Explore Big Sky - February 8 to 21, 2024

February 8 - 21, 2024 Volume 15 // Issue #3

A SNOWY WEEKEND FOR BIG SKY SKIJORING

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BIG SKY SNOWFALL LOWEST IN 33+ YEARS LONE PEAK BASKETBALL WRAPS REGULAR SEASON BIG SKY FIRE DEPT. BUILDS NEW TRAINING FACILITY WILDLANDS FESTIVAL: MEET WYATT FLORES

February 8 - 21, 2024 Volume 15, Issue No. 3 Owned and published in Big Sky, Montana

PUBLISHER

OPENING SHOT

Eric Ladd | eric@theoutlawpartners.com

On Feb. 1, the third annual Big Sky Winter Ball raised money and awareness for the Big Sky Community Housing Trust, while providing a space for locals to dress up fancy and party together during the year’s darker months. Hosting a live band for the first time—popular Bozeman cover band Savvy—the Winter Ball continues to grow every year. PHOTO BY JED SANFORD

EDITORIAL

TABLE OF CONTENTS

VP MEDIA Mira Brody | mira@theoutlawpartners.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jack Reaney | jack@theoutlawpartners.com

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT LEAD Patrick Mahoney | patrick@theoutlawpartners.com

4 BRIEFS 9 LOCAL 17 REGIONAL 21 SPORTS 26 OP NEWS 29 A&E 34 DINING 36 BUSINESS 40 ENVIRONMENT 48 HEALTH 51 FUN

CONTRIBUTORS

ON THE COVER:

Rich Addicks, Taylor Allen, Daniel Bierschwale, Kaley Burns, Mario Carr, Marne Hayes, Rachel Hergett, Josh King, Merrick Parnell, Benjamin Alva Polley, Paul Swenson, Robb Wolf, John Zirkle

For the week leading up to Big Sky Skijoring’s Best in the West Showdown, dump trucks carried snow removed from other local sites to the Town Center course. With snow finally falling on Saturday, Feb. 3, the twoday event began with the youngest duo in the junior division. Each day progressed the fast-paced open division, including freestyle snowmobilers, snowboarders and, of course, a jubilant crowd. PHOTO BY JOSH KING PHOTOGRAPHY

DIGITAL PRODUCER Jen Clancey | jen@theoutlawpartners.com EDITORIAL CONSULTANT Leslie Kilgore | leslie@theoutlawpartners.com

CREATIVE LEAD GRAPHIC DESIGNER ME BROWN | maryelizabeth@theoutlawpartners.com

SALES AND OPERATIONS CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER Josh Timon | josh@theoutlawpartners.com CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER Megan Paulson | megan@theoutlawpartners.com VP DESIGN & PRODUCTION Hiller Higman | hiller@theoutlawpartners.com DIRECTOR OF RELATIONSHIPS Ersin Ozer | ersin@theoutlawpartners.com MARKETING MANAGER Tucker Harris | tucker@theoutlawpartners.com CONTENT MARKETING LEAD Taylor Owens | taylor@theoutlawpartners.com SENIOR ACCOUNTANT Sara Sipe | sara@theoutlawpartners.com

9

BIG SKY SNOWFALL LOWEST IN 33+ YEARS Big Sky Resort’s ski season didn’t reach its halfway point until Feb. 8, which is good news because thus far, 2023-24 has been the least snowy winter since reliable records began 33 years ago. Entering the second half of winter, mountains across Montana will look to regain near-average snowpack to salvage the winter business season and protect against summer drought and wildfire. EBS spoke with three experts who shared their optimism that more snow will define February, March and April.

12 10

BIG SKY FIRE DEPT. BUILDS NEW TRAINING FACILITY In February, the Big Sky Fire Department will finish construction of a new training facility on Montana Highway 64 (Lone Mountain Trail) across from the Powder Light apartments.

The $520,000 facility allows BSFD to manipulate internal layout, adding realistic challenges for local firefighters. The building was designed to handle theatrical smoke and live fire training. EBS spoke with BSFD officials about the importance of the new building.

21

A SNOWY WEEKEND FOR BIG SKY SKIJORING On Feb. 3-4, Big Sky Skijoring hosted its sixth annual Best in the West Showdown in Town Center. Skilled cowboys and cowgirls, skiers and snowboarders—and of course, horses—from across the West tested their skills on a familiar course. Throughout the weekend, 6 inches of long-awaited snowfall covered the arena.

As an added spectacle for rowdy fans, professional freestyle snowmobilers performed dazzling tricks.

24

LONE PEAK BASKETBALL WRAPS REGULAR SEASON Historically competing in Montana Class C, Lone Peak High School took various sports to the Class B level this year. Now, the Big Horns are one of the smallest schools by enrollment in their new division—this basketball season has been a challenge.

But regardless of win-loss records, coaches and players from both varsity basketball teams see the value of gaining experience against tougher opponents.

29

WILDLANDS FESTIVAL: MEET WYATT FLORES Just 22 years old, Wyatt Flores is an up-and-coming country musician whose genre best classifies as “red dirt,” a popular Southwestern sound and true to his Oklahoma roots. He’ll play at the 2024 Wildlands Festival in early August and spoke with EBS in a Q&A about his recent success and the inspiration behind his brand of country music.

EDITORIAL POLICIES

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

EDITORIAL POLICY

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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.

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.

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.

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ADVERTISING DEADLINE For the February 22nd issue February 14th, 2024 CORRECTIONS Please report errors to media@outlaw.partners.

