiving at my grandparents’ farm in Syria, Va. We’ve been meeting there since I can remember, and the old cabin holds some fond memories: of being 7, sitting on my grandfather’s lap as he played “The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night” on his guitar; the traditional family football game in the hay field in front of the cabin; the feast.

This year, I’m thankful for my wife, Emily, and that we’re here in Big Sky.

The farm, built during the Civil War, needs constant upkeep. Between digging out Virginia clay from the small stream behind the cabin to cutting down rotten trees, the family keeps busy, and keeps with tradition.

This Thanksgiving, let’s remember our families, the environment and the feeling of the cold, white landscape rushing past us as we set that first edge.

This time of year also evokes a feeling of excitement for me, akin to the feeling I had as a child when the radio squawked that school is canceled. It’s brought on with a storm, and the snow guns blasting in resort base areas. It happens when you dig into your winter jacket and find $8 from last season.

Welcome to ski season.

- Joseph T. O'Connor Here at Outlaw Partners, we’re also starting a new tradition: The Big Sky Weekly is now printing on lighter, more environmentally friendly paper. Keep it green, Big Sky.

Big Sky opens Nov. 22, Thanksgiving Day.

Operations director Katie Morrison

CONTRIBUTors

Jamie Balke, Buscrat, Mike Coil, Jerry House, Erik Morrison, Claire Murphy, Brandon Niles, Greg Smith, Rab Cummings

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.

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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.

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Table of Contents Community...4 Local News...6 Regional..9 Montana...14 Gallery...17 Sports...20 Health...23 Travel...24 Business..26

Environment...28 Classifieds...29 Column...31 Outdoors...33 Gear Reviews...35 Entertainment...36 Events...37 Fun...38 Back 40...40

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community Big Sky Community Food Bank hosts open house BIG SKY – The Big Sky Community Food Bank will host an open house on Thursday, Nov. 29 from 5 to 7 p.m. This is a chance to tour the facility, meet donors and volunteers, and find out how to get involved. Savory hors d’oeuvres and wine will be served.

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Big Sky Weekly

Big Sky Rotary Club holiday project

The first food distribution took place on Nov. 13. Going forward, the Food Bank will be open Tuesdays 3 to 7 p.m. and Fridays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Any Big Sky resident shopping through the Gallatin Valley Food Bank in Bozeman can use the Big Sky food bank. Others who need food or have questions should contact the GVFB at (406) 586-7600 to arrange for shopping locally.

The Big Sky Community Food Bank is located in the Big Horn Shopping Center on U.S. 191. Before the end of the month, all operations and information will be serviced at that facility.

CAP volunteers wanted for Big Sky students BIG SKY - Big Sky School District’s new Child Advancement Project is looking for volunteers to work with students grades K-12.

Working one-on-one with school kids, CAP Mentors give one hour a week throughout the school year, according to coordinator Julie Grimm.

The program pairs community members with students that have been nominated by their teachers, school staff or parents for academic and social support, and for enrichment. The program, run by the Bozeman-based nonprofit Thrive, has long been successful in Bozeman schools. This is its inaugural year in Big Sky. Grimm’s goal is to recruit, screen, train, and pair 20 mentors with students by Jan. 1. Mentor training is scheduled for the evening of Nov. 15.

Anyone interested in becoming a CAP Mentor can fill out an application online at allthrive.org.

BIG SKY – Picture a holiday tree, with angels adorning its limbs. Each has a suggested gift for some children of the Big Sky community.

The Giving Tree is the Rotary Club of Big Sky’s annual holiday project, and as in past years, it will stand in the post office entrance.

Last year, 14 families with 24 children received gifts and food boxes with fixings for Christmas dinner, according to Rotary member Marie Rapp.

“The Big Sky community really gets behind this and is very generous with gifts and monetary donations,” Rapp said in an email, noting that the Yellowstone Club Fire Department presented a large cash donation from club members last year.

The now-dissolved Big Sky Mom’s Club started the giving tree, and Rotary

helped out with the food portion before taking over the entire program four years ago.

Two-dozen Big Sky Rotary Club members are involved in the project, plus other volunteers who help with wrapping the donated presents. For Rapp, it’s the best part of being involved in Rotary.

“This is local and benefits families who are a part of this great community. I don’t think that many people realize that we have families in our own backyard that can use a little help around the holidays. This, to me, is what it is all about!”

Stop by the Big Sky post office to pick up an angel or a stocking for a monetary donation, and return the unwrapped gift or donation to American Bank, First Security Bank or Big Sky Western Bank before Dec. 22. - E.S.

Big Sky hockey receives 10-year permit BIG SKY – Hockey is here to stay, folks.

The Gallatin County Commission voted unanimously last week to extend the Big Sky Skating and Hockey Association’s permit for 10 years.

The BSSHA credits more than 50 emails sent in support of Big Sky hockey for helping achieve this milestone.

Founded in 2010, the group also recently received its 501(c)(3) nonprofit designation from the IRS.

4 Nov. 16-29, 2012

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The Big Sky Ice Rink is in the Town Center, by Center Stage. This location is temporary until BSSHA can move it to a permanent location with a concrete pad and roof.

The group applied for and was granted Big Sky Resort Tax funding for the coming season, as well as money to purchase two additional lights.

This winter, the group will offer skating clinics for kids and adults, open skate sessions and adult hockey and broomball leagues.

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community

Big Sky Weekly

In School House News, Superintendent Jerry House shares his view on education, and on the Big Sky School District, his favorite place for teaching and learning. This is the home of the Ophir Miners and the mighty Big Horns.

School House News By jerry house

big sky school district

Welcome to the new School House News column.

George Washington Carver once said, “Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom.”

In this vein, the School Board of Trustees in Big Sky has worked hard over the years to set the tone for quality education. The staff serving the children of this community today more than meets that level of quality. School House News will share those standards and experiences.

Due to the efforts of our teachers, Carver’s metaphorical doors are being opened. Guided by our school motto, “Learn by Doing,” teachers in the Big Sky school system plan to ensure classroom lessons go hand-in-hand with expeditions, field trips to Yellowstone ecosystems and around the Gallatin Valley, and a host of experiences authentic in our global world.

A new program starting this year will have a great impact upon learning: the Child Advancement Project.

The CAP program works to increase success for all children in the district by providing adult

mentors. Mentors will work one-on-one with K-12 children to increase academic and social competency and to provide opportunities for academic enrichment. Mentor efforts will complement those of the student’s teachers and family. If you are interested in becoming a CAP Mentor, call CAP Coordinator Julie Grimm at (406) 995-4281.

In future School House News articles, I will discuss our curriculum standards, student assessments, staff development and training, the use of technology in the school, and a menu of success stories, student and teachers alike.

Terrific kids of Big Sky School District

Students honored for their integrity in October “If it is not right, do not do it. If it is not true, do not say it.” – Marcus Aurelius BIG SKY – Big Sky School District honored four students for their integrity during October, in the inaugural year of the Student of the Month/ Terrific Kids of the Month program.

Teachers chose two ‘terrific kids’ from kindergarten through fifth grades, and two ‘students of the month’ in middle school and high school, recognizing them based on a different theme every month.

“This is something we’ve wanted to do to recognize students for some-

K-2 Terrific Kid of the Month: Jessica Bough (second grade)

3-5 Terrific Kid of the Month: Charlie Lerch (fifth)

Jessie is a gentle-natured student who demonstrates integrity no matter who is looking. She is honest and truthful with her actions and her words. She consistently demonstrates a high academic drive, taking the time to do her work correctly the first time. She takes pride in a job well done. She sets a good example for her peers as well as the younger students in our school. Congratulations, Jessie!

Charlie Lerch is a kind-hearted boy with great character and integrity.

He shows exemplary respect within the classroom and takes his education seriously. Charlie is also a leader inside and outside the classroom, helping out his classmates and younger students in the hallway and on the playground, as well as always offering a helping hand to teachers in need.

thing other than just their grades,” said Jerry House, Big Sky School District Superintendent.

ral and the middle and high school students chosen get pizza from Blue Moon Bakery.

An announcement is made over the intercom, and the students are called into the office to be congratulated.

In addition, the K-5 honorees are rewarded with a burger from the Cor-

Read the teachers’ praises for those honored below. November’s theme will be positive attitude.

Ophir Middle School Student of the Month: Jackson Raden (seventh)

Lone Peak High School Student of the Month: Tucker Shea (twelfth)

Jackson demonstrates integrity every day. He is honest in his homework and on tests. He shows a good sense of morals in his polite and courteous treatment of all students, never taking part in any kind of bullying. Jackson makes the right choice even if it's tough!

Senior Tucker Shea embodies integrity in all he does. He demonstrates a personal code of ethics in working for the good of his fellow students and school. Tucker is also honest and sincere in his dealings with students and teachers.

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Nov. 16-29, 2012 5

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Big Sky Weekly

Big Sky School District Veterans Day Assembly held Nov. 9 story and photo By tyler allen

Means”; and the student band closed the ceremony with renditions of “America the Beautiful” and “Taps.”

big sky weekly staff writer

BIG SKY – The Big Sky School District honored America’s service men and women in its inaugural Veteran’s Day Assembly, on Friday, Nov. 9, thanking them for their service and sacrifice. Community members, students and Big Sky’s veterans of the armed forces attended the event, which was held in the Lone Peak High School gymnasium.

“I was really proud of the community for their support, the veterans for their attendance, but our students especially for their respectful behavior given to the veterans during the assembly,” said Superintendent Jerry House, himself an army veteran.

Retired Air Force Colonel Dick Fast spoke on behalf of the armed forces; eighth grader Dasha Bough coordinated the flag-folding presentation; senior Grayson Bell gave the key-note address, “What Freedom

House read a roll call, asking each of Big Sky’s 28 veterans to stand individually and in solidarity with the rest of their division of the armed forces. Veterans of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard in attendance – some in uniform – were honored with standing ovations from the community members and students.

With his closing remarks, Bell reminisced about the first time he saw a member of the military in uniform. He said he saw a soldier in an airport in Florida and didn’t know what to do, whether he should stand and salute or thank the man for his service. So he did nothing.

Friday he took the opportunity to say, “thank you,” to all the men and women who have sacrificed and served on behalf of our freedom.

Become a Friend of the Gallatin.

Join the effort to preserve and protect the Gallatin Watershed.

Our mission: To promote public stewardship of aquatic

resources in the Gallatin River Watershed through community education, and citizen involvement in water quality monitoring, scientific data collection, and watershed restoration.

Name: Address: Email: $25 $50 $100 bag or hat (circle one)

Mail donation to: Blue Water Task Force PO 160513 Big Sky, MT 59716

A tax deductible donation of: • $25 or more receives a “Friend of the Gallatin” bumper sticker.

• $50 or more receives a mayfly lapel pin and bumper sticker.

• $100 or more receives a mayfly hat or BWTF grocery bag, pin, and bumper sticker.

