Big Sky
Exploring life and land from the heart of the Yellowstone Region
May 17 - 30, 2013 Volume 4 // Issue #10
EARTHSHIP LANDS IN BIG SKY Photo By Chris Davis
Wildfire Season Forecast: HIGH
Notes from Rwanda
Westslope Cutthroat Returning to Beehive, Bostwick creeks?
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Resort Tax allocations: Call for letters to the editor Big Sky's locally owned and published newspaper
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On the cover: Michael Reynolds and Scott Maybee pose at the construction site for Big Sky Earthship. This is the first modern off the grid home in Big Sky. Photo by Chris Davis.
CHALET 4
AT Y E L L OW S TO N E CLUB
2011 big sky chamber of commerce
Turn-key chalet with direct access to 2,200 acres of private skiing
Business of the Year May 17-30, 2013 Volume 4, Issue no. 10 PUBLISHER Eric Ladd
editorial MANAGING EDITOR Emily Stifler
CHALET4.COM
EDITOR Joseph T. O'Connor staff writer/distribution director Tyler Allen
The Gallatin River was running at 2900 cfs on May 15. OUtlaw Partners Photo
Editorial assistant Maria Wyllie
A call to action
creative
It’s a critical time in the National Hockey League – the playoffs. Recently, the Boston Bruins came back from a 4-1 deficit in a game seven matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs to win in overtime. Game-changing plays can happen, and not just in hockey.
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Mike Martins VIDEO director Brian Niles
In Big Sky, it’s a critical time for local community organizations. On June 12, the Big Sky Resort Tax Board will decide whether or not to fund these groups’ requests for their respective 2014 projects.
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Kelsey Dzintars
SALES and operations COO & SENIOR EDITOR Megan Paulson
The fire department needs new equipment and a replacement pickup. The sheriff’s department needs deputies. Morningstar Learning Center hopes to reduce admission costs. The Chamber of Commerce wants a housing study. And the Water and Sewer District is asking for money to buy land that would buffer its water treatment facility.
Operations director Katie Morrison Director of Business Development Yellowstone region EJ Daws
There are 17 other Big Sky groups requesting RTB funds this year. Read about their requests in the article
CONTRIBUTors
Buscrat, Jamie Balke, Tom Boyd, Chris Davis, Matt Hudson, Philip Kedrowski, Kipp Kirol, Anne Marie Mistretta, Erik Morrison, Brandon Niles, Krysti Shallenberger, Patrick Straub
Editorial Policy
on page six, which breaks down the May 8 question and answer session. The tax board has a $600,000 shortfall for appropriations this year. Additionally, the group is considering withholding part of this year’s collections to start a reserve fund for emergencies. “They have a really tough job,” said Big Sky Skating and Hockey Association member Gary Hermann. That they do. Send us your letters of support for the organizations you believe in. Sound off and we’ll print them. Please keep them to 50 words or less. This letter is a call to action. There’s still time on the clock. – Joseph T. O’Connor
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Table of Contents Community...4 Local News...5 Regional...10 Montana...13 Yellowstone...14 Environment...15 Explore...17 Business...18 Sports...20
Classifieds...24 Entertainment...25 Events...26 Calendar...27 Outdoors...28 Fun...30 Column...31 Back 40...32
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The kids are alright
The district will add a link on its website, bssd72.org, showing ongoing progress, House said.
big sky weekly managing editor
BIG SKY – The future of education is bright in Big Sky.
“I’m so pleased and thankful that the community is such [a] strong supporter. Our staff is ecstatic. We’re going to do our best to make sure we get this building built below budget and also below the timeline.”
In a 400 to 215 tally, the voters of the Big Sky School District on May 7 approved a $10.2 million bond that will go toward purchase of two lots adjacent to the current school and building a new k-4 facility.
One of the building lots belongs to the Big Sky Institute, an affiliate of Montana State University that planned to build an educational facility on the site a number of years ago.
The facility will have 12 new classrooms, expandable to 16, a full gym, a satellite kitchen and library, space for administrative and counseling offices, and a new parking lot and playground. It will also function as a place to hold public meetings and community events, host recreational sports, adult education and family classes.
With the bond’s passage, the MSU Foundation has agreed to sell that lot to the district for $215,000. The money will go into an endowment housed by the foundation, from which a to-be-determined annual fee would be paid back to the district. That money will go into the general fund approved by the school board. House must still negotiate with the foundation to set a percentage rate for the fee.
An Ophir student plays on the swings at recess this spring. The distric aims to have a new elementary school by the 2015/16 school year Photo by Emily Stifler
The next step is for House to meet with the architect, Prugh and Lenon, and the contractor, Martel, to lay out the process and timeline for future design and construction schedules.
“My target is to open up the 2015/2016 school year in the new building,” House said. Site development and grading will start late this summer, and adjustments to transitioning the current elementary classrooms to middle school classrooms will be made in summer 2015.
By Joseph T. O’Connor
homeowner $91 in annual taxes, or $7.60 per month, Farhat said.
BIG SKY – Local voters gave a nod to public safety on May 7, approving the Big Sky Fire Department’s proposal for a mill levy increase, which will give the department $485,000 to hire five new firefighters and assist with operational costs.
Although the measure increases BSFD mills from $22 per $1,000 of a home’s taxable value to
Big Sky Weekly Editor
By Emily Stifler
A facilities planning committee of 23 community members took into consideration district and community needs such as these, as well as the school’s projected growth when determining the necessity of the new school.
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May 17-30, 2013 5
Voters approve Fire Dept. mill levy increase
School Bond issue passes
“It is such a great, great thing for this district,” said Supt. Jerry House. “Not only are we building that new elementary school, but it impacts middle school kids as we move the kids out of the elementary wing and make it a middle school wing. At the same time, that allows the high school to be a concentrated high school.”
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Also in the May 7 election, voters approved a $50,000 general fund levy, 386 to 225. That money, levied annually, will go toward the school’s operational and maintenance costs.
Additionally, voters re-elected Big Sky School District Trustees Loren Bough and Laura Michel. At the school board’s annual reorganization on May 17, Bough was reelected as chairman, Michel as vice chair, and Marie Goode re-appointed as district clerk.
For Chief Bill Farhat, the news came as a relief.
Farhat says Big Sky is unlike any other resort town because there is no local hospital, and ambulance runs to Bozeman Deaconess take firefighters, both paid and volunteer, out of the equation for up to three hours.
“It’s huge,” said Farhat, Big Sky’s ninth chief since the department started in 1971. “I know there was a lot of concern putting money into the fire department again, [but] it’s really nice to see that people are willing to listen. The toughest thing was getting out the correct information.”
“We’re on these runs all the time,” he said. “It puts a huge burden on the volunteer component.”
Using all the tools at his disposal – mailings, email, print, television, public hearings and social media – Farhat has lobbied for the proposal since last August. The department has 10 full-time firefighters and 17 volunteers currently on staff, and has been forced to operate at unsafe levels for years. Oftentimes a firefighter responds to an emergency call alone. In March BSFD held public hearings to answer questions from the community and to discuss the implications involved in passing the mill levy increase. They were poorly attended, but even so, voters received the message Farhat was sending. The 10.362 mill levy on taxable property passed with 409 in favor and 241 against. Now, a home with a market value of $600,000 will cost the
At 55 square miles, the district also covers parts of Madison County, including Big Sky Resort and Moonlight Basin. A shortage of mutual aid partners, the closest being the Yellowstone Club Fire Department, has often left the BSFD shorthanded, so the department responds to calls as far south as Taylor Fork and Yellowstone National Park, covering a 200-squaremile area.
The mill levy approval means as much to Farhat’s crew as it does to him. “The return is far beyond having more guys on a shift,” he said. “It improves morale. It reinforces to them that [they’re] appreciated.”
Matt Kendziorski (L) and Mitch Hamel take a break from training. Voters approved the Big Sky Fire Department's request for a mill levy increase on May 7. Photo by Joseph T. O'Connor
Farhat hopes to hire four firefighters by August, pending approval by the Fire District Board of Trustees, and one more a year from now that could serve as an assistant chief. Hiring in August would allow BSFD to train the recruits by winter, its busiest season.
$33.04, the fire district is still the third lowest in the Gallatin County.
“They will be highly experienced when they come on,” he said. “They’re not just bodies. We need the right people.”
The Gallatin County Elections Office issued 1,397 ballots in the district, and accepted 625, for a return rate of 44.74 percent.
Treinish named Nat Geo Emerging Explorer
Bring the greater Yellowstone to Your coffee taBle
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
WASHINGTON D.C. – Bozeman adventurerconservationist Gregg Treinish is among an elite group of 17 visionary young trailblazers from around the world selected as the 2013 National Geographic Emerging Explorers.
EARTHSHIP BIOTECTURE & SEVEN DIRECTIONS
Big Sky Earthship Build Open House W E D N E S D AY,
MAY 22ND 4:00 P M
LOT 27 MICHENER MEADOWS BIG SKY, MT 59716 (Hwy 191, turn onto Michener Meadows. Park on the side of Michener Meadows and walk up the driveway.)
(please be prompt!)
Treinish founded the nonprofit Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation, which connects outdoor adventurers with research scientists who need help getting expensive, time-consuming, hard-to-reach information. More than 100 scientific organizations and 1,000 adventurers have participated. A biologist with a B.A. from Montana State University, Treinish also organizes his own expeditions, contributing to research on wildlife-human interaction, fragmented habitats and threatened species. On a recent trip to Mongolia, he led a team surveying the wildlife, gathering data on wolverines and 20 other species. Treinish was a 2008 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year. “As National Geographic celebrates its 125th anniversary year and looks forward to embracing a new age of exploration, we look to our Emerging Explorers to be leaders in pushing the boundaries of discovery and innovation,” said Terry Garcia, National Geographic’s executive vice president for Mis-
Seven Directions is hosting a walkthrough of our first “off-the-grid” home followed by a Q&A session with Michael Reynolds, a visionary in sustainable architecture and founder of Earthship Biotecture. MSU graduate Gregg Treinish founded Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation Photo by Alexandria Bombach
sion Programs. “They represent tomorrow’s Robert Ballards, Jacques Cousteaus and Jane Goodalls.” Each selected candidate receives a $10,000 award to assist with research and to aid further exploration.
The Emerging Explorers program recognizes and supports gifted and inspiring adventurers, scientists and innovators at the forefront of discovery, adventure and global problem solving still early in their careers. It is part of the Society’s Explorer Programs, which also include Explorers-in-Residence and National Geographic Fellows.
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Come and check out this amazing “Earthship” half way through the project.
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May 17-30, 2013 7
Better together RTB holds Q&A over appropriation requests By Joseph T. O’Connor Big Sky Weekly Editor
BIG SKY – A basket of pins reading “Better Together!” sits on a table in the Big Sky Chapel’s downstairs room. The mantra seemed to set the tone for the board’s annual question and answer session on May 8, aimed at clarifying applications by groups hoping for resort tax funding to subsidize various 2014 projects. The meeting was calmer than in years past, said RTB chairman Les Loble, who added that many attendees felt the same.