OUTLAW PARTNERS & EXPLORE BIG SKY P.O. Box 160250, Big Sky, MT 59716 (406) 995-2055 • media@theoutlawpartners.com © 2024 Explore Big Sky unauthorized reproduction prohibited

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4 February 8 - 21, 2024

Explore Big Sky

BRIEFS

NEWS IN BRIEF

POTENTIAL LOCAL GOVERNMENT STUDY TO APPEAR ON JUNE GALLATIN COUNTY BALLOTS EBS STAFF Every 10 years, the Montana Constitution requires that each city and county government ask voters to determine if they’d like to review local government. According to a release from Gallatin County, the last time the county voted to review local government was in 1994.

In June 2024, voters can choose if they’d like to “establish and fund a study commission to examine Gallatin County government and make recommendations for changes,” according to a release from Gallatin County.

The move comes after a Tuesday, Jan. 30 vote by Gallatin County commissioners to place the question on the ballot.

“If voters agree to establish and fund a study commission, seven citizens will be elected in a nonpartisan election in November to serve,” the release stated. The citizens will study existing forms, public services and compare with other forms of government possible in Montana.

“This opportunity afforded by our state constitution is the only chance we as citizens get to take a hard look at the way our local governments operate,” Gallatin County Commissioner Scott MacFarlane stated in the release. “Everyone agrees that Gallatin County has many new and different challenges than we had decades ago, and perhaps the tools we use to address those challenges could use an update.”

Residents of Bozeman, Belgrade, Manhattan, Three Forks and West Yellowstone will be able to vote on the topic twice, for the county and for their respective city or town.

BOZEMAN AIRPORT SEES 94-DEGREE SWING IN 15 DAYS—OTHER LOCATIONS IN MONTANA WARM BY 100 DEGREES SINCE MID-JANUARY

BY JACK REANEY Two weeks after an arctic airmass swept dangerously low temperatures across Montana, a new weather system brought drastically warmer temperatures to Montana.

On Jan. 28, Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport in Belgrade recorded a high temperature of 49 degrees Fahrenheit—94F warmer than the airport’s low of -45F on Jan. 13.

Meteorologist Matthew Ludwig from the National Weather Service in Great Falls said Montana has seen an incredible warming pattern in the past couple weeks.

“There’s not too many places in the United States that can say they’ve seen a 100-degree temperature swing in the span of a month… it’s a remarkable feat,” Ludwig told EBS during a phone call on Jan. 31. He said the temperature change is tied to a pattern shift to a Pacific southwesterly flow.

On Jan. 30, the Great Falls airport experienced a record high temperature of 64 degrees, amounting to a 100-plus degree temperature swing. Meteorologist Scott Coulston added that within NWS’ Great Falls service area, three other stations recorded temperatures 100 or more degrees apart: Lewistown, Cut Bank and Havre.

“Highest spreads were generally over the plains, which makes sense with winds over the plains melting a lot of the snow,” Coulston said. The valleys of southwest Montana didn’t have quite as much wind to stir up the atmosphere and melt the snow.

“This is definitely quite the warm up,” Ludwig said.

However, temperatures returned to seasonal norms as stormy weather entered the region on Friday, Feb. 2.

2023-24 MONTANA FLU SEASON SEES 10,876 REPORTED CASES TO DATE EBS STAFF As of Jan. 20, the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services has tracked 10,876 cases of influenza in the state. According to the Gallatin City County Health Department, 3.65% of influenza cases have resulted in emergency department visits in Montana, and 24 have died due to influenza.

In Montana, influenza rates are slowly declining with 1,523 reported cases from Jan.14 to 20, compared to 1,770 reported cases from Dec. 31 to Jan. 6. Still, Gallatin County advises that influenza activity is widespread. The MDPHHS reports that six facilities in Montana are managing outbreaks of influenza.

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BETTER TOGETHER A District bulletin

BUILDING THE FY25 BUDGET

The Big Sky Resort Area District (BSRAD) budget is broken into three main categories: Government, Nonprofit, and Reserves.

Recognizing the importance Reserves play in the BSRAD budget and in our community, the Board increased reserve funding by ~$1.4M for FY25 in the January Board meeting: • Operating reserves cover 3 months of District expenses • Emergency reserves help address community relief • Capital reserves will play an important role as we move forward with funding infrastructure deficiencies outlined in the Big Sky Capital Improvement Plan RESERVES

FY25 RESERVES OPERATING

EMERGENCY

CAPITAL

TOTAL

$340,785

$2,500,000

$4,000,000

*$6,840,785

*Targeted reserves as part of a multi-year investment strategy

With commitments to Reserves and budgeted amounts by impact area, we’re wrapping up the FY25 budget and moving into the next phase. The application process for Government and Nonprofit funding is now underway. Organizations can request funding for projects and programs within the District. The BSRAD Board reviews these requests and with feedback from the public, makes decisions that will have positive impacts on our community.

GOVERNMENT

NONPROFIT

February 1, 2024

February 15, 2024

Government Applications Available

Nonprofit Applications Available

March 15, 2024

March 31, 2024

Government Application Deadline

Nonprofit Application Deadline

April 17, 2024

June 4, 2024

BSRAD Board Meeting Government Application Review | DISCUSSION

Nonprofit Application Review Work Session DISCUSSION

May 8, 2024

June 6, 2024

BSRAD & County Commission Meeting Government Application Review | ACTION

Nonprofit Application Review Meeting ACTION

Have a project you think would benefit the community? Meet with District staff to find out if it’s a good fit for Resort Tax funding.