Membership program information including businesss options at: www.bluewatertaskforce.org/support.php 6 Nov. 16-29, 2012

Freeride World Qualifier returns to Moonlight Basin By emily stifler

big sky weekly managing editor

MOONLIGHT BASIN – The Freeskiing World Tour brought 90 worldclass skiers to Moonlight Basin last March, for a competition that headlined the steep, rocky, 1,000-foot Headwaters chutes.

Phone:

Other______

Senior Grayson Bell gave the key-note address at the Big Sky School District's Veteran's Day Assembly Nov. 9.

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Returning to Moonlight March 14 – 17, the 2013 throwdown will be one of at least 40 qualifiers in what is now the 2013 Subaru Freeride Series.

The four-star event is the highest competition level before the five-star championship series that, resulting from a new merger, combines the Swatch Freeride World Tour, the Freeskiing World Tour and The North Face Masters of Snowboarding.

“These premier four-star events provide crucial opportunities for athletes hoping to qualify for the world tour,” event director Bryan Barlow said in a press release. “We are excited to provide this opportunity on the country’s leading big mountain venues.”

The first four-star qualifier stops of the season were held in August, in New Zealand and Chile. North American hosts include Crested Butte, Colo. and Snowbird, Utah.

Athlete registration for the Moonlight event opens Dec. 4.

Subaru Freeride Series sponsors are Subaru, Sierra Nevada, Clif Bar, The North Face and Black Diamond. Watch footage from the 2012 FWT at Moonlight online, at theoutlawpartners.com/clients/outlaw/video/fwt.html

local news Rapier Foundation donates $200,000 to Morningstar Learning Center Offers additional $100,000 in matching funds By emily stifler

big sky weekly managing editor

BIG SKY – Walk into Morningstar Learning Center, and you’ll see – and hear – it’s a happy place.

When the preschoolers arrive in the morning, music is playing. The kids tromp upstairs, wash their hands, write their names on a sign-in sheet and put away their lunches. Then they have free play before morning circle. There, they talk about the day of the week and the weather, and then do an activity based on a weekly theme. Last week, while learning about the human body, they sang “Head, shoulders, knees and toes.”

Downstairs at Morningstar is a space for younger children. Their activities are similar, but geared toward toddlers and babies.

The learning center, which opened in April 2006, purchased its current building at 659 Spruce Cone Drive in September 2011. Previously, it had always rented – although the goal “from day one,” says board member Steven Rager, “was to have a debt-free building, so we could concentrate on lower tuition, better teacher pay and scholarships.”

A $200,000 donation from the Rapier Family Foundation, announced in early November, puts Morningstar on track. The gift, meant to help the nonprofit childcare center pay off its new building, reduces the principal balance on Morningstar’s mortgage by just over two-thirds.

“It’s an incredible situation for Morningstar and for the community as a whole,” said Morningstar board member Tracy Jacobson. “Without a community-provided daycare and preschool in Big Sky, you limit the opportunity for employment growth.”

The foundation also offered Morningstar an additional $100,000 – if the organization can rally to match that amount in the next year. “It comes with a little bit of a double edged sword,” Jacobson said. “We have a lot of work to do.”

The Rapiers’ $100,000 would go toward the final mortgage payment.

The second $100,000 raised would go toward teacher benefits, education technology, a food program and lowering tuition, Jacobson said.

Rager thinks the match is very attainable, pointing out how the com-

munity worked together to build the new high school. “This is very specific where their money is going and what it’s going to accomplish,” he said.

When Morningstar bought the building and had to remodel it, “there was an outpour of donations of physical labor,” Rager said.

“There was a tremendous amount of support for Morningstar in the community, and we’re excited to be able to follow through.”

Morningstar still plans to use the $24,000 it received from the 2012 Big Sky Resort Tax allocation for this year’s monthly mortgage payments.

There are other day care facilities in Big Sky – at Big Sky and Moonlight Basin resorts, as well as a Montessori preschool – but Morningstar is the only licensed childcare provider and preschool.

The learning center’s capacity is 43 children; it can now accept infants, which it could not in its previous space. The number of families using the center varies between 40 and 50, said Morningstar administrator Lindsie Hurlbut, one of 12 staff.

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

A blanket tuition decrease this year, plus a new ‘season pass’ program, lowered the cost 10 to 20 percent for most of those families.

Having affordable childcare is key to community, say Rager and Jacobson, both Big Sky business owners.

“Employing people who need childcare, not having friends and family move away because they couldn't afford preschool – we can eliminate that as a factor,” Rager said. “As a business person and as a family person, I think that’s how you build a community: keeping people here.”

Not only does Big Sky have the new high school, Rager notes, but there has also been discussion about a building a new elementary school.

“The early childhood [education] aspect is so important, even before preschool. These families need to stay around to fill these classrooms, too.”

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“We’re on our way,” Jacobson said.

“Hopefully the doors are opening for progress and better change for our teachers and tuition.” *Based on 2011-2012 information from Gallatin Association of Realtors MLS Data

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Montana bison hunt now open Becoming part of management plan By emily stifler

big sky weekly managing editor

Gardiner, West Yellowstone Southwest Montana's bison hunt opened Nov. 15 in the Gardiner and West Yellowstone districts (385 and 395), near Yellowstone National Park.

More than 7,500 people applied for a limited number of either-sex bison licenses this year. Thirty-two residents and two nonresidents drew tags, and 10 of the 16 licenses set aside by law for Montana Indian tribes were taken.

Montana reinstated its bison hunt in 2005. Hunt boundaries and regulations are the same as last season, when hunters took 11 bison.

In 2010, the bison tolerance zone in the Gardiner Basin expanded north to Yankee Jim, on both sides of the Yellowstone River, and the hunting zone expanded alongside it. The

expanded range was a result of the Interagency Bison Management Plan, in which multiple agencies work to guide bison management in and around the park.

This year, each hunter has been assigned a district and also a hunt period – either Nov. 15 to Dec. 31, Jan. 1 to 22, or Jan. 23 to Feb. 15.

This limits the number of hunters in either of the districts at any given time.

In the case of heavier bison migration from the park, FWP will likely add additional licenses, pulling from the 92 residents and eight nonresidents on its cow/calf license roster.

“I am inundated with interested calls from people on the cow/calf hunter roster,” said FWP Region 3 Information Officer Andrea Jones.

“They want to know where we’re at on the roster, and if we’ve opened

it.” FWP will only draw from the list “if we got an exodus of bison that’s too much for the landscape to sustain,” she explained.

This exemplifies FWP’s goal of using the bison-hunting season as a way to manage bison population.

“FWP would always prefer to use hunting as the primary management tool,” Jones said. “Unfortunately, it’s not always feasible considering the time of year and where bison are migrating.”

With last year’s mild winter, fewer animals migrated, and FWP never had a chance to call from the roster.

The Citizens Working Group on Yellowstone Bison supports the idea of using hunting to manage bison.

The independent group, which has representation from both livestock and bison conservation interests,

made a number of recommendations to the IBMP Partners in early 2012, including bison habitat and population management. One of those specific recommendations was to use fair-chase hunting as a management tool.

“Outside the park, the main means for controlling bison abundance and distribution should be state-administered and tribal hunting,” the recommendation reads. The group also suggested fencing bison out of areas where they’re unwelcome, and using fire, fertilizers or other habitat management to push bison to other areas.

IBMP partners include various state, federal and tribal organizations. As that group continues altering the bison tolerance zone, FWP hunting regulations and boundaries are likely to change as well, Jones said.

Snow is flying and lifts are about to turn Opening days for area resorts Big Sky Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 22. First free week of skiing for Frequent Sky Card holders is Nov. 26 – Dec. 2.

Moonlight Basin Dec. 8. Season pass holders are invited to “Just for you day” on Dec. 7.

Bridger Bowl Projected opening date is Dec. 7. Pass sales and photos taken Saturday, Nov. 17 at Ph.D Skis in Bozeman.

Lone Mountain Ranch Trails are projected to open Dec. 7.

Rendezvous Ski Trails Yellowstone Ski Festival is Nov. 20-24. Trails will open as soon as there is enough snow to groom. For the latest grooming report visit yellowstoneskifestival. com Stay tuned for opening dates on Discovery Ski Area, Lost Trail Powder Mountain and Maverick Mountain.

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Big Sky Weekly

Brucellosis is likely up in southwest Montana elk Study to continue in southern Pioneers By emily stifler

big sky weekly managing editor

TWIN BRIDGES – For the third year in a row, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks biologists will capture approximately 100 cow elk in southwest Montana, netting the animals from helicopters, conducting scientific tests, and fitting them with tracking devices.

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the population for brucellosis – a contagious disease that causes elk, bison and domestic cattle to abort their young – and also to improve understanding of how herds interact and spread the disease. Previously, wildlife managers relied on samples from hunter-harvested elk to study brucellosis.

“It’s a large undertaking,” said FWP Region 3 spokeswoman Andrea Jones. “It requires a lot of coordination with crews on the ground and in the sky.”

Brucellosis is transmitted primarily through contact with infected birth material, and its prevalence appears to be increasing among elk in southwest Montana, according to the study’s 2011-2012 report.

“The cause for this increase is unknown, but increased elk density on winter range may play a role,” the report stated.

During the study, FWP biologists field-test the captured animals for brucellosis, and collect serum samples for the Montana Department of Livestock lab. Elk that test positive in the field are fitted with GPS collars; pregnant animals are implanted with radio devices, which are expelled upon birth or abortion events.

In winter 20102011, the first year of the study, FWP biologists captured and tested 100 adult cow elk in the Blacktail Creek/Sweetwater Hills area (hunting district 326).

Eight of the animals tested positive in the field and were fitted with GPS collars.

The following January, crews captured and tested 130 cow elk from HD 329 (south of Bannack and HD 325 (southeast of Dillon), and also seven from the 2011 capture group.

By recapturing brucellosis-positive elk over a five-year period, FWP biologists can test and monitor the animals. They aim to learn more about pregnancy and abortion frequencies of elk exposed to the disease, as well as possible recovery of animals following initial infection.

This map shows the study areas for the three-year elk brucellosis research. Map courtesy of MFWP

The biologists are also collaring animals that test negative, an effort to better understand animal movement and interaction with other herds.

“They are learning a lot about behavior and how far an elk might move year to year,” Jones said.

Brucellosis is a significant issue for livestock owners, and another focus of the study is elk-to-cattle

transmission risk. Any elk that test positive for brucellosis for five years will be removed from the population.

This winter FWP plans to capture cow elk in the southern Pioneer Mountains, and the southern Tobacco Roots in 2013-2014.

FWP is holding a meeting to update residents, landowners and sportsmen on the project. Officials will address

questions and concerns from the public, and also discuss the recommendations of the Elk Brucellosis Working Group, a group of citizens that collaborated last year on proposals for dealing with brucellosis and elk management. The meeting will be Nov. 28, in the Twin Bridges High School gym, from 6 to 9 p.m.