“[The pins] came as result of our strategic planning process,” said Loble, who has served on the Resort Tax Board for eight years. “If people coalesce and [don’t] just look out for themselves, then we are better together.” The Q-and-A session allows the applicants to clarify how they plan to spend the requested money, and for the board to determine if the organizations truly need it. At the June 12 appropriations meeting, the RTB will debate and announce funding allocations. Since
Updated April 3, 2013
the board is a governmental subdivision, Loble said, all conversations about resort tax must occur in public forums. Twenty-two area groups applied in April for a total of $3,483,641 in financial assistance through RTB, which collects a 3 percent tax on luxury sales in the tax district and deposits the funds back into the community’s pockets each year, in the form of appropriations. Luxury tax in the Big Sky Tax District is defined as tax on any item other than what is purchased as a necessity of life, according to the RTB’s website.
As of mid-May, the board had approximately $2.7 million to give out, Loble said. It collects on average between $30,000 and $40,000 in May, typically a low month since fewer tourists visit Big Sky during the shoulder season that runs from mid-April to June. Loble expects a similar amount of resort tax this May. “Past is prologue,” he said. With an estimated $600,000 less available than the cumulative asking amount this year, board members must cut funding where possible. Additionally, the board is exploring the possibility of adding a reserve
Resort Tax
1
FY 2014 Funded Requested
Applicant Project Description
“It’s fair to say that there’s an inclination [by the board] to set funds aside,” Loble said. “But we won’t know until the June 12 meeting.” Since 1996, the RTB has paid $500,000 per year to the Big Sky Water and Sewer district to repay bonds used in updating water and sewer infrastructure. However, since the board paid off the bond in full last year, it should in theory have more funding to distribute now. Loble isn’t holding his breath. “I think people saw that obligation had been taken care of and were asking for more,” he said.
2013-2014 Appropriations Applications and Prior Year Funding Order Received
fund, which it could use in the event of an emergency, but would further deplete allocation amounts.
FY 2013
FY 2012
FY 2011
At the meeting, the board got to the point.
FY 2010
“Can you work with less?” RTB member Mike Scholz asked many of the organizations. “We’d like to keep this a little different than the sequester,” he said, referring to across the board federal spending cuts put in place this year.
For some groups, working with less than they applied for isn’t an issue. For others, it would mean the difference between operating safely or not at all. Gary Hermann, board member for the Big Sky Skating and Hockey Association, told the RTB that the association could cut out funding for dividers used by the broomball league and youth hockey as well as chain link fences they put up to protect fans from stray pucks. BSSHA is asking for $27,680 for two new lights, fencing dividers and operational costs. “The lighting is a safety issue,” Hermann said in a follow-up interview. “We’re willing to do our share, but when we started we relied entirely on volunteers. Now, that’s just not reasonable.” The board’s questions forced all the applicants to examine their funding requests closely and decide what they can live with and what they can cut. On June 12, everyone will know where they stand.
Noxious Weeds Trails Recreation and Park District: Startup Operations
34,300
TBD
19,000
19,000
19,000
19,000
2,000
TBD
NA
NA
NA
NA
15,400
TBD
12,000
10,000
15,200
14,700
4
Search and Rescue Fire Department: Ops, Equipment & Vehicle Purchase
494,000
TBD
437,000
430,000
350,000
557,294
5
Transportation District: Skyline
310,000
TBD
300,000
290,000
250,000
320,000
6
Post Office
36,500
TBD
35,500
44,000
35,000
45,500
7
Library Skating and Hockey Association: Ice Arena, Programming Jack Creek Preserve: Water Quality Monitoring
65,000
TBD
68,400
52,000
52,000
47,000
BIG SKY ’S FULL SERVICE GROCERY STORE
27,680
TBD
26,500
NA
NA
NA
Hand- cut meats • Fresh baked goods • Gourmet items • Beer & wine
3,400
TBD
1,490
2,000
NA
0
288,201
TBD
124,410
122,498
111,130
110,267
100,600
TBD
94,350
82,775
71,560
79,090
17,500
TBD
17,500
15,000
12,000
15,000
83,200
TBD
65,000
33,000
20,000
48,000
113,000
TBD
95,000
95,000
NA
NA
258,000
TBD
95,000
179,000
50,000
TBD
NA
NA
NA
NA
73,060
TBD
24,000
0
20,000
25,000
30,000
TBD
10,000
20,800
20,000
20,000
59,800
TBD
NA
NA
NA
NA
597,000
TBD
130,000
NA
NA
NA
450,000
TBD
217,500
32,000
50,000
130,000
375,000
TBD
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
1,059,612
1,048,144
932,782
1,290,158
3,483,641
TBD
2,832,262
2,475,217
2,358,672
2,831,509
2 3
8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
Sheriff's Office: Patrol Services Arts Council: Music in the Mountains Snowmobile Association: Buck Ridge Trail Grooming Blue Water Task Force: Watershed Group Funding Community Corporation: Operations, Maintenance Community Corporation: Park Capital Imprvmts, Trail Construction Community Corporation: Parks and Rec Facilities Planning Morningstar: Daycare Tuition Reduction Program Women In Action: Community & Substance Abuse Counseling Women In Action: Critical Access Hospital Feasibility Study Chamber of Commerce: Program Application Visit Big Sky: Destination Marketing, Promotions Water and Sewer District: Land Acquisition Other Funded Projects Total** Did Not Apply 2012-2013 TOTAL
*Park Improvements, Trail Maintenance and Operations combined See Resolutions in the Governing Documents online for Applicant Appropriation funding details per year The Resort Tax fiscal year (FY) begins July 1 and ends June 30.
*
400,000
*
110,500
*
LOCAL FRESH Delivery available - have your rental unit stocked upon your arrival! 406-995-4636 Open 7 days a week, 6:30am to 8pm Extended hours 6:30am to 10pm December 15-April 15 and July 1- Labor Day
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UNDER THE BIG SKY A BENEFIT CONCERT FOR MORNINGSTAR LEARNING CENTER
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Big Sky Rotary named Montana small club of the year LIVINGSTON – Several members of the Rotary Club of Big Sky attended the Rotary District 5390 (Montana) Conference, held at the Depot Center in Livingston May 3-4. At the conference, the Rotary Club of Big Sky was awarded a Presidential Citation from Rotary International’s President Sakuji Tanaka of Japan “for actively working to achieve Peace Through Service.” In addition, the club received awards from District Governor Daryl Hansen for Community Service and Membership Growth, and was named Small Club of the Year. Also at the Awards Dinner, the Assistant Governor, Past Club President and current member of the Rotary Club of Big Sky, Dale Palmer, was named “Rotarian of the Year” for Montana. The Rotary Club of Big Sky meets each Wednesday at 5:30 at Buck’s T-4. To join, contact president Jeff Strickler at (406) 995-4768 or any of the members.
National Honor Society induction ceremony
Lone Peak High School National Honor Society inductees pose at the induction ceremony held April 26. Applicants must have a 3.5 cumulative GPA and are judged on four qualities: scholarship, leadership, service and character. “It’s cool for me because I’ve had all these kids in middle school,” said Ophir science teacher Sue Barton, who is NHS advisor along with LPHS science teacher Paul Swenson. This is the second year LPHS has participated in the NHS program. The 2013 inductees include: (back row from left to right): Tate Tatom, Quinn House, Griffin House, Ben Michel, Trevor House, Micah Robin, Tucker Shea (front row): Ambros Locker, Tehya Braun, Simeon Goode, Gabby Michel, Gabrielle Gasser, Kaela Schommer
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Native son
Westslope cutthroat trout restoration proposed for Beehive, Bostwick creeks By Emily Stifler
ment, which kills all aquatic life, followed by restocking with native WCT and erection of a barrier to close off the stream.
Big Sky Weekly Managing Editor
BIG SKY, BOZEMAN – Westslope cutthroat trout once populated 1,030 miles of river in the Gallatin River Basin. Today, they inhabit roughly 10.
PARTNERSHIP Most of the state’s cutthroat populations are on National Forest land, hence the reason why the Forest Service initiated these projects. However, fish regulation is ultimately under the jurisdiction of FWP.
Habitat degradation, hybridization with rainbow and Yellowstone cutthroat trout, and competition and predation by brown and brook trout caused the decline over the last 150 years. Westslope cutthroat have fared better in western Montana drainages such as the Bighole, Clark Fork and Columbia rivers, but they’re still at only 4 percent of their historic range statewide, according to Jim Olsen, a Fisheries Biologist for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks in Helena.
“When we find something like what we found in Beehive Basin Creek, we try to work together with anybody and everybody to restore and maintain that population,” said Roberts, explaining that the Forest Service also partners with Yellowstone National Park, landowners and Trout Unlimited on cutthroat conservation projects.
“The Gallatin Basin is in a lot tougher shape than most,” Olsen said. This, he explained, is because western Montana didn’t have the same history of stocking and introduction of non-natives as the Gallatin Basin did.
“We can’t do it alone, and we’re authorized to work on private land if [a project] benefits the public or public land. It’s our feeling that cutthroat conservation is in the [public’s] best interest.”
But a few remnant populations of the fish – WCT for short – living above barriers like beaver dams or culverts have survived in the Gallatin Basin, including one in Beehive Basin Creek, north of Big Sky, and another in Bostwick Creek, on the west side of the Bridger Mountains. The Forest Service and FWP have proposed a project to protect them.
An agreement signed in 2007 by the state and several other Montana entities was developed to expedite implementation of conservation measures for native cutthroat throughout their historical ranges. Designed to be a collaborative, cooperative effort among resource agencies, conservation and industry organizations, tribes, resource users and private landowners, it aimed to reduce threats to the fish.
Public comment needed on proposed westslope cutthroat trout conservation project Environmental Assessment: Westslope Cutthroat Trout Conservation through the Mechanical Removal of Non-Native Trout in Three Streams of Southwest Montana Proposed action: Remove nonnative trout mechanically from the South Fork North Fork Divide Creek (Silverbow County), Bostwick Creek (Bridger Mountains) and Beehive Basin Creek (Spanish Peaks). The means proposed electrofishing the streams, netting the lakes and draining South Fork Reservoir. Intent: The removal of non-native trout would secure several of the few remaining native WCT populations in the Big Hole and Gallatin drainages by eliminating competition and hybridization from nonnative trout. The project is meant to increase the abundance and range of WCT, which may result in greater fishing opportunities and eventual harvest. Public comments are due to FWP by May 31. Include name and address. Submit to: Jim Olsen Montana Fish, Wildlife and Park Butte, MT 59701 jimolsen@mt.gov
Bruce Roberts and volunteer surveying fish along Beehive Basin Creek the first time near the trailhead.
RESTORATION Beehive Basin Creek begins at a small, unnamed lake, colloquially known as Egg Lake, in the Lee Metcalf Wilderness. It runs 3.5 miles down past a Forest Service trailhead, through private land, and 2 more miles to its confluence with the Middle Fork of the West Fork, near Lone Mountain Trail. Forest Service biologists in 2009 surveyed the stream’s fish population while determining if they wanted to replace an old culvert. What they found surprised them: WCT, protected by another culvert downstream that had been installed incorrectly and didn’t allow fish to pass upstream. Genetic testing found the fish were hybridized with rainbows, which also live in the creek, but at less than 1 percent, were pure enough to warrant protection. “Anytime we find genetically pure or slightly hybridized westslope cutthroat trout in the Gallatin Drainage, that’s a big thing,” said Bruce Roberts, District Fisheries Biologist for the Gallatin National Forest, who was there during the initial discovery. Working with FWP, Roberts has proposed a project that would remove rainbow and brook trout from the creek using electrofishing this summer, restocking it with the WCT pulled out during the removal effort.
