Explore Big Sky - April 6 to April 19, 2023

DETAILS ON NEW LONE PEAK TRAM

SKYLINE TO UPGRADE BUS SERVICE

FLATIRON DEVELOPMENT SHORT ON SEWER

HOUSE BILL MAY FUND WILDLIFE CROSSINGS

BASEBALL COMES TO LONE PEAK HIGH SCHOOL

PLUS: ‘CINDERELLA’ RETURNS

April 6-19, 2023

Volume 14, Issue No. 7

Owned and published in Big Sky, Montana

PUBLISHER

Eric Ladd | eric@theoutlawpartners.com

EDITORIAL

MANAGING EDITOR

Jason Bacaj | jason@theoutlawpartners.com

DIGITAL PRODUCER

Julia Barton | julia@theoutlawpartners.com

STAFF WRITER

Jack Reaney | jack@theoutlawpartners.com

EDITORIAL CONSULTANT

Leslie Kilgore | leslie@theoutlawpartners.com

CREATIVE

SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Trista Hillman | trista@theoutlawpartners.com

SALES AND OPERATIONS

CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER

Megan Paulson | megan@theoutlawpartners.com

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Treston Wold | treston@theoutlawpartners.com

VP DESIGN & PRODUCTION

Hiller Higman | hiller@theoutlawpartners.com

MEDIA AND EVENTS DIRECTOR

Ersin Ozer | ersin@theoutlawpartners.com

MARKETING MANAGER

Sophia Breyfogle | sophia@theoutlawpartners.com

CONTENT PRODUCTION DIRECTOR

Mira Brody | mira@theoutlawpartners.com

MARKETING COORDINATOR

Tucker Harris | tucker@theoutlawpartners.com

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT

Sara Sipe | sara@theoutlawpartners.com

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT LEAD

Jace Bovington, Kaley Burns, Matt Dodd, Amanda Eggert, Kirby Grubaugh, Gus Hammond, Marne Hayes, Rachel Hergett, Ted Hesser, Sofia Jaramillo, Meg Koenig, Rene Kraus, Cherie Nugent, Dave Pecunies, Holly Pippel, Michael Pitcairn, Benjamin Alva Polley, Ethan Stokes, Paul Swenson, Pepper Trail

OPENING

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LOCAL REGIONAL SPORTS A&E BUSINESS OPINION FUN 4 15 16 21 25 27 35

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EDITORIAL POLICIES

EDITORIAL POLICY

Outlaw Partners, LLC is the sole owner of Explore Big Sky. EBS reserves the right to edit all submitted material. Printed material reflects the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the opinion of Outlaw Partners or its editors. EBS will not publish anything discriminatory or in bad taste.

EBS welcomes obituaries written by family members or from funeral homes. To place an obituary, please submit 500 words or less to media@theoutlawpartners.com.

SCAN FOR TOWN CRIER NEWSLETTER. DAILY NEWS, STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

SKYLINE TO UPGRADE BUS SERVICE

Skyline Bus collected hundreds of responses on a survey designed to inform infrastructure upgrades in the coming decade. Part of those upgrades may include a 'world class mobility hub’ in Town Center near BASE, and if a federal RAISE grant application is approved, a bus station in Gallatin Gateway and a fleet of electric buses.

DETAILS ON NEW LONE PEAK TRAM

When Big Sky Resort announced their sale of season passes for winter 2023-24, it also announced more details about the 75-person Lone Peak Tram which will finish construction in the fall. Riders will be charged on a per-ride basis, in a key change from the per-day pricing of the current tram. The larger tram cabin will also prioritize scenic-ride passengers without displacing skiers and snowboarders.

FLATIRON DEVELOPMENT SHORT ON SEWER

Developers of the Flatiron project, a proposed subdivision near the Thunderwolf and Lone Moose chairlifts beside Big Sky Resort, met with the Big Sky County Water and Sewer District on March 29. In order to build the subdivision to its proposed density and size, the developers will likely need to secure rights to more sewer hookups. They have more than enough drinking water, however, from wells they’ve identified on the property.

HOUSE BILL MAY FUND WILDLIFE CROSSINGS

If HB 887 is passed, the Montana Department of Transportation and local governments could receive federal funding for wildlife crossings and highway features at a five-to-one match. The bill passed 13-7 out of the House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee on March 28. Montana has the second highest rate of wildlife-vehicle collisions among U.S. states, accounting for 10% of all accidents.

BASEBALL COMES TO LONE PEAK HIGH SCHOOL

In January 2022, the Montana High Schools Association decided to sanction high school baseball in Montana, becoming the 48th state to play ball at the high school level. With strong interest from players and dedicated coaches including a former big-leaguer, Lone Peak High School joined two dozen schools in Montana’s inaugural league. The Big Horns will play a month-long season—if the snow melts.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Letters to the editor allow EBS readers to express views and share how they would like to effect change. These are not Thank You notes. Letters should be 250 words or less, respectful, ethical, accurate, and proofread for grammar and content. We reserve the right to edit letters and will not publish individual grievances about specific businesses or letters that are abusive, malicious or potentially libelous. Include: full name, address, phone number and title. Submit to media@outlaw.partners.

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For the April 13, 2023 issue: April 5, 2023

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OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL ADVICE.

LOCAL NEWS IN BRIEF

FWP: LEAVE BABY ANIMALS ALONE, BE MINDFUL OF DISEASES

EBS STAFF

With spring weather fast approaching, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks reminded folks that the organization doesn’t accept or rehabilitate moose, deer, elk and most other animals, and urged recreationalists to leave baby animals alone in a March press release.

Although people may think they are rescuing an orphaned animal, local wildlife have strategies to protect their young and baby animals often have the best chance of survival when left in the wild, according to FWP. Wildlife also has the potential to spread diseases that can be harmful for humans.

If you see a baby animal this spring, FWP recommends leaving it alone, controlling your dog and keeping in mind that it is illegal to possess and care for live animals taken from the wild.

ROAD IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS IN YELLOWSTONE TO IMPACT 2023 VISITORS

EBS STAFF

Yellowstone National Park is planning four major road improvement projects this year to improve safety, access and experience, according to a March 27 press release. Officials anticipate road delays along the park’s southern and northern corridors as a result of the road work.

The park has an asset inventory of $4.1 billion with an estimated $1 billion in deferred maintenance and repairs, according to the release. Annual routine management also costs an estimated $54 million.

The four upcoming projects include: the Lewis River Bridge, Old Faithful to West Thumb, Yellowstone River Bridge and Northeast Entrance Road. For current information about park road conditions, head to the park’s website.

GRIZZLY 399 SETS OUT TO BREAK RECORD

EBS STAFF

A 27-year-old grizzly mama in the Tetons may still be able to bear cubs this spring, according to 20-year-old study by former federal grizzly researcher Chuck Schwartz.

The oldest recorded grizzly to have cubs was 25, according to reporting from WyoFile. Schwartz’s research, however, found that grizzly fertility shuts off around age 29, meaning the famous grizzly 399 could be a mama once again, breaking the record.

Male grizzlies begin exiting hibernation in March and females typically exit with their cubs in April or early May, according to the National Park Service.

MSU SPRING RODEO TO RETURN APRIL 13-16

EBS STAFF

The 2023 Montana State University Spring Rodeo will return to Bozeman April 13-16 at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse.

The event will kick off on Thursday and attendees are encouraged to wear blue and gold attire to support “College Night.” Competition will continue Friday and Saturday, and the championship performance will take place on Sunday. The MSU men’s and women’s teams will compete against six other teams from the region.

For more information, visit the MSU Rodeo Facebook page or the MSU Rodeo website at montana.edu/rodeo/springrodeo.html

LAWMAKERS ADVANCE FUNDING FOR GALLATIN COLLEGE

EBS STAFF

The House Appropriations Committee advanced $23.5 million in state funding for Montana State University’s two-year college after it was added to House Bill 5, which includes a slate of long-range building proposals, according to reporting from Montana Free Press.

Although the project wasn’t included in the start of the 2023 Legislative Session, MSU was able to have the project added until HB 5 after expressing concern that lack of funding could hinder Gallatin College’s growth.

The funding comes with a list of conditions, including the requirement that MSU matches the state’s appropriation with donations, meaning it must raise an additional $22.5 million. MSU must also present a plan for the project to the Department of Administration for approval by September 30.

PUBLIC NOTICE

Pursuant to section 7(j) of Ordinance 20081, notice is hereby given that as of March 29, 2023, Bailey’s Ventures, LLC, dba The Standard Big Sky, has failed to remit Resort Tax to the Big Sky Resort Area District for 363 days.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Dear editor,

We Montanans are fortunate to be able to raise tax money through sales of recreational and medical marijuana. Once the annual $6 million for addiction treatment programs is met, 20% of recreational marijuana sales and 4% of medical sales are allocated to Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks for acquisition of wildlife habitat. In 2022 these funds enabled MTFWP to purchase 6,000 acres in the Big Snowy Mountains, creating a new wildlife management area.

Unfortunately the state legislature is trying to hijack this money to other purposes. HB 462, HB 669, SB 442 and LC 2530 would all undermine the will of Montana voters by permanently redirecting marijuana sales tax revenue to other uses. Funding for wildlife habitat would lose $30-50 million annually if these bills become law.

In Montana we enjoy world-class wildlife. But elk, mule deer, black bear, moose and other wild animals cannot thrive without sufficient habitat. Please contact your legislators to oppose these damaging bills.

Phil Knight Bozeman

The Montana state capitol building in Helena. ADOBE STOCK

A WINTER TO REMEMBER

EBS STAFF

The snowfall this winter has been epic—like, top three in recent recorded history, according to the numbers. As of April 4, 125.3 inches of snow has fallen on the Montana State University campus in Bozeman, said Cody Moldan, lead meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Great Falls.

The only snowier years were 1997 (136.9 inches) and 2018 (126.2 inches).

“Theoretically, we could be two storms away from (the all-time record) if we had another foot to two-foot storm like (southwest Montana) had recently in March,” Moldan said. The snow year runs until June 30, and 1997’s final total was 158.5 inches. In West Yellowstone, 168.5 inches of snow

has fallen as of April 4, which is second only to 2011 (193.1 inches), Moldan said. Snowfall records in West only go back to 2007, he said. NWS stopped tracking snowfall in Big Sky in 2022.

“It’s been a pretty snowy season for southwest Montana, especially for the mountains,” Moldan said. “It was a good season for all the ski resorts and for the reservoirs too.”

PHOTO BY TRESTON WOLD

PHOTO BY BILL TYSON

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"We can turn our pain into action. What you decide to do today can save a life— maybe your child's, maybe your own.”

– Jennifer Rosen Heinz

TRANSPORTATION DISTRICT WORKING TO IMPROVE SKYLINE BUS

DISTRICT SEEKING $10.4 MILLION FOR ELECTRIC BUSES,

STOPLIGHTS

AND BUS STOPS; SUMMER ROAD WORK TO SWELL GROWING PAINS IN BIG SKY

BY JACK REANEY

BIG SKY—The Big Sky Transportation District has launched a survey to inform its public transit investments over the coming decade, which will focus on increasing bus ridership.

The short survey collects feedback from Skyline Bus riders—and from those who avoid Skyline—to help the district improve the service. Data will help officials plan infrastructure upgrades between Four Corners, Gallatin Gateway and Big Sky, and inform the district’s collaboration with Lone Mountain Land Company to build a transit hub in Town Center. Four respondents will win a $50 Amazon gift card, according to the survey, and the form will close on April 1.

The survey was created by a consultant hired by the district during the fall to analyze Big Sky’s bus system and overall transportation needs. Dan Cawley is a transportation designer and engineer with Fehr and Peers, a consulting firm with experience in resort and urban communities including Salt Lake City, where Cawley is based. His goal for Big Sky is a more reliable and viable bus system.

He said the survey already has 1,800 responses, and the results are not entirely surprising: residents want more frequent service across more hours of the day.

“We can do a relatively good job if we’re just looking at data and the [transportation district] board and key stakeholders. But we want to make sure the system is addressing the needs of the community… The survey results reflect what people want to see happen,” Cawley told EBS in a phone interview.

He said Big Sky is suffering from the same challenges of similar communities around the West: “They’re being loved a little too much,” he said, swarmed by visitation and new travel habits after the pandemic.

In late February—with guidance from Cawley and project funding from LMLC—the Big Sky Transportation District applied for $10.43 million in federal RAISE grant funding for Skyline fleet and facility improvements: five new electric transit buses; a new bus station in Gallatin Gateway on Mill Street beside U.S. Highway 191, plus a stoplight; and a stoplight and bus stop at Montana Highway 64 (Lone Mountain Trail) and Huntley Drive in Big Sky. Both bus stops would include pedestrian tunnels under each highway.