Administered by the Big Sky Resort Area District, a local government agency, Resort Tax is a 4% tax on luxury goods & services.

OUR VISION: “Big Sky is BETTER TOGETHER as a result of wise investments, an engaged community, and the pursuit of excellence.”

Info@ResortTax.org | ResortTax.org | 406.995.3234 |

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9 February 8 - 21, 2024

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LOCAL

SNOW STATS: BIG SKY IN A 33-YEAR LOW— WITH TIME LEFT FOR A COMEBACK WITH THE PEAK OF EL NIÑO LIKELY BEHIND, FORECASTERS SHARE CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM THAT WINTER’S ‘MEAT AND POTATOES’ LAY AHEAD

BY JACK REANEY BIG SKY—Of the 23 years that Chelan Babineau-Z has worked for Big Sky Ski Patrol, this winter is off to the least snowy start on record. As assistant director of snow safety, he helps keep those records.

Data aside, the dry winter is easy small-talk for anyone wearing short sleeves in the near 50-degree sun of late January 2024.

Babineau-Z said this is the lowest year-to-date snow of any winter in Big Sky Resort’s 33-year record of reliable data—there may have been two or three comparable winters in the 1970s and ‘80s, but that data then wasn’t robust or consistent enough to compare. The Lone Mountain SNOTEL station—an agriculture-focused snowpack study maintained by the National Resources Conservation Service—agrees: this winter is a significant minimum for the past 30 years, at least.

As of Jan. 30, Lone Mountain has received about 50% of its average snowfall, year-to-date. Snow water equivalent, the amount of moisture in snow and SNOTEL’s primary metric, is a touch higher at 55%. Babineau-Z said this drought is fairly consistent across Montana and the Mountain West during this El Niño winter—an oceanic climate phenomenon that typically means warmer, drier winter weather across the northwest U.S. Right now, the numbers are bleak for snow sports, tourism-based businesses, projected runoff and river health, and summer wildfire danger. Still, there’s time on the clock and Babineau-Z is cautiously optimistic. “[This] extremely strong historic El Niño pattern looks to be weakening… That will break down some of the weather patterns that have dictated our weather so far this season,” Babineau-Z told EBS in a phone call on Jan. 30.

Big Sky Resort’s ski season isn’t even halfway over until Feb. 8.

Despite the “low-tide” snow conditions—impacting the resort’s lower elevations especially—Babineau-Z noted that temperatures and wind conditions have been favorable. All things considered, he’s amazed by skiing conditions off the tram and other high-elevation slopes.

“The skiing quality, I think, has been much better than the numbers would indicate,” Babineau-Z said. While winds can sometimes prime Big Sky’s finest skiing, “the alpine has not been scoured by as many high-wind events as we normally would have this time of year,” he added.

Big Sky has received significantly less snow this winter than average, possibly related to a strong El Niño climate pattern that forecasters hope will fade in the second half of the winter. PHOTO BY JACK REANEY

The bearer of bad news throughout most of the 2023-24 season, Ambrose tries to sprinkle in some comedy.

“We’re all kind of frustrated, but there’s not much we can do about it. I do try to occasionally throw in a thing here and there to lighten the mood,” he said. “… It gets tougher and tougher as it continues to get worse and worse.”

Big Sky has avoided the bouts of rain that impacted Whitefish in late January, and that in December “devastated early season snowpack” in many locations, especially lower elevations and mountains west of the Continental Divide.

“Big Sky has actually had some surprising storms this season that outperformed what I think you guys would get,” Ambrose recalled. “But a lot of long stretches in between with no snow.”

It’s looking like a poster El Niño winter in Montana, he said. The ENSO pattern was “extremely strong” in November, December and January.

“And it tends to wane, although last I had read… The El Niño was going to hang on through March,” Ambrose said.

As he spoke with EBS, he came across an updated “El Niño Advisory” issued on Jan. 24 by NOAA’s climate prediction center—Ambrose praised NOAA’s supercomputers.

“It’s looking like we’ll be slightly below average in precipitation, and slightly above average in temperatures.

El Niño is expected to continue into the start of April,” Ambrose said, interpreting the report live. “What they’re also saying is we’re going to [progress] into an ENSOneutral pattern… so El Niño will become more gradually average.”

Babineau-Z said Big Sky has another ace up its sleeve: one of the lowest standard deviations in annual snowfall of any resort in the West, at 49 inches. That means Big Sky’s annual snowfall will be within 49 inches of average for about two-thirds of its winters.

“When [winters] start poor—low snowfall—they tend to end better. The El Niño years we have on record tend to make recoveries during the spring months. Our snowfall here always trends towards average,” Babineau-Z said.

How real is El Niño, anyway?

Bob Ambrose, Montana and Canadian Rockies forecaster for OpenSnow, writes three statewide forecasts per week for subscribed readers. He’s been doing it out of Whitefish for nine years, and on the phone with EBS on Jan. 30, he said this winter is the least amount of snow statewide he’s seen since first moving to Missoula in 1997.

NOAA OUTLOOK COURTESY OF BOB AMBROSE / OPENSNOW

April isn’t ideal, but Ambrose added that it may not be worth putting too much stock into El Niño. After all, this January hosted record or near-record low temperatures across Montana. Ambrose said anything can happen—with about a dozen El Niño winters since 1981, the formula doesn’t spell absolute doom. Any forecast beyond 10 days begins to lose accuracy, he said, and despite El Niño’s persistence, mountains east of the Continental Divide—including Big Sky and Bridger Bowl—are better positioned for average precipitation through April anyway.