Later in the summer, the group would use gill nets to remove the Yellowstone cutthroat that live in Egg Lake. Native to the nearby Yellowstone Basin, these fish were stocked in the lake at an unknown time – FWP has no record of it – and also pose a threat to the WCT through hybridization. In the last year, Roberts has coordinated with all 14 homeowners along Beehive Basin Creek, and now has their permission to start mechanically removing all non-native fish from the drainage, if the FWP environmental assessment is approved. Once the Yellowstone cutthroat are removed, the agencies would stock the lake with WCT from downstream, or from non-hybridized sources in the Gallatin River drainage, which would boost the genetic diversity of the Beehive Basin Creek population. In the Bridger Range, biologists found genetically pure WCT in Bostwick Creek during routine survey work about five years ago. The presence of brook and rainbow trout in the drainage – which outnumber WCT 6 to 1 – threatens the native fish there, as well. Because of Bostwick Creek’s larger size and complex habitat, Roberts says electrofishing will be a shortterm fix. Long-term solutions could include electrofishing every couple of years, or manual removal of the WCT combined with rotenone treat-
While this kind of project has become routine in other parts of the state, it’s new in the Gallatin River Basin. FWP on May 2 released an Environmental Assessment for the Project, and is seeking public comment through May 31. If significant concerns are raised regarding the EA, FWP will hold a public open house for further discussion. Pat Straub, owner of Gallatin River Guides in Big Sky, said it’s a political topic. “Where is our money better spent? On improving access on certain streams, or to put fish back to where they once where?” Straub mentioned the controversial 2010 WCT restoration project in Cherry Creek, in which biologists miscalculated and accidentally killed 1,000-1,500 fish with rotenone, and then stocked the creek with WCT eggs the following year. “It was definitely polarizing,” Straub said, “but now when people catch a native westslope cutthroat on the lower Madison, it’s pretty cool, and it probably came out of Cherry Creek.” Straub said he’s in favor of the project in Beehive. “I support anything that creates more opportunities for people to be out and enjoy fishing.”
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BIG PICTURE Westslope and Yellowstone cutthroat are the only two subspecies of native cutthroat in Montana, and are designated as the state fish. Both are classified as a Montana Fish of Special Concern, and have been reviewed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for potential listing under the Endangered Species Act. There is an intrinsic value to native fish, Olsen says. “It’s evolved here forever. If we lose those fish adapted to the kind of climate here, you can’t ever get them back.” In the wild, WCT live in lakes and streams in the headwaters of southwestern and western Montana rivers. FWP maintains a broodstock of pure WCT at its Anaconda hatchery, which it uses to stock these habitats. Those remnant habitats are important genetically, particularly in the big picture, says Travis Horton, FWP Region 3 Fisheries Manager. “If you think back to when westslope cutthroat were across this landscape, there was a lot of genetic diversity among them,” Horton said. “When all you have left are remnant [populations] upstream of a barrier, they’re occupying a small 4- to 5-mile stretch. With small populations, they lose genetic diversity rapidly.” FWP’s long-term goal is to have WCT living in 20 percent of their historically occupied habitat. The genetic diversity offered through the separate populations, Horton said, would help keep the fish from disappearing entirely. In areas targeted for cutthroat, Olsen said, non-native species will be removed. The rest of the waters, including all the large river basins, will continue to be managed for non-native trout.
May 17-30, 2013 11
FWP Commission endorses Madison River Citizens Advisory Committee recommendations HELENA – Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks Commission on May 9 endorsed the Madison River Citizens Advisory Committee’s recommendations for a new recreation management plan that aims to assuage congestion and potential user group conflicts. The Madison has been one of the most heavily fished rivers in Montana in recent years, and in May 2012, the agency appointed the CAC to develop the recommendations. The goal behind the new plan, according to FWP materials, is to ensure user experience remains quality, and to identify management actions that could be implemented should conditions deteriorate. Using a consensus process, the CAC developed recommendations that included desired conditions for the waterway, river-wide management recommendations, and more specific management recommendations for eight sections of the river. These “desired conditions” include a healthy and productive fishery, acceptable frequency/range of encounter among users; adequate space; no garbage; and a world class fishing experience. The next step is for FWP to solicit public comments on the recommendations, to be followed by a draft recreation management plan.
Highlights from the CAC recommendations: •
Use educational material to promote river etiquette and to advise visitors on what conditions to expect during peak-season or at high-use sections of the river.
•
Use “iron rangers” at all access sites to collect data on user numbers and satisfaction levels.
•
Implement management actions if user numbers and/or dissatisfaction reach an unacceptable level for a specified period of time, with “trigger-points” identified over time.
•
Management actions range from less to more restrictive.
•
Actions that could be considered in the future include: redesigning access sites to reduce launch time and congestion; requiring annual permits of all users with no limit on availability; restricting use by place/time; and capping availability of permits.
•
Redesign boat ramp and parking area at Lyons Bridge fishing access to reduce launch wait-time and congestion.
•
sOpen the river to year-round angling from Lyons Bridge FAS to McAtee fishing access.
•
Prohibit glass bottles from Warms Springs Recreation Area to Black’s Ford fishing access.
12 May 17-30, 2013
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Big Sky Weekly
Gallatin River Basin at 77 percent of normal
Significant wildfire potential forecast across the West for 2013
By Emily Stifler
By Maria Wyllie
Snowpack melting fast big sky weekly managing editor
A series of warm days in early May caused significant melting in the mountain snowpack around southwest Montana. “We’re seeing more melt than we would typically see this time of year,” said NRCS water supply specialist Brian Domonkos. “It means that streamflows are rising right now, at rates faster than we [usually] see.” Early May also had below average precipitation, which Domonkos said “will lessen the total amount of water that we see in the long run.” As of May 13, the state was at 71 percent of its average snowpack for this time of year, according to SNOTEL data, and the Gallatin River Basin was at 77 percent of normal. Peak snowpack for the year is what matters most, Domonkos said, noting that the Gallatin River Basin’s peak snowpack reached 100 percent. “That’s how much water is going to be in the streams come spring.” On a day-to-day basis, he said, “We want to know what percent we are of the peak that we had. That’s how much snow has melted.” Of note, the Lower Yellowstone River Basin increased from below median to 107 percent in April. The Jefferson River Basin saw the least amount of snowfall during the month, and remained at 89 percent of median, the lowest basin average in the state. April’s predominantly cool, wet weather, however, helped slow snowmelt at low to mid elevations statewide, and added snow water to seasonal snowpack, according to snow survey data from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
The April percent change in snowpack (noted below) is relevant, Domonkos said, because it was probably the most significant snow month this year. Although runoff may happen earlier this year, streamflow amounts are predicted to be near average in most Montana basins.
Snowpack levels River basin
% of Median
% Median Peak
April % Change
Missouri Headwaters
56
42
+6
Jefferson
52
39
0
Madison
60
52
+6
Gallatin
66
54
+11
Upper Yellowstone
61
48
+10
Lower Yellowstone
63
47
+22
The outlook for the 2013 fire season is severe across much of the western U.S., including almost all of Arizona, New Mexico, California, Oregon and Idaho; and portions of Montana, Colorado, Utah and Washington. Greg Pederson, a research ecologist at the Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center who analyzes
River basin streamflow forecasts for May 1 through July 3: River basin
May-July this year % of average
May-July last year % of average
April % Change
Missouri
84
82
+6
Jefferson
67
101
0
Madison
89
97
+6
Gallatin
93
112
+11
Yellowstone
87
83
+10
Upper Yellowstone
90
95
+22
Lower Yellowstone
85
119
+22
86
89
+14
Statewide
Big Sky Weekly Editorial Assistant
“The US Forest Service, federal fire managers and crews will continue to work closely with states and communities to protect residents, property and our natural resources during what could be a challenging
wildfire season” current and future climate trends in western North America, says all agencies across the board are forecasting a very bad fire year due to low snowpacks and a warmer, dryer spring than normal.
This is how Big Sky gets into hot water.
During a visit to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho on May 13, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Interior Secretary Sally Jewell outlined the Federal Government’s efforts to ensure collaboration in protecting communities from wildfire. Priorities include forming strong interagency partnerships, effectively using available resources and increasing public awareness. “The US Forest Service, federal fire managers and crews will continue to work closely with states and communities to protect residents, property and our
natural resources during what could be a challenging wildfire season,” Vilsack said. Noting that most wildfires are human-caused, Jewell and Vilsack urged residents to take proactive steps and improve safety by developing community wildfire protection plans. Near record low soil moisture values and severe drought conditions across western and southwestern Montana have raised significant concerns for the peak of fire season, which generally happens in July and August, and will be monitored closely, according to information released May 1 from the National Interagency Fire Center released an executive summary. As of press time, May 15, the Rumsey Gulch Fire in southwestern Montana was 20 percent contained with its cause still under investigation. Located approximately three miles southeast of Philipsburg near Discovery Ski Basin, the wildfire broke out on May 13 and has burned 349 acres, five homes and three outbuildings. Also in southwestern Montana, the Pioneer Fire started Monday, May 13, 5 miles west of Wise River. Burning 33 acres, it was 100 percent contained by May 14, and no structures were damaged. In 2012, 9.3 million acres of private, state and federal land, and more than 4,400 structures burned in wildfires across the country. That was the third highest acreage burned since at least 1960, the earliest date with reliable records. Pederson says the summer 2013 fire season is predicted to be comparable to last year’s, if not worse, due to widespread warm and dry conditions.
Youth Serve Scholarships awarded to 84 students statewide
Student volunteers earn $1,000 for college GOVERNOR’S OFFICE OF COMMUNITY SERVICE
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The Governor’s Office of Community Service gave out scholarships to 84 high Montana school seniors on May 15, as part of the Youth Serve Montana Scholarships. These scholarships, which recognize each student’s commitment to volunteering more than 100 hours in the last year, are part of a collaboration with Montana Campus Compact and the Student Assistance Foundation. The $1,000 scholarships are for continued education at one of Montana Campus Compact’s two-year, four-year, public, tribal, private, or community colleges and universities. In total, the scholarship recipients contributed 14,396 volunteer hours to Montana last year, helping their communities by mentoring younger peers, coaching sports teams, serving as classroom assistants and summer camp counselors, supporting Special Olympics, helping with community emergency responses after disasters, organizing park clean-ups and participating in 4-H service events, among other volunteer work.
May 17-30, 2013 13
Montana PSC to meet with Pakistani energy officials HELENA – A Pakistani delegation studying U.S. energy issues is scheduled to meet May 21 with state regulators at the Montana Public Service Commission. The eight-member Pakistani delegation is stateside May 13-24 under the auspices of the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program. The delegation planned to visit Washington, D.C., and Baltimore before arriving in the Treasure State, where they’re meeting with the Energy Research Institute at Montana State University in Bozeman. Public service commissioners plan an 11 a.m. informational meeting with the delegation on May 21 at the PSC’s offices in Helena. This is the second time a Pakistani delegation has visited with PSC officials. Last year, former Commissioner Brad Molnar met with seven Pakistanis as part of the program. During the visit, the group has requested a discussion with commissioners about Montana utility law, the PSC and its role in delivering energy to Montana consumers. The PSC regulates private, investor-owned natural gas, electric, telephone, private water and sewer companies doing business in Montana. The May 21 meeting is open to the public, and will be streaming live at psc.mt.gov. For more information, visit psc.mt.gov or contact PSC Communications/Research Director Justin Post at (406) 444-6171.