RAISE stands for Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity. The grant would be awarded in June 2023, according to Bayard Dominick, LMLC’s vice president of planning and development, and work could begin as early as summer 2024. The following was stated in the district’s federal grant application:

“Funding the Big Sky Transportation District Fleet and Facilities Improvements will advance transportation options at a critical time for a community experiencing unprecedented growth and economic pressure… When paired with broader conversations regarding equity and access to opportunity, improved transit service is increasingly crucial to the economic vitality and overall livability of Big Sky and Gallatin County.”

The Gallatin Gateway and Huntley Drive bus stops were proposed as “high-quality, high-comfort” and the application stated that an electric bus fleet would increase accessibility—new buses would feature low floors—while enabling emission-free public transit service in Big Sky, replacing an “unreliable” fleet of diesel vehicles.

The district’s contract with Karst Stage would not be impacted by the addition of electric buses, Dominick told EBS in an email. Karst would operate electric buses in addition to the remaining fleet.

Skyline is still waiting on new coach-style buses which were funded in 2019 by a TIGER grant, and the district expects will arrive by fall 2023.

“That will definitely help our infrastructure,” said district Board Chair Ennion Williams.

‘World-class mobility hub’

Williams said that with all the employees and buses coming into Big Sky and being disbursed to various employment locations, “[LMLC is] really looking at what [land] they’ve got left to develop, and how they’re going to build transportation into the rest of the development of Town Center.” Williams also works for Outlaw Partners, the publisher of Explore Big Sky.

Dominick wrote, “In addition to the two transportation improvements contemplated in the RAISE Grant application on Hwy 64 and in Gallatin Gateway, LMLC has been working with Big Sky Transportation District to plan a mobility hub in the heart of town center across from BASE. This would be the hub for all local service in and around Big Sky.”

Dominick added that the group will explore additional transit stops and a park-and-ride in Four Corners.

“We believe that the easier and more convenient public transportation can be, the more folks will be willing to utilize public transportation, [mitigating] further traffic congestion in Big Sky and on Highway 191,” Dominick wrote. “The ultimate goal to support the implementation and expansion of a world class [p]ublic [t]ransportation system that will transform the way people move around in Big Sky over the next 10 years into the future.”

For now, Williams said large employers like LMLC have taken on a lot of bus service, running shuttles to locations including Powder Light because Skyline can’t accommodate the number of employees.

“With the service that we’re currently able to provide, the bus system is pretty full,” Williams said. “We’ve seen the success of Big Sky Connect, and the desire for that style of service has definitely [gotten] a good response.”

Big Sky Connect served 10,327 passengers through 7,618 rides in its first two months of service, which began on Jan. 2.

Big Sky Sustainability Network Organization’s recently unveiled Climate Action Plan focuses on four priorities, and one of them is to reduce carbon emissions through more efficient transportation. Amy Fonte, Big Sky Resort sustainability specialist, recently joined the transportation district’s board. Fonte joined Big Sky SNO to present the CAP’s transportation goals at the most recent Big Sky Resort Area District Board Meeting.

Williams said that with Fonte’s help, he envisions the district collaborating with Big Sky SNO on the Climate Action Plan in the near future.

‘A fairly painful summer’

Also part of the TIGER grant that paid for the district’s coach-style buses, road construction will affect Highway 64 this summer as road crews build turn-lanes, a pedestrian tunnel and a stoplight.

Danielle Scharf, Bozeman region manager for civil engineering firm Sanderson Stewart, spoke about the project during a Big Sky Community Week presentation in October.

“It is going to be a fairly painful summer in terms of traffic control and having all of those areas under construction at the same time, but the good news is that it will be mostly done in one year,” Scharf said during the presentation.

The Montana Department of Transportation will hold a virtual open house to discuss the project’s impact on April 19, with online registration required.

“I mean, [buses are] gonna be held up in traffic just like everyone else is,” Williams said. “That happens with our routes now, in afternoons and evenings… we’re gonna have to plan on those delays with the bus system just like everyone else. Not a lot we can do to get around it.”

When asked about the feasibility of a bus lane as a long-term solution to get around traffic, Williams said he does not foresee that being possible, given the lack of real estate to widen Highway 64. No such plans are included in the TIGER grant or RAISE application.

The Gallatin Gateway stoplight would be built on Highway 191 at Mill Street and Rabel Lane (the Exxon gas station’s location). Skyline’s proposed bus station would be on Mill Street: a left turn at this pictured intersection. PHOTO BY JACK REANEY

As Skyline Bus struggles to keep up with rider demand at peak times, the Big Sky Transportation District is planning improvements including more buses and more efficient, centralized stops. PHOTO BY JACK REANEY

NEW TRAM TO CARRY PER-RIDE COST

BY JACK REANEY

BIG SKY—Big Sky Resort launched season pass sales for the 2023-24 season on Thursday, March 23, tied to an announcement about the new Lone Peak Tram, set to finish construction by next winter.

The new tram will have a capacity of 75 passengers, a significant increase from the current 15-person tram, and the pricing structure for tram access will change: instead of the current flat rate which allows unlimited access once skiers and snowboarders pay for a tram day, the new tram will charge per ride.

EBS reached out to the resort for comment on the increased tram capacity and new per-ride pricing structure. After multiple attempts to reach Neil Johnson, vice president of mountain services—who has been responsible for pricing of the current tram—the resort declined to make Johnson available until “we get closer to the winter season and have more specifics to share,” according to Public Relations Manager Stacie Mesuda.

Mesuda did provide a written statement from General Manager Troy Nedved in response to written questions from EBS.

On capacity, Nedved explained that the 75-passenger cabin is directed toward the summer experience, “[when] there is a greater likelihood to fill to the tram’s maximum capacity,” he wrote. During the winter, the number of skiers riding the tram will be limited in accordance with conditions determined by ski patrol—in essence, the tram is not intended to carry 75 skiers at once.

When a new gondola is eventually built, connecting the Base Area to the base of the tram, anyone will be able to ride to the peak without needing downhill gear—the experience will be A.D.A. accessible, Mesuda previously told EBS.

With space for 75 total passengers, the resulting influx of scenic riders from the base area will not cause longer wait times for skiers and snowboarders, as scenic riders currently do.

The price of a scenic tram ride will be lower than the price for skiers, Nedved wrote.

‘We recommend purchasing a gold season pass’

On pricing, Nedved stated:

“The shift to a per ride system will lower the cost barrier of entry for guests wanting to experience Lone Peak… The more affordable entry cost makes the tram more accessible to skiers… Based on the average tram user currently taking less than 2 rides per tram day, we expect the cost to be lower for most tram users. This shift also removes the pressure to lap the tram all day once a guest has committed to the current daily rate.”

No response was provided to the question of how per-ride pricing will compare to the current per-day pricing.

In a video posted by Big Sky Resort, Nedved said, “for those of you who ride the tram frequently, we recommend purchasing a gold season pass, which provides unlimited tram access, or a double-black pass, which includes 25 rides for the season.”

The gold pass, now for sale at an early-season discount, costs $2,250 for adults (aged 26-64) and various prices for other age groups. The doubleblack pass costs $1,880 for an adult.

“As a reminder, children six and under ski free with a parent season pass, and Big Sky Resort proudly offers all K-8 Big Sky students with a free season pass, and military discounts all season long,” Nedved added. He did not respond to the question of a local discount.

The planned gondola will replace the Explorer chairlift, running from Base Area to the bowl and connecting to the new tram. COURTESY OF BIG SKY RESORT

Rendering of Big Sky Resort's new Lone Peak Tram, which will carry 75 passengers and charge per-ride. COURTESY OF BIG SKY RESORT

BIG SKY’S

TICKETS & INFO AT BIGSKYPBR.COM

COMMUNITY EVENTS

FRIDAY, JULY 14

BIG SKY COMMUNITY RODEO

7:00 PM - Big Sky Events Arena

COMMUNITY STREET DANCE

Featuring The Tony Marques Band

9:00 PM - Len Hill Park

TUESDAY, JULY 18

FREE COMMUNITY DAY / FAMILY ACTIVITIES

12:00 PM - Big Sky Events Arena

MUTTON BUSTIN’

4:00 PM - Big Sky Events Arena

DICK ALLGOOD COMMUNITY BINGO NIGHT

6:00 PM - Big Sky Events Arena

WEDNESDAY, JULY 19

BIG SKY PBR GOLF TOURNAMENT

9:00 AM - Black Bull Golf Course, Bozeman, MT

PROFESSIONAL BULL RIDING

THURSDAY, JULY 20

BULL RIDING NIGHT 1

6:00 PM - Big Sky Events Arena

MUSIC IN THE MOUNTAINS CONCERT

Featuring Madeline Hawthorne

8:00 PM - Len Hill Park

FRIDAY, JULY 21

BULL RIDING NIGHT 2

7:00 PM - Big Sky Events Arena

PBR AFTER PARTY

Featuring Jamie McLean Band

9:15 PM - SAV Big Sky Events Arena Stage

SATURDAY, JULY 22

BULL RIDING NIGHT 3

7:00 PM - Big Sky Events Arena

PBR AFTER PARTY

Featuring Lukas Nelson & POTR

9:15 PM - SAV Big Sky Events Arena Stage

FLATIRON DEVELOPMENT LOOKS TO ‘HORSE-TRADE’ WATER FOR SEWER SUBDIVISION PLAN

BY JACK REANEY

WILL REQUIRE EXPANDED WASTEWATER CAPACITY

BIG SKY—The Flatiron project, proposed in May 2021 by Bozeman-based Middle Fork Properties, LLC, is stuck at a chicken-and-the-egg situation, officials say.

The Flatiron subdivision proposal spans 535 acres of lowland at the bases of Andesite and Flatiron Mountains beside Big Sky Resort. Three hundred and fifty acres belong to Gallatin County and 185 to Madison County, but 150 of the Madison County acres are located in the gap between the Big Sky County Water and Sewer District boundaries. Developers identified drinking water wells in that middle ground, and they hope to provide excess water to the district in exchange for the sewer hookups that would make the development viable.

District officials sense the developers are seeking roughly 550 sewer hookups. Certain district officials say they can’t “horse-trade” Big Sky’s limited wastewater rights for drinking water, and that further research to confirm the water quality in those wells—requested by the developers—might not be necessary.

“It is a bit of chicken-and-the-egg problem,” BSCWSD general manager Ron Edwards told EBS after the meeting, borrowing the expression used by water superintendent Jim Muscat during a public committee meeting. “Unless you know what you’re going to be negotiating for at the end of it, why do the testing?”

The topic was discussed between Flatiron developers and the district board’s Flatiron subcommittee on March 29.

During the meeting, Flatiron developer Chris Leonard said, “everyone knows this project will be limited by water and sewer capacity.” District board chair Brian Wheeler said traffic might be a bigger constraint.

Edwards said the Flatiron project’s plans are ambitious in terms of build-out volume and density. The group purchased the property in January 2019, which included rights to 850 singlefamily equivalents (SFEs) of drinking water and wastewater service within the district boundary— rights granted in 2002 through a “horse-trade” with the Yellowstone Club but left largely untouched.

Middle Fork Properties designed Flatiron for 1,400 total doors under the expectation that they could trade abundant drinking water for lacking sewer access, Edwards told EBS, but “[the district] can’t commit to that. We’ve been pretty clear on that point.”

Muscat told EBS that Flatiron was “kind of optimistic” in their initial estimate of the amount of water in their wells which they brought to the district “for horse-trading purposes.” Developer Ryan Pearson told the committee that Flatiron sits on roughly double the amount of water that the subdivision would need, and that their water expert sampled “dynamite” water.

“They didn’t understand the commitment we have, the limitations on the sewer [capacity],” Muscat said. “They thought there was going to be a bunch of capacity available, and it’s just not that simple.”

Although Big Sky’s new Water Resource Recovery Facility will increase the community’s capacity for new sewer hookups, Edwards said the district already has commitments on paper. Town Center, Spanish Peaks and Lone Moose are accounted for in the growth—but Lone Moose (now Flatiron) remains capped below Flatiron’s proposed need.

Edwards said the cleanest path forward is for the developers to take the 850 SFEs they’ve got and spread it over a bigger area, using the drinking water they’ve found. He believes the district board won’t support an expansion of sewer rights.

Project developer Michael Schreiner said that if the district doesn’t budge toward expanding sewer capacity, the developers would “absolutely” consider altering the current planned design which includes more than 2,500 total units, but that adjustment is yet to be determined. Because the current plan includes 900 workforce housing beds, developers might engage the Big Sky Community Housing Trust for a partnership—the housing trust holds sewer hookups around the new WRRF to encourage developers to build workforce housing.