“The elevation at Big Sky works in your favor. I would say we’re going into historically very snowy months in March, sort of the meat and potatoes of our winter,” Ambrose said—the reason he typically plans ski trips between late February and mid-March.

A possible pattern shift He emphasized that it’s best to take forecasts 10 days at a time.

“We still have a ways to go, and if we did get another cold push of air from the north, we could make up for this [snowpack deficit]… We have space to make up, and I’m just hoping that we can get some cooler air. And this weekend is looking like it could be a start,” Ambrose said.

That weekend he spoke of, from Feb. 2-4, ended up bringing about 6 inches of snow to Big Sky. Ambrose hopes it will begin a pattern change—the change he’s been writing of in his forecasts, in vain thus far, throughout December and January.

Matthew Ludwig, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Great Falls, said the early February storm won't be the saving grace for the winter’s snowpack, but agreed with Ambrose’s hope that it could be a good start.

“Super beneficial, and that can’t really be understated…

This is definitely helping us to maintain our snowpack a little more,” Ludwig said.

Even with the white start to February, it’s going to take a long-term pattern shift for the regional snowpack to recover. Bidding farewell to a dry January, there’s plenty of winter left for optimism in Big Sky. Editor's note: This story was updated from its original online version to reflect actual snowfall outcomes from Feb. 2-4.

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10 February 8 - 21, 2024

Explore Big Sky

NEW BIG SKY FIRE DEPARTMENT FACILITY TO BRING TRAINING TO A ‘NEW LEVEL’ ALL-STEEL STRUCTURE WILL SIMULATE REAL-LIFE FIRE SITUATIONS FOR FIREFIGHTERS, NO LONGER NEEDING TO DRIVE TO BELGRADE FOR SIMILAR TRAINING

BY JEN CLANCEY BIG SKY—The Big Sky Fire Department is only three or four weeks away from opening its new training facility beside Montana Highway 64 (Lone Mountain Trail). Drivers passing the Powder Light apartments on their way in and out of Big Sky will see a house-like structure across the street, and in some ways it’s meant to be built with that appearance.

“This is a realistic three-story house structure [where] we can actually do live fire,” Deputy Fire Chief Seth Barker said. “The way it’s going to benefit Big Sky Fire is it’s a one stop shop for everything that we do in our district.” The Big Sky Resort Area District funded 75% of the building and the fire department covered the remaining 25%.

In total, the building cost $520,000.

“This will truly be the best training facility in [Gallatin] county after we’re done,” Barker said.

Previously, the fire department traveled to Belgrade’s Central Valley Fire District to conduct live fire training. This meant that new recruits for the fire academy would spend 10 weeks training in Belgrade, which Barker described as costly. “We can actually train while we’re working.”

The structure is built of steel, so it can be burned many times. “When we open the windows you’ll actually be able to see fire coming out too,” Barker said. Burning will happen about five to six times a year, and the county dispatch 911 will be informed when the drills are happening and appear on the BSFD Facebook page.

The fire department will use theatrical smoke more often to simulate low-visibility conditions.

Theatrical smoke is a soy-bean-based product that poses no harm to humans or wildlife.

The training facility can be seen from Montana Highway 64 (Lone Mountain Trail). PHOTO BY JEN CLANCEY

‘A new level’ Training Captain Cory Phillips explained that the facility will bring training to a new level for Big Sky, from practicing roof operations to the most advanced procedures for survival and safety. Several features can simulate a live emergency scene.

“This is a building that has interior modular walls that can be moved around,” Phillips said. “And then

they have to truly go in and execute all the stuff and map the building in their head as they go in, even though they don’t have visibility.”

Phillips tried to create that experience in the station previously, but employees already knew the layout of spaces during training. “Here we can vary that, and create a dynamic environment where they actually have to be thinking on their feet.”

A 22-year effort The idea for a new training facility began 22 years ago. In the meantime, the department has gotten creative in how to build realistic scenarios. Jeff Bolton, battalion chief on the department’s A shift explained that the department would use employee housing, with the help of Big Sky Resort, and parking lots for practice. “We [would] build these props, and we’d do it in a garage, essentially, in the base,” Bolton said. “There’s no way to replicate something going on inside of a building without doing it inside of the building.”

The new training facility has realistic design features like attic spaces, which Barker says are a spot for fires common in homes. On those attic spaces are ventilation windows for firefighters to practice cutting into the roof so that the team can assess the fire’s source, progression and prevent dangerous backflashes and flashovers.

On the roof, Phillips and Barker installed two types of roofing common in Big Sky builds so firefighters are prepared for different scenarios.

Deputy Fire Chief Seth Barker and fire department employees tour the space, which is close to completion. PHOTO BY JEN CLANCEY

Barker hopes to do a ribbon-cutting alongside BSRAD in April to celebrate a new chapter for the fire department.

11 February 8 - 21, 2024

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LONE MOUNTAIN MELODIES OFFERS MUSIC THERAPY, LESSONS, EARLY CHILDHOOD ENRICHMENT

BY JACK REANEY BIG SKY—In her short time here, Shea Boyd has figured something out about Big Sky: if it’s missing, create it—the community will support you.

Boyd moved here in October 2022, and saw that Big Sky needed more options for music therapy and lessons. At the end of 2023, she became a boardcertified music therapist and began forming Lone Mountain Melodies.

“I reached out to a lot of local organizations, and they kind of helped me find my way and the connections I needed,” Boyd told EBS, crediting John Zirkle, executive director of the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center, and Ruthi Solari, director of community impact for the Yellowstone Club Community Foundation.