NorthWestern Energy donates $23,000 to Bozeman-area nonprofits BUTTE – NorthWestern Energy, which provides natural gas and electricity to more than 650,000 customers in Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska, donated $23,064 during the third quarter of 2012 to local charitable organizations in the Bozeman area through its Community Works Fund.

10 Nov. 16-29, 2012

The fund provides grants to qualified organizations that provide community services in its service area.

dation, the Greater Gallatin United Way, Heart of the Valley Animal Shelter, and Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Gallatin County.

Among the 23 organizations that received funding from NorthWestern Energy this past quarter were the Bozeman Public Schools Foun-

To be considered for funding, qualified nonprofit organizations must submit an application or written request with proof of tax exemp-

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tion. Applications are accepted year round and are reviewed on a quarterly basis.

To learn more about the Community Works Fund or to submit an application, visit northwesternenergy.com.

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Big Sky Weekly

Blue Water Task Force revises monitoring program By emily stifler

proving water quality and monitoring any changes.

big sky weekly managing editor

BIG SKY – The amount of nitrogen, algae, chloride and sediment in parts of the West Fork of the Gallatin River watershed has increased in recent years, according to data collected by the Blue Water Task Force.

To address the issues, Gardner plans to work with homeowners associations, businesses and golf courses, studying the amount of nitrogen they’re putting on their properties and developing a plan to reduce it. She’ll also assess riparian areas throughout the watershed to see “which are healthy and which [ones] we might want to improve.”

BWTF also monitored chloride levels in the main Gallatin River this summer, studying seven sites between the Yellowstone National Park boundary and just above the Jack Smith Bridge.

With this in mind, the BWTF has revised its Community Water Quality Monitoring program, in place since the organization’s inception in 2000. It will continue studying stream flow in the West Fork and its three main tributaries, and monitor 14 sites, four of which are new.

The new sites include one on the West Fork, just downstream of the Big Sky Golf Course at the Community Park; two on the Middle Fork – one just upstream of the confluence with the North Fork and one further upstream below Lake Levinsky; and one on the South Fork upstream of the Meadow Village area. The goal there is to determine if there are differences in nitrogen levels, above and below Meadow Village.

Starting in August 2012, BWTF also added to its sampling program, measuring chloride, sediment and algae in addition to ongoing sampling for nitrate, dissolved oxygen, temperature, conductivity, turbidity, total coliform and E.coli.

Chloride, Gardner said, is a tracer of wastewater influence and road salt.

View of the Gallatin River on Nov. 14. Photo by Emily Stifler

They included it in the sampling program because excessive amounts can kill aquatic animals and vegetation.

BWTF included algae because levels in the West and South Forks are higher than Montana state standards. “It depletes oxygen levels in the stream, which can affect fish,” Gardner said.

“Also it’s [not] aesthetic, people don't really like to look at globs of algae in the river.”

BWTF found excess sediment in the West Fork watershed, which can result from road sand, culvert failure and poorly planned or managed construction sites, or unpaved roads, Gardner said. It’s a concern, “because trout and other aquatic life depend on stream

bottoms with [limited] fine sediment, which can clog spawning grounds.”

A previous study, conducted from 2005 through 2009 and funded by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, found high levels of nitrogen in the stream in the Mountain Village area, and also below the golf course, Gardner said.

"A lot of the nitrogen was coming from lawns and septic systems not taken care of properly,” Gardner said, adding that it’s also from effluent irrigation applied to the golf course and adjacent pastures.

A new three-year grant awarded by DEQ last spring is dedicated to im-

The Montana Department of Transportation recently increased the amount of chloride it uses in traction sand, Gardiner said. BWTF wants to know if that’s impacting the river.

She mentioned a February 2012 article on road salt in Stormwater magazine.

“Studies performed by the US Geological Survey (USGS) and private agencies… have begun to show that salt applied to treat icy roads may not disperse as easily as once thought," it stated, "[They] indicate measurable effects on aquatic life associated with salt concentrations previously considered inconsequential.”

Funding for the Blue Water Task Force’s Community Water Quality Monitoring program was granted by the Big Sky Resort Tax Board in June.

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Nov. 16-29, 2012 13

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montana

Big Sky Weekly

The more things change…

In Montana, nation, elections keep many players in place

By JOSEPH T. O'CONNOR big sky weekly editor

The 2012 election cycle included the most hotly contested battles in recent memory. From the presidential race to Montana’s seat for District 3 Public Service Commissioner, nothing was guaranteed until the final ballots were cast.

This just in: Nothing changed. At least not on the surface.

Obama is still president and Congress remains split, with Democrats winning majority in the Senate and Republicans maintaining hold of the House. Pundits are nodding to factors ranging from the 2010 Citizens United decision to the gender gap, and from a strong Democratic voter turnout to an out-of-touch GOP. Behind the façade, and beneath the national stage, the seas are roiling. In Montana, however, waters may be calm enough to reflect what is happening throughout the country.

In Montana’s Senatorial race, Democrat John Tester defeated Republican Dennis Rehberg, and in the race for House Representative, Republican Steve Daines won over Democrat Kim Gillan. Both Tester and Daines won handily, taking 4 and 11 percent of the popular vote, respectively, according to unofficial results reported by the Montana Secretary of State’s website.

Many Montana races were close and one, for Office of Public Instruction, is gridlocked. As of press time, it was listed as a possible recall race, with Democrat Denise Juneau leading Republican Sandy Welch by less than half of 1 percent.

The state gubernatorial race to replace term-limited Democratic Governor Brian Schweitzer was a battle as well.

Campaign spending littered the path to voting day, with Democrat Steve Bullock suing his opponent, Republican Rick Hill, for accepting a contribution of $500,000 from the Montana Republican Party. The suit was still pending as of press time.

The race was tight until the end, even after Hill was court-ordered to stop spending that money from Oct. 24 through Election Day. Finally, after 1 p.m. on Nov. 7, it was clear that Bullock had beat Hill for the governor’s seat.

Montana’s election results surprised veteran MSU political science professor David Parker as much as anyone – Mitt Romney carried nearly 14 percent more of the popular vote than Barack Obama did here.

“There’s no reason why Bullock should be the next governor,” Parker said.

“There was no reason to presume that Sen. Tester would be going back to Washington. You look at the fact that there are more Republicans in [Montana] than Democrats. All the fundamentals just show you – no way.”

Parker attributes the success of Democrats in Montana to two main factors: the liberals’ ability to get out the vote, and women voters.

The Secretary of State’s website’s unofficial totals on Nov. 14 indicated Tester received 18,044 more votes than Rehberg.

Part of this movement can be attributed to an increased use of technology-based resources.

The Obama campaign in 2012 used Amazon Web Services, a cloud technology baron that supplied web services to 200 different election polling programs during the cycle. These programs, which analyzed voter data, included Dashboard (which allowed canvassers to get assignments via smartphone or tablet), Spotify, Instagram, Flickr, Tumblr, YouTube and Facebook, according to Obama’s website.

The president had 33,315,674 likes, as of Nov. 13. Romney had 12,040,846 likes.

Tester’s website boasted “digital dominance” – the winning Senator had 31,106 likes, as of 3 p.m. on Election Day, with Rehberg at 2,493.

Technology was a major factor in this election cycle, but Facebook wasn’t the only basket where Tester placed his eggs.

He knew he needed canvassers, and local supporters were key.

Gallatin County Democrats put boots on the ground during the final campaign push.

“GOTV was critical to the entire elections,” said Billy McWilliams, Chairman of the Gallatin County Democratic Central Committee, referring to the acronym for Get Out the Vote.

McWilliams, who, as of Nov. 14 was decompressing in Hilo, Hawaii, said the effort included knocking on doors and utilizing the phones. “They called every single person in Gallatin County,” he said. “They met the entire universe. We knew we had this election.”

Tammy Hall, first vice president for Gallatin County Republican Women,

felt the local Republican effort to get out the vote was strong, but said voter fraud in the county was a factor in the outcomes.

“When you’ve got 8,000 people registering to vote on the same day, you’ve lost control,” said Hall, also one of 22 delegates representing Montana at the Republican National Convention in August.

Early estimates indicate 7,975 voters registered on Election Day, according to Teri McCoy, communications director for the Secretary of State.

“But that number isn’t actually surprising,” McCoy said. In 2008, the Secretary of State’s office recorded 7,419 voter registrations, she said.

Nationally and in Montana, women voters had major influence in the outcome of this election cycle. Both sides hoped to empathize with this demographic, but exit polls showed Democrats across the country appealed more to women.

“There’s a gender gap,” Parker said.

“Tester won women [votes] by nine points over Rehberg. There’s a similar gender gap when you look at the governor’s race, as well.”

Many have claimed the 2010 Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling – which allowed corporations to donate to campaigns – was the contributing factor to the fall of Republicans in Montana’s race for the Senate and the governor’s seat. Indeed, 75 percent of voters in Montana cast ballots for Initiative 166, a measure stating corporations are not

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montana people and are therefore limited to the amount they can contribute to a political campaign.

contributions, but following exit poll releases Ryan has noticed another development.

Schweitzer said he hopes the referendum will “spread like a prairie fire” across the country.

His Lieutenant Governor, Republican John Bohlinger, also backs the initiative.

“The Citizens United case opened the flood gates to hundreds of millions of dollars in outside funding,” Ryan said. “Each presidential candidate spent almost $1 billion… The interesting thing is, the money seemed to make so little difference in the end.”

Allan Ryan, a Harvard University lawyer and Director of Intellectual Properties at the school, said the negative campaign ads that flooded TV screens across the country were, for many Americans, too much to bear.

“It just got to the point where I was muting even the candidates I was supporting,” said Ryan, who teaches a course called “Media and the Constitution” at Harvard.

Approximately $24 million was spent on the Montana Senate race alone, according to Parker.

David Frum, a Newsweek contributing editor, claimed on the website The Daily Beast, that Montana voted for Democrats Tester and Bullock over their adversaries because of a “backlash” against outside campaign financing.

While both parties received outside funding, Tester, Frum wrote, used the money in a wiser fashion.

“Tester managed to turn this avalanche of outside money to his advantage by portraying [Rehberg] as a tool of outside, special interests,” Frum wrote.

Parker, who wrote the book The Power of Money in Congressional Campaigns, 18802006, doesn’t see outside spending as the most significant factor in these elections.

“More important than Citizens United is the economy,” he said. “It’s not as bad in Montana [as in other parts of the country]. If the economy is fine, [voters] keep the incumbent in office.”

Obama is still president, and the political landscape is much the same as it was before the election.

“What the hell difference did it make?” Ryan asked. “It may be that people are smarter than we give them credit for.”

While both parties needed a strong voter turnout, Parker said it was a critical factor for Democratic victories in Montana races.

“The key to the Democrats [winning] always had to be to get the folks to the polls,” he said.

“And they won the Independent [vote]. That’s the story.”

Ryan said that Montana reflected the nation’s political atmosphere. “The Obama campaign had an unbelievable ground game, and it caught Romney flatfooted.