Much of the subcommittee discussion revolved around the quantity and quality of Flatiron’s water. Developers offered to pay for the district to hire engineers to evaluate the wells, but the district subcommittee questioned the purpose. Muscat broached the question of why water quality would matter during the meeting, invoking the chicken and the egg metaphor.

Edwards summarized to EBS, “Why go through the additional testing, if at the end of the day you’re going to try to use that as a bargaining chip for expanded sewer capacity? The answer would be ‘no,’ so why go through the testing?”

During the meeting, the developers repeated their belief that a win-win situation is possible. Schreiner shared his vision in a phone call with EBS.

“[We envision] a development that makes sense for the water and sewer district to connect to,” Schreiner said. “It has to financially make sense

for us [in a way] that pencils in the end. They win if they can add water volume and quality to the community. We win if we have what we would consider a viable development. We’re all in it to make money, but doing something for the community along the way is what my family has always been about.”

He said the recent meetings with the subcommittee have been helpful for both parties to educate each other on findings and share information.

“Every meeting kind of helps us understand each other’s positions and what we’re trying to accomplish,” Schreiner said.

He believes that right now, an agreement is being held back by knowledge.

“We’ve already tested the water once, our engineers were happy. We’re happy to test it again at our expense. If it comes back [high quality] we’d like to work with the community to [resolve] any shortage they may have,” Schreiner said.

The district agreed to have its engineers evaluate the exact capacity for water, checking that wells would not deplete the water flow in the adjacent Middle Fork Gallatin River, Muscat said. The engineers would also vet water quality.

“It’s complicated. If you’re a little confused, trust me: 25 years of confusion, and I’ve been working here the whole time,” Muscat joked to EBS, on the slow-moving and technical discussion. Pearson concluded during the meeting that he learned more about the district and its limitations.

The next Flatiron subcommittee meeting has not been scheduled.

Schreiner emphasized to EBS that he, attorney Becca Pape, and Leonard have been established Big Sky community members. When business talk subsided after 97 minutes, participants shared pleasantries on their way out the door.

A conceptual illustration shows an early plan for the Flatiron development. IMAGE COURTESY OF MIDDLE FORK PROPERTIES LLC

OPHIR SCHOOL’S RILEY NIVA SPELLS HIS WAY TO STATE

BY JACK REANEY

BIG SKY—Ophir Middle School eighth grader Riley Niva said he’s a normal kid who doesn’t spend all his time studying. By reaching the state spelling bee, Niva demonstrated a prowess for language, at least.

On Feb. 25, Niva faced county-wide competition from grades 4-8 at the Gallatin County Spelling Bee at the Museum of the Rockies. He finished in the top four, qualifying him for the 58th Annual Treasure State Spelling Bee at Montana State University on March 11, where an unfortunate misunderstanding took him out of contention in the second round.

After nailing ‘peat,’ Niva mistook the word ‘assure’ for ‘usher,’ and spelled the wrong word correctly. During a March 22 interview, he assured EBS that ‘assure’ is an easy word and spelled it without a blink.

“There was definitely a pattern that I noticed,” Niva said. “It’s about luck, ‘cause there’s some people who get words like ‘modular’ which is super easy, and there’s people who get ‘candelabra’ which is Latin—and that was a really hard word that I actually got out on.”

Niva was referring to the county bee at the museum, when ‘candelabra’ stumped him in the late rounds after he spelled words including ‘probably’ and ‘gargantuan.’ He had already qualified for state.

“That one’s a pretty easy word,” Niva said. “Like, ‘gar’ and then there’s ‘gantuan,’ like, ‘tuan,’ I don’t know.”

Before the Big Sky School District and Gallatin County bees, students could study

from a list of 4,000 words, Niva said. Before the state bee, no words were off limits.

“I just kinda looked at the words and hoped for the best, which is not the best thing to do,” Niva said, pointing to some competitors who took the process very seriously. “But, I mean, I didn’t know what else to do because there was only a two-week period. You can’t really learn every word in the dictionary in two weeks.”

Niva recalled feeling nervous as his face was projected on two huge screens in MSU’s Strand Union Ballroom. He noticed cameras from local news station KZBK.

Niva shared advice for those learning to spell:

“You have to listen to your teachers. You’re probably going to learn your spelling mostly in the second grade. It depends on how much you remember from second grade… and if you’re able to read really well, you can spell pretty well too, because you start to remember the words and how they’re spelled. You start to remember them and how they’re said.”

An avid reader according to one former teacher, Niva cited Harry Potter as a great source of words.

SAR RESCUES SKIER, SNOWMOBILER OVER APRIL 1 WEEKEND

EBS STAFF

Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue volunteers responded to a stranded skier in Bear Basin on April 1 and a snowmobiler near Pioneer Mountain on April 2, according to releases from the Sheriff’s Office.

Gallatin County Dispatch received the SOS notification at 6:02 p.m. on April 1 alerting them of a skier that was stranded and lost in the Bear Basin area, northeast of Beehive Basin near Big Sky. The skier had planned to backcountry ski into Beehive Basin, however, became stranded due to equipment trouble, according to the release.

GCSSAR volunteers from the Big Sky Section traveled into the area on snowmobiles and transitions to skis to meet the skier. Rescue crews escorted the skier back to the trailhead and a Sheriff’s Deputy brought the skier back to their car.

At 7:40 p.m. on April 2, Gallatin County Dispatch received a call for a snowmobiler stranded in the backcountry in the Pioneer Mountain area near Big Sky. The rider had spent hours trying to get their snowmobile out before calling for help.

GCSSAR Big Sky Section volunteers responded from two different directions on snowmobiles

and found the stranded rider, who was not injured but very cold. Rescuers built a fire to warm the rider up before returning the rider back to the trailhead, the release said.

In the release, Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer urged recreationalists to be prepared for equipment failure and commended the skier for carrying a GPS device that could be used to call for assistance.

It is important to recreate with a partner while in the backcountry as “having a friend to help if you are stuck, injured or lost is invaluable,” Springer emphasized in the release.

Riley Niva said 'gargantuan' wasn't too difficult to spell correctly in the Gallatin County Spelling Bee. PHOTO AND HANDWRITING BY JACK REANEY

Rescuers aid a stranded skier in Bear Basin on April 1. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE GALLATIN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE

Volunteers with Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue ventured out into the dark to help a stranded snowmobiler near Big Sky on April 2. PHOTO COURTESY OF GALLATIN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

REGIONAL

$1 MILLION WILDLIFE CROSSINGS FUND PASSES LEGISLATIVE COMMITTE

BY AMANDA EGGERT MONTANA FREE PRESS

A bill seeking to make Montana roadways safer for motorists and wildlife by creating a $1 million pilot program for wildlife crossing structures passed out of committee on March 28.

The House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee voted 13-6 to pass House Bill 887 shortly after holding a hearing on the measure.

The bill would create a fund for the design, construction, restoration, protection and study of wildlife crossings and other highway features to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions. If passed, HB 887 would also allow the Montana Department of Transportation to accept outside sources of public or private funding, including gifts and grants, to bolster the fund.

The Center for Large Landscape Conservation, a Bozeman-based nonprofit that works on habitat connectivity, has found an 86% to 97% decrease in wildlife-vehicle collisions in locations with crossing structures, according to bill sponsor Katie Zolnikov, R-Billings. Zolnikov said a fund dedicated to wildlife crossing could allow the state to leverage its money with a four-to-one federal match to apply for some of the $350 million of federal money for wildlife crossing initiatives included in the infrastructure bill the U.S. Congress passed in 2021.

“Colorado’s put $5 million for this already, so states are taking a piece of the pie, and I think Montana should join that as well,” Zolnikov said.

Local governments could also identify areas that could benefit from a crossing structure and apply for funding, Zolnikov said, so the Montana Department of Transportation could be as “involved or not as involved as they prefer to be.”

Eight proponents and no opponents spoke about the bill at Tuesday’s hearing. Representatives from MDT and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks appeared as informational witnesses.

Speaking on behalf of the Teddy Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Shane Scanlon said HB 887 could give the state the opportunity to turn a $1 million investment into $5 million in funding via the federal match. About 17,000 wildlife-vehicle collisions occur every year in Montana, he said, adding that an analysis by insurance company State Farm has found that Montana has the second-highest wildlife-vehicle collision rate in the United States.

Greg Munther, with the Montana Sportsmen Alliance, said crossings can save the lives of both people and wildlife, “and we should care about connecting these parts of the landscape.”

HB 887 also garnered support from the Montana Wildlife Federation, Montana Audubon, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Wolves of the Rockies, the Montana Contractors Association and the American Property and Casualty Insurance Association.

During the question-and-answer period of the meeting, committee members asked Montana Department of Transportation Chief Financial Officer Larry Flynn about the cost and efficacy of crossing structures, as well as the number of projects that have been completed in the state already.

Flynn said he didn’t know how many wildlife crossings have been completed in the state or if there are any projects in the design or construction phase. He told the committee the costs depend on the specific type of accommodation.

“If we’re talking about signage or removing trees along the roadway, that’s going to be a fairly simple fix. If we’re talking overpasses, underpasses, things of that nature, they can be quite costly — in the millions if not tens of millions of dollars.”

In a January 2022 conversation with Montana Free Press about wildlife crossings, MDT Environmental Services Bureau Chief Tom Martin said overpasses can cost between $1 million and $7 million, and underpasses typically run $250,000 to $600,000,

Rep. Marilyn Marler, D-Missoula, referenced the extensive wildlife crossing accommodations installed along U.S. Highway 93 in the early 2000s in a question about the national and state interest in crossing structures over the past 20 years.

“I feel like I heard a lot about these overpasses and underpasses for wildlife about 20 years ago — maybe that’s when they were going up on the [Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes] property,” she said. “Has there been a change? … Was that really popular in road engineering for a while and then it went out of phase at some national level?”

“I believe that, yes, they were kind of the rage,” Flynn answered. "We started building that Evaro-to-Polson corridor about 18 years ago, and that was in conjunction with the CSKT, the federal government, and of course MDT. That was a very, very important thing, especially for the tribes, to accommodate those wildlife crossings. But we have probably addressed the most significant areas. From the [chief financial officer] perspective, I’m always happy to take someone else’s money, but we feel like this is kind of a distraction in a lot of ways.”

Prior to voting on the measure, committee members expressed a range of views about the efficacy of crossing structures. Rep. Paul Fielder, R-Thompson Falls, said he doesn’t think crossings merit the investment proposed by HB 887 on a “bang for the buck” analysis. Rep. Bob Phalen, R-Lindsay, and Rep. Ed Butcher, R-Winifred,

expressed interest in fencing large sections of roadways along eastern Montana highways to separate deer from motorists.

“When it comes to eastern Mmontana, if you just fence roads, wildlife won’t be able to cross at all,” Rep. Jonathan Karlen, D-Missoula, countered. “If that is a method that you think is most effective, I think the fencing needs to be combined with a wildlife crossing, because that’s how animals will move from one side of the road to the other.”

“If you just do a quick Google search, you’ll see a large, large body of peer-reviewed, scientific evidence that wildlife crossings work,” Karlen added.

The bill’s hearing comes about a month after the Montana Wildlife & Transportation Partnership announced the launch of a planning tool to help local groups identify areas of need to reduce wildlifevehicle collisions.

“Montanans care deeply about protecting our natural resources and keeping one another safe,” MDT Director Malcoln Long said in a release about the project. “After years of planning, MWTP celebrates a new opportunity to further public-private partnerships that reduce wildlife and transportation conflicts and improve wildlife connectivity in Montana.”

MDT tallies more than 6,000 animal carcasses along the state’s roadways each year, and more than 10% of automotive crashes involve wildlife collisions, according to the release. Along some corridors, such as Highway 191 south of Bozeman, wild animals play a role in up to one-quarter of all collisions. HB 887 notes that 53 people died as a result of a crash involving an animal on Montana roadways between 2011 and 2020.

The tool, which was developed as part of a collaboration between MDT, FWP and Montanans for Safe Wildlife Passage, will help state agencies and local groups identify 1- to 2-mile segments of highways that could be candidates for a wildlife accommodation. That information will be compiled and ranked to identify areas of highest need. The first application cycle for proposals will run from May 1 through May 31, and a second application cycle is set to open Nov. 1.

HOUSE BILL 887 WOULD ESTABLISH A FUND THE MONTANA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION OR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS COULD USE TO LEVERAGE FEDERAL INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING DEDICATED FOR WILDLIFE CROSSINGS.

Elk cross the road in the early morning in Gallatin Gateway.

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SPORTS

BIG HORNS MAKE BASEBALL HISTORY

WHEN SNOW MELTS, LONE PEAK HIGH SCHOOL WILL JOIN DEBUT HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL LEAGUE

BY JACK REANEY

BIG SKY—Montana has become the 48th state to adopt high school baseball and the Lone Peak High School Big Horns are on deck.