14 May 17-30, 2013
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May 17-30, 2013 15
Concord, Mass. bans plastic water bottles Bozeman city employees follow suit Krysti Shallenberger Big Sky Weekly Contributor
Concord, Mass. has been home to several famous people including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Lousia May Alcott and Henry David Thoreau. Now the city holds another distinction: the first American town to ban single-serve plastic water bottles.
These numbers alarmed Hill, and she set about putting together a petition with the required 10 signatures. After some debate and dealing with a young town manager that let the town meetings drag on, Hill finally saw her ban passed. Despite opposition from a conservative group called Citizens for Consumer
protests arguing that banning water bottles will lead to more purchases of sugary drinks and juices. The town’s success has raised some eyebrows and heads. San Francisco citizens have since impelled legislators to enact a similar ban, but as of May 2013, Concord was still the only town where plastic water bottles cannot be sold. Approximately 16 college campuses have also banned the sale of plastic water bottles, according to Ban the Bottle, a nonprofit aiming to discontinue the use of plastic bottles nationwide. Government offices are following the trend as well, forbidding employees from purchasing plastic water bottles. Bozeman’s city government is no exception.
Led by 85-year-old activist Jean Hill, Concord passed the law on Jan. 1, 2013. Despite the New Year’s date, this ban was three years in the making, since Hill spent a day with her grandson in nearby Acton, Mass.
Yellowstone Lake Outlaw Partners Photo
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Watercraft in Yellowstone required to be invasive species free YELLOWSTONE N.P. – All motorized and non-motorized watercraft entering Yellowstone Park lakes must now pass an Aquatic Invasive Species inspection as part of the watercraft permitting process. Motorized boating is allowed on Yellowstone and Lewis lakes, and non-motorized boating is allowed on most other park lakes. National Park Service staff will conduct daily required inspections this summer for all boats that launch from Bridge Bay, Grant Village and Lewis Lake boat ramps.
“He said, ‘Grandma, did you know there are patches of garbage, of plastic garbage as big as Texas in the Atlantic Ocean?” Hill said. After researching these garbage islands and the effect of plastic on the environment, she found bottles were a major source of pollution. She targeted plastic water bottles, because they undermined the public’s trust in the municipal water system, she said. Plastic accounted for 31 million tons of waste in 2010, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Only 8 percent was recycled.
Freedom who tried to repeal the ban shortly after it passed, Concord residents have rallied behind Hill. The local grocery store set up a “rehydration” booth where patrons can refill reusable water bottles. Larger plastic bottles are still sold in Concord stores, and Hill brushes off
“We found that even though you couldn’t purchase plastic water bottles, employees purchased juices and sugary drinks instead, making the choices less healthy,” she said. Meyers said the city is not pursuing a plan to ban plastic water bottle sales. Richard Mirick, a water analyst for Pure Water Technologies Inc. in Bozeman, said there is an increased demand for reverse osmosis purifiers to be installed on tap water faucets, but that a complete ban of plastic water bottles wouldn’t work. “It’s breaking a habit because it’s really easy to buy a bottle,” Mirick said. “The perception is that you are denying them purified water instead of denying them plastic water bottles.”
Under the Municipal Climate Action plan led by sustainability coordinator Natalie Meyers, public employees in Bozeman are no longer allowed to buy plastic water containers. To encourage using local tap water, employees were given steel water bottles.
However, Meyers and Bozeman town manager Chris Kukulski said it wouldn’t be hard for Bozeman residents to push for a ban. All they would have to do is convince city commissioners through public meeting comment to consider this ban, or petition to have a ban placed on a ballot for the next election.
But Meyers doesn’t think a townwide water bottle ban would work in Bozeman.
Whether it would pass remains to be seen: perhaps Bozeman will have to wait for its own Jean Hill to figure out.
“We’ve done inspections in the past,” said Park spokesman Al Nash. “But we’ve stepped up our efforts this summer.”
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Where Big Sky Comes Together
Aquatic Invasive Species are non-native plants and animals that can have significant impacts on the park’s natural resources. Destructive species that have become established in park waters over the past several years include New Zealand mudsnails, whirling disease and lake trout in Yellowstone Lake. These species damage Yellowstone waters and may also affect the entire ecosystem. Studying them and removing them requires a great deal of time, money, personnel and equipment. In many cases, removal is not feasible. Since 2009, Yellowstone’s AIS program staff has had contact with more than 7,000 park boaters and performed more than 3,000 watercraft inspections, which resulted in more than 120 affected boats being cleaned with a non-chemical AIS decontamination treatment.
ti meles s uni que hist oric
Violations should be reported to the nearest Ranger Station, or to the park’s main information line at (307) 344-7381. Information on boat permitting in Yellowstone can be found at nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/boating.htm and information on AIS can be found at nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/fishingexotics.htm. Yellowstone’s AIS education and prevention programs are funded in part by donations from the Yellowstone Park Foundation.
Dining:
Something for every palate at Town Center... Whether it’s a quick breakfast, lunch or dinner, the restaurants at Big Sky Town Center can satisfy that craving. Stop in today: Choppers, Hungry Moose Market & Deli, The Gourmet Gals Deli, China Cafe or Ousel & Spur Pizza Co. OPeninG THiS SuMMer - el PaTrOn
PLAY VIDEOS TO LEARN MORE AT FLATHEADLAKETIMBER.COM
YELLOWSTONE N.P. – All five park entrances are open to vehicles, but certain roads within the park are still closed. Dunraven Pass, which covers the stretch from Tower Fall to Canyon Junction, is scheduled to open in early June.
FLATHEAD LAKE HISTORIC TIMBER was harvested from pristine wildlands surrounding Flathead Lake at the turn of the 20th Century. Millions of feet of this lumber sank to the bottom of the Flathead, where the cool water preserved and enhanced the beauty of the wood over the last 100 years. Northwest Management Inc. is salvaging the submerged logs with the aid of scuba divers, giving new life to this uniquely beautiful, brilliant colored timber.
The section of the Beartooth Highway between the junction of US-212/WY 296 and Red Lodge is set to open Friday, June 14, at 8 a.m.
Every aspect of these “historic timbers” is hand manufactured piece by piece by our well trained staff who sort and select materials designed to meet your specific needs.
All park entrances open
For the most up to date information on park road conditions, call the 24-hour road information line at (307) 344-2117.
FLOORING • FURNITURE • CABINETS • TIMBER ACCENTS FLATHEADLAKETIMBER.COM
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(406)465-4346
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Section 2:
business, health and environment
Volume 4 // Issue No. 10
Notes from Rwanda
Local woman back in Big Sky after two years with Peace Corps By Matt Hudson
looking toward a better future.
Life passed in the rural village of Mamba, Rwanda at a different pace than what Big Sky native Heather Bing was used to. Sometimes her whole day in Africa was planned around basic chores.
“They are trying to move forward,” Bing said.
big sky weekly contributor
“They are living peacefully together as a Rwandese people, but I feel like their hearts are still hurting.”
“Even though life was slower, everything took so much longer,” said Bing, 24. “I could be like, ‘OK, today I am going to cook and do laundry,’ and that was a day’s worth of work.”
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Bing said goodbye to her friends and colleagues and left Rwanda in November 2012, returning to her hometown of Big Sky. Readjusting was easier with the help of friends and family, she said, but she wishes she could exWhen the kids from the nursery visited Bing’s house, she tried to teach them “Twinkle TwinShe learned the local language, Kinyarwanda, plain how fulfilling her kle Little Star,” but it turned out to be a little too difficult. Photos courtesy of Heather Bing fairly well and tried to engage the students, some experience in Rwanda of whom walked three hours to and from the was. classroom every day. Bing wanted them to know that Bing said working with the girls was a special time. her goal was to help them succeed in class. She ate the local food and adopted local customs. She She wanted to inspire them to think big about the made lifelong friends. For two years, it was her home. future and make their own choices. “I was really trying to get more student-centered learn“That was the most awesome part of my work there, ing and get them to come to their own conclusions. I “They just really want a one-sentence answer when for sure,” she said. “They’ve never been given a time always tried to bring in props, and I think I just taught you’re going to want to talk for hours and hours and that was solely for them.” a little bit different – more activity-based,” she said. hours,” Bing said. Bing filed for grants to help fund the GLOW camp In addition to teaching at the school, Bing helped write Happy to be home, Bing wants to stay around Big Sky. and directed it for two summers. The grant incurricula and taught English to community members Though her college background is in interior design, creased in the second year and expanded to include including judicial staff, health workers and an associathis time with the Peace Corps instilled in her a desire more campers and ran for two extra days. tion of traditional basket weavers. to work with kids. She enjoyed bringing smiles to a country that was One of the most rewarding activities for Bing was Bing also left Rwanda feeling humbled by what she quietly mourning the effects of a devastating genohelping coordinate and direct the Girls Leading Our has. cide nearly two decades earlier. In 1994, more than World (GLOW) camp. The weeklong camp brought 500,000 Rwandans were killed as part of a statein female students from regional schools, where they “I’ve had so many wonderful opportunities, that it was sponsored ethnic cleansing. The month of April is learned about HIV/AIDS awareness and ways to emreally great to finally have a chance to give back.” set aside for Rwandans to grieve as a nation. power themselves in their communities. During her time in Rwanda, Bing saw a country But that didn’t mean Bing was idle. For two years, she worked with the Peace Corps at a public secondary school. Starting in late 2010, she logged 1,400 hours teaching English as the Rwandese school system transitioned to the language. The tests and materials were in English, though many of her students and some of the teachers did not speak it.
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In the classroom: A typical day of teaching English to some Senior 2 students
Local women dancing during a celebration for Women’s Day
Bing with students from her English club pose for a picture after completing a play they performed outside for the school.