The election came down to “shoeleather and doorknocking,” he added.

Locally, the race for District 3 Public Commissioner was a seesaw battle to the finish. Republican Roger Koopman rallied in the final hours to defeat incumbent Democrat John Vincent, 50.7 percent to 49 percent.

While Montana’s exit polls may reflect the country’s hesitance to shake up the pot, it remains to be seen if the state will predict where the nation ends up. Many of the same players are playing the same game in the same positions. Most hope they just get along.

Big Sky Weekly

Montana Election Results 2012 compiled by maria wyllie big sky weekly editorial assistant

Listed below are the unofficial statewide and local results from the 2012 election. All results are unofficial until the end of November. Official results will not be posted for county races until Nov. 16 and for state races until Nov. 27 at the earliest. Roughly 5,500 provisional ballots have yet to be counted.

Statewide: Governor and Lt. Governor: Steve Bullock and John Walsh (D) Secretary of State: Linda McCulloch (D) Attorney General: Tim Fox (R) State Auditor: Monica J. Lindeen (D) Superintendent of Public Instruction: Denise Juneau (D) Clerk of the Supreme Court: Ed Smith (D) Public Service Commissioner, District 3: Roger Koopman (R) Public Service Commissioner, District 2: Kirk Bushman (R) Public Service Commissioner, District 5: Bob Lake (R) Supreme Court Justice No. 5: Laure McKinnon (NP) Supreme Court Justice No. 6: Brian Morris (NP, uncontested) Gallatin County: State Senator, District 33: Mike Phillips (D) State Senator, District 34: Scott Sales (R) State Representative, District 63: Frankie Wilmer (D) State Representative, District 64: Tom Woods (D) State Representative, District 65: Kathleen Williams (D) State Representative, District 66: Jennifer “JP” Pomnichowski (D) State Representative, District 67: Gordon (Gordy) Vance (R) State Representative, District 68: Kelly Flynn (R) State Representative, District 69: Ted Washburn (R) State Representative, District 70: Kerry White (R) District Court Judge, District 18, Dept. 1: Holly Brown (uncontested) District Court Judge, District 18, Dept. 3: John C. Brown (uncontested) County Sheriff/Coroner: Brian Gootkin (R) County Commissioner: Steve White (R, uncontested) Madison County: State Senator, District 36: Debby Barrett (R) State Representative, District 71: Ray L. Shaw (R) District Court Judge, District 5, Dept. 1: Loren Tucker (NP, uncontested) County Commissioner: David Schulz (NP) Ballot initiatives: Legislative Referendum No. 120- (Parental notification prior to an abortion for a minor) – For: 79.55% Against: 29.45% Legislative Referendum No. 121- (Deny certain state-funded services to illegal aliens) – For: 79.51% Against: 20.49% Legislative Referendum No. 122- (Prohibit state or federal government from mandating the purchase of health insurance) – For: 67.20% Against: 32.80% Legislative Referendum No. 124- (Referendum on SB-423, which repealed I-148 and enacted a new medical marijuana program) – For: 57.25% Against: 42.75% Initiative No. 166- (Corporations are not entitled to Constitutional rights) – For: 74.67% Against: 25.33%

Ryan agreed. This election year has seen unprecedented amounts of outside campaign

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Big Sky Weekly

Nov. 16-29, 2012 Volume 3 // Issue No. 23

business, health and environment

gallery An artist returns paintings of Yellowstone to Big Sky after 21 years Carol Tomlin’s work hangs in Big Sky Western Bank story and photos By tyler allen

big sky weekly staff writer

BIG SKY – Carol Tomlin was invited to be an artist in residence for Yellowstone National Park 21 years ago, and she turned it down. She regrets it to this day.

A self-taught oil painter from Woodbine, N.J., Tomlin, 58, began painting at age 10.

She started using deer hides as canvasses after she had a family, “because we had so many from my husband, two sons and myself hunting every year,” she said.

Tomlin first came to Big Sky in 1991 after her brother, Kenny Morton, invited the family to visit him. Morton, who has lived here for 34 years, owns Canyon Auto in Big Sky. On that trip, Tomlin brought some of her buckskin paintings to Yellowstone, hoping park officials might take interest. When she showed them to then park superintenCarol Tomlin with her piece "Old Faithful in the Winter 1904" dent Golden LeFevre, he liked them but said they couldn’t be displayed because depiction of the Old Faithful Inn shortly after its people might take offense. Lefevre asked if Tomconstruction. lin would consider painting on canvas.

“I said ‘sure’ and mentioned I liked painting cabins,” she said.

“Then you should paint one of the world’s largest cabins,” LeFevre said.

Tomlin began working on “Old Faithful in the Winter 1904” (1991) that summer, creating a

Tomlin used the architectural schematics drawn by designer of the inn, Robert L. Reamer, for the historical perspective. “I thought everyone in America should see what it looked like originally.”

LeFevre liked the painting so much he asked her to do one for each season. “We’ll do re-prints and

put them in every room [of the inn],” LeFevre said. Then he asked her to be the park’s artist in residence.

Tomlin turned him down, she said, because “I had two small children, a farm to take care of, and my husband is a commercial fisherman, gone four or five days at a time.”

LeFevre rescinded his offer to hang the re-prints, but asked if Tomlin would donate the paintings of the inn to the park. Stunned, she declined and wrapped the paintings up and tucked them into the back of her studio. That’s where they remained for the next 21 years.

“Long story short, it was a bad career move,” Tomlin says now.

This year, Tomlin brought her work back to Montana, and it’s now hanging on the walls of the Big Sky Western Bank in the Big Sky Town Center.

“They just need to be seen by the public.”

Standing beside “Old Faithful in Winter 1904” this November, she explained what an undertaking it was to build the structure featured in her work. “A lot of men died building the Inn,” Tomlin said, since the harsh environment and isolation of the site created dangerous working conditions. But it was a landmark achievement, when completed.

Continued on p. 18

"Deer in the snow"

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Nov. 16-29, 2012 17

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gallery

Big Sky Weekly

Continued from p. 17

“[21st U.S. President] Chester Arthur saw Old Faithful go off [in the late 1800s] and said every American should see it,” Tomlin said. The Old Faithful Inn allowed travelers to make the world’s most famous geyser a destination, long before it could be reached by automobile in a day.

A number of Tomlin’s other paintings also hang in the bank, including “Deer in the Snow” (1996), “Mountain Majesty” (1996), “Old Faithful in the Spring” (1991), and “Royal in a Resting Place” (1996), all oil on canvas. She plans to start painting on buckskin again because “so many people have been asking for them.”

Tomlin was in Big Sky from Oct. 15 to Nov. 7, hanging her work in the bank. At the same time, Hurricane Sandy was ravaging her home state of New Jersey. She said later that their horse farm and surrounding neighborhood were left relatively unscathed by the storm.

Contact Carol Tomlin by phone at (609) 861- 3057.

Carol Tomlin stands next to her painting "Royal in a Resting Place"

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sports

MSU Bobcats roll over Portland State 65-30 Cat-Griz game Nov. 17 in Missoula story and photos by mike coil

big sky weekly staff writer

The MSU Bobcats, ranked second in the nation, thumped Portland State 65-30, on Nov. 10. The victory made MSU head coach Rob Ash the winningest coach in MSU history. With this momentum, the Cats (6-1, 9-1) head to Missoula to play arch rivals for the last regular schedule game of the season before the playoffs. A victory over the Grizzlies (3-4, 5-5) would give the Cats a share of the Big Sky conference title and home field advantage during the playoffs.

L: Rob Ash gets the record for most wins by a Bobcat coach. R: Junior Defensive Back, Steven Bethley, runs an interception back for a touchdown.

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sports

Big Sky Weekly

James Harden Traded to Rockets

By Brandon Niles

Now we have had time to reflect on this trade and see the early returns.

Kevin Martin is playing well for the Thunder, and Harden has been a superstar for the Houston Rockets, dominating games and, along with Jeremy Lin, giving Houston one of the most exciting backcourts in the NBA.

Big sky weekly sports columnist

Sometimes it’s nice to have a little time to reflect on the major things that happen in sports. Often, we react so strongly and swiftly to breaking news we forget to take a step back and actually witness the results as they unfold.

On Saturday, Oct. 27, the Oklahoma City Thunder made huge headlines across the NBA by trading reigning sixth Man of the Year James Harden to the Houston Rockets.

Harden, a shooting guard in his fourth year in the league, was phenomenal last season. He’s put up big numbers and developed an uncanny ability to get to the rim on a consistent basis. His unselfish attitude coming off the bench helped the Thunder create mismatches, as he was often facing second string players of opposing teams. Harden could have demanded starter minutes, but he chose to buy into the team chemistry and almost won a ring because of it.

With Harden’s contract expiring at the end of this season, the Thunder knew that a decision would need to be made. Oklahoma City had already invested a great deal of money in superstars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, and could not afford the kind of money that Harden would command on the open market.

While most experts felt the Thunder would ride out the season and deal with his contract when the time came, Houston swooped in and made an offer. The result was arguably the most surprising trade since the Deron Williams trade (from the Jazz to the Nets) in 2011.

The Thunder traded Harden at his peak value, while the Rockets gave up starter Kevin Martin, lottery pick rookie Jeremy Lamb, and a pair of 2013 first round draft picks to the Thunder. They promptly signed him to a max contract.

While Harden’s departure is considered a loss for the Thunder by many fans and experts, I see this trade as a win-win for the two teams.

Harden was stifled as a secondary option in Oklahoma City. As a part of the Rockets he’s reaching his full potential and a level of productivity that was unattainable while sharing the rock with Durant and Westbrook. Additionally, the Rockets received Cole Aldrich and a couple other players in the deal, and Aldrich has quietly contributed in Houston on both ends of the floor.

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The Thunder meanwhile have Martin to fill the gap Harden left, but also have a young player with tremendous potential in the rookie Lamb, and they will have two additional first round picks in the 2013 draft. Instead of being strapped for cash for the next several years paying Harden, the team will be paying three rookies instead. It’s a risk, but I believe it’s a calculated and savvy one.

This was a rare situation in sports today: a huge trade involving a superstar player, taking most fans by surprise and ultimately being a positive move for both teams involved. This was good for the fans and great for the league, as Harden’s arrival in Houston creates another interesting team to watch.

If Harden continues to play as well as he has, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a harrowing playoff series between these two teams in the not-too-distant future.

Brandon Niles has done online freelance writing about the NFL since 2007. His articles range from NFL news to team-specific 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.

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Nov. 16-29, 2012 21

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health & wellness

Big Sky Weekly

Medical savings account also helps Montanans save in state income taxes MSU Extension emphasizes opening account before end of year msu news service

BOZEMAN – There is good news for Montana taxpayers paying out-of-pocket medical expenses.

A Montana Medical Care Savings Account, or MSA, can aid in paying for those expenses not covered by a health insurance policy or a flexible spending account. And if opened by Dec. 31, an MSA can also lower a participant’s annual Montana income taxes.