She conducts her practice of music therapy as an onsite partner of Wellness in Action, teaches guitar, piano and voice lessons at students’ homes or at WIA, and hosts group enrichment sessions for young children at Big Sky Chapel.

Boyd describes music therapy as using the power of music to accomplish non-musical goals across social, physical, emotional and cognitive needs.

Sessions may include playing instruments or drums, writing songs or discussing lyrics, guided relaxation including music, or any musical application that fits the client’s goals in therapy. She offers services to clients of just about any age with any level of musical ability, or none, as she believes humans are inherently musical.

As a Wellness in Action partner, Lone Mountain Melodies offers music therapy and charges based on WIA’s sliding scale for those who work, live or learn in Big Sky.

Bradac (second from left) and the WIA staff. COURTESY OF WIA

session begins with a hello song, followed by interactive songs—including peek-a-boo, scarves, bells or shakers—and active songs. “[We’re] currently using a dinosaur song,” Boyd said. “So we’re marching around like dinosaurs, we’re roaring, we’re just getting involved and that helps with a lot of the social skills as well.”

Shea Boyd is a music therapist and teaches music lessons including enrichment to groups of children aged zero to five. COURTESY OF SHEA BOYD

Boyd said it’s important that Big Sky’s youngest can take advantage of music enrichment, which was not widely available at the time she began offering it. She launched her enrichment classes in the past month or two.

“Just due to the increasing needs in Big Sky, Wellness in Action wants to be the chief provider of services to give the community what they need in order to thrive,” Allison Bradac, WIA’s executive director, told EBS in a phone call. Formerly Women in Action, founded in 2005, Bradac said the nonprofit narrowed its focus six years ago toward providing mental and behavioral health resources at a discount based on reported income.

Boyd’s expertise offers an alternative for care to meet the expanding community need, Bradac said. In the past year, 250 people received support from WIA, and the organization saw a 240% rise in demand for services between June 2022 and June 2023. Bradac sees a “paradise paradox” of living in Big Sky, with mountain town challenges contributing to increasing rates of depression, anxiety and substance abuse.

Bradac said her team has been delighted to add Boyd’s services—Boyd said it’s been amazing working with WIA. “I think that they are crucial to Big Sky, because they provide a space that’s safe and accessible. And they also, through their sliding scale, make therapy available to locals,” Boyd said.

And as a parent-friendly move, the session arc finishes by winding down—a few more small songs and a goodbye song.

Lone Mountain Melodies is starting a six-week program on Tuesdays, and hopes to add a Friday class, seeing that Morningstar Learning Center is not open on Fridays.

Those interested in therapy, music lessons or more information about programs can email Boyd or submit a contact form through her website. She encourages community members to follow Lone Mountain melodies on Instagram and Facebook.

COURTESY OF SHEA BOYD

Music groups for toddlers For those aiming for musical progression, Boyd also teaches piano, guitar and voice lessons. She’s best with beginners of any age.

In Lone Mountain Melodies’ enrichment classes for children aged zero to five, “we’re using music as a way to enhance our skills and develop a little bit,” Boyd said. Songs include numbers and counting, the alphabet, audible cues. “It’s helping them focus on motor control and listening skills.”

Group sessions follow an arc, with certain elements of repetition so kids know what to expect. Every

Therapy typically begins with a consultation to assess needs and challenges and assess a client’s personality and style. Boyd creates a treatment plan—usually about eight or 12 weeks—with goals.

Boyd is also looking into offering group therapy, support networks for various common challenges such as seasonal depression and other sources of stress and anxiety. She envisions drumming experiences and relaxation activities among others.

Bradac said group offerings would help keep up with WIA’s increasing demand. For all Boyd’s therapy and enrichment programs, she emphasizes that it’s not about changing behavior or personality.

“You don’t have to act a certain way or be a certain way,” Boyd said. “The purpose of the therapy is to come as you are.”

Wishing everyone a

&

Pray for snow!

14 February 8 - 21, 2024

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Explore Big Sky

LOCAL TRADITION SUPPORTS HOLIDAY EMPLOYEES, BIG SKY BUSINESSES

YELLOWSTONE CLUB MEMBERS PURCHASE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN LOCAL GIFT CARDS FOR CLUB EMPLOYEES WORKING ON CHRISTMAS DAY

BY JACK REANEY BIG SKY—For each of the past seven or eight years, a group of Yellowstone Club members has raised thousands of dollars to purchase gift cards from about 50 Big Sky businesses, and distribute them to club employees working on Christmas Day. It’s an effort they call the “gift toss.”

This past December, the group of more than 100 YC families raised roughly $70,000, purchasing about 675 gift cards of $100 value from Big Sky eateries, bars, retail shops and grocery stores. The club provides employee rosters to make sure nobody is missed.

“We always collect a little extra, because we never know exactly how many gift cards we’re going to need,” said Melissa McKeithen, a Big Sky resident and YC member. For the past three years, the group has donated any excess cash to the Big Sky Community Food Bank. This January, the food bank received a $5,000 check—no application, no conditions, just cash to support a vital and highdemand service.

Wrap Shack, Milkies and BYWOM are three longtime local businesses supported by the “gift toss” fundraiser. PHOTO BY JACK REANEY

store. Anderson helped start the food bank years ago for the same reason: to look out for local workers.