When the Montana High School Association voted to sanction the sport in January 2022 after a feasibility study, two dozen high schools opted to launch a baseball program. Even with Lone Peak’s Class-C-sized enrollment of 122 students, Athletic Director John Hannahs was convinced by prospective coaches John McGuire and Matt Morris, who saw strong interest. They filled a roster of 21 boys—roughly one-third of the eligible student body. It was enough to add a junior varsity squad.

“I think it comes down to having a group of people who can help you establish that program,” Hannahs told EBS. “John and Matt have an incredible amount of experience, and they’ve got the passion to go after it and make my life easier… [They] were really the champions of getting things started.”

To adhere to Title IX, the school needed to add a girls sport as well. Hannahs said they chose to add girls cross country in fall 2022, but the program lacked interest and nobody competed. The program will take sign-ups again next fall.

Morris founded the Big Sky Royals youth baseball program, which assembles a handful of teams across three levels to compete against teams in Belgrade’s Little League. McGuire said the baseball community owes a debt of gratitude to Morris, who grew the program “from nothing” to roughly 60 ballplayers this year, counting high school. McGuire coached the first Royals Babe Ruth team.

The Big Horns will also be coached by Brad Johnson and Ryan Rothing.

“We’re thrilled at the turnout,” Morris told EBS. “We’re surprised by a lot of upperclassmen that have decided to play baseball and haven’t played in years. It’s giving kids another opportunity to play a varsity sport, and we’re pumped about that.”

The current freshman class has been playing together since T-ball. Morris and McGuire, who both have sons on the team, got the Royals program going with that same age group.

“It’s just really come together with Montana high school baseball where these ninth graders are now looking for a place to play, and here we are,” Morris said.

McGuire added, “We’ve got a young core as well, so we feel the program is set up for growth in the next couple years.”

The state league combines schools of all sizes, and Lone Peak will compete in the East Division against high schools from Sidney/Fairview, Belgrade, Butte, Butte Central and Columbus. With the Big Horns’ opener delayed by snow, coaches expect the inaugural season to last just one month before the state tournament in mid-May.

Morris hopes that after this year the MHSA might extend the season by a few weeks. It currently ends in May to allow for a transition to American Legion Baseball, but if high school ball gains steam, Legion might not need to start so early in Montana.

Ron Edwards is an enduring community leader through his work with the Big Sky County Water and Sewer District. He also serves as the general chairman of Montana and Alberta baseball for the American Legion and said MHSA baseball complicates things.

“If your program has a high school team, you can’t be working out with the Legion team until they’re done… We’ve also said Legion teams aren’t going to play high school teams,” Edwards told EBS.

He said Legion programs typically play as many as 65 games, and he doesn’t think MHSA will extend the season much more than a week, since summer break starts in early June. If they do extend, it will cut into the Legion season. He added that with 64 Legion teams in Montana, there’s been no lack of baseball opportunity— although high school baseball comes without an entry fee, unlike Legion baseball.

Edwards said high school baseball might spark communities to create an American Legion team. He also said it might take away from Legion, as players get their “baseball fix” through school. Most of all, Edwards isn’t convinced MHSA baseball will produce high-level ball.

“This is a great example of why Montana has never had high school baseball, because Bozeman’s fields [are] under two feet of snow,” Edwards said. “It’s early season, pitchers aren’t ready to throw that much, crappy weather… It’s Montana.”

Nonetheless, Edwards expressed excitement about the Big Horns and the team’s uniquely experienced coaching staff. He said he plans to attend the state tournament in Butte.

‘It’s Montana baseball’

Hannahs said spring sports in Montana are always a challenge. As of late March, there’s still too much snow to start clearing the turf for practice space, and the school facilities team is working to clear the running track first. On March 28, sprinters jumped hurdles in the main hallway, shared with golfers chipping plastic balls toward a small target.

“We show up here, see what we’ve got, and then we make our practice plan,” Morris said. “These guys are 15 to 18 years old, and the gym is just too small for us. But we’re making do. We’re getting our pitchers ready, our catchers, and we’re able to hit in a cage. And those are the main things. But as far as situational baseball, we’re lacking a little bit.”

Morris pointed out that it’s Montana baseball, and snow is a problem for many teams across the state.

“It’s gonna be awesome for these kids,” McGuire said. “We just gotta get outside and that’s a matter of time.”

The original schedule had the Big Horns season opener scheduled for April 1, against Butte High School. They planned to play at Medina Field in Belgrade, but the field isn’t ready. Coaches believe their season opener will be delayed past April 6 and 7, scheduled in Columbus and Belgrade. They’re eyeing a possible first pitch on April 15 in Columbus, against Dillon High School.

The Big Horns’ next home game would be April 27 against Columbus, and they will try to play at Big Sky’s Community Park—one of the 60-foot softball diamonds was retrofitted for 90-foot adult baseball. Medina Field will be the team’s backup plan when they need to rent a dry field.

Long term, the Big Horns might pursue their own baseball field.

“If that’s a possibility, I’m sure we would pursue it if we see the program has legs,” Hannahs said. “It will be interesting to see what happens with the rest of the state, because this is new for everybody.

Lone Peak pitcher Keelan Groupe and catcher Geno DiTullio smiled before an indoor bullpen session on Tuesday, March 28.

PHOTO BY JACK REANEY

Brady Johnson gets loose during an infield throwing drill. PHOTO BY JACK REANEY

The Big Horns’ preseason warm-up includes a few throwing drills in the small gymnasium.

PHOTO BY JACK REANEY

BIG LEAPS FOR BIG SKY HOCKEY

BY JACK REANEY

BIG SKY—The Big Sky Skating and Hockey Association expanded youth programs for the 2022-23 winter season, as the Montana 64’s traveled farther for more tournaments and grew from three age groups to five.

Coach Joseph McFadden said the program took some big leaps this season. Big Sky became an affiliate member of the Montana Amateur Hockey Association, which allowed the team to host more games and compete with MAHA opponents. McFadden, who’s been involved for nearly a decade, said he remembers a season with 20 players. This season, the program had roughly 70 players, which allowed the Montana 64’s to separate into 6u, 8u, 10u, 12u and 19u—a better breakdown of cognitive, physical and social development than the beginner, intermediate and advanced levels of prior years.

The Montana 64’s showcased their 19u program by finishing second in the Montana House League’s Helena tournament, which McFadden compared to the playoff tournament. By 202425, McFadden hopes to see the Montana 64’s rise to the Treasure State League—Montana’s top-tier youth hockey—where the 12u age group can compete for a state championship.

This season, the Montana 64’s competed against clubs from Bozeman, Helena, Great Falls and Lewistown.

“It’s a ski town so it’s tough for anything besides skiing to gain any traction, especially with the [snow] year we’ve had,” McFadden said.

Despite the snow, he said coaches pushed the players to a higher level of commitment with more travel tournaments and roughly four times the amount of home games at the Marty Pavelich Ice Rink in Big Sky.

McFadden said he’s proud “[to watch] the kids grow into good community members. Even if you’re not having the best day, if you’re part of the team you show up and your teammates are there to help you out and bring you back up.”

Keelan Grupe is a Lone Peak High School junior who plays for the 19u team coached by Nick Cerfino. He was proud of the Montana 64’s runner-up finish in Helena two weeks ago, which wrapped up his second season of hockey.

Grupe used to play as a kid but quit. On a school trip to Washington D.C., he saw the Washington Capitals host the Philadelphia Flyers, and wondered, ‘why did I stop playing this sport?’

He gave credit to McFadden for getting kids into hockey and called him an incredible coach. He also credits Steve Rapp, Scott “STP” Leuzinger and a bunch of volunteers for leading the program. He was also excited by the program’s new gear and new jerseys which came with increased funding this year.

“I think it’s a great program and I hope that it continues to grow,” Grupe told EBS in a phone call. “People who haven’t played hockey—or haven’t recently—should try to join. Lot of great people, both parents and coaches.”

McFadden said STP and Steve Rapp have led the program for ages, and they’re starting to step back and let him run with it. Pete Kamman, a former Big Sky resident, is the president of MAHA and helped get Big Sky more organized for league play. McFadden said it also helped to get some more coaches in the mix.

“John Loomis is a 10u coach, he was all about it,” McFadden said. “Coach Casey [Barnett], coach Katherine [Holtz] stepped up with younger kids… Growing up in a hockey culture, everybody pitches in.”

Nine-year-old Grady Chapin told EBS in a phone call that he’s been playing hockey since he was 5. He’s seen more kids start playing and enjoys watching his teammates improve.

“I’ve definitely improved my speed, defense and puck handling,” Chapin said. “I usually play left [defense] or left wing.”

He’s looking forward to working on his shots and playing more games in the future. He said playing with older kids is the best way to learn, and it’s common for the Montana 64’s to combined practices.

Although he was born more than half a century after Marty Pavelich played his last professional game with the Detroit Red Wings in 1957, Chapin said Pavelich helps the program a lot. Chapin has met the former NHL All-Star and four-time Stanley Cup champion a few times, and he said Pavelich always introduces himself to kids at the rink.

Grupe remembers Pavelich dropping the puck a few times in the last two years.

“I don’t know him very well, but he’s a great guy,” Grupe said. “Very outgoing and he’s got a love for hockey.”

McFadden said Pavelich is very gracious with his time. Occasionally, he’ll stick around after games for an hour, talking with players from Big Sky and the visiting team.

“We’re so grateful to have someone around who just loves the game and wants everybody to skate, have fun, be a good citizen,” McFadden said. “He tells players to work hard and be good to your coaches, and good to your parents.”

In December 2022, the Big Sky Community Organization dedicated Big Sky’s home ice to Pavelich, now 95.

“[Pavelich] said it was better than winning the Stanley Cup,” McFadden recalled. “It’s very flattering to have someone say that about your community and your program.”

Big Sky's youth hockey program had its biggest winter yet in 2022-23. COURTESY OF MATT DODD

Pavelich (center, wearing orange) celebrates his rink’s dedication with coaches and players of the Montana 64’s. COURTESY OF MATT DODD

For the first time in 2023, the Montana 64’s 19u team competed in the Helena House Tournament without combining with another team. COURTESY OF JOSEPH MCFADDEN

Pavelich speaks during the Marty Pavelich Ice Rink dedication ceremony. COURTESY OF MATT DODD

A FRESH TAKE ON AN OLD CLASSIC 'CINDERELLA' RETURNS TO THE WMPAC STAGE FOR A NEW GENERATION

BY GUS HAMMOND EBS CONTRIBUTOR

BIG SKY—This isn’t Lone Peak High School’s first "Cinderella". But when the curtains at Warren Miller Performing Arts Center open at 6:30 on April 5 and 6, audiences who saw the debut of "Cinderella" in 2014 will be reminded of how far the enterprise has come in just shy of a decade.

Nine years ago, Cinderella was the first Lone Peak High School musical and just barely had enough kids to cast the show. Producer Barbara Rowley, who could not stress enough how far these shows have come, remembers choosing the title for this reason. Back then, the pool of male thespians totaled four—and she knew all their mothers. But that was enough to put on the show.

These days LPHS musicals regularly draw three times or more cast members (30 is a normal cast size) and the shows sell out in a hurry. This year’s show—the newest of the five licensable titles in the Rodgers & Hammerstein Cindy franchise—has a different take on the stories and morals behind "Cinderella." It’s a much more modern version than the classic "Cinderella" show LPHS presented in 2014. Rowley was particularly excited about the contemporary nature of the story.

“There is a nice stepsister and a socialist radical, who is quite a comic character. There is also an acknowledgment that the Prince is not always such a prince. He's not strong and he’s not happy to have inherited his role,” she said.

And while Rowley presented the first "Cinderella" because it was the only musical she could find that she could cast, she picked this new version because of the modern story changes with the still classic R&H tunes.

“I'm excited about this show because it's going to showcase a lot of strong male talent, not unlike Oklahoma,” Rowley said. “It seems to be something Rodgers and Hammerstein did, giving really strong, powerful male leads, and we have really great high school leads who can do that, so that's exciting.”

LPHS productions have grown in more ways than just drawing more actors to audition. The number of shows the LPHS players put on each year has doubled since 2014. Just three months ago, three sold out audiences raved at the holiday production of "Elf."

This year 11 male students auditioned for the show’s two performances. The famous Prince Topher role went to Max Romney (Thursday night) and Matthew Jennings (Wednesday night).

Romney, who’s not only the star of the basketball team but also a perennial star on the stage, is enthusiastic about his last high school performance.

"I think that it is going to be a good show," Romney said. "It's a classic show with a new funny script. It's got some fun topics, some good humor, and some interesting dance scenes."