Up to $3,000 of a deposit into an MSA, per taxpayer, is deductible from an individual’s 2012 Montana adjusted gross income, but it only pertains to state taxes.

This tax advantage does not apply to federal income taxes and should not be confused with the Federal Health Savings Accounts,” said Marsha Goetting, MSU Extension family economics specialist.

A Montanan with taxable income over $16,400 could save about $207 in state income taxes by depositing the maximum $3,000 in a Montana MSA. “It doesn't matter if you have already paid your 2012 medical bills either by check, credit or debit

card,” Goetting said. “You can add up those expenses and make a deposit by Dec. 31 of this year and reimburse yourself from your Montana MSA as late as Jan. 15, 2013.”

MSA amounts held in the name of a husband or wife can be used to pay the medical bills of either spouse or their dependent children, Goetting said.

MSA owners can reduce their Montana income by the total deposited, not the amount used for medical expenses during the tax year.

Montana accepts any eligible expenses listed in IRS Publication 502, “Medical and Dental Expenses,” which explains taxdeductible medical expenses online at: irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/ p502.pdf. Expenses not covered are medical-related bills already covered by a supplemental, primary or self-insured plan.

“It doesn't matter if you have already paid your 2012 medical bills either by check, credit or debit card. You can add up those expenses and make a deposit by Dec. 31 of this year and reimburse yourself from your Montana MSA as late as Jan. 15, 2013.”

“Montana Medical Care Savings Accounts are not like flexible spending accounts where you use it or lose it,” Goetting said. Remaining funds in an MSA are available for future medical expenses, but are not tax deductible, she added.

A husband and wife who each establish an individual MSA can receive a $6,000 deduction if they file a joint Montana income tax return. They will save about $414 on their state income taxes.

Joint accounts for an MSA are not allowed. Only individual accounts are eligible for the Montana MSA deduction.

An MSU Extension MontGuide offers help in understanding who would benefit from a Montana medical care savings account. The free publication MontGuide 199817 HR is available from local MSU County Extension offices or online format the MSU Extension website: msuextension.org/publications/ FamilyFinancialManagement/MT199817HR.pdf

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travel

Big Sky Weekly

View from Piazzale Michaelangelo

Celebrating family and food Thanksgiving in Italy story and photos By claire murphy

big sky weekly contributor

FLORENCE, Italy - In a small Florentine basement restaurant, linen tablecloths, liters of wine and silverware are set for a long and large meal.

Hours of conversation are shared here, and multiple courses of fresh food served. Although, this isn’t Thanksgiving, it’s a typical dinner at Buca dell Orafo restaurant in Florence, Italy.

The Italian lifestyle and culinary tradition revolves around large gatherings and the type of meals we Americans generally associate with Thanksgiving and other holidays.

While American tables fill with family and friends this Nov. 22, Italians will be going out or staying in, just like any other day. In Italy, a large meal and family time is a given every day.

It’s part of Italy’s culture, la cultura familia, says Buca dell Orafo chef Karly Siciliano, an American who came to Florence five years ago as a culinary student from Washington, D.C. Cutting artichokes in the hidden downstairs restaurant, Siciliano explained how eating is different for Italians.

The entrance to Bucca dell Orafo

“More than anything, it’s easier [making large family meals] in Florence because Florentine people never leave the city. They live close to their families.” Plus, she says, in Italy, the mother is the head of the household, “so she has dinner on the table. It’s part of her role.”

Erin Heffernan, the program assistant at Florida State University’s study abroad program in Florence, will experience her second Thanksgiving in Italy this year. Heffernan will miss her mother’s turkey and her aunt’s cranberry sauce.

“Here it’s just another day,” she says. Although Italians don’t have the same holiday, “the important thing is we’re all together and having a great time, and we sort of have our own family here,” Heffernan said.

Despite missing family, Heffernan has fallen in love with Italian food and tradition, particularly at Anita’s, her favorite restaurant.

24 Nov. 16-29, 2012

Karly Siciliano and Alessandro Raddato

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travel

Big Sky Weekly

“Everything is made fresh daily,” Heffernan says. “On menus, by law, [a restaurant is] required to indicate if something was made with frozen ingredients … which I think is sort of special.”

Typical Florentine families hold long, loud and lavish meals – for a meal to last two or three hours is normal, and you won’t be rushed out by your server.

“Eating that long is not only not a bad thing, it’s the way you’re supposed to eat,” Heffernan said. “I love that, I love that aspect.”

Bucca dell Orafo host, Sandro Buonuomo, is originally from Naples, four hours south of Florence.

“It starts when you are born,” Buonuomo said. “It starts with the food and tutti la familia,” food and the whole family.

This view is shared all over Italy.

InTavalo cooking school

“It’s about life,” said Alessandro Raddato, an instructor for InTavola cooking school.

Meals have an appetizer, a pasta course, a main course and a side dish, then dessert.

Raddato grew up in Puglia, a smaller town three hours southeast of Naples. People in his hometown still live more traditionally, so the city shuts down for a large family lunch every day.

Smiling, he recalls his grandfather giving him a small glass of wine mixed with water since he was 8 or 9 years old.

Since he moved further away, Raddato doesn’t spend daily dinners with his family, but, “More than anything, it’s he says, in Florence still what most easier [making large family that’s families do.

meals] in Florence because Florentine people never leave the city. They live close to their families.”

“Then on Sunday we have lunch or dinner with grandma, grandpa and all the family, obviously with the richest menu. When I was a child, every Sunday [I spent with] my grandpa and my cousins, eating with my family. ”

Being a much larger city, Florence stays open all day."

“In Italy the best type of cooking is the cooking your mom does,” Raddato said, referring to something Heffernan and many other Americans can relate to.

In the U.S., “it’s hard to find good product,” she said. But the sense of togetherness Americans experience on Thanksgiving isn’t that difficult to find.

“It depends where your family comes from,” she says. “In my family [at home in the U.S.], it’s really important. My dad makes a point to have dinner on the table every day, so we’re all together.”

Living thousands of miles from home, Siciliano can’t easily enjoy a meal with her family, but she does get satisfaction from cooking for Italian families enjoying food and time together every night.

Claire Murphy suggests taking a lesson from the Italians: Be thankful for your family, enjoy the food, and try making it a more frequent tradition. Although Murphy will spend Thanksgiving in Italy this year, she’ll be making turns in Big Sky this winter.

As a chef at an authentic Tuscan restaurant, Siciliano also has perspective on Italian eating.

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.

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Nov. 16-29, 2012 25

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business

Seafood paella

Big Sky Weekly

Photos by the Outlaw Partners

Café Madriz builds on success, ramps up year-round catering By megan paulson

big sky weekly staff writer

WEST YELLOWSTONE – Two years ago, Elena deDiego took a big risk – shifting from her longstanding career in the hospitality industry to opening an authentic Spanish tapas restaurant in West Yellowstone.

Her motto is simple: “Eat when you drink, drink when you eat.”

As owner and chef of Café Madriz, deDiego’s inspiration came largely from her grandmother and family, who are rooted in the restaurant business in Madrid, Spain.

“My passion for food started at a very early age, watching my grandma, Vicenta, prepare outrageous ‘banquets’ for the Sunday lunch family tradition,” deDiego says. “Even though the gathering did not have more than seven or eight people, Grandma Vicenta would make enough food to feed a soccer stadium.”

Today, the success of Café Madriz was more than deDiego ever expected, and one she says validates her hard work. The business is seasonal; May through September, the café is open seven days a week. As the sole chef, deDiego typically works 16 hours a day, mak-

ing every dish by hand. This summer alone, she made more than 850 orders of paella, 1000 shrimp in garlic and 700 spinach salads."

In a relatively short timespan, Café Madriz has climbed to the top of Trip Advisor rankings, holding at nearly five stars, and currently is No. four out of 45 restaurants in West Yellowstone.

Café

In June, Mark Bittman, book author and food columnist for the New York Times, stumbled upon Café Madriz.

“We spent a couple of days in Yellowstone, sleeping in West Yellowstone, Mont.,” he wrote in a June 27 dining feature in the Times, “…we found Café Madriz, a Spanish restaurant with a level of authenticity you could admire almost anywhere in this country...This exception was noteworthy.”

Building on this success, deDiego has added a catering and private dinner service for West Yellowstone, Bozeman, Big Sky and greater Gallatin Valley.

The core of Spanish cuisine and tapas is very social – eating, drinking, and enjoying time with friends and family – and deDiego’s private catering will be accordingly intimate, an interactive dining experience.

What’s in a name?

DeDiego notes it’s very common to hear Spaniards (and specially Madrileños) speak with a lisp. “We tend to either drop the ‘d’ at the end of the word (and say Madri) or change the 'd' for a 'z', which is what I do!” Hence Café Madriz, not Madrid.

26 Nov. 16-29, 2012

explorebigsky.com

Aceitunas

explorebigsky.com

business

Big Sky Weekly

History of tapas The Spanish word 'tapa' literally means ‘cover’ or ‘lid.' ‘Tapas’ likely once referred to the plate that many tascas (bars/pubs) would serve. With origins widely believed to be in Seville, in southern Spain, bartenders would cover, or tapar, wine glasses with a small plate to protect the drink from fruit flies.

Soon they took to placing a slice of ham on top of the plate, an addition that naturally appealed to bar patrons. Seeing the possibilities of attracting more customers, bar owners began varying the tapas, adorning the little plates that came with each drink, and the national and international phenomenon known as tapas got its start.

L: Albondigas en salsa Española R: Peras al Vino

“From a catering aspect, I can truly customize whatever the client wants,” she said. She’s targeting the services for groups of 20 or less, because “it's the more intimate setting that makes a memorable experience.”

“I can customize any meal – if you’ve tasted something on your travels before and it’s not on the menu, that’s OK – I am happy to make it,” deDiego said. “There are literally thousands of tapas combinations to try.”

DeDiego believes the Café's popularity stems from the quality ingredients she uses, and she takes pride in offering down-to-earth, delicious, uncomplicated food. “You don't have to do anything fancy, the food does the talking.”

The staples on her menu fall into vegetarian and gluten free categories. “It’s how I have cooked and the Spanish have eaten for years,” she said.

The catering menu has everything from homemade soups and salads, to hot and cold tapas, desserts, wine, beer, sangria and imported Spanish products including Manchego cheese, Serrano ham and chorizo.

To book a private dinner, custom event or Spanish tapas party, contact Elena deDiego at cafemadriz@hotmail.com or (406) 600-1947. View photos and see a menu of Café Madriz signature dishes online at explorebigsky.com/cafemadriz.

MSU receives $80,000 to launch financial literacy program

Origins of Spanish cuisine A product of centuries of fine eating, Spanish cooking is subtle, refined and simple. While eating habits and hours are more or less uniform throughout Spain, cooking can be quite different. Each region of Spain is a cultural and gastronomic world in itself, defying generalization.

Spanish cooking has popular roots. It is the people's cuisine. Most of it is down-to-earth, uncomplicated food, based on the ingredients available locally or the crops grown regionally.