“It is so wonderful to have this surprise donation,” Sarah Gaither Bivins, food bank operations manager, wrote in an email to EBS. “In a tight funding schedule, it is great to have the added support when we’re not expecting it. Our customer services remain at an all-time high this winter season—up about 30% from last winter—and we’re enormously grateful for new funders and income sources. We are in awe of the many creative ways that Big Sky residents help us meet our goal to provide free emergency food and social services to the community. Thank you to everyone involved!”

McKeithen has helped organize the event for the past few years, but fellow members Joanie Hall and Debbie Bagby founded the tradition seven or eight years ago—they originally gave out Flylow gloves to lifties. Over the years, gift cards have increased steadily from $35 to $100 each. McKeithen and Hall hope to see club member participation continue to grow, allowing the group to give more back to employees and the local economy.

“We really appreciate the fact that people are giving up their Christmas Day,” McKeithen said.

Hall and McKeithen emphasize the importance of supporting employees and local businesses.

Although the tradition is called a “gift toss,” there’s no tossing involved. On Christmas, participating members split up and visit different employee hubs, handing out hundreds of gift cards and saying “thank you” in-person. Hall said that’s the best part.

“And for a lot of families it’s become a Christmas tradition… Shaking hands, giving hugs and giving out gift cards,” she said. She hopes to see similar ideas take hold at Big Sky’s other private clubs and community groups, even other towns far beyond.

Bringing new faces in the door Pam Flach, owner of BYWOM, said it’s a great start to the winter season to sell 15 gift cards worth $100 each.

Through this program, Anderson doubts there’s ever been an unused Country Market gift card. It’s clear the employees appreciate it, she said.

Kelsey Rice, manager at Gallatin Alpine Sports, said the program is helpful because it brings employees into the Westfork Meadows area—many YC employees might otherwise commute straight through Ousel Falls Road and rarely venture off the beaten path into one of Big Sky’s old-school commercial areas.

“It’s great to keep the money locally,” Rice said.

“We’re one of just a few local [ski industry] businesses left… one of two left down in the meadow, it’s just us and East Slope Outdoors. It’s huge that they choose us as a business to support.”

At Wrap Shack, owner Alison Adams appreciated the $1,500 boost at the end of last fiscal year.

Tucked away from Big Sky’s heavily-traveled Ousel Falls Road, a handful of Big Sky’s oldest local businesses are set up in the Westfork area. PHOTO BY JACK REANEY

“It’s nice to be supported that way,” Flach said. “It’s fun to see people that come in to use [gift cards], ‘cause I don’t think they normally would come in…

It kind of introduces them to BYWOM as well.”

Next door at Milkies Pizza & Pub, owner Wendy Burton also sees the importance of introducing hardworking employees to new local businesses.

“They get to know who we are—and we are a community place, this is where locals usually come and hang out,” Burton said. “A lot of them group together and come in, play pool or whatever, get some drinks and have a good time.”

Country Market owner Lynne Anderson appreciates the business, but she appreciates even more the people it brings into her local grocery

“It’s really awesome that it’s always a couple days before Christmas… It kind of always just makes a difference to our bottom line,” Adams said.

With a business model being somewhat unique for Big Sky, she said, it’s great to see new faces and get them educated about the shack experience. Many of the card holders bring a friend to help burn through the $100, and some become regular customers, she said.

“I think it’s really awesome for them to do for their employees who are working on Christmas Day, to show their appreciation. But also to show their appreciation to those of us who are working hard in this community,” Adams said. Organizers could just as easily purchase the gift cards from retail chains or other non-local business, she pointed out.

But the local business support is no accident. Hall said her favorite part of the tradition is visiting Big Sky’s businesses to pick up gift cards and interacting with their managers and owners.

15 February 8 - 21, 2024

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BIG GOALS FOR BIG SKY’S PARENT TEACHER ORGANIZATION IN 2024

THE 44TH ANNUAL PIE AUCTION AIMS TO RAISE MORE FUNDS FOR SCHOOL PROGRAMMING AND THE COST OF LIVING ALLOWANCE PROGRAM donations, CODA has raised over $195,000 to supplement the salaries of school district staff.

BY LESLIE KILGORE EBS CONTRIBUTOR

“The funds raised at the Pie Auction make a true difference in our schools,” Bibbins said.

The Parent Teacher Organization’s 44th annual Pie Auction will take place on March 22 at Montage Big Sky to support the Big Sky School District.

Each year, the goal of the Big Sky PTO is to raise enough funds to support both school programs and funding for the Cost of Living Allowance program that the school staff depend on to offset the high cost of living in Big Sky. Some of the annual school programs the Big Sky PTO supports include transportation, rentals and lessons for alpine and Nordic school ski days, as well as various field trips, classroom supplies, the high school musical production, the 10th grade Washington D.C. trip, the science fair and debate club, various author visits, and other unique educational experiences.

“Last year, we raised $250,000 that all went to help our staff and students,” Big Sky PTO president, Jennie Bibbins, said. “I think it’s fair to say the Pie Auction is one of Big Sky’s best fundraising events and helps set the Big Sky School District apart with exceptional programming.”

Bibbins said the event has been one of the longest and most successful fundraisers in Big Sky because

The theme for this year’s event is “We Rock!”

Parents, teachers and other attendees are encouraged to come in costumes from their favorite music genre.

“It’s been fun the past few years to see how much the community goes all out for the party, but also towards fundraising efforts by donating items for the auction, sponsoring a student experience, or bidding online,” Bibbins said.

Several of the special confections on display for the live pie auction portion of the 2018 event. PHOTO BY DAVE PECUNIES

it’s a chance for the entire school community to come together and celebrate while also raising significant funds that our schools depend on.