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D E V E L O P M E N T O P P O RT U N I T I E S N OW AVA I L A B L E
Residential & Commercial
Jeff Saad stands in front of his Earthship in progress. Photo by Brian Niles
Earthship build taking off in Big Sky By Tyler Allen
big sky weekly staff writer
BIG SKY – Jeff Saad is building his dream home at 6,450 feet in Michener Meadows. It’s made from 1,000 used tires, 6,000 aluminum cans and several thousand plastic bottles. Sick of paying utility bills, Saad researched alternative home construction for nearly a decade before deciding to build an Earthship, a type of energy efficient home designed by Taos, N.M.-based architect Michael Reynolds. “I want to be more independent in this world,” Saad said. “The second you build a [traditional] home, it’s on life support. They plug tubes into you…water, sewer, electric. ” On May 6, Reynolds, 13 members of his Earthship Biotecture crew and 37 volunteer interns began pounding dirt into tires, starting construction on what will be the first modern off-the-grid home in Big Sky. Built-in systems will heat and cool the Earthship, capture rainwater, recycle gray water and produce food. The exterior walls – made of stacked tires filled with dirt and coated with cement – are five feet thick. This, coupled with the aspect of the house makes it more efficient to heat. The north side is built into a hillside, utilizing the Earth’s thermal mass and the south wall is made of glass, which will harness passive solar energy. Inside the glass wall is a greenhouse that grows food and recycles gray water from the showers, bathroom sinks and washing machine. Greenhouse skylights open on hot summer days, sucking cooler air from four tubes sunk into the ground. In the roof, glycol tubes will melt snow in the winter to provide water for the home. Since Reynolds developed the Earthship design 25 years ago, more than 2,000 have been built around the
world. He travels the globe giving lectures and visiting potential construction locations, but watch him on this jobsite, and it’s clear he revels in the build. With a shock of gray hair spilling out from beneath a straw cowboy hat, Reynolds, 67, works feverishly and will be swinging a sledgehammer, “until I die,” he said. Having built about 50 Earthships in Taos, he thinks Big Sky is ripe for more of this construction. “A high end house up in Antler Ridge is like a Cracker Jack box,” he said. “If the heat goes out, the toilets will freeze. People are going to go apeshit when they see how this works.” And, he says, with a crew like this one it only takes a month to put up an Earthship. Seven Directions owner Scott Maybee is confident Reynolds is onto something. Maybee’s company, which is funding construction and will sell the house to Saad when it’s complete, plans to use it as a model for future homes. “I’ve been on a quest for a healthy, self-sustaining and prepared lifestyle,” Maybee said. “An Earthship embodies that.” Maybee hopes to break ground on his own Earthship next summer; while Saad’s home will have about 2,000 square feet of livable space, Maybee intends on 6,000. “Seven Directions plans on building many more of these in Big Sky,” he said, noting that he wants to take the shell and systems of an Earthship to build higherend homes. Many of the interns, who volunteer to gain experience, are camping on the property in tents, campers or a big blue school bus below the site. They hail from around the U.S. and other countries including Latvia, Spain, Canada, Mexico, Scotland and Switzerland. A Spaniard living in Australia for the past five years, 35-year-old Ramon Guillamon attended the Earthship Academy in Taos this spring. He traveled to Big Sky to
participate in his first build from start to finish, a requisite to graduate the six-week academy. Guillamon plans to build a “Simple Survival” structure in Tasmania and thinks it’s especially important for the developed world to change its paradigm. “We need to transition to a simpler life,” Guillamon said. “Be independent and not rely on fossil fuels.” Reynolds gained notoriety from the film Garbage Warrior, which followed his seven-year permitting battle with Taos County and an effort to pass a new sustainable building act in the New Mexico legislature. This month, Reynolds has cameras trained on him again. Superfine Films is videoing the entire project for a one-hour documentary to be aired on the DIY Network. “This could turn into a series if it works,” said Ronnie Krensel, who’s filming the project for Superfine. The build was several days ahead of schedule as of May 15, due in part to favorable May weather and Reynolds’ depth of experience building alternative homes. “This is the best we’ve ever done,” he said. “We keep improving. This is a team that knocks it out.” Saad, who plans to move in this summer, is pleased with the process, so far. “Bottom line, it may be made out of garbage but everything else built today is garbage,” Saad said. “[Earthships] are an encounter with the Earth and how it functions.”
COTTONWOOD CROSSING $736,000 CONTRACT PENDING
TOWN CENTER AVENUE WEST PHASE
Residential development opportunity – multi-family • 23 residential entitlements • 2 triplex foundations installed • Site plan for finishing development • Utilities installed into site (as-built utility plans included) • All SFE’s included
Finished condo • 3 bedroom/2.5 bath • 1,854 sq.ft. • Custom interior finishes • Located in Town Center and within walking distance to shops, restaurants and parks
CONTRACT PENDING
Completed commercial space for sale with established tenants
9,757 sq. ft •
Block 5 Lot D1
$292,500
OFFER PENDING
Commercial Development Opportunity
• • • •
Cottonwood Crossing Unit 9
$350,000
Block 5 Lot B1
MARKET PLACE BUILDING
• • • •
Adjacent to movie-theater and restaurant 0.14 acres - 5,913sq.ft. 84.47’ (street front) by 70’ (depth) Including 4,500 sq.ft. of commercial entitlements SFE’s included Parking lot paved, illuminated Utilities to lot Town Center Avenue location
• •
Within the amazing Big Sky Town Center core Two story commercial building with established tenants Frontage on Hwy 64 (Lone Mountain Trail)
Unit/Pricing 102: $537,662 – 1,595 sq/ft 103: $394,410 – 1,170 sq/ft 104: $405,924 – 1,204 sq/ft 201: $489,465 – 1,452 sq/ft 202: $325,596 - 966sq/ft 203: $365,760 - 1,085sq/ft (Last unit available for lease) 205: $369,509 - 1,096sq/ft
Block 5 Lot E1
$405,000
OFFER PENDING
Commercial Development Opportunity
• • • • • • • •
0.14 acres - 5,913 sq. ft. 84.47’ (street front) by 70’ (depth) Including 5,000 sq. ft. of commercial entitlements Including 4 residential entitlements for 2nd level units SFE’s included Parking lot paved, illuminated Utilities to lot Town Center Avenue location
Ladd, Kulesza & Company
For more information or private showings contact:
Real Estate Brokerage, Consulting & Development
406-995-2404
4 0 6 - 9 9 5 - 2 4 0 4 • L K R E A L E S TAT E . C O M
Ryan Kulesza – 406-539-4666
Seven Directions will host a walk-through of the Michener Meadows Earthship on Wednesday, May 22 at 4 p.m., followed by a Q&A with Reynolds. All information given is considered reliable, but because it has been supplied by third parties, we cannot represent that it is accurate or complete, and should not be relied upon as such. These offerings are subject to errors, omissions, and changes including price or withdrawal without notice. All rights reserved. Equal Housing Opportunity. ©2013 LK REAL ESTATE, llc. lkrealestate.com
20 May 17-30, 2013
sports
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Time to change the Redskins’ name branding issues and marketing costs associated with a name change.
By Brandon Niles
However, with teams moving cities and changing names fairly often in professional sports, it’s difficult to see marketing and branding as a legitimate obstacle. In the wildly popular NFL, I can hardly believe the team would suffer any drawbacks. This reluctance is about tradition.
refused to play for Marshall and was immediately traded to the Cleveland Browns. Marshall’s reluctance to integrate still serves as a historical blemish on the team.
Big sky weekly sports columnist
Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder has said, “We will never change the name of the team,” according to USA Today and ESPN.com, The NFL football team’s name has come under criticism recently by Washington D.C. Councilmember David Grosso on the grounds it’s “racist and derogatory” to Native Americans, as reported by The Washington Times. The organization has carried the name since 1933, when the Boston Braves moved to Fenway Park and were renamed the Boston Redskins. In 1937, the team moved to D.C. and became the Washington Redskins. It is understandable fans might be resistant to changing the name after decades of cheering for their home team. Furthermore, with such a long team history, Snyder likely has considered
So what kind of tradition does the Redskins name hold? In an article written for The Nation by Dave Zirin and Zach Zill in 2011, George Marshall, the man who brought the Redskins to D.C., is described as a “great football innovator” but also a “stone bigot.” The authors note Marshall’s was the last NFL franchise to desegregate, and quote him saying, “We’ll start signing Negroes when the Harlem Globetrotters start signing whites.” It was Marshall who kept the team behind the curve on racial integration until 1962, after threat of civil rights action from the Kennedy administration. When the Redskins finally did integrate, so much controversy had surrounded the team that their top draft pick, running back Ernie Davis,
I understand tradition has value; however, tradition isn’t a reason to maintain poor practices. Many traditions have ended due to civil rights issues, and the Redskins’ name should follow. Perhaps only a small number of people are upset by the name and most polls suggest a vast majority of fans are against changing it. But when a name is oppressive and derogatory, those with the power to do so should not wait for a majority of the public to change their minds.
Fans will adjust. At the height of the NFL’s popularity, Snyder should take this opportunity to do the right thing, even if it’s not the popular thing. I would gladly cheer for the Washington Boars or any other name the market research team can develop. Making this move will gain much more historical support than it will lose current fans. Snyder’s insistence he “will never change the name of the team” is a short-sighted and myopic view of an issue that seems so glaringly obvious. I will continue to root for Washington players and support the city, fans and league as a whole. But my respect for Snyder has suffered and the intensity by which I feel the name should change has doubled in the face of his obstinacy. With such reluctance to do the right thing, it’s clear to me that Snyder is just carrying on the Marshall tradition. Brandon Niles has done online freelance writing about sports since 2007, and co-hosts the 2 Guys Podcast. With a Masters in Communication Studies from 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.
By TOM BOYD SONORAN INSTITUTE
BOZEMAN – Bozeman residents are willing to pay 20.1 percent more per square foot for homes located near shops, schools, parks and restaurants, according to a new market study released by the nonprofit Sonoran Institute. A survey within the same report found that 90 percent of residents said they wanted a home within an easy walk of other places in the community. The new, 60-page Sonoran Institute study of western U.S. housing trends focused on six communities in the region: Bozeman; Boise, Idaho; Buena Vista, Colo.; Eagle, Colo.; Carbondale, Colo.; and Teton County, Idaho. “Since the post-WWII era, we’ve been building housing and infrastructure that’s very suburban in character,” said Randy Carpenter, director of the Sonoran Institute’s Northern Rockies Program in Bozeman. “The study shows there is a growing demand for something different.”
By Maria Wyllie Editorial Assistant
“People in the Rockies want it all: easy access to the outdoors and recreation, plus the activity and convenience of living in town and being able to walk to shops and restaurants,” said Clark Anderson, the Sonoran Institute western Colorado program director.
BIG SKY – The Lone Peak High School girls’ and boys’ varsity golf teams have had a strong season, with four girls and five boys qualifying for the state tournament at Ennis May 20-22. The boys’ team, which consists of freshman Charlie Johnson, and sophomores Tate Tatom and triplets Griffin, Quinn and Trevor House, placed second overall in last year’s state tournament and have a record of six first place wins and two second place finishes.
“Many communities in the Rockies have the potential to offer both, but there isn’t really a lot of housing product that responds to this demand – it’s a largely untapped market.”
All five players qualified for state, but with only four players allowed to compete, the four sophomores will play, and Johnson will attend as an alternate. Mike King coaches both teams and expects the boys to come out on top at the tournament.
Rob Pertzborn, of Intrinsic Architecture in Bozeman, agrees. Pertzborn said more compact, walkable development was coming online right before the Great Recession brought everything to a screeching halt in 2008. As the market improves, he’d like to see a greater variety of housing product offered.