The country’s many mountain ranges have acted as natural barriers to communication, making transportation difficult until the last half of the 20th century, and one reason why cooking differs so much from region to region.

vintagewinter.com

A collection of Alpine Home Decor and Chalet Style Antiques

msu news service

BOZEMAN - Montana State University recently received a grant of nearly $80,000 from the Montana Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education to institute a financial literacy program. As a part of the grant, MSU will contact students who are carrying significant debt and offer financial counseling.

Sixty-six percent of all MSU graduates borrow money.

“We are committed to aiding and educating students to ensure they understand and develop solid financial habits to make wise choices while attending school and beyond,” said Carina Beck, director of Career, Internships and Student Employment Services.

Vintage Ski Posters $19

collectable ski sets starting at $325

Ski wall sconce $229

three pane ski frame $359

Between 2007 and 2011, the average debt incurred by graduates with student loans rose 35.7 percent to $25,682.

The program will be run out of MSU’s Office of Student Success in collaboration with Career and Internship Services, which combined see an average of 120 students daily for advising and career services.

Among the eight Montana University System campuses receiving College Access Challenge Grant funding from the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education, MSU’s was the top award at $79,982.

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The office will implement a financial management program to educate incoming freshmen about the implications of the financial choices they may face; a communications campaign and intervention program aimed at students with a high-debt-to-potential-income ratio; and target financial education efforts at MSU’s veterans and their families.

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environment

Big Sky Weekly

A grizzly sow's survival in the modern world By greg smith

big sky weekly contributor

Once upon a time there lived a sixyear-old female grizzly bear. She was beautiful, approaching 280 pounds, mostly chocolate brown with lighter shades dominating her forelegs and her muscular shoulder hump. She lived as all grizzlies do – solitary and alone, wandering, in her case, the wildest reaches of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

She was fortunate. The majority of her home range, almost 100 square miles, was within Yellowstone National Park. A smaller portion, her fall range, extended northward into the adjoining Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness. With the exception of fall hunting season and chance encounters with vehicular traffic, she was safe from human encounters – and hence human-caused mortality.

In the spring she became pregnant.

But a successful pregnancy requires a successful feeding season, and last fall the whitebark pine nut crop, a food source critical to Yellowstone’s grizzlies, had failed. In a compromised state, as indicated by her marginal stored-fat layer, she aborted the pregnancy.

A mama grizzly with cubs in Yellowstone Photo by Mike Coil

So again she had attracted three different adult male grizzlies whose home ranges overlapped hers. Their big, sensitive noses scented her from more than a mile away. They postured and fought, and eventually a massive 15-year-old boar weighing nearly 600 pounds was chosen. The courtship lasted several weeks – from late May through the third week in June. She gave birth to three small cubs approximately nine months later.

The three cubs, born in the solitude and quiet of the winter den, were tiny at birth. Two males and one female, they were born in late-January, weighing approximately 16 ounces.

One pound. Naked, hairless and totally dependent on their mother for the first few months of their lives.

That dependency can, in the best circumstances, last upwards of three years.

Thus, in a quiet den, near tree line in the remote northern reaches of Yellowstone, it began for this family of bears. Upon emergence in early April, the cubs’ known world grew exponentially. And so, too, did the potential for trouble. Toward the end of May, one of the male cubs drowned while crossing a stream swollen with snowmelt.

In August, at the height of the tourist season, a car in the Lamar Valley hit and killed the female cub. The remaining male survived the gauntlet that first year and by late fall weighed 90 pounds. He and the sow entered a den at the end of the feeding season, in November.

Once more, with the pull of spring they emerged, this year in midMarch. Spring came early to the Northern Rockies. Upon emergence and driven by a relentless hunger, they migrated down-slope to valley bottoms, just beginning to free from snow and likely to offer succulent plants which make up the bulk of a grizzly’s diet.

In April, the sow located an elk carcass abandoned by a pack of wolves.

As a matter of survival, this early season abundance of calories had to be investigated.

But two days earlier, just after the elk was killed, a male grizzly had claimed the kill as his own, pushing off the 10 wolves. As the sow and cub neared, the female scented his

presence. She could not; however, determine his exact location. Cautiously, they moved in to feed on the carcass. It would prove a fatal mistake for her surviving cub.

The big male grizzly, asleep in a nearby cover of thick vegetation, quickly responded to the trespass. Moving at 30 miles an hour, he covered 150 yards to the elk carcass in 10 seconds.

The young male cub was caught from behind, and he died instantly with a powerful bite to the neck.

Had the female time to respond, perhaps she could have intervened and saved her cub. Regardless, she was again on her own, her three cubs gone.

Her fate would be determined, as always, by her ability to locate adequate calories and stay out of harm’s way. In most cases, this means avoiding humans. She might live to age 20 and reach 600 pounds. She would, as the spring seasons arrived over the years, attract males, mate and produce cubs. If all went well, a small number of those, perhaps two or three, would survive to become breeding-age adults themselves.

Grizzlies live within well-defined and relatively rigid biological parameters. In the long-term game of survival, these limitations are compounded by today’s modern world.

Greg Smith worked for nearly 20 summers in Glacier National Park as a ranger naturalist and a backcountry/ bear management ranger. Those years re-affirmed his belief that education is one of the key roles a ranger can play in a place such as Glacier. He “talked bears” to thousands of backcountry users over the years. Not once did he have to “manage” a bear. Such is bear management, when done correctly.

Big Sky Weekly

Classifieds/business directory help wanted

for rent

Property management company in Big Sky is seeking part time general laborers for fall & winter season.

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.

Call 406-763-4816

for sale 1998 Chevy S10 Blazer, heated leather seats, set of snow and summer tires, 211,000 miles and still in great condition. $2,750/OBO Call 995-2091

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

For Rent - Small 1 bedroom cabin in Gallatin Canyon, 1 person only, no smoking/no pets, available Nov. 1. First and last month deposit required, 6 month lease. $450/mo. Call 406-763-4361

Email advertising and/or advertising requests to media@theoutlawpartners.com

or call (406)995-2055 VERIFICATION COPY OF YOUR ADVERTISEM

Attn:Bailey Paving This is a copy of your advertisement which will appear in the 2009-2010 edition of the Big S Directory published by Statewide Publishing - Montana under the heading(s) of:

• Luxury c abi n re nta L in big Sky •

Paving Contractors

FOR SALE

1. Is spelling and ad information correct? ...................................................................................

2. Is your phone number and address correct? ..........................................................................

3. I understand that colors in my ad may vary due to differences in printer inks & pape 4. Please mark the necessary corrections directly on the ad as neatly as possible.

one of a kind antique

Peninsular 414 wood burning stove

REDUCED PRICE: was $ 5,000 4 bedroom, 4.5 bath in Spanish Peaks Call 239-434-8437 or visit vrbo.com/393008 for more details

NOW ONLY $3900

CONTACT: Tim 580-0624 or 580-5051

• 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

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Approved RC&D Hazardous Fuels Reduction Contractor

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� 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

NFL & COL

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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

MoonLight bASin SNOWSPORTS Our Specialty SnowSports Programs

are guaranteed to take your child’s on-the-snow skills and confidence to the next level, all within a fun and positive learning environment cOMPlIMeNtarY SeaSON PaSS for all youth enrolled in a specialty program (and paid in full)

OUR SNOWSPORTS SCHOOL VETERANS EXPERIENCE: AN accelerated PACE Skills fOR ALL TERRAiN Of LEARNiNg AND ALL CONDiTiONS (that’s what comes with small class ratios (because we believe a versatile skier & tuned-in instructors) or rider is the best kind!) iNCREASED (a product of a relaxed, fun learning environment tailored to individual needs and styles)

Register now by calling (406) 993-6062 or online at moonlightbasin.com

KIDS 5 & UNDER ALWAYS SKI FRE E AT MOONLIGHT BASIN

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@moonlightbasin · #moonlightbasin

explorebigsky.com

wanderer at rest

Big Sky Weekly

Picnic fairy By jamie balke

big sky weekly contributor

A few weeks ago, a couple of friends and I visited Fairy Lake in the Bridger Mountains. I’d never been there before, and it was right before the first week of cold weather in October – a perfect fall day.

The drive to the lake involved quite a bit of stopping to take pictures. The further we went, the more beautiful the landscape became. While dodging and weaving up the uneven road in my friend’s sedan, we passed trucks and SUVs filled with hunters.

The parking area was dusted lightly with snow. After a quick walk to the lake, we sat down to prepare our picnic. Luckily, one of my friends had the foresight to bring a tarp, and a delicious if nontraditional assortment of fruit, cheese, bread and Doritos.

As we set up, a couple of families and their associated dogs began the short hike around the lake. Their boisterous laughter provided a peculiar background to a place that felt wild and remote.

After nibbling and gawking at the mountains around us, I immersed my hands in clear water, re-confirming that high elevation lakes are indeed frigid. The incredible green color of the lake is reason enough to visit.

Once I shook the feeling back into my hands, we started the hike around the perimeter of the lake. It ended up being less a hike and more a slow-motion photo shoot. A pattern emerged: We’d take a few

Gone are the days of fall picnics at Fairy Lake. Photo by Jamie Balke

steps, gape at the view, exclaim excitedly, and then shoot a slew of photos. I’m generally not a speedhiker, but this pace was unusually slow. I was okay with it. In fact, I was delighted.

Highlights, other than the aforementioned lovely scenery, included a woodpecker spotting and my dramatic tumble over a good walking stick while actively looking for one for my friend to use.

Before departing, we took a spin around the recently renovated campground. All I could think about was how much I didn’t want to leave. If fairies did exist, I wouldn’t be surprised to find them in the Northern Bridgers.

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.

DANCING SNOWFLAKES. LIVE SYMPHONY. A BOZEMAN TRADITION FOR 29 YEARS. Montana Ballet Company Presents The 29th Annual

THIS PRODUCTION IS GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY TIM AND MARY BARNARD AND THE DENNIS AND PHYLLIS WASHINGTON FOUNDATION

photo: Rab Cummings

Dec. 1, 7:30pm & Dec. 2, 2:00pm Willson Auditorium — $15 - $45 For Tickets: 406.585.9774 bozemansymphony.org

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 ov id 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.

explorebigsky.com

Section 3:

Big Sky Weekly

Nov. 16-29, 2012 Volume 3 // Issue No. 23

life, land and culture

outdoors 16th annual Arc’teryx Bozeman Ice Festival is Dec. 5 – 9 Family-friendly Urban Base Camp new this year BOZEMAN – Ice climbers and mountainlovers from around the world will converge on southwest Montana this December for the 16th Annual Arc’teryx Bozeman Ice Climbing Festival, Dec. 5 – 9.

Tom Catmull and the Clerics, and local microbrews from Big Sky Brewing. Proceeds from the Urban Base Camp and the after party will go toward keeping the Hyalite Canyon Road plowed in winter.