When the PTO asked staff to share how they used their CODA funds last year, they received many notes that motivated their fundraising goals even more this year.

“It’s been a tradition in Big Sky and part of the community’s history for over four decades now,” Bibbins said.

Some of the feedback the PTO received from school staff stated that it helped them make ends meet between paychecks, putting a downpayment on a car, medical costs, work commute expenses and their heat bill during cold winters.

In 2022, the PTO made a commitment to provide Big Sky teachers with a Cost of Living Adjustment.

Since then, through community support and

For more information on this year’s event, to purchase tickets or to donate items for the auction, visit: one. bidpal.net/pieauction2024/welcome

BIG SKY BLOOD DRIVE EMPHASIZES COMMUNITY NEED 'EVERY TWO SECONDS' BLOOD DONATION IS NEEDED IN THE U.S.

needs donated blood every two seconds in the U.S. Muffich emphasized this statistic to encourage people to not just donate once, but to try to donate regularly. Once you’ve donated, you’ll be added to a donor list and eligible to receive notifications about upcoming opportunities to donate again.

BY MARIO CARR EBS CONTRIBUTOR

On Friday, Feb. 23, from 2 to 5 p.m. on the second floor conference room of the Big Sky Medical Center, Vitalant will be hosting its bimonthly Big Sky community blood drive. Appointments are recommended, and Fastracks are encouraged, which can be completed at vitalant.org.

Shawn Muffich, a representative from Vitalant, is helping to get the word out around the Big Sky community about the importance of donating blood, and said that even if you show up without an appointment, she’ll make it happen. Muffich said that she and her team have been coming to Big Sky every other month since 2018.

Muffich said that there’s currently a strong core of about 15 people that donate regularly when the blood drive is in town, and that they’re mostly hospital employees.

“We can’t get this blood off the trees,” Muffich emphasized.

Muffich explained that this blood is important for the people in our community that are battling cancer, new moms with complications following birth, or people involved in tragic accidents.

PHOTO VIA UNSPLASH

“Not everybody can donate. There’s like 30% of people who can’t even donate at all. So the rest of us who can donate, it’s important that we do, because not everybody is able to, for different reasons,” Muffin said.

“And that road driving up to Big Sky, holy cow,” Muffich said.

“We come to you, instead of you having to travel to one of our centers,” Muffich emphasized.

“It’s a big deal and I just need help getting the word out… All your guys’ surrounding major hospitals— we supply the blood for them,” Muffich said. She went on to explain that they prioritize sending this blood to places like Bozeman, Billings, Butte, and even right back to the BSMC and that your blood donation is being used in your own community.

Muffich is happy to say that she has even had tourists stop in to donate blood while visiting Big Sky.

“Once our hospitals are taken care of, then it actually gets sent out to other hospitals that need it,” Muffich said.

Donated blood has a shelf life of only 45 days, and according to the American Red Cross, somebody

After donating and your blood has been processed, you can look at your complimentary blood assessment including your hemoglobin levels and blood type.

Muffich wants everybody to be reminded of the fact that we all unfortunately will know somebody close to us that may need blood at some point. “It’s a big deal,” she said.

16 February 8 - 21, 2024

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BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS PREPARES FOR LARGEST FUNDRAISING EVENT PROGRAM AIMS TO HELP 325 YOUTH ACROSS THE REGION THIS YEAR

once a month until we can gain a little bit more traction, but hopefully weekly,” Campbell said.

BY MARIO CARR EBS CONTRIBUTOR

BOZEMAN—On Feb. 24 at 6 p.m., at the AC Marriott Hotel in downtown Bozeman, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Big Sky Country will be hosting its largest fundraising event of the year.

Titled “The Big Event,” this evening will be a “gold-inspired,” “Montana black-tie” event with dinner, live and silent auctions, and signature drinks. Attendees are encouraged to bring their dancing shoes.

“This is the big one of the year for all of the communities that we serve,” said Allie Campbell, Big Sky program manager for BBBS of Big Sky Country.

Bozeman serves as the central gathering point for the organization that has programs in Big Timber, Ennis, Bozeman, Livingston and Big Sky. BBBS of Big Sky Country has been operating for 50 years and has a goal of serving 325 youths this year.

There are currently 145 active Big Brothers and Sisters across all of BBBS of Big Sky Country, and “Littles” on wait lists in all locations.

Campbell said that they typically have a few new “Bigs” enrolled as a result of the fundraising events.

“We ask our ‘Bigs’ to commit to a year minimum, and a lot of our matches are together for way longer than that,” Campbell explained.

The Big Event is a fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Big Sky Country. PHOTO COURTESY OF BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS

“Each location is a little bit different… We’ve got about 55 matches in Big Sky because the high schoolers at Lone Peak volunteer and come once a week to meet with their littles at Ophir,” Campbell said.

The BBBS program in Big Sky is unique because it relies mainly on site-based programming at the school and at BASE. “BASE approached us wanting to have more programming available for middle schoolers in Big Sky… Right now we’re doing [group mentoring]

One of the most common feedback requests that Campbell receives is a desire for more BBBS events in Big Sky. Campbell also wants people to know that BBBS is already a large part of the community, and that Bigs and Littles are recreating together frequently on their own time.

BBBS of Big Sky Country is hoping to hire a program manager in Big Timber, which will bring the organization to 10 staff members. Campbell encourages anybody with a desire to get involved to reach out about volunteering in any capacity.