“Lone Peak is the overwhelming favorite to win the title for state and individual this year,” King said. “This would be the first state championship for the school, so the whole team is pretty fired up to do that.” He said the players are very competitive and are dedicated to improving and establishing a winning program for themselves, as well as future players. The girls’ team comprises sophomores Gabrielle Gasser, Janie Izzo, Karlie Perry, Molly Sharr and Tehya Braun. King says they have less experience, but they are improving fast. All players are showing individual gains but are less consistent overall, so mileage on the course has been a primary focus this season. At the state qualifiers at Ennis on May 13, the boys won first place and the girls finished second in the team competitions. In the individual competitions, Tatom finished first and Trevor second; Braun finished fourth for the girls. Victory at Ennis at the May 13 state qualifiers. Back row, L-R: Griffin House, Charlie Johnson, Tate Tatom, Quinn House, Trevor House Front row, L-R: Janie Izzo, Tehya Braun, Gabrielle Gasser, Karlie Perry
“In the end, it’s a quality of life thing, and people just don’t necessarily know it until you can show them,” said Pertzborn, who’s been involved in a range of projects during his 23 years in Bozeman. “Where you live profoundly affects your life.” For that reason, Pertzborn points out, people will still pay significantly more
May 3-16, 2013 21
May 17-30, 2013
New study finds Bozeman residents will pay more for homes in walkable developments
In the six communities studied, the average price per square foot for what the Sonoran Institute deems “compact, walkable development (CWD)” was 18.5 percent higher than other types of housing between the years 2000 and 2009. That figure was 20.1 percent in Bozeman.
LPHS golf teams head to state
Tournament results are looking promising, as King says everyone is practicing hard and seems to be peaking at the right time.
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to be near downtown. A 60 by 40 lot with an alley goes for about $250,000 in town, Pertzborn said, while the same lot in a subdivision on the outskirts of town costs about $60,000. “A person who lives up Bridger Canyon wakes up every morning and sees an elk herd go by and the mountains are beautiful and all of that, and there’s nothing wrong with that,” Pertzborn said. “But it’s just different. If you live in town in what I call staggering distance of Main Street, you might be more likely to be on the art committee at the library or your kids might walk to school.” The Sonoran survey found that residents of the Rocky Mountain West prioritized living within walking distance of other places and things to do in their community than the national average. A full 90 percent of Sonoran respondents felt walkability was important or very important compared to 66 percent nationally. And 96 percent of those surveyed by the Sonoran Institute cited the exercise and health benefits or walkability as being important or very important. Pertzborn is currently working on reviving the Story Mill development, which was billed as a smart-growth project but fell apart because of the economy. He still thinks it can be a good example of CWD in Bozeman. Story Mill would be built on a main trail artery on a former trailer park site on the way up to Bridger Bowl, with Trust for Public Land open space involved. “To me it is the spot, because of all the stars that are lining up there, that we might be able to not just build tiny affordable homes, but homes that people of mixed incomes will want to live in,” Pertzborn said. “That is totally key, and then that they want to live next to each other.” The Sonoran study goes on to catalogue a number of qualities found in compact, walkable developments that residents of Bozeman and the five other communities found desirable. The study also indicates there’s a lack of such housing around the West. Sixty percent of survey respondents felt they had few or very few options that reflected their needs and preferences. To read the entire study, entitled “Reset: Assessing the future housing market in the Rocky Mountain West” and conducted by Economic & Planning Systems Inc, go to communitybuilders.net/learn.
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22 May 17-30, 2013
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From the printing press to your hands
Weekly announces major Bozeman distribution expansion By Tyler Allen
Big Sky Weekly Staff Writer/ Distribution Director
Produced in Big Sky, the Weekly has been increasing its scope and readership since the Outlaw Partners purchased it in 2010. Since our content includes feature stories, profiles, events, and notable businesses throughout the Greater Yellowstone, reaching our readership with every issue takes a coordinated effort. Our designer sends the final proof of the Weekly to River’s Edge Printing in Great Falls on the Wednesday before publication. From there, hundreds of copies are mailed around the country, and thousands more are shipped to a FedEx transfer station in Belgrade early Friday morning. A dexterous forklift operator moves the shrink-wrapped pallets to the loading dock, where I cut them open to reveal the final product of weeks of chasing stories, attending meetings, writing, editing and design. Behind the wheel of a gold-colored van, with coffee as ammunition, I begin the distribution blitzkrieg. As an auxiliary Outlaw vehicle takes an initial load of papers to our
devoted readership in Big Sky, I hit Belgrade, and then roll to Bozeman, where I meet our Livingston and Gardiner distributors, Paul and his dog Pecos. We load hundreds of papers into his “red limousine,” a late- ‘90s, Saab 900 hatchback, and we part ways. From there, I drop papers at many of our major Bozeman distribution points, including the public library, the hospital, numerous coffee shops along Main Street and grocery stores on Huffine and 19th. Next is Four Corners, with a stop to see Steve and Mary Lou at the Ditch for a shot in the dark (coffee with a shot of espresso) and the occasional breakfast sandwich. Arriving in Big Sky, I deliver the Weekly to Ophir School, to restaurants and fly shops along Highway 191, and to businesses throughout the Meadow Village and Town Center. When the lifts are turning, hundreds of copies go to the base lodges and resort hotels.
Weekly distribution director Tyler Allen Photo by Emily Stifler
Since January 2013, we’ve launched a major distribution expansion in Bozeman as our content continually expands.
As the largest city in the Greater Yellowstone region, Bozeman is a conduit for travelers, particularly at the Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport, who scoop up hundreds of copies of each issue. We now distribute the Weekly from more than 100 locations in Bozeman, including 33 new spots since Jan. 1, 2013. From Main Street to 19th Ave, to the south side of town, we’re excited to find read-
ers picking up our publication at doctors’ offices, new restaurants, and stalwart shops throughout the valley. And wherever you find yourself opening these pages – be it in Big Sky, Bozeman, West Yellowstone or San Francisco – we appreciate your support of print media. As long as we have readers like you, we’ll continue these efforts to get the Weekly into your hands.
Engineer’s Corner Ground snow load By Philip Kedrowski Redleaf Consulting
Because Big Sky receives a lot of snow, structures here must be designed to account for the additional weight. The weight of snow on the ground, expressed in pounds per square foot, is referred to as “ground snow load.”
Data are recorded at each station and is available to the public at no charge. However, the engineer can’t use this data directly – it must be statistically processed in order to estimate the 50-year ground snow load at each station location. As more data is recorded each year, the estimations become increasingly accurate.
A structural engineer must know the ground snow load when designing a building. In order to determine snow depth and density, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the National Weather Service (NWS) have monitoring stations strategically located throughout the state. Between the two, there are a total of 294 stations in Montana. The three closest to Big Sky are located near Lone Mountain, Shower Falls and Carrot Basin.
Once the ground snow load is determined at each monitoring site, the ground snow load at any location is determined by interpolating between these known snow loads. The school of engineering at Montana State University created and maintains a website where users enter a geographic location in Montana and the interpolation is performed automatically, free of charge. This is a tremendous contribution to the safety of structures in Montana.
The Civil Engineering Department accepts donations for this service. Visit coe.montana.edu/snowload/ for details. Philip Kedrowski, PE, LEED-AP, is owner/engineer of Redleaf Consulting, PLLC. Redleaf is the only engineering company based in Big Sky.
Find more information at the following websites:
NRCS SNOTEL sites wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/snotel/Montana/montana.html Montana Ground Snow Load Finder coe.montana.edu/snowload
Nearby Snotel Sites Site Name
Type
Latitude
Longitude
Elevation
Duration Monitored
Lone Mountain
NRCS - SNOTEL
45.28°
-111.43°
8,880 ft
21 years
Shower Falls
NRCS - SNOTEL
45.40°
-110.96°
8,100 ft
34 years
Carrot Basin
NRCS - SNOTEL
44.96°
-111.29°
9,000 ft
30 years
24 May 3-16, 2013
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FT line cook position. Please contact John for an appointment. 406.995.2992/bwombigsky@montana.net
The Hungry Moose Market and Deli in Big Sky is Hiring Part-Time or Full Time Deli & Grocery positions. Kitchen/baking skills preferred for Deli. Opening 2nd location summer 2013 at base of Big Sky Resort. Good pay/Benefits/Year round job security. We look for a friendly smile, initiative, team player, strong work ethic. Application online: hungrymoose. com or at front counter 406-9953045
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Now that you’ve retired, it’s time to reevaluate your investments in order to ensure your assets will be working for you throughout your senior years.
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May 17-30, 2013 25
Mining Childhood: Growing up in Butte, 1900-1960 Montana Historical Society Press, 2012 By ANNE MARIE MISTRETTA
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resourcefulness, particularly during the many strikes, the Great Depression, and wartime. They also learned to scavenge – some would say pirate – coal, wood, even
While prospecting in Big Sky’s early days was a bust, copper mining thrived just 125 miles north on Butte’s “Richest Hill on Earth.”
rable and valuable. Like their parents, children helped each other when in the neighborhood, when on the ball fields or when venturing onto others’ turf. Adults fretted about cadres of neighborhood children, often called “gangs,” and their unsupervised play. Charitable organizations, along with the city government, began to focus resources on the welfare of Butte’s children. Memories are rife with organized teams, movie theaters and “Copper King” William Clark’s amusement park, Columbia Gardens.
The mines dominated Butte’s landscape, defined families and shaped children’s existence and memories. Mine expansion encroached upon and sometimes consumed neighborhoods. Children played on slag heaps, mine yards, gallows frames, and even the tunnels of the Butte, Anaconda and Pacific Railways.
During this time, compulsory education was enforced. Public and Catholic schools alike meted out hefty discipline and structure along with reading, writing and arithmetic. School saved many Butte children from roaming the streets, and pride in the high school, particularly in the music and sports programs, reveals that education made the difference for many youngsters.
More than half a century later, memories are keen with raising animals for food in small backyards, crushing loads of grapes for wine and celebrating everything from Halloween to deaths. In Mining Childhood: Growing up in Butte, 1900-1960, Janet Finn gives an ethnographic history of Butte in the first half of the 20th century. Writing from the perspective of local children, she uses the memories of those who grew up in Butte during the rise and decline of the Anaconda Copper Mining Company. Those who survived the high infancy mortality rate and dangerous child’s play lived to tell tales of thrift, resilience, and friendship in ethnically separate neighborhoods. Yet Irish, Germans, Finns, Serbs, Croatians – many non-English speaking first generations – mixed their cultures, customs and wonderfully smelling food in this diverse city. Working traditional jobs in newspaper delivery, boardinghouse cleaning and babysitting, children learned
The“Young Prospectors’’ in this 1909 image enjoy a free playground created by ore dumps. PHOTO FROM MINING CHILDHOOD: GROWING UP IN BUTTE, 1900-1960
sawdust, to supplement the mining paycheck and help their families eke out a subsistence level existence. Bonds formed during childhood friendships were memo-
Butte families sustained each other, whether they experienced loss in the mines or heartache from within, such as family alcoholism and violence. Perhaps the cruelest hardship and memory that Finn mined from her interviews is that so many Butte residents can no longer point to their former neighborhood and say, “that’s where I grew up.”
While the City of Butte enacted progressive programs to assist families and youth through their challenging lives, it can’t put back the neighborhoods that had been consumed by the mines.
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26 May 17-30, 2013
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Third annual Beartooth Summer Session set for June 5-9 By Kipp Kirol
On3p Ski Company
BEARTOOTH PASS – On June 8, Beartooth Basin’s big-mountain/slopestyle competition will draw competitors from around the region and the country.