The festival is centered on instructional clinics held in Hyalite Canyon, 15 miles south of Bozeman. The clinics serve a range of abilities, from first-time climbers to experienced enthusiasts looking to hone their skills. Instructors will include professional athletes and local guides.

There will also be nightly slide shows at the Emerson Center, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. These include a presentation from Sarah Hueniken, and one from a father-son duo, Michael and Hayden Kennedy.

On Saturday, Dec. 8, from noon to 8:30 p.m., the ice action will move downtown. The festival's Urban Base Camp, held on the lawn at Bozeman’s Emerson Cultural Center, will center around demonstration climbing on a 35-foot artificial ice tower. There will also be gear demos, climbing gear for sale, fire pits with ‘smores, and other outdoor-related, familyfriendly activities and information.

An Ice Breaker Competition will be held on the tower that afternoon, with an open class 1 - 4 p.m., and an invitational comp from 6 to 8 p.m., with professional climbers from around the world.

Immediately after the competition, a celebration of climbing will commence in the Emerson Ballroom at 9 p.m. featuring live music from

A professional climber and mountain guide from Canmore, Alberta, Hueniken will kick off the evening shows on Thursday, Dec. 6.

Michael Kennedy broke new ground for his generation of climbers. His son, Hayden, has also proven a capacity for making history. The two will share stories and memories of spectacular climbs from around the world on Friday, Dec. 7.

Founded in 1996, the Bozeman Ice Climbing Festival is dedicated to promoting and protecting the world-class ice climbing of Hyalite Canyon. The event draws top athletes and participants for clinics, demos, slide shows and evening entertainment.

For more information visit bozemanicefestival.com.

Eagle Mount adaptive ski program looking for winter volunteers BOZEMAN, BIG SKY – Eagle Mount is looking for volunteers for its nordic and alpine ski programs, which provide therapeutic recreation to people with developmental and physical disabilities and children with cancer.

instructors of the Professional Ski Instructors of America.

The Bridger Bowl Ski program needs around 250 volunteers for eight weeks beginning mid-January and ending mid-March. The Big Sky program starts scheduling volunteers during the holiday season and beyond.

The nonprofit relies solely on community members who donate time to get participants outside.

Volunteers will be taught about disability awareness and given instruction on working with people with varying disabilities. Potential volunteers for ski programs need to be at least intermediate level skiers or snowboarders.

Benefits include a ski pass for the days volunteered, and opportunities to train and learn from certified

Each lesson lasts approximately 2.5 hours. Volunteers are asked to commit to one lesson a week for eight weeks.

Volunteers who don’t ski or snowboard can work with the snowshoeing, horseback riding or swimming programs.

To get involved, fill out a volunteer application online at eaglemount.org/ volunteer/general-information.

Questions? Contact Adaptive Sports Director Diana Proemm at dproemm@eaglemount.org. Big Sky program director Chad Biggerstaff can be contacted at cbiggerstaff@eaglemount.org.

A 7-year-old excels on his first day ice climbing at last year's festival. Photo by Brian Niles

Cold temps deter hunters over week four of rifle season montana fish, wildlife and parks

BOZEMAN – Hunter numbers were down slightly between the third and fourth weeks of hunting season, with 1,038 hunters coming through Region 3 game check stations over the weekend, compared with 1,213 the weekend prior. Overall success in harvest was down to 5.5 percent, with the best numbers seen at the Cameron station, south of Ennis.

Biologists and volunteers staffing check stations said many hunters commented on the especially cold weekend temperatures. The region’s overall average high for the weekend was at 17 degrees with an average low of five degrees. Most hunters reported seeing lots of animal sign, and many others reported seeing groups of elk.

Once again, Silver City, just north of Helena, checked the most hunters; 375, and Mill Creek, located south of Anaconda and west of Butte by the Big Hole River, saw the fewest. Hunters targeting mule deer bucks had the most success; those harvesting does had the least.

Although the cold weather caused a decrease in Region 3 hunter numbers and thus a lower harvest, Region 2 reports from west-central Montana show the change in weather prompted greater hunter success over the third week of rifle season.

This season’s elk harvest in Region 2 remains 20 percent behind last year, while deer totals continue to be up. The elk harvest in Region 3 remains on trend with last year’s numbers.

explorebigsky.com

Nov. 16-29, 2012 33

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.

Rossignol Squad 7 Are you already dreaming about tearing huge turns down the South Face? Looking for new sticks to do it on? Check out the new Squad 7s from Rossignol.

This ski is solid but forgiving, says Grizzly Outfitters’ Andrew Schreiner. Compared to its predecessor, the Super 7, the Squad has a lower-profile tail and shovel, and at 29.5 meters, a larger turn radius.

“It turns as easy as anything if you’re on the front of your boot,” Schreiner said, “but if you want to go fast, you’re not fighting to make a big turn.”

Horny Toad Morningafter Pants

At 5.3 pounds per ski, they’re relatively lightweight, and easy on the knees. The re-designed tip also improves the performance in chop.

Available in 188 cm. – E.S. rossignol.com $799

On most days, it’s not more than five minutes after getting home that I’ve changed into the Morningafter Pants. Horny Toad’s "cashmoore" fleece is about the only material that really keeps me warm around the house in the winter (sorry Snuggie®). My lounging height is 5’10”, and these pants are actually long enough. Their low cut rise is cute, and they have back stash pockets, so I don’t have to leave the couch for much. Now please excuse me, I have some vegging out to do. – Kelsey Dzintars hornytoad.com $88

THOMAS LEE PHOTOGRAPHY

Winter means

powder days, snowflakes on the tongue,

...and fly fishing for trout!?

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Fine Purveyors of WINTER Fly Fishing Awesome-ness.

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

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

explorebigsky.com

Nov. 16-29, 2012 35

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entertainment

Big Sky Weekly

29th annual production of The Nutcracker is Dec. 1

With the Bozeman Symphony Orchestra conducted by Kyle Pickett BOZEMAN – Montana Ballet Company’s production of The Nutcracker, set to Tchaikovsky’s beloved score, is one of the largest artistic collaborations in the region, featuring the work of accomplished dancers, local and national choreographers, guest artists, live musicians, seasoned stage technicians, lighting and costume designers, and a host of dedicated volunteers.

The 29th annual event, directed by Elizabeth DeFanti and Amy Lynn Stoddart, will be on Dec. 1 at 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 2 at 2 p.m. at the Willson Auditorium in Bozeman. A Dec. 1 children’s matinee show is free for children under 12.

World-renowned guest artists Vilia Putrius and Mindaugas Bauzys will return to perform this year. Principal dancers with Festival Ballet Providence, both have also danced professionally with the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre and Boston Ballet. They will share the stage with

MBC company dancers, and more than 50 dancers from the community. Also featured in the cast is Soren Kisiel, codirector of Broad Comedy, who will once again perform the role of Drosselmeyer.

The Bozeman Symphony will accompany the ballet live, conducted by guest artist Maestro Kyle Pickett, Music Director of Juneau and North State symphonies.

Prior to the shows, on Nov. 18, MBC will host ‘High Tea with Clara’ and many characters from The Nutcracker.

The event, held at 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. at the Baxter Ballroom, will include performance excerpts from the show. For reservations, call the Montana Ballet Company at (406) 582-8702.

For tickets contact the Bozeman Symphony at (406) 585-9774 or visit bozemansymphony.org. All seating is reserved.

Photo by Rab Cummings

36 Nov. 16-29, 2012

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EVENTS friday, nov. 16

big sky

Grizzly Outfitters’ Pray for Snow Party w/ Matchstick Productions’ Superheroes of Stoke (ski movie) Lone Peak Cinema, 7:30 p.m.

Driftwood Grinners Choppers, 9 p.m.

Bozeman Can the Griz food drive MSU SUB, 8 a.m. (and Sat.) Energy Workshops MT Weatherization Training, noon The Vespers Peach St. Studios, 7 p.m.

The Good Rats Good Show Wild Joe’s Coffee, 7:30 p.m.

Ice Dogs vs. Yellowstone Haynes Pavilion, 7:30 p.m.

Broad Comedy Emerson, 8 p.m. (and Sat.) The Montana Roadhouse Band Eagles, 9 p.m. (and Sat.) livingston & paradise valley Keith and the Blokes Pine Creek, 7 p.m.

The Fossils Chico Hot Springs, 9 p.m. (and Sat.) Erin & the Project Murray, 9:30 p.m.

saturday, nov. 17 big sky Thanks-4-Giving Willson School, 9 a.m. (and Sun.)

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Big Sky Weekly

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

Bozeman

Livingston & paradise valley

Teka Brock Band Chico Hot Springs, 8 p.m

Huffing for Stuffing Museum of the Rockies, 7:30 a.m.

Tyler James Brigade Pine Creek, 7 p.m.

Quiz Show w/ Missy O’Malley Colonel Blacks, 9 p.m.

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

monday, nov. 19 big sky MT Chamber of Commerce “Giving Thanks Tour” Big Sky Chamber, 4 p.m.

Bozeman Improv on the Verge Equinox Theater, 7 p.m.

Avalaunch ski movies Library, 8 p.m. livingston & paradise valley Gardiner Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting Cowboy’s Lodge & Grille, 5:30 p.m.

Coat & Can Drive Emigrant Hall, 4-8 p.m.

tuesday, nov. 20 Bozeman Montana Science Olympiad MSU, 9 a.m.

Livingston & paradise valley The Saddle Tramps Band Chico Hot Springs Saloon, 9 p.m.

friday, nov. 23 Bozeman

sunday, nov. 25 livingston & paradise valley The Lion in Winter Blue Slipper Theater, 3 p.m.

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

MSU Women’s basketball vs. Pepperdine Shroyer Gym, 6:30 p.m.

Robot & Frank Emerson, 7:30 p.m.

monday, nov. 26 big sky Free Week for Frequent Sky Card Holders Begins, thru Dec. 2

MSU basketball vs. Pepperdine Brick Breeden Field House, 8 p.m.

Bozeman

Old Soles & More Filling Station, 9 p.m.

Upheaval – A Revolution of the Arts MSU SUB, 11:30 a.m. (and Tues., Wed.)

Quiz Show w/ Missy O’Malley Colonel Blacks, 9 p.m.

Ceramic Wheel Workshop Beth Kennedy Studio, 7 p.m.

Griz w/ Proper Motion Zebra, 10 p.m.

Gamelen Sekar Gunung, MSU Balinese Orchestra Reynolds Recital Hall, 7:30 p.m.

livingston & paradise valley

Bike Kitchen Open to the Public Bozeman Bike Kitchen, 6 p.m. (every Tues!)

Blues 2 Livingston Bar & Grill, 7 p.m.

Coal Export Emerson, 7 p.m.

Gypsy Lumberjacks Murray, 9 p.m.

tuesday, nov. 27 Bozeman Tango Montana Beall Park Art Center, 7 p.m.

friday, nov. 23

Opera Scenes Concert Reynolds Recital Hall, 7:30 p.m.