Romney has been a part of theater for as long as he’s been in school, starting with the summer Big Sky Broadway Junior and Big Sky Broadway shows and now four years of high school musicals.

Romney is one of many long-term, dedicated seniors on the stage. This will also be the last show for Ella Henslee, Colter Marino, Felix Jacobs, Jessie Bough, Emily Graham and this reporter. Because of the amount of talent (and number of cast members), the show is completely double cast with different students in lead roles on Wednesday and Thursday night.

"I think Cinderella's a really great show," Graham said. "It's a big show with lots of music, which will be fun. I think the cast has worked really hard, and I think the hard work will pay off."

The curtains will open at 6:30 pm on Wednesday, April 5 and Thursday, April 6. Tickets are available at warrenmillerpac.org and pre-purchase is advised. The show is wonderful for all ages.

ARTS COUNCIL OF BIG SKY SPRING ART CLASSES BEGIN APRIL 23

THE ARTS COUNCIL OF BIG SKY

BIG SKY—The Arts Council of Big Sky’s Spring Art Classes begin April 23 and conclude May 26, 2023. Registration opened on Monday, March 27. Classes include Adult and Teen All-Levels Pottery, Adult and Teen Pyrography (Woodburning), Children’s After School ARTventure, Adult and Teen Open Pottery Studio and a monthly Community Art Class. All art classes are offered with a Contribute What You Can payment model, with up to 70% off the suggested class price, so participants can select a price that works for their budget. Participants can also choose to make a donation while registering to help sustain this one of a kind program. Additionally, most of the classes are taught in English and Spanish. Space is very limited for some classes, so register soon. You can find more detailed information and registration at http://bigskyarts.org/artclasses.

The cast of Cinderella rehearses ahead of the show's April 5 debut.

PHOTO BY GUS HAMMOND

Cast members on set during a March 31 rehearsal.

PHOTO BY GUS HAMMOND

Art class students make pottery on the wheel. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ARTS COUNCIL OF BIG SKY

Woodburning is a popular community art class. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ARTS COUNCIL OF BIG SKY

Big Sandy

25,000± acre ranch near Big Sandy, MT. 18,124± acres deeded and over 8,000± acres BLM and State lease the ranch is a 650 cow calf pair and had 5,000± tillable acres plus a 30+ year outfitting history for trophy mule deer and big horn sheep hunts.

Big Sky

Incredible views of Lone Peak, Mountain Village and Andesite. This home has been partially renovated and would be perfect for a new owner to complete the renovation to their own specifications. Ski accessable with local knowledge.

6 SIOUX

ZY BROWN RANCH RD

$17,450,000 | #368590

BIG SKY EVENTS CALENDAR

Thursday, March 6 – April 19

If your next event falls between April 20-May 3, please submit it to

THURSDAY, APRIL 6

Community Acupuncture

Santosha Wellness Center, 11 a.m.

ARTventure Afterschool Program

BASE, 4:30 p.m.

St. Joseph’s Thursday of the Lord’s Supper Mass Big Sky Chapel, 5 p.m.

LPHS Musical: “Cinderella” WMPAC, 6:30 p.m.

All Saints in Big Sky Holy Eucharist with Foot-washing Rite Big Sky Chapel, 7 p.m.

AA Meeting

Big Sky Chapel, 7 p.m.

Live Music: Chandler Huntley Montage Big Sky, 7 p.m.

Live Music:The Nelsons Tips Up, 9:45 p.m.

FRIDAY, APRIL 7

Après Ski: DJ KA5 Big Sky Resort, 12 p.m.

Après Ski: DJs Take A Chance and Jenn N' Juice Big Sky Resort, 3 p.m.

Open Pottery Studio BASE, 5 p.m.

St. Joseph’s Friday of the Passion of the Lord Big Sky Chapel, 5 p.m.

All Saints in Big Sky Solemn Service of Readings and Prayer Big Sky Chapel, 7 p.m.

Live Music: Benn and Able Band Tips Up, 9:45 p.m.

SATURDAY, APRIL 8

AA Meeting Big Sky Chapel, 7:30 a.m.

SheJumps Junior Ski Patrol Clinic Big Sky Resort, 9:30 a.m.

Easter Egg Decorating Class Montage Big Sky, 2 p.m.

Après Ski: DJ KA5 Big Sky Resort, 3 p.m.

Big Sky Shootout Film and Photo Festival The Waypoint, 5 p.m.

All Saints in Big Sky Easter Vigil Service Big Sky Chapel, 5 p.m.

Live Music: Sterling Drake Montage Big Sky, 7 p.m.

St. Joseph’s Easter Vigil Mass Big Sky Chapel, 8:30 p.m.

Live Music: DJ Big Lou Tips Up, 10 p.m.

SUNDAY, APRIL 9

Easter Sunrise Service with Big Sky Resort Ministries

Top of Ramcharger 8 Chairlift, 7 a.m.

Easter Sunrise Service Bridger Bowl, 7 a.m.

St. Joseph’s Easter Mass Big Sky Chapel, 8 a.m.

Easter Brunch Montage Big Sky, 8 a.m.

Kids’ Easter Egg Hunt Bridger Bowl, 8:30 a.m.

Big Sky Christian Fellowship Easter Service Big Sky Chapel, 9:30 a.m.

All Saints in Big Sky Festival Eucharist Big Sky Chapel, 11 a.m.

Easter Egg Hunt Montage Big Sky, 11 p.m.

Après Ski: DJ KA5 Big Sky Resort, 3 p.m.

Open Pottery Studio BASE, 4 p.m.

Live Music: Cole Decker Montage Big Sky, 7 p.m.

Screening: Throwback Movies The Waypoint, 8 p.m.

MONDAY, APRIL 10

AA Women’s Meeting Big Sky Christian Fellowship Offices, 5:30 p.m.

NA Meeting Big Sky Medical Center, 6:30 p.m.

Competitive Video Games The Waypoint, 7 p.m.

Live Music: Amanda Stewart Montage Big Sky, 7 p.m.

TUESDAY, APRIL 11

AA Meeting Big Sky Chapel, 5:30 p.m.

Live Music: Kylie Spence Montage Big Sky

Screening: “For Lack of Better” The Waypoint, 8 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12

AA Meeting Big Sky Medical Center, 12 p.m.

Trivia The Waypoint, 7 p.m.

Live Music: Marcedes Carrol Montage Big Sky, 7 p.m.

A Spring Cleanse and the Basics of Ayurvedic Cleansing Santosha Wellness Center, 7 p.m.

Live Music: Damn Duo Tips Up, 9:30 p.m.

THURSDAY, APRIL 13

ARTventure Afterschool Program BASE, 4:30 p.m.

2023 Montana State University

Spring Rodeo Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, 7 p.m.

AA Meeting Big Sky Chapel, 7 p.m.

Live Music: Chandler Huntley Montage Big Sky, 7 p.m.

Live Music: Jazz Cabbage Tips Up, 9:45 p.m.

FRIDAY, APRIL 14

Après Ski: DJ Sean Doe Big Sky Resort, 12 p.m.

Après Ski: DJs Take A Chance and Jenn N' Juice Big Sky Resort, 3 p.m.

Open Pottery Studio BASE, 5 p.m.

2023 Montana State University

Spring Rodeo

Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, 7 p.m.

Live Music: One Leaf Tips Up, 9:45 p.m.

SATURDAY, APRIL 15

2nd Annual “Dinosaurs & MoR!”

Family Day Museum of the Rockies, 9 a.m.

Après Ski: DJ Sean Doe Big Sky Resort, 3 p.m.

St. Joseph’s Mass Big Sky Chapel, 5 p.m.

2023 Montana State University

Spring Rodeo Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, 7 p.m.

Live Music: Amanda Stewart featuring Thad Beaty Montage Big Sky, 7 p.m.

AA Meeting Big Sky Chapel, 7:30 a.m.

Live Music: Jackson Holte The Waypoint, 8 p.m.

Live Music: DJ Moe Jazz Tips Up, 10 p.m.

SUNDAY, APRIL 16

St. Joseph’s Mass Big Sky Chapel, 8 a.m.

All Saints in Big Sky Big Sky Chapel, 10 a.m.

2023 Montana State University

Spring Rodeo Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, 1 p.m.

Après Ski: DJ Sean Doe Big Sky Resort, 3 p.m.

by April

Open Pottery Studio

BASE, 4 p.m.

Big Sky Christian Fellowship Service

Big Sky Chapel, 4:30 p.m.

Screening: Throwback Movies

The Waypoint, 8 p.m.

MONDAY, APRIL 17

AA Women’s Meeting

Big Sky Christian Fellowship Offices, 5:30 p.m.

NA Meeting

Big Sky Medical Center, 6:30 p.m.

Competitive Video Games

The Waypoint, 7 p.m.

TUESDAY, APRIL 18

Big Sky Chamber of Commerce Board Meeting

Big Sky Chamber of Commerce, 8 a.m.

Big Sky School District Board Meeting

Ophir Elementary Conference Room, 3:45 p.m.

AA Meeting Big Sky Chapel, 5:30 p.m.

Screening: “The Grand Bizarre” The Waypoint, 8 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19

AA Meeting

Big Sky Medical Center, 12 p.m.

Big Sky School District Bond Information Session

WMPAC, 6:30 p.m.

Trivia

The Waypoint, 7 p.m.

Live Music: Robby & Hanna Duo Tips Up, 9:30 p.m.

FEATURED EVENT:

2023 Montana State University Spring Rodeo

The Montana State University rodeo team will host competitors from nine schools across Montana and Wyoming for this year’s spring rodeo at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse April 13-16. The Bobcat rodeo team has won a variety of national championship titles, including most recently the women’s team being named national champions in 2021.

END

OF - SEASON

14 SITTING BULL ROAD, BIG SKY

5 BEDS | 5 BATHS | 3,878 SQ FT

This Big Sky Mountain Village Home was designed to absorb the warm winter sun yet remain cool during the summer months. Great floor plan with private 2 bed/2 bath suites, located at opposite ends of the home with large lofts above each. Large two-sided fireplace separates the kitchen and living room, with a large entertainment/great room located in the middle of the home. Opposite the air lock entry is a large two-door, 4-car garage. $2,990,000 #380923 DAN DELZER 406-580-4326

46950 GALLATIN ROAD, BIG SKY

COMMERCIAL LAND | 3.93 ACRES

Located on Highway 191, minutes to The Big Sky Resort. This rare piece of property is adjacent to Montana State Land with access to the Gallatin River. Views abound. No covenants. Septic, well and power utilities are in place. $5,300,000 #377231

KATIE HALEY GRIMM 406-580-3444

Why Choose ERA?

Maggie is a gem. Her expertise in the real estate industry is beyond compare. The only thing that outdoes it is her personal attention to the client. It’s a tough business and sometimes things fall through the cracks - not so with Maggie. She is detail oriented and nothing escaped her scrutiny. We loved working with her.”

- William & Josephine E.

406-995-3444

Robyn Erlenbush, CRB, Broker/Owner

Each office independently owned and operated.

Maggie Biggerstaff 406-580-6244

FIDELITY DIAGNOSTICS

MONTANA'S LARGEST CANNABIS TESTING LAB PUTS CLIENTS

BY MIRA BRODY Special advertisment

MISSOULA—Fidelity Diagnostics, Montana’s premier cannabis testing laboratory, is located in Missoula’s west side adjacent to the railroad tracks in a building that used to be a trucking headquarters. Although unassuming from the outside, the facility’s insides are bustling with its 25 lab workers. Their location of historic transience and viability is fitting with their services—intaking the largest volume of cannabis products of any lab across the state and acting as Montana’s heartbeat of cannabis regulation and quality assurance.

In an industry that has to remain nimble to everchanging legislation, experience is an advantageous skill, one that Fidelity carries with stride, embracing a very apt slogan: “Grow with Fidelity.”

“It’s a little bit of a pun,” says Andre Umansky, who co-founded the company alongside wife Melissa, and serves as lab director. “But it’s a good one.”

Cannabis testing is required by the state of Montana’s Department of Revenue Cannabis Control Division for that flower, edibles and concentrates are not only safe for consumption, but also hold manufacturers to a high standard. Fidelity was founded in the Umansky’s living room in October of 2016—they were working on a business plan for a drugs of abuse lab when the passage of

I-182, involving legalized recreation marijuana, led them to adjust to meet the needs of the cannabis industry.

Eager to stay located in the state they had fallen in love with while Andre was attending University of Montana’s school of chemistry, the couple also wanted to create jobs for recently-graduated chemists in a market where that opportunity felt sparse. So, they hashed out a business plan and opened a lab.