Photo courtesy of beartoothsummersession.com
Formerly Red Lodge International Summer Ski Camp, the small ski area first opened in the 1960s as a venue for summer ski-race training. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, it saw a newschool influx, with big names such as Glen Plake, Tanner Hall and Wiley Miller making appearances. Prominent production companies including Teton Gravity Research, Team 13 and Toy Soldier Productions have featured footage from the ski area in their films. Last year’s competition brought approximately 100 skier visits and 40 competitors from around North
Virginia City celebrates 150 years On May 26, 1863, at 4 p.m., six men made camp in Alder Gulch, Montana. Four went prospecting up a mountain stream, and two stayed to picket the horses and tend camp. They ended up prospecting one of the richest gold deposits in North America. The first territorial capital, Virginia City became a prominent city and home to the Montana Vigilantes. This summer, VC is celebrating 150 years of cultural heritage with events and activities through Labor Day. Memorial Day weekend kicks off the festivities from May 24 – 26.
Located between Cooke City and Red Lodge near Beartooth Pass, Beartooth Basin has two highspeed poma lifts accessing steeps, chutes, cornices and a terrain park. Summer Session competitors will take top-to-bottom runs and be judged on style, technique, amplitude and consistency. Lead sponsor, ON3P Ski Company, is working with Beartooth Basin to build a terrain park and competition course for the session. The event, terrain park and ski area will be open to the public, as well as to professional riders and photographers.
Big Sky Weekly
America. Writers from Teton Gravity Research, Skiing magazine, Bomb Snow magazine and the Big Sky Weekly covered the event. In addition to lift-accessible summer skiing, the surrounding area has backcountry access, including daylong tours, boot packs, and car-shuttle laps. The Third Annual Beartooth Summer Session is scheduled for June 5-9 at Beartooth Basin Ski Area and in the surrounding backcountry. More at beartoothsummersession.com.
On Friday, May 24, at 5:30 p.m., the Elling House will host a poster signing and art show for the artist who designed the 150th commemorative poster, Kathleen Arvila-Scott of Butte. Following the reception, the Virginia City Preservation Alliance will, Nuggets in Time, a new history book. Refreshments will be served. On Saturday, May 25, the annual Spring Horseback Poker ride registration is at the Bale of Hay Saloon from 8:30-10 a.m. There are prizes for the top three hands. The Virginia City Season Opening Parade, starting at 1:30 pm on Saturday, will celebrate the year of 1863. All entries must be non-motorized and participants are encouraged to dress in period clothing. The first 50 children will receive train tickets. On Sunday May 26, there will be a historical performance of the discovery of gold in Alder Gulch by the Nevada City Living History performers, at 2 p.m. in Elks Park. Learn about the events leading up to the discovery, travels by Fairwether and his party looking for gold on the Yellowstone, their encounter with the Rattlesnake and the Crow Indians, the retreat back to Bannack and the discovery of gold. More at virginiacity.com.
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If your event falls between May 31 and June 13, please submit by May 24.
please submit it by May 24 big sky WEDNESDAY, MAY 22
Earthship Open House Lot 27 Michener Meadows, 4 p.m. Volleyball Open Gym Lone Peak High School, 7-9 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 29
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Bigsby Jones & Friends Filling Station, 9 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 29
“A Journey Unknown” Warren Miller Performing Arts Center, 7 p.m.
THURSDAY, MAY 30
“A Journey Unknown” Warren Miller Performing Arts Center, 7 p.m.
Bozeman
Family Cosmic Nights The Bowl, 4 p.m. Tyler Schultz Starky’s, 6:30 p.m. Sizzling Salsa The MAC, 8 p.m.
West yellowstone SATURDAY, MAY 18
FRIDAY, MAY 17
Old Fashion 3 Day Flea Market Auction Barn, 2-6 p.m. Hunt for Health Scavenger Hunt: Fundraiser for Bridgercare Downtown Bozeman & The Baxter, 6 p.m. Three Glorious Weeks The Verge, 8 p.m. (and Sat.) Chris Sands & Milton Menasco Peach Street Studios, 8:30 p.m. Rose Gold Filling Station, 9 p.m.
Yellowstone Historic Center Opening Day Yellowstone Historic Center, 9 a.m.
livingston & paradise valley FRIDAY, MAY 17
Cure for the Common Pine Creek Café, 7 p.m. The Max Chico Saloon, 9 p.m. (and Sat.) The Donors Murray Bar, 9:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, MAY 18
Old Fashion 3 Day Flea Market Auction Barn, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Movie Trivia Night Trivia Contest, 6 p.m.
SATURDAY, MAY 18
Bad Betty Pine Creek Café, 7 p.m. The Dirty Shame Murray Bar, 9:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, MAY 19
Panda Chico Saloon, 7 p.m.
FRIDAY, MAY 24
Silly Moose Improv The Verge, 8 p.m.
Wandering Wild Pine Creek Café, 7 p.m.
Tony Montana Project, Chelsea & The Ruckus Filling Station, 9 p.m.
Gary Small & The Coyote Brothers Chico Saloon, 9 p.m. (and Sat.)
SUNDAY, MAY 19
Old Fashion 3 Day Flea Market Auction Barn, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Pokey LaFarge Peach Street Studios, 8 p.m. Couches w/The Salamanders Filling Station, 9 p.m.
TUESDAY, MAY 21
WEDNESDAY, MAY 22
The Maw Band Murray Bar, 9:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, MAY 25
Denny Earnest Pine Creek Café, 7 p.m. Milton Menasco & The Big Fiasco Murray Bar, 9:30 p.m.
THURSDAY, MAY 30
Hosted Bluegrass Jam Pine Creek Café, 7 p.m. Strangeways Murray Bar, 9 p.m.
ongoing at norris Music starts at 7 p.m. every Fri., Sat., Sun.
Jawbone Railroad Starky’s, 6:30 p.m.
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SATURDAY, MAY 25
Volleyball Open Gym Lone Peak High School, 7-9 p.m.
Jalan Crossland Peach Street Studios, 8:30 p.m.
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Sizzling Salsa The MAC, 8 p.m.
TUESDAY, MAY 28
Blitzen Trapper w/Sera Cahoon Filling Station, 8 p.m.
MOUNTAIN OUTLAW
Screen Door Porch, Jalan Crossland, and J Shogren & the Shainghai’D Filling Station, 8 p.m.
Gallatin Canyon Women’s Club Annual Spring Breakfast Bugaboo Café, 10 a.m.
Contra Dance (last of the season) Eagles Lodge, 7:30 p.m.
O U T L A W P U B L I C AT I O N S
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First Annual Alpaca Shearing Festival By Maria Wyllie Big Sky Weekly Editorial Assistant
The first annual Alpaca Shearing Festival will be at the Circle L Arena in Belgrade on Saturday, June 1. Hosted by the Yellowstone Alpaca Breeders Association, the festival will provide a closer look at the shearing process: from pasture to product, including owner, shearer, sorter and manufacturer responsibilities. Alpaca owners, shearers and mill owners from around the state will give professional advice on how to care for the animals and maximize efficiency in each level of the production process. Geared towards educating both alpaca farmers and the general public, the event will also include a silent auction, 10-20 Montana vendors selling various alpaca products, and an obstacle course for alpacas, which kids can participate in with adult supervision and the assistance of a handler.
28 May 17-30, 2013
outdoors
World-class running in Big Sky:
The Rut Ultramarathon Big Sky Weekly Editorial Assistant
Race directors Wolfe and Foote are both on The North Face Ultra Running Team and have competed in mountain races in the U.S., Europe, South America and beyond.
GEAR REVIEW
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May 17-30, 2013 29
Montana Wilderness Association announces 2013 Wilderness Walks
By katie morrison
BIG SKY – Utramarathon runners Mike Wolfe and Mike Foote of Missoula are bringing a world-class running event to Big Sky – The Rut 50K and 12K mountain runs, set to take place Sept. 14, 2013, at Big Sky and Moonlight Basin resorts.
The 12K race covers 7.5 miles of the resort’s lower and middle mountain single-track trails, gaining and losing 2,300 feet.
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The Weekly staff is an outdoor-loving crew 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 – here, we tell you about some of the gadgets, gizmos, gear and garb that make our lives even more fun.
The Rut By Maria Wyllie
Starting and finishing at the Big Sky Mountain Village, elevation 7,510 feet, the 50K course covers 31 miles, gaining and losing 8,200 feet over its entirety. It will challenge runners with single-track trails, rugged jeep roads, off-trail terrain and the 11,166-foot summit of Lone Peak.
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Big Sky Weekly staff writer
Spring weather in the Rockies can be the ultimate test for running, a sport that requires a “no excuses” mentality. One day the trail is muddy and melting in warm sunshine, and the next it’s frozen with a fresh layer of slush and graupel. The TrekSta Edict GTX is made specifically for this unpredictable springtime climate. The NESTfit system wraps around your foot, providing stability in slippery conditions, while Hypergrip soles give an extra layer of surefootedness. Foote also brings three years of experence working as race director at The Runner’s Edge, a running shop in Missoula and official organizer of the Rut, where he works year round organizing almost a dozen races and events in western Montana. He encourages runners to become familiar with course terrain before registering.
Additionally, the rubber outsole extends above the toe, to protect from rocks and roots. The feature that eliminates the primary excuse of cold wet feet is the GoreTex Extended Comfort membrane, which keeps your feet dry and comfortable. No matter what the weather – get out there! $160 trekstausa.com
As of press time, May 15, 65 people have registered for the 50K and 22 for the 12K.
HELENA — The Montana Wilderness Association is celebrating its 51st season of Wilderness Walks this summer. The program offers nearly 150 guided day hikes, backpacking adventures, field trips and trail maintenance projects across some of the state’s most magnificent backcountry, all free of charge.
New 2013 Wilderness Walks: Family friendly walks: New this year are walks designed for families with young children, which will introduce young people of all ages to the joys of exploring Montana’s wild lands.
In 1962, MWA founders Ken and Florence Baldwin led 40 hikers on the first Wilderness Walk along a trail to Table Mountain in the Spanish Peaks. By taking people to a special place in need of protection, the Baldwins hoped to build grassroots support for wilderness.
Summer of Lee: This summer, MWA is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Lee Metcalf Wilderness. Five hikes are meant to teach participants about Sen. Lee Metcalf’s legacy of protecting Montana’s wild lands, and cultivate appreciation for the 259,000-acre Wilderness area.
The program continues to offer hikers of all ages and experience levels an opportunity to participate in a traditional recreation opportunity while enjoying Montana’s quiet beauty and remaining wild places.
For registration and event details, visit runtherut.com. A more in-depth story on the race will be featured in the summer 2013 Mountain Outlaw.
All outings are open to the public, but participants must make reservations by contacting the hike leader. For more information, visit wildmontana.org/walks or call the MWA office in Helena at (406) 443-7350.
Photo by Erik Morrison
Firehole Ranch named Orvis Fly-Fishing Lodge of the Year WEST YELLOWSTONE – Orvis has named the Firehole Ranch in West Yellowstone as its 2013 Fly-Fishing Lodge of the Year. Voted by Forbes as “One of the World’s Top Ten Fly Fishing Lodges,” the 640acre Firehole Ranch is 10 minutes from Yellowstone Park on Hebgen Lake and surrounded by National Forest. Guests can fish the Madison, Yellowstone, Henry’s Fork, Firehole, Gallatin and Lamar rivers, as well as horseback ride, hike, mountain bike, canoe and take guided Yellowstone tours. For more than 20 years, The Orvis Company has recognized excellence in
CDT Montana CDT Montana, MWA’s volunteer trail stewardship program, is helping complete the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail through 10 projects scheduled for the public this summer.