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

big sky

Katie Downen Bacchus Pub, 8 p.m.

Absinthe’s Resonance (ski movie) Lone Peak Cinema, 6 p.m.

The Coup w/ Black Mask Zebra, 10 p.m.

Bozeman

big sky

Ashley Holland Bacchus Pub, 8 p.m.

wednesday, nov. 28

TGR’s Further (ski movie) Lone Peak Cinema, 6-9 p.m.

west yellowstone

Energy Workshops MT Weatherization Training, noon

Shuffleboard Wednesday Lone Peak Brewery, 8 p.m.

Bozeman

Yellowstone Ski Festival Tthru Nov. 24

Holiday Festival of Arts & Crafts Gallatin Fairgrounds, noon (and Sat.)

Bozeman

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

Friends Used Book Sale Library, 10 a.m. (and Sun.) Turkey Bowl Beall Park, 10 a.m.

wednesday, nov. 21 big sky Shuffleboard Wednesday Lone Peak Brewery, 8 p.m.

Joe Knapp Ted’s Montana Grill, 7 p.m.

Ice Dogs vs. Helena Bighorns Haynes Pavilion, 7:30 p.m.

Warren Miller’s “Flow State” Emerson, 6 & 9 p.m.

Bob Britten Baxter Ballroom, 6:30 p.m.

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

Bozeman

Million Young & Friends Filling Station, 9 p.m.

Acoustic Guitar Workshop Music Villa, 2 p.m.

Bob Britten Baxter Ballroom, 6:30

MIP The Zebra Cocktail Lounge, 10 p.m.

The Horse Thieves’ Marshall Mclean Peach St. Studios, 7 p.m.

Ice Dogs vs. Billings Bulls Haynes Pavilion, 7:30 p.m.

livingston & paradise valley

Bozeman

Of Mice & Men Ellen Theater, 7:30 p.m.

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

The Lion in Winter Blue Slipper Theater, 8 p.m. (and Sat.)

MSU Women’s basketball vs. Pepperdine Shroyer Gym, 6:30 p.m.

BlueJack Chico Hot Springs, 9 p.m. (and Sat.)

Robot & Frank Emerson, 7:30 p.m.

Folklore Contra Dance Eagles Upstairs, 7:30 p.m.

The Abrams Brothers Filling Station, 9:30 p.m.

sunday, nov. 18

thursday, nov. 22

HAPPY THANKSGIViNG! big sky

Bozeman

big sky resort opening day

Bridger Mountain Big Band Colonel Blacks, 2 p.m.

Turkey Trot Town Center, 8 a.m. registration

saturday, nov. 24

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

thursday, nov. 29

big sky

MSU basketball vs. Pepperdine Brick Breeden Field House, 8 p.m.

TGR’s Dream Factory (ski movie) Lone Peak Cinema, 6-9p.m.

Old Soles & More Filling Station, 9 p.m.

Bozeman Jim Averitt/Tom Murphy Ted’s Montana Grill, 7 p.m.

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Nov. 16-29, 2012 37

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fun

Big Sky Weekly

Buscrat's Fables Anger Strings

Marion was driving to work in heavy traffic on the freeway when he came up behind an old woman with out-ofstate plates driving slow. He sped up and passed her, honking his horn, and shaking his fist.

Just then, two hairs began to grow on each side of his mouth. They grew until they reached high above, along with the others attached to his hands and foot. The hairs moved his lips and loud yelling escaped his mouth.

“Get off the road lady!” he yelled.

Marion’s boss heard the commotion and came in. “What’s going on in here?” he asked.

She slowly looked at him, shook her head, then grinned, pointing at his shaking fist.

“Everybody’s making me mad!” Marion screamed.

A hair on Marion’s fist started to grow.

An inch, then two inches, longer and longer. It grew upward above his head, holding his fist in the air, where it shook erratically. He tried to break the hair to bring his hand down, but it was as strong as a rope.

Marion sped by several other cars on his way to work. The drivers all saw his angry face and shaking fist, and they wondered why he was so angry with them.

He finally arrived at work, got out of the car and slammed the door. Then he kicked his car to release his frustration.

Just then, a hair grew from his ankle and shot high above his head. As he walked toward the door of his office, his fist was still shaking and his foot kicking.

When Marion walked into his office he asked his secretary if his report was ready for his 10 a.m. meeting, all the while shaking his fist and kicking the desk. His secretary said it wasn’t ready yet. He began waving his other hand as he ranted about the report. He threatened his secretary to get it done within the next 30 minutes or face being fired.

Just then, a hair grew from his wrist on his other hand, growing up above his head. Marion’s hand began to wave violently while he walked toward his office.

His friend came into his office and saw Marion shaking a fist, waving his other hand, and kicking his desk.

“What’s going on?” his friend asked, staring.

“People make me so mad,” Marion said.

“What’s with the physical tantrums?” his friend asked, joking.

“Now don’t you start with me!”

Marion said. “These stupid strings are making me do this!”

“What strings?” his friend asked, confused. “I don’t see any strings.”

Marion started yelling. “You don’t see these stupid strings moving my hands and foot? Are you blind?”

38 Nov. 16-29, 2012

The boss decided Marion needed time off and told him to take a vacation for a couple of weeks. That’s when I met him. He was hiking in the mountains of Montana and came by my cabin while I was fishin’. We chatted, and he told me how everybody made him mad, and how the strings made him move like a marionette. “I have no control over it.” he said.

I handed him my fishin’ pole. Just then a fish bit on the hook, and I told him to reel it in. I said, “ya see that fish? It has full control over its life ‘til it bites on that hook. Then it gives up its control to the fisherman.”

“You can control yer own feelings or ya can let yer anger control you and blame it on everyone else. Ain’t nobody makes ya mad. Ya let yerself git mad. But all that does is eat away at yer own peace of mind and well bein’.”

“What can I do about it?” Marion asked.

“Understand other people’s point of view, fer one,” I said. “Lettin’ yer sense of humor come out, fer ‘nuther. Ya don’t gotta get too serious ‘bout stuff ya know?”

We talked fer awhile. I encouraged him to read the fables ‘Peculiar Bubbles’ and ‘The Magic Stew’ on buscratsfables.com.

As he was reeling in the fish, I said, “Cut the line and let ‘im free.”

Marion looked at me inquisitively but then took a knife in his shaking fist and cut the fishing line. The fish was set free. Just then all the strings attached to his body cut free, too. His fist stopped shaking, his hand stopped waving, his foot stopped kicking, his mouth closed calmly.

Two weeks later Marion was driving to work after his vacation to Montana. A woman sped by him, and then cut into his lane, causing him to hit his brakes.

“Poor gal must be on the way to the hospital to deliver her baby,” he thought.

“Glad I’m not her.”

He parked his car and walked into work.

His secretary looked at him in fear.

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“You’re back,” she said. “Uhhh, I hope you had a nice vacation. Ummm, unfortunately today is a bad day to come back to work. I know this is going to make you mad but some of the offices caught fire last night, and yours was one of them.”

“Did you take advantage of the fire and cook some marshmallows for me?”

Marion asked, strolling by with peace of mind and well being.

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.

AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE yEllOWStONE ClUB

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This property is listed for sale by RPRT Real Estate, Inc. (D145538) dba Winter and Company Real Estate (A169316), PO Box 161794, Big Sky, MT 59716, (406) 995-2093. Concierge Auctions, LLC is the provider of auction marketing services, is not a brokerage, and is not directly involved in selling real property. The services referred to herein are not available to residents of any state where prohibited by applicable state law. Concierge Auctions, LLC, its agents and affiliates, broker partners, Auctioneer, and the Sellers do not warrant or guaranty the accuracy or completeness of any information and shall have no liability for errors or omissions or inaccuracies under any circumstances in this or any other property listings or advertising, promotional or publicity statements and materials. This is not meant as a solicitation for listings. Brokers are protected and encouraged to participate. See Auction Terms & Conditions for full details.

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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.

It’s all about relationships

Red Feather helps create healthy, self-sustaining communities By greg smith

big sky weekly contributor

I’ve been fortunate in many ways. Recently, I had the opportunity to volunteer with the dedicated and creative folks of Red Feather Development Group on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation, helping to construct a home for Joe and Virginia Limberhand.

Red Feather’s mission is to “partner with American Indian Nations to develop and implement sustainable solutions to the housing needs within their communities.” This was a perfect example of that work.

Built under Red Feather’s American Indian Sustainable Housing Initiative, the beautiful new home was built from straw bales and the collective efforts of Red Feather staff, dozens of volunteers, several young interns and the Limberhands themselves.

The straw-bale home has been Red Feather’s niche.

To date, it has constructed 17 straw-bale homes in Native American communities, including seven on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. In addition, it has built five community structures and completed critical home health and safety renovation on another 17 houses.

AISHI is built on a belief that affordability and sustainability do not have to exist independently, says Red Feather’s construction program director Mark Jensen.

“Straw-bale house construction was a logical fit,” he said.

The bales are available locally as an agricultural waste product. Additionally, straw bales provide builder-friendly construction, high-energy efficiency, and when utilizing Red Feather’s volunteer labor, savings of up to 60 percent compared with a traditionally contracted starter home.

Working on the ground, Red Feather builds sustainable and energy efficient straw-bale homes while promoting individual and community involvement.

The nonprofit was founded in 1995 to address the fact that some 2.5 million tribal members living on American Indian reservations – more than 60 percent – lack adequate housing.

Its first project, after learning of elders freezing to death in winter, was the construction of a new home at Pine Ridge for Lakota elder Katherine Red Feather. Red Feather today continues in her honor and focuses on two main reservations – the Hopi in northern Arizona and the Northern Cheyenne in south-central Montana.

40 Nov. 16-29, 2012

Red Feather volunteers help build a straw bale house. Photo courtesy of Red Feather Development Group.

Red Feather has also worked to introduce and expand the use of solar energy on its home builds and renovations.

“These relationships take many forms and offer a bridge between communities that have historically been divided.”

“As an organization, Red Feather is continually looking for solutions and designs that are environmentally, culturally and economically sustainable,” Jensen said. Ultimately, he says, those systems can mean independence for families, and in the long run, communities.

From Red Feather’s collaboration with tribal community members and institutions, to nonnative volunteers gaining a better understanding of indigenous cultures and making new friends in the process – it’s about relationships that bind people together.

The plan is to expand its home health and safety program, says Molly Jones McCabe, Red Feather’s executive director. “Over time we have recognized that, while the need for new homes on the reservation is undeniable, there exists an even more urgent need to renovate existing homes in critical need of repair.”

“Our work is really about people,” McCabe says. “[Think] big picture. We envision a world where safe, efficient and affordable housing is available to all, and people are inspired to work collectively to create healthy, self-sustaining communities.”

Red Feather’s work goes beyond just building houses.

This fall, contributor Greg Smith worked with the Red Feather Development Group on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation, helping construct a strawbale home.

“The construction of homes is seen as a vehicle for building positive relationships,” McCabe said.

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