“We wanted to stay here and one of the ways to do so was to open up a laboratory,” Andre says. “We felt that also doing that would create opportunities for the chemists that were graduating from the local university here so they wouldn’t have to go out of state to find a job after graduating.”

What started with three employees and 10 clients has since grown to 35 employees and 100 clients that cover the entirety of the state, from Fort Peck, Havre, including facilities in Missoula, Bozeman, Colombia Falls and Eastern Montana. Although space may separate them across the fourth largest state in the country, the industry is tightly bonded.

“It’s a close-knit market,” Andre says. “It’s far more rewarding knowing all of our clients and all of our customers.”

Lab testing starts in the field. Fidelity’s 11 field technicians securely intake product and transport

FIRST

them back to the lab where Laboratory Manager Emily Crane and her team of 24 chemists get to work. They test for: foreign matter; microbiological matter, such as E.coli and mold; pesticides; terpenes; residual solvents; microtoxins; and cannabinoid content and potency, measuring precise levels of CBD and THC.

“Producers cannot spray a crop with an insect outbreak before harvesting because they will not pass a test,” Andre says. “We help them create an insect management program that is non-toxic, then consumers can go to a dispensary and feel good about the product that they are purchasing.”

Fidelity will also test for additional, non state mandated elements that may help producers improve crop quality, and design and print custom labels.

Above all they believe in a high level of customer service. Understanding that many producers rely on full shelves to run a business, Fidelity maintains a competitive turnaround time from sample pick up, to producing test results.

Melissa, co-founder and quality assurance manager, says she and Andre are highly involved with Montana’s legislative system as they navigate changes in legislation and department oversight in the state government and see their role as an opportunity to act as a lawmaker resource, welcoming them into their lab.

“We do believe we have the best growers in the nation,” Melissa says. “The Montana cannabis industry will continue to grow as the years go by. The producers and manufacturers are getting better and better, producing better products for their consumers and we’re very proud to alongside them as a partner, to provide accurate, reliable and honest test results.”

Melissa and Andre are also passionate about supporting women in STEM fields—Melissa explains while many women may start their careers in the cannabis industry, it unfortunately has a high drop-off rate.

“We’re super proud to have laboratory manager [Crane] who has been with us since the beginning, myself, and so many other successful women in the Montana cannabis industry,” Melissa says.

“Coming from a scientific background, working for a company that promotes and creates a good environment for female workers, and all workers, it feels good to be seen as a hardworking female,” adds Crane. “When I was in college, and a lot of places I worked after college, it was very few and far between with strong women scientists, so it’s great to have so many here.”

The key to success in the cannabis industry, says both Melissa and Andre, is to not get too far ahead of it, and not to fall behind it. Also, to have a team with robust institutional knowledge.

“Fidelity Diagnostics has 35 people on our team now, and that’s 35 households and 35 livelihoods,” Melissa says. “We take pride in the work that we do everyday. It’s important for us to maintain sample integrity and accuracy, so that we can be the trusted laboratory and Montana.”

Fidelity Diagnostics is a cannabis quality testing laboratory in Missoula, Montana and serves the largest volume of cannabis clients in the state. OUTLAW PARTNERS PHOTO

Fidelity tests for a panel of items, including pesticides, terpenes, cannabinoid content, potency and much more. OUTLAW PARTNERS PHOTO

OPINION

A LA CARTE

PHO AKA THE FAMILY NOODLE

BY RACHEL HERGETT EBS COLUMNIST

I’m a sucker for pho, the Vietnamese staple noodle soup featuring rice noodles in a hearty broth. The dish, pronounced like “fo,” lends itself to a whole lot of punny restaurant names or slogans, such as Big Sky Noodles’ “It’s good pho you!” And though I had drooled over Instagram posts of Big Sky Noodles signature dish and specials—from bahn mi (pork sandwiches) to bo kho (beef stew)—I had gone most of the winter season without tasting any of it.

I finally visited on a Thursday evening toward the end of March and found husband and wife team Brandon and Nancy Tran behind the counter. Brandon arranged noodles and toppings in to-go bowls and poured chicken, beef and veggie broth into containers while Nancy worked the phones and the register, coordinating pick-up orders and adding more toppings, utensils and packets of sauce to the brown paper bags before shuttling them to customers out the sliding glass window.

Big Sky Noodles doesn’t have an indoor seating area. The restaurant is located in a small kiosk, and customers waiting for their food gather on benches or lean against posts in the Big Sky Town Center plaza. The wait isn’t long. Broth simmers away on a stove. Even with a steady stream of orders on a chilly Thursday, each was in the hands of a hungry patron within five minutes.

Not being able to serve customers in a dine-in restaurant places the focus almost solely on the food. There’s a bit of a pressure there, Brandon said, so Big Sky Noodles attempts to keep the recipes authentic to his family’s Vietnamese traditions. This tradition also requires a level of freshness, and the noodle shop sources its meats through Wild West Local Foods, Montana Wagyu Cattle Company and, for the chickens, local Hutterite colonies.

The restaurant is a Tran family affair. Brandon and Nancy, who met working at Yellowstone Club, and their two young children are often the staff. To finetune the recipes, Brandon and his sisters Janet and Christianna Tran cook together, often under the oversight of their mother.

“We all get our taste buds from her,” Brandon said. Janet is also busy behind the scenes, keeping the restaurant running smoothly with ordering and bookkeeping. The siblings all share a house in Big Sky, trying to stay in the area amid an increasingly tough housing market. Brandon’s daughter is about to start school. They’re looking toward the future, with plans to keep building the restaurant.

“We want to stay in Big Sky and grow in Big Sky,” he said.

Even if she has to travel from Kansas to visit, Brandon said his mother is proud that her children are sharing their food with the Big Sky community.

“She’s always had the audacity to cook, but she never wanted to open up her own restaurant,” Brandon said.

Get your pho while you can. It is all going away at the end of April, when the family will take the shoulder season to have a bit of a break before they prep the kiosk for the summer. Signs will be changed over and coolers switched out for ice cream freezers. The Tran family will reopen the kiosk as Scoops Ice Cream on June 7, serving Montanamade Wilcoxson’s ice cream.

“Hopefully we get to run this for a while,” Brandon said. “That’s our goal.”

To order, visit www.bigskynoodles.com, call (406) 404-6529, or stop by the kiosk at 111 Town Center Ave. in the Town Center Plaza. Specials are posted on Instagram, @bigskynoods.

Rachel Hergett is a foodie and cook from Montana. She is arts editor emeritus at the Bozeman Daily Chronicle and has written for publications such as Food Network Magazine and Montana Quarterly. Rachel is also the host of the Magic Monday Show on KGLT-FM and teaches at Montana State University.

Without a dine-in area, the emphasis is entirely on the food. PHOTO BY RACHEL HERGETT

The noodle shop is run by the Tran family. PHOTO BY RACHEL HERGETT Big Sky Noodles operates out of a kiosk at 111 Town Center Ave.

PHOTO BY RACHEL HERGETT

OPINION

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE

IF YOU’VE SEEN ONE TREE…

BY PAUL SWENSON EBS COLUMNIST

A famous quote attributed to Gov. Ronald Regan in the mid 1960s, “If you’ve seen one tree, you’ve seen them all.” We know that’s not true, of course, because we have so many different types of trees here in Big Sky. Often as I am riding the chairlift, people ask me about the trees we are passing. I try to teach them how to identify them by their shapes, colors, needle size and cone shape. So, I thought that might be an interesting column for this week’s paper.

Here are the five major conifers you will see here in Big Sky: Lodgepole Pine, White Bark Pine, Subalpine Fir, Douglas Fir and Engelmann Spruce.

To help identify trees, let’s start with the needles. Lodgepole and Whitebark pine trees have long needles, about two inches long. The spruce and fir trees have short needles, less than an inch long. Lodgepole needles grow in groups of two, and the whitebark in groups of five or six.

To distinguish between a fir and spruce needles, there are several methods. First, pet the branch. If you pet in the direction of the needles, they feel similar, but if you stroke against the needles, the spruce will prick you with their sharp ends, but the fir will be relatively soft, like fur. So fir = fur.

Second, if you try to roll a needle between your fingers, the fir is difficult to roll because of its fairly flat cross section, whereas the spruce will roll because of its square cross section. You can feel the edges as you roll the needle.

If you are walking along petting the trees like I do, you might get some strange looks, but you’re just getting “in touch with nature.” So to avoid these looks, the next way to identify our trees is to look at their trunks and the thickness, texture, and color of their bark.

Douglas fir has what I describe as a topographical bark. It is very thick, cork-like, and has a lot of structure. Englemann spruce has thinner bark and it usually has one- to three-inch “potato chip” like structures where is appears like the bark is shedding. Lodgepole pine looks similar but the chip structure is smaller, around half to one inch in diameter.

'Then the last two, the whitebark pine and subalpine fir have what I like to call “elephant leg” trunks. The bark is usually smooth and grey with some wrinkles.

The last key feature is their shape and size. Douglas firs are the giants in our region. Some of the biggest trees around the meadow and canyon stretch are upwards of 150 feet tall with trunks up to 10 feet in diameter. When you ride up Thunder Wolf, they are all the huge trees on Elk Park Ridge. Englemann spruce are also very tall trees with trunks up to 4 feet in diameter. They have the classical evergreen tree shape with a slightly rounded top. They are the tall trees in the center of the first photo.

Subalpine fir has a very skinny profile with a very spiky top and seems to be the favorite of the “bead trees” along the old Swifty line. They are the spiky trees seen center right and right side of the first photo. Lodgepole are tall and straight with not a lot of branches. They are ubiquitous throughout the region, having very straight trunks.

And last, the poor whitebark has a multitrunked habit, but most of them were devastated by blister rust and pine beetle over the last several decades. They comprise the ghost forests of the upper mountains. You can make out several small ones in the foreground of the photo, along with some dead trunks.

So hopefully now you can go out and see the trees in spite of the forest. I also hope to catch you somewhere petting a tree along a trail.

Last order of business today is to clear up a mistake from my last article on snow and ski wax. I used the word “hydrophilic” in my article, which means

water loving. If your ski wax was in fact hydrophilic it would be like skiing with carpet on your bases. When I looked at my article after it was printed I was horrified by that mistake. Nonpolar molecules are in fact hydrophobic, meaning water repelling, which is what you want from a wax. For those of you that caught that error, congrats.

Paul Swenson has been living in and around the Big Sky area since 1966. He is a retired science teacher, fishing guide, Yellowstone guide and naturalist. Also an artist and photographer, Swenson focuses on the intricacies found in nature.

Clockwise from top left: Lodgepole, whitebark, spruce, and fir needles. PHOTOS BY PAUL SWENSON

From left to right: Lodgepole, whitebark, spruce, and fir trunks. PHOTOS BY PAUL SWENSON

Knowing the shape of a tree’s top, one can identify four of the five conifers that grow here. Absent is the Douglas fir, which does not thrive at this elevation.

PHOTO BY PAUL SWENSON

COUNTING SNOW GEESE

BY BENJAMIN ALVA POLLEY EBS COLUMNIST

Each spring, a blizzard of snow geese migrates along the Pacific Flyway from wintering range in California’s Central Valley to the Canadian Arctic. Along their flight, they stop at Montana’s Freezeout Lake in late March to early April, 40 miles west of Great Falls. Each morning, the snow geese rise en masse off the lake as flocks of geese take to the sky like a snow globe.

Birders and aficionados flock to Freezeout Lake to witness the wildlife-viewing spectacle, like having front-row seats to David Attenborough’s “Planet Earth” series. Successive waves of birds take flight as the deafening roar of their flapping, black-tipped wings and chorus of calls heralds the beginning of spring. They rest and refuel for approximately four days before their thousand-mile journey to central Alberta and Saskatchewan, before their final leg to their nesting grounds in far northwestern Canada. People who want to see the migration can check Freezeout Lake’s Wildlife Management Area’s website for the latest updates on numbers and what the numbers could range from. Is there a mathematical formula for counting tens of thousands of birds? Why has the population of snow geese been growing over the century?

Freezeout Lake, Wildlife Management Area, incorporates 12,000 acres and comprises Freezeout Lake, Priest Butte Lakes, and many interconnected ponds, ditches, and dikes. The geese fly to neighboring fields to munch on malt barley and wheat for several hours, then return to the lake to take shelter at night. The surrounding agricultural fields of malted barley and grain, where the refuse from last year’s harvest leaves sumptuous scraps, provide a perfect staging area for the birds.

“Freezeout is a waterfowl motel with a pool and a restaurant,” said Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks long-time seasonal employee Mike Schwitters, aka

Mr. Freezeout, who has been counting white geese since the 1980s.

The birds try to build fat reserves to sustain themselves during their three-week nesting period in the Canadian far north. During nesting, the birds do not eat while their eggs are incubating. “A real strong component in these birds is their biological clock ticking. They want to get north,” said FWP biologist Brent Lonner. “The photoperiod length of light drives the hormone levels that drive the breeding and nesting season.”