Picture life here
sporting experiences through its Endorsed Lodges, Outfitters and Guides program. Each endorsed operation has its own character, but all share the same high standards: great service, great fishing or wingshooting, and an experienced, professional staff. Other lodges in the Greater Yellowstone to have received this honor are Lone Mountain Ranch in Big Sky and Hubbard’s Yellowstone Lodge in Emigrant. Founded in 1856, Orvis is the oldest continuously operated catalog company in the country.
Representing distinguished properties and buyers in Big Sky, backed by an international network of sales & marketing professionals.
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Big Sky Weekly
Buscrat's Fables Brody the Adventurous Mouse Brody was a curious and adventurous mouse who lived in Montana. One day he and the other mice in his colony were out playing, running and chasing each other, when they came to the shore of a river.
The bighorn sheep agreed, and day after day they climbed, starting in smaller steps and eventually graduating to steeper rocks. Finally after weeks of training, the bighorn said, “You’re ready to climb the cliff.”
But Brody knew it could be done, because he’d seen the beaver crossing the river many times. So, he approached the beaver. “Will you teach me how to swim, so I can cross the river and explore the meadow on the other side?” Brody asked. The beaver agreed to teach the mouse how to swim. Day after day they swam, starting in shallow pools of still water and eventually graduating to deeper, swifter water. Finally, after weeks of training, the beaver said, “Today is the day for you to swim the river.” Brody swam the river with the beaver beside him. The mouse’s hard work paid off, and he reached the other side. For the rest of the day, the mouse ran, explored and played in the meadow. As the sun came down, he swam back across the river and told his friends about his adventures.
STORY AND PHOTOS BY JAMIE BALKE
“Will you teach me how to climb, so I can climb the cliff and explore the other side?” Brody asked.
His friends didn’t like the idea. “Other mice that tried to cross the river were swept away by the strong current and were never seen again,” they said.
Brody climbed the cliff with the bighorn beside him. The mouse’s hard work paid off and they reached the top. “We thought you had drowned,” said the other mice. Then they cheered and had a party celebrating Brody’s success. Some time later, all the mice in the colony came up to a very high cliff. “Why don’t we climb that cliff and explore the other side of the mountain,” Brody said. “We can’t climb,” said one mouse. “Others that tried have fallen to their death.” “It’s haunted up there,” said another. “You’ll turn into a stick if you climb to the other side.” But Brody had seen bighorn sheep climbing it many times, so he approached a sheep and asked what was on the other side.
For the rest of the day Brody ran, explored and played on the other side of the mountain. As the sun set, he climbed back down the cliff and told his friends about his adventures. “We thought you turned into a stick,” said the other mice. They cheered and had a party celebrating his success. Brody discovered that taking risks could be dangerous. He also learned that listening to experts for advice could turn those risks into great rewards. Buscrat’s Fables are simple stories that teach a moral. Buscrat welcomes you to visit buscratsfables.com for more fables, and welcomes your comments, suggestions and requests.
Big Sky Beats By Maria Wyllie
Big Sky Weekly Editorial Assistant Find out what tunes we’re bumping! In “Big Sky Beats,” Big Sky Weekly staff and guests suggest various soundtracks for summer activities in the Rockies— anything from training for a marathon to floating down the river with friends.
Guest picks
column: wanderer at rest
Big Sky Weekly
May 17-30, 2013 31
S.O.S., Martha Stewart: A follow-up “Beautiful country,” the bighorn said. “I go there all the time.”
“Why don’t we cross that river and explore the meadow on the other side?” Brody suggested.
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Staff picks
By Callie Stolz , owner of Santosha All recent or upcoming summer releases, Wellness Center: these upbeat tracks will get you amped for This music mix is designed for practicing k.com summer. Great for backyard barbecues or Stoc yoga. It starts out slow, allowing you “Sunday fun days,” many of these songs ento p O r o your ectset become more groundedwand draw from electronic dance music, pairing .V ww then picks up intention for your practice, synthesizers and samplers with melodic vocals the pace as your movement does, and to create a catchy sound for any time of day. then slows back down in order for you to come back to a place of stillness and 1. “Whiskey Sunsets,” Moon Taxi relaxation. This would bring you through 2. “Red Eye,” Kid Cudi (feat. Haim) an hour and 15 minute practice. 3. “Heart Attack,” Demi Lovato 4. “Radioactive,” Imagine Dragons 5. “This Is What It Feels Like,” Armin van Buuren 1. “Makambo,” Geoffrey Oryema (feat. Trevor Guthrie) 2. “Need You (Ambient Mix),” Buddha 6. “Counting Stars,” OneRepublic Bar II 7. “Bang, Bang,” will.i.am 3. “All My Days,” Alexi Murdock 8. “Blurred Lines,” Robin Thicke (feat. T.I. & 4. “Soul Meets Body,” Death Cab for Pharrell) Cutie 9. “See Me On My Way,” Superhuman 5. “Ganapati,” Girish Happiness 6. “Star,” The Frames 7. “Waiting on an Angel,” Ben Harper 10. “Alive,” Krewella 8. “So Much Magnificence,” Steve Gold 9. “Forgiveness,” Krishna Das 10. “Svasana,” Ananda Giri
Big Sky Weekly Columnist
disrupted the serenity of the serious gardeners around us.
In a previous column I described my heretofore limited success at patio gardening. This spring, I’ve decided to turn it all around.
I tried to make a joke about it to one of the employees, and she responded to the effect that, “Kids love pulling plants in the wagons.”
The first step was a trip to the public library, where I checked out a couple of great books. One was on container gardening, and the second was for people new to gardening, and specific to the Rocky Mountain region. I imagined the reading would be dry, but I was wrong. Allow me to share one of my favorite quotes from How to Get Started in Rocky Mountain Gardening by Rob Proctor.
At the next garden shop, my friend found some beautiful flowers and interesting veggies. I purchased dwarf sunflower seeds after speaking with an employee who gently chastised us for considering annuals so early in the spring.
Based on my research, I was in search of purple coneflower, as well as lavender. Rather than roasting and wilting as other plants have done on my porch, I hoped these would soak up the sun and thrive.
“…But for gardeners in the West, which generally has an alkaline soil, the lime would be a waste of time, like giving The Rock a gym membership for his birthday.”
I approached the register with my latest purchases and inquired about soil. When the cashier brought back a bag, I asked her a question attempting to sound informed.
It was a fun read. I got excited and started taking notes. Then, I subjected friends to readings from the notes accompanied by wild hand gestures and detailed lists of plants meeting the light requirements of my exposed, west-facing porch.
“I can always tell when I am talking to a newbie,” she said. We discussed using a friend’s horse manure as fertilizer (turns out, you can make it into some sort of nightmarish sounding “tea”). I opted instead for food pellets that you shake out of a jar. As I left, she advised me to bring my plants in at night for at least a week.
Luckily, a friend shares my enthusiasm for gardening, and we planned a plant-shopping day together. At the first nursery, I was on a mission to find strawberry plants. Outside the door there was a fleet of little red wagons to be used as shopping carts. I assumed others would share our excitement regarding these wagons, and we would be two of many adults tugging them about. This was not the case. They proved remarkably loud and squeaky, and everywhere we crashed by, we
plants instead, which looked like mini sea monsters.
We returned to the original nursery for advice, and specific plants not yet available at the second store.
Placing three perky looking strawberry plants in the wagon that could easily have been carried by hand, I plastered a smile on my face and approached the register.
On the second day the plants were on my porch, a wasp that appeared to be slightly deranged sniffed about my strawberries, which must be a good omen.
After all my browsing, it turns out I choose poorly. The lady at the register sold me three bare-root strawberry
Jamie Balke must stop writing, for the night is falling, and her plants need to be brought inside.
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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. Noun: wild or rough terrain adjacent to a developed area Origin: shortened form of “back 40 acres”
Being flexible in muddy waters Local fishing opportunities still exist. Just change your tactics By Patrick Straub Big Sky Weekly Fishing Columnist
Like the sunrise or last call, runoff is guaranteed. As local guides, anglers and fly shops scramble to find quality fishing in muddy, high water, it’s hard to keep one’s eye on the prize. Just remember, the longer into runoff we get, the closer its end. Many folks often travel to clean water this time of year. But road tripping to the Missouri near Craig is wearing on my truck and my psyche – I want my wife and daughter to remember what I look like. The prize is grand, as the fish are big and hungry, but you can’t discount our local waters; instead, just count on being flexible and testing your angling abilities. Despite the grande-double-tall-skinny color of the Gallatin, a few legitimate fishing options exist that don’t require a tankfull of gas or sleeping in your truck. The most talked about is the Gallatin above its confluence with the Taylor Fork. Be sure you wait to fish the waters in Yellowstone National Park, however, until they open over Memorial Day weekend. The Taylor Fork is the Gallatin River’s kryptonite. It is the main culprit for mud Away from Big Sky guiding on the road… but two-foot trout don’t come easy! This one jumped on a size 12 dry fly. Photo BY Pat Straub in spring and if a summer thunderstorm lands in its drainage, expect the main Gallatin to run muddy for a day. The structure and loose a few. Weighted Woolly Bugfor the best runs. A few tributary creeks can dump Gallatin above the confluence tends to run clear, gers, Rubberleg Pat’s Stones and Beadhead worms muddy water into the river, but it’s not chunky and although this stretch isn’t home to the greater are must-haves. brown and the fish feed through the muck. Fish numbers of trout found closer to Big Sky, an adept here like color – pink, red, chartreuse and anything angler has a shot at catching a few. Also relatively close, the Madison below Hebgen flashy. If you can see the color at a rave, then give it Dam and above Quake Lake offers a few miles of a try in your fly. Use your basic run-off tactics: large flies (sizes 6 tailwater-esque fishing. Pack a few beers, because it through 10) and deep nymphing. Tie good knots and tends to be a social scene with several anglers vying The Lower Madison and the water in Beartrap use stout tippet, as you’re going to snag your flies on Canyon is accessible via boat or a good hiking trail. As a kid, this was my place. At its gnarliest runoff, finding fish here was do-able, and it still is. Because of Ennis Lake and Beartrap Dam, enough clarity exists to consider the river fishable most days. When this water is muddy, fish it only if there is a hatch or an impending hatch. Caddis nymphs are active here now and salmon fly nymps soon will be. If ponds and lakes intrigue you, Hebgen and Quake are home to fish. Shore angling is limited, but with a boat and a long cast, you’ll find large rainbows and browns. The frozen water of our high-mountain lakes is thawing out daily, and intrepid anglers can catch both hungry fish and a workout. Load your boxes with lightly dressed Woolly Buggers, damselfly nymphs and lake Mayfly dry flies. Fortunately, in several weeks waters will drop and hatches of salmon flies, caddis, Winnebagos and rental cars become prolific. Hotels will be full, guides’ pockets fat with cash and you’ll have to wait for tables at your favorite eateries. Here in our tourist hamlet, we understand that and wouldn’t want it any other way. And waiting makes things that much sweeter. Runoff conditions require you to pull-out all the stops and use unconventional methods. This nice brown took a dead-drifted Deep Clouser Minnow. Photo BY Pat Straub