Most years, tens of thousands of snow geese descend on central Montana. Two hundred other species, including goldeneye’s, mallards, Ross’ geese, pintails, trumpeters, and tundra swans, also congregate. But this year, it is quieter along the western Rocky Mountain Front. It begs the question from the casual birder: is there a mathematical formula for counting thousands of birds, perhaps using a grid system or technology like drones or satellites?

Three teams throughout the week are in charge of counting birds. Schwitters and his son Brian are paid seasonal employees on one team, and volunteer Nancy Milewski does it the other days. Freezeout Wildlife Manager Brent Lonner fills in when necessary. The counters get there before first light and stage from a high vantage point, glassing the whole area with binoculars or a scope to gauge reliable estimates for flock sizes.

“It’s not horribly complicated,” Lonner said. “It takes a lot of practice to get reliable estimates.”

They look at individual flocks, count to 100 or 500, and then extrapolate numbers depending on the number of flocks. They add or subtract numbers throughout the day as more birds arrive or depart and update the website’s report.

Snow geese numbers weren’t always prolific in North America. In the 1960s, their numbers were less than 50,000 birds. Now, they are estimated at around 700,000.

“One of the reasons the populations of white geese in North America have increased is because of agriculture and all that additional grain that’s now available that decades ago they never had,” Lonner said. “They are wintering in better condition because they’re getting more forage consistently through winter and during migration. So, they’re more productive when they get to those nesting grounds.”

The odds of survivorship for their young increase because of the parent's health.

The collective pronouns for snow geese include a “blizzard,” an “avalanche,” a “skein,” a “wedge,” an “arrow,” or, if on the ground, a “gaggle.” As of March 22-24, this year was a flurry of snow geese because 9,000-15,000 geese graced Freezeout. Winter holds its lasting grip along the Front with colder-than-normal day and night temperatures with more snow predicted. Much of the surrounding fields are snow-covered, and the lakes have only five percent open water, still allowing the birds to lap water which is one of the first things they do upon arrival.

In 2004, it was a different story. An estimated 300,000 snow geese descended on Freezeout. Everything had to be perfect for an actual blizzard of snow geese. The lakes and fields were thawed out. A big storm dropped on the north, hitting Alberta and Saskatchewan, forcing the flocks to return, and other birds were showing up in waves from the south, stacking the birds in Montana. The wildlife spectacle was a sight to behold. Given the current skyrocketing numbers of snow geese, such a spectacle may be repeated, making it worth visiting this remote area to witness one of nature’s miracles.

Benjamin Alva Polley is a place-based storyteller with stories published in Outside, Adventure Journal, Popular Science, Field & Stream, Esquire and others at his website www.benjaminpolley.com/stories. He holds a master’s in Environmental Science and Natural Resource Journalism from the University of Montana.

Snow geese during spring migration at Freezeout Lake Wildlife Management Area. PHOTO BY DANITA DELIMONT

Ryan Coombs Service Operations Director

EVERY DROP COUNTS

A LOOK AT THE UPPER GALLATIN: A HEALTHY FISHERY REFLECTS A HEALTHY RIVER WATERSHED

BY MARNE HAYES EBS COLUMNIST

Last week, the Gallatin River Task Force hosted a presentation by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks fisheries biologist Mike Duncan, that gave the community a closer look at the health of the upper Gallatin River. As an introduction to the annual Fly Fishing Film Tour hosted by the organization, Duncan presented a snapshot-over-time of data collected on the Gallatin and its tributaries, and insight into the relationship between the health of the fishery and the promising health of a river.

Duncan has spent the better part of the last several decades in and around the Gallatin Valley, with an official position at FWP for the past three years. While his work includes several years of collecting data on the Gallatin, he admits that unfortunately the Gallatin as a whole has been overlooked in recent years. He shared that FWP’s intent and current focus is in trying to get consistent and accurate data that show a broad picture of how the Gallatin and its trout populations are faring in the tributaries and the mainstem of the river, and further, what that means for the overall health of the Gallatin.

The presentation focused on long-term sampling on the Gallatin, as well as sampling from two years ago on the West Fork with the help of the Task Force, Trout Unlimited, and the U.S. Forest Service. Additionally, Duncan provided a look at fieldwork supporting native species conservation, and what we can expect for upcoming research and monitoring that will direct FWP’s focus on the Gallatin and its tributaries.

Historically, there have been three long-term sampling sections in the Gallatin: Porcupine, Jack Smith, and Logan—with additional sections on the East Gallatin. However, safety concerns and

issues with sampling efficiency have led to FWP exploring new sections in the upper Gallatin River. The new Big Sky Section runs from Porcupine Bridge to Jack Smith Bridge and includes portions of the old Porcupine and Jack Smith sections, which helps provide some continuity to their historical sampling efforts.

However, Duncan cautions that subtle differences between the sampling reaches need to be taken into account when evaluating trends in the data. The Big Sky Section was first sampled in 2021 and will likely be visited every other year. Initial efforts revealed similar abundances and lengths of rainbow and brown trout to what was observed in the old sections since 2000. Additional sampling opportunities elsewhere in the Canyon and near the Yellowstone National Park boundary will be identified this fall.

In addition to sampling in the mainstem Gallatin, FWP continues to prioritize similar efforts in tributaries around Big Sky with the help from the Task Force, Trout Unlimited, and the U.S. Forest Service. Based on the sampling efforts on the West Fork of the Gallatin from 2021, Duncan said the West Fork appears to support the highest trout abundances of any of the tributaries sampled in the area over the past several years. Interestingly, the range and average lengths of rainbow trout captured in 2021 were nearly identical to similar efforts completed just upstream in 1960 by FWP staff, indicating a stable trout population persists in the stream.

Duncan also highlighted FWP’s native species efforts around Big Sky. Much of that work in recent years has involved restoring westslope cutthroat trout and Arctic grayling to the North Fork of Spanish Creek, which was dominated by nonnative brook and rainbow trout prior to their recent work. FWP will begin efforts this year to identify additional reintroduction opportunities for cutthroat trout elsewhere in the Gallatin and will work with the public to prioritize which streams the agency pursues those projects.

While the presentation covered an enormous amount of information that spans the Gallatin and its tributaries—collection methods, data comparisons, trends, and many research points and indicators in between—the high-level takeaways are that the trout populations in the Gallatin are faring well.

In addition, when asked about the recent appearances of algae along the Gallatin, and the reason for concern relative to activity in Big Sky, Duncan had this to say, “You see it in the news as being attributed to what is going on up here (in Big Sky), but … we have it up the Taylor Fork below Wapiti (Creek), or up Cabin Creek, between Quake and Hebgen, which spits out of wilderness, so while it is a concern, there is more to it than what is going on in Big Sky.”

While indicators of a healthy fishery and river carry nuances and aspects that span fish counts, the presentation offered a positive trend we can get behind: the trout populations of the Gallatin River are indicative of water health, and without healthy tributaries and connectivity to rivers, fish populations would be limited, something we are not yet seeing on the Gallatin.

When asked about thresholds of fishery populations that consider angling, environmental and other factors, Duncan said that he’s not seeing the same shift in size structure that raise concern in places like the lower Madison that point to increased fish mortality. In the coming years, Duncan and FWP intend to continue monitoring efforts in the upper Gallatin, taking a closer look into potential variables that might be limiting survival and growth of trout.

A full recording of Mike Duncan’s presentation can be found on the Gallatin River Task Force’s Facebook page.

Marne Hayes is the communications manager for the Gallatin River Task Force.

An angler ties on a fly while standing in the Gallatin River. ADOBE STOCK PHOTO

OPINION

HEALTH BUZZ

WHAT IS “ANTI-AGING” AND HOW TO USE IT TO ADVANCE YOUR HEALTH

BY DR. KALEY BURNS EBS COLUMNIST

The older we get, the more we seek out therapies and products to slow the aging process.

The goal is to live a healthy life for as long as possible. Anti-aging treatments might be best termed “pro-vitality,” since they are actually focused on increasing the span of a person’s life during which they feel healthy and optimal.

Why is holistic medicine a great alternative to fight anti-aging?

You can’t completely separate the health of your mind and your body, instead, it’s best to be treated as a whole. Holistic medicine takes a broader approach to longevity, focusing on the whole person with a preventative accent. It uses a range of natural therapies including acupuncture, massage therapy, herbal medicine, and other healing techniques.

Holistic, anti-aging approaches to health are becoming increasingly popular. These approaches focus on optimizing the body's natural healing processes and preventing age-related decline, rather than just treating symptoms.

Cold shower

Why I end my shower with cold water: When most people hear the words “cold water,” the last thing they want to do is to immerse their body in it. Although a cold-water rinse will wake you up, a shot of cold water actually has a number of health benefits. Alternating between hot and cold water in the shower or tub can strengthen your vasculature (veins and arteries) and therefore improve the integrity of your circulatory system. This can help to optimize blood flow to the tissues, which may even help to regulate blood pressure. Healthy blood circulation also improves recovery time from strenuous exercises. Cold showers can also help the body to adapt to stress. Begin by gradually decreasing the temperature of the water so your body can adjust. Start with hot water or your normal shower temperature. When you’re ready to rinse, just turn the tap to cold. Aim to spend about 10 seconds at first and work up to 30-60 seconds before stepping out of the shower.

Sleep for vitality

Why this should be our priority: The brain is the main control center of the body, which makes optimal mental health vital for all the other processes within the body. One of the primary functions needed for mental health and cognitive processing is good sleep.

Many restorative processes occur during sleep, such as increased production of growth hormone, which is thought to help with muscle growth and rebuilding of cells, synthesis of hormones that prevent sickness and fight infection and formation and maintenance of pathways in the brain related to learning and memory.

Counting sheep has moved on, enter light! Morning sunlight helps improve the quality and duration of sleep that comes later on, as it boosts serotonin production. It is also important to optimize vitamin D levels for sound sleep and melatonin balance in the darker hours of the night.

Platelets for a pick-me-up

Using your own cells: Regenerative therapies involve using the body's own natural healing processes to repair or replace damaged tissues and organs. This can include stem cell therapy, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections, and other cutting-edge treatments that stimulate the body's own regenerative abilities. Regenerative medicine can be particularly effective for treating chronic conditions such as arthritis and sports injuries.

While these treatments originated in orthopedic medicine and reconstructive surgery to improve recovery naturally, the cosmetic use of PRP helps damaged, aging skin to produce new collagen and elastin for a glowing, rejuvenated, and more youthful-looking complexion.

Hyperbaric hype

Oxygen is key to vitality: While many anti-aging treatments address specific conditions or ailments, there are some therapies that can greatly benefit primarily healthy individuals, too. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is one such treatment that has risen to popularity among business professionals, athletes, and everyday people looking to boost their cognitive and physical capabilities. HBOT can be used to speed up tissue recovery after exercising or trauma (surgery or concussion), boost the immune system, and reduce inflammation.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a powerful tool because it increases blood flow and helps transport oxygen deeper into damaged tissues. HBOT supplies the body with the essential nutrient, oxygen, in order to drive energy production in the cell, boost stem cell activity, repair tissue damage, and essentially allow the body to feed and heal itself. This is a perfect example of a pro-health therapy.

Infusing Wellness

Using intravenous therapy for vim and vigor: Another anti-aging therapy that can be used both to address ailments as well as provide benefits to primarily healthy patients is IV infusion therapy. The term “IV therapy” simply refers to the administration of supplements, nutrients, or medications intravenously, so this therapy spans a wide range of specific treatments.

The precise infusion can be tailored to the needs of each individual patient. One infusion showing particular promise is NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide). This agent plays an important role in the sirtuin pathway, an antiaging pathway. NAD is also important for energy production in the cells. Cell health decline is considered one of the major components of the aging conundrum.

NAD+ IV therapy is used to improve many medical conditions such as depression, substance abuse, aging, cardiovascular disease, dementia, neuropathies, and neurodegenerative disease. In general, IV nutrient therapy is used to boost the immune system, facilitate muscle recovery after workouts, reduce the symptoms of jet lag, strengthen tissues, and promote immune health.

Advance your health

There are now more therapies, medicines, and treatments available than ever before with the power to repair the damage caused by aging. All anti-aging treatments will be more effective when used in conjunction with healthy eating habits and regular exercise. Overall, holistic anti-aging therapies offer a natural and effective way to support health and vitality. By focusing on optimizing the body's own natural healing processes, these approaches can help to prevent disease, slow the effects of aging, and support overall wellness.

Dr. Kaley Burns is the founder, owner and naturopathic doctor at Big Sky Natural Health. She embraces a natural approach to health and aims to similarly inspire and guide others on their health journey. Dr. Burns has advanced training application of regenerative and intravenous injection therapy. She also serves as the vice president and CE liaison of the Montana Association of Naturopathic Physicians.

A happy couple staying active in the woods. PHOTO BY ADOBE STOCK

BY PEPPER TRAIL

A deer stands paralyzed in the middle of a mountain highway, stunned by the lights and deafening roar of an 18-wheeler barreling toward it. At the last second, the deer leaps back into the forest.

This time, the deer and the trucker avoid a fatal collision, but this stretch of Interstate-5 in southern Oregon is a known killing field for wildlife and dangerous for motorists. The highway cuts through a critical connection for wildlife moving between two mountain ranges and home to the CascadeSiskiyou National Monument, which is the only national monument specifically established for the protection of its rich biodiversity.

In this country, according to Federal Highway Administration estimates, 1-2 million motor vehicles crash into large animals such as deer each year.

“These wildlife-vehicle collisions cause approximately 200 human deaths, 26,000 injuries and at least $8 billion in property damage and other costs.” According to The Pew Trust.

In Oregon alone, the Oregon Department of Transportation records approximately 7,000 large-animal vehicle deaths annually. Each one involving deer averages $6,617 for emergency response, towing, repairs and medical expenses.

Sometimes, a vehicle hits a deer and the animal disappears, so that many injured animals die unseen. The roadkill deaths of smaller species are also never recorded. Still more animals, from frogs and salamanders

to rare species like marten and fisher, to top predators like cougars, are prevented from moving freely by the lights, noise and physical barrier of major highways. This disrupts the lives of wildlife and prevents genetic interchange among their populations.

In Oregon in 2021, a group of local environmentalists, hunters, scientists, and state and federal agency staffers came together to do something about the problem: They formed the Southern Oregon Wildlife Crossing Coalition and started gathering data.

They learned that more than 17,000 vehicles travel daily on I-5 between the town of Ashland and the California border, and that significant portions of this stretch of highway are in the state’s high-risk “red zones” for wildlife-car collisions. The coalition decided that it would work to reduce collisions and help animals move freely by promoting the construction of crossings both under and over and under the freeway.

In recent years, wildlife crossings have gained increasing attention and support, with perhaps the most famous success story in Canada. There, 22 wildlife underpasses and two overpasses in Banff National Park reduced roadkill by 80%.

In Washington state, an ambitious effort is underway to reconnect habitat in the Cascades by establishing safe wildlife crossings under and over Interstate 90. Eleven large wildlife crossing structures are completed, with a planned total of 26 large ones and many smaller ones to come. The most well known is near Snoqualmie Pass, where a $6 million overpass has been readily accepted by elk and deer, virtually eliminating wildlife-vehicle collisions in the fenced project area.

Meanwhile, in southern California, the largest wildlife crossing in the world is scheduled for completion by 2025. The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing will span the 10-lane, 101 Freeway, allowing the reconnection

bigskybozemanrealestate.com stacy.ossorio@evrealestate.com

of small, isolated populations of cougars in the Santa Susana Mountains to the north and the Santa Monica Mountains to the south.

Other major wildlife crossing projects are underway throughout the West, including Wyoming, Montana and Colorado.

Highway projects are always expensive and complex, and to get them done requires collaboration among diverse, often disagreeing groups. In the case of southern Oregon’s coalition, our members include the Bureau of Land Management and activist environmental groups; the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and hunting and fishing organizations; academics from Southern Oregon University and engineers from the Oregon Department of Transportation.

Though we may have differing priorities, we all offer our expertise to the shared goal of improving wildlife crossings over “our” stretch of I-5. Together, we have also raised enough money from public and private sources to finance a feasibility study of eight possible over- and under-crossings, and we’re working closely with the state to identify the highest priority sites.

It is our hope that our carefully documented proposals will attract the federal highway funds required to make these crossings a reality.

In a time of social and political polarization, it is immensely heartening to work on a project that brings together wildly different interests. Wildlife crossings, I have found, bridge not only divisions on the landscape but divisions in our communities as well.

Pepper Trail is a contributor to Writers on the Range, writersontherange.org, an independent nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively conversation about the West. He is a conservationist who writes in Oregon.

BIG SKY BEATS

BIG SKY BEATS: THE TAYLOR SWIFT ERA

BY JULIA BARTON

If you’re anything like me, your social media feed has been full of videos from Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, where the artist is playing a selection of her discography from all 10 of her original studio albums. Love her or hate her, Swift is one of the most successful musicians of all time, and has a song that’s applicable to nearly any stage of life. For this playlist, I chose a favorite song from each of Swift’s albums—substituting her re-released versions of Fearless (2008) and Red (2012)—so you too can enjoy being in your Taylor Swift Era.

1. “Should’ve Said No” from Taylor Swift (2006)

2. “Today Was A Fairytale (Taylor’s Version)” from Fearless

3. (Taylor’s Version) (2021)

4. “Mine” from Speak Now (2010)

5. “Everything Has Changed (Taylor’s Version)” from Red

6. (Taylor’s Version) (2021)

7. “Out Of The Woods” from 1989 (2014)

8. “Delicate” from Reputation (2017)

9. “Death By A Thousand Cuts” from Lover (2019)

10. “the 1” from folklore (2020)

11. “long story short” from evermore (2020)

12. “You’re On Your Own, Kid” from Midnights (2022)

BACK 40

For Explore Big Sky, the Back 40 is a resource: a place where we can delve into subjects and ask experts to share their knowledge. Here, we highlight stories from our flagship sister publication Mountain Outlaw magazine.

‘SLOW GAME, BIG MISSION’ VASU SOJITRA’S MOUNTAIN JOURNEY INTO SOCIAL CHANGE

BY DAN EGAN

“[Six] dudes, 1,000 pounds of gear, 17 days, a 6,000-meter peak and 10 legs.”

-Vasu Sojitra’s Instagram story during his historic climb and descent of Denali, North America’s highest peak. June 20, 2021.

Writer’s note: If you do the math, that’s two legs short of a typical expedition because Sojitra and Peter McAfee were the first two amputees to ski from the summit of Denali in Alaska. The expedition is featured in Warren Miller Entertainment’s film “Winter Starts Now.”

Backcountry skiing is challenging. There’s the skin and bootpack up, the cold, the danger of avalanches. And then there’s the ski down. Add a whole new layer of skill and complexity, such as accomplishing it on one leg, and it’s downright overwhelming.

Vasu Sojitra brushes off the momentous effort. “I have a simple saying I like to repeat to myself during big climbs and adventure races,” he says. “I’ve done hard things and I have the capacity to do harder things.”

Sojitra lost his right leg at nine months old when he contracted life-threatening sepsis. His parents, who immigrated to America from India in the late 1980s, had only hours to act when doctors informed them that their second son would lose his life if they didn’t operate immediately. “There was

no choice in the matter for us,” says his mother, Rama Sojitra. “The decision saved his life. He has never once complained, and my husband and I have never tried to hold him back at anything.”

As a child, Sojitra tried to use a prosthetic leg, but found it slowed him down as he played with his friends. The same was true when he and brother Amir were on the same hockey and swim teams. “He just came home one day and said he wasn’t going to use it anymore,” Rama says. “He learned to ski with friends, not through a program.”

Sojitra, who was raised in New England and attended University of Vermont, gained notoriety while ripping local ski areas with his college buddies, and his story began appearing in magazines like Powder, Freeskier and Backcountry. Then film companies such as Teton Gravity and T-Bar Films featured him. Then came the sponsorships—Ski the East, Columbia, Red Bull— and his story went global.

Now, Sojitra is the first disabled athlete to be sponsored by global gear giant The North Face. The relationship began when he met famed mountaineer Conrad Anker at the Spire climbing center in Bozeman. “Vasu has ignited the conversation at The North Face about inclusion, disabilities and what can be done,” says Anker, who oversees marketing for the company’s Global Athlete Team. “This is important stuff.”

Sojitra has harnessed more than 54,000 followers on Instagram and is using the platform to advocate for inclusion, diversity, the disabled, public lands access, and Native peoples.

“Consider me your friendly neighborhood disrupter,” Sojitra says, “bridging gaps between abled and disabled, communities of color … what public access is and where our public lands came from. If we understand we are stewards of the land, that can elevate the conversation in a way that protects and saves our planet.”

Sojitra is also encouraging broader segments of the population to get involved in outdoor sports and inspiring others in the process. Joe Stone survived a 2010 speed flying accident that left him a highfunctioning quadriplegic. Since then, he’s been fighting alongside Sojitra for inclusion for disabled athletes in marathons, mountain biking, skiing and paragliding.

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

Vasu Sojitra commits to the fall line in skiing and in daily life. PHOTO BY SOFIA JARAMILLO

Vasu Sojitra lost his right leg to sepsis at nine months old. PHOTO BY SOFIA JARAMILLO

“It’s hard to change culture,” says Stone, the current director of mission at nonprofit Teton Adaptive Sports in Jackson, Wyoming. “Vasu is using these major accomplishments to shine a light on inclusion and access. He’s playing the slow game and has a big mission; people are taking notice.”

One is mountain guide and activist Don Nguyen. Founder of Seattle-based nonprofit Climber of Color, Nguyen is of Vietnamese descent and sees Sojitra’s efforts as inclusionary and impactful. “There are so few Asians, Black and Brown people in the mountains and the barrier for access comes down to exclusion,”

Nguyen says. “I started my company to provide access for people like me. Vasu is amplifying that by using his platform to show people of color and disabilities what can be done.”

Nguyen was guiding clients on Denali last June when Sojitra was making his own ascent.

“As a guide, my main instruction to clients is efficiency, don’t waste energy; but for a one-legged person like Vasu, I don’t even know what to tell him because he has had to develop his own pace

and climbing system,” Nguyen says. “He summited Denali faster than my able-bodied climbers.”

Roy Tuscany is founder of the High Five Foundation, which specializes in preventing lifechanging injuries and provides resources—and hope—should the worst happen. High Five has raised more than $4.5 million for injured athletes and veterans since 2009. Tuscany knows how hard it is to find influencers who will magnify a message but sees a groundswell of support of late.

“In the advocacy world there are no products,” Tuscany says. “Rather, we trade in words and services and our value is equated in trust and in time. Vasu, Joe and me, we have all been doing this for a long time and now we have able-bodied influencers leveraging our voices which helps to ramp up diversity and access to the outdoors. And that changes lives.”

Sojitra believes in the Golden Rule 2.0: “Treat others as they want to be treated.”

When asked what he would say to a room full of outdoor industry leaders, his answer is straightforward: “Help us by providing the resources for the underserved communities of color and disabilities,” he says. “Build relationships with these communities by hiring a diverse staff within the leadership of your companies. Research shows the more diverse leadership, the more profitable the organization becomes.”

And it takes a village. “These are not just my achievements, they are the achievements of my community, my parents, my brother and so many others,” Sojitra says. “I’m just trying to expand the narrative for [people with] disabilities and people of color by promoting access and how we can help each other.”

Gallatin County, in collaboration with the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) and Riverside Contracting, will conduct several roadway improvements along the Lone Mountain Trail/ MT Highway 64 corridor. Construction is anticipated to begin in mid-May, weather permitting.

VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE

Wednesday, April 19 12 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Scan

*Registration is required for this event. Please visit bit.ly/mt64project or scan the QR code to register.

Regular updates will be provided throughout construction. For more information or to subscribe for updates:

EMAIL: Kristine@bigskypublicrelations.com

TEXT: MT64PROJECT to 41411*

PROJECT HOTLINE: 406-207-4484, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

VISIT: bit.ly/mt64project

*Please note that standard message and data rates may apply. We anticipate sending 1 update message per week and subscribers may request help by replying HELP or opt-out at any time by replying STOP. Texting alerts are not managed by MDT and may have different privacy and security policies. For more information see https://www.textmarks.com/front/privacy/ The Department of Transportation will make reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities who wish to participate in this MT 64 Virtual Open House or need an alternative accessible format of this notice. If you require an accommodation, contact the Department of Transportation no later than April 12 to advise us of the nature of the accommodation that you need. Please contact Matt Maze, Office of Civil Rights, P.O. Box 201001, Helena, Montana 59620; telephone (406) 444-5416; Montana Relay 711; facsimile (406) 444-7243; or e-mail to mmaze@mt.gov.

A version of this story first appeared in the Winter 2021/22 edition of Mountain Outlaw magazine.

Peter McAfee (L) and Vasu Sojitra (R) became the first amputees to climb and ski Denali. PHOTO BY TED HESSER

224 Pale Morning Spur #1B Spanish Peaks Mountain Club | Big Sky, MT

PEAK SKIS SHOWROOM