“Even if they don’t have time to become a ‘Big’ or have a child to enroll, we’re doing lots of different things and can definitely use support in pretty much every way,” Campbell said.

17 February 8 - 21, 2024

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REGIONAL

SAVE WILD TROUT

NEARING THE POINT OF NO RETURN ON THE BIG HOLE

ADOBE STOCK PHOTO

BY BENJAMIN ALVA POLLEY EBS CONTRIBUTOR The Jefferson Basin, including the Big Hole River, the Beaverhead, and the Ruby, are the crown jewels of Montana’s cold-water fishery—the last best place.

However, in the last decade, the wild trout population has been crashing drastically, and no state or federal agency knows precisely why.

Save Wild Trout is an organization that has stepped up in a dire time to try to alleviate the heavy loads these agencies carry, and is also trying to fill in the necessary gaps in research to find the culprit causing trout to die.

“Save Wild Trout’s efforts aim to enhance communication and collaboration among them and support collaborative efforts that create the healthy fisheries that are such a part of Montana’s economy and way of life,” wrote Dan Vermillion to EBS in an email.

Vermillion is the owner of Livingston’s Sweetwater Travel Company and serves on the advisory board for Save Wild Trout.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the state agency that oversees the state’s fisheries, has noticed a scary decline and rapid loss in recruitment in brown and rainbow trout populations in the Big Hole River; some numbers are under the 25th percentile of what they were ten years ago, and the river continues to have the lowest trout populations on record since record collections began in 1969.

Greg Lemon, spokesperson for FWP, told EBS that 10 years ago, in the uppermost section of the Big Hole River, FWP biologists estimated that it had a combined tally of 2,000-2,200 brown and rainbow trout per mile.

As of last season, they were counting 1,000 fish per mile.

The Melrose sections are estimated to have less than 500 fish per mile and the lower Big Hole is estimated to have 500-700. Annually, each March and April, Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Park biologists electroshock sections of the Big Hole River to count and survey fish. They only count fish that are seven inches or longer. In the last several years, they have found below-average recruitment, affecting future generations.

Additionally, zombie fish are caught with visible fungal infections, blind eyeballs, skin lesions and missing gill plate chunks. Fish continue to die in early spring and summer when there is plenty of water and temperatures are cold, which shouldn’t be happening. Nutrient overloads continue to cause algal blooms that haunt this once mighty blue-ribbon, world-class trout stream. Some

stress is pressuring the fish populations, and they cannot adapt.

“After multiple years of drought, a surge in population growth, and some stunning weather events, Montanans need to work together to ensure that the next generation of fishermen have the same opportunities we have enjoyed,” Vermillion said.

According to the Montana Department of Commerce, fly fishing in Montana is a multi-million-dollar industry, supporting over 52,000 jobs. Thousands depend on the Big Hole and surrounding Beaverhead County to pay their bills.

Save Wild Trout said they want Gov. Greg Gianforte to call a state of emergency for the fish population’s crash and to take the urgency more seriously. Take last year, for example—good snowpack, high water and coldwater temperatures—and they still had persistent problems of fish dying and zero recruitment along the Big Hole River.

“The Governor has lots of powers to help make some immediate decisions, just like with the flood in Yellowstone, which potentially wiped out an economic summer tourism season,” said Wade Fellin, co-owner of the Big Hole Lodge and Save Wild Trout organizer.

“Creating a cold-water taskforce in addition to declaring a state of emergency for the basin could bring additional resources to bear and enhance cooperation across agencies.”

A patchwork quilt of varying regulations managed by various agencies monitors these Blue Ribbon trout streams from Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, the Montana Department of Quality, the Department of Natural Resource Conservation, and the United States Geological Survey. These agencies have yet to figure out the culprit harming these rivers. FWP conducts sampling for fish health, monitors flows and temperatures, publishes fish counts, and regulates angler use. MT DEQ monitors water quality and usage, and the DNRC looks at water quantity.

“Cold-water fisheries and wild trout management are like a three-legged stool with one leg being biological health, another physical, and the other chemical, which is water quality,” Fellin said. “The physical means you need good flows and healthy habitat, but wild trout also require clean water, and in particular nutrient pollution, dissolved oxygen, and water temperature matter immensely.”

Save Wild Trout was formed to support ongoing efforts to address Montana’s fisheries’ challenges and

to support research and communication between the different stakeholders in southwest Montana’s fishery management. This non-profit organization is a growing alliance of anglers, river advocates, concerned citizens, biologists, businesses, guides and outfitters who are trying to bridge the gaps between federal and state agencies and open up the lines of communication so each agency isn’t walled off in their individual silos.

“What we are seeing here is a bifurcation or siloing off of the managing agencies, all of the way from the top and the feds, all the way down to local governments where collaboration and communication and working toward the best outcomes and best practices must be improved if we hope to reverse this troubling trend,” Fellin said. “It’s encouraging to see that the community is stepping up, and agencies, like FWP and DEQ, are starting to work together. We need all hands on deck.”

This catalyst spawned this organization to create allies and partners with various backgrounds because “people are talking past each other and not to one another,” Fellin continued. “The right hand was not talking to the left hand.”

Save Wild Trout was formed to find a more holistic, reimagined management paradigm under climate change, the new reality that includes more development and more people pressure on the rivers. And southwest Montana is ground zero.

“An independent effort by Save Wild Trout is being initiated immediately to help get at the targeted study of fish pathology now, to commission an outside expert to help identify causes and propose solutions, specifically to get a live tissue sample of an infected fish, and provide that data to FWP to help inform their Fish Mortality Study once it begins next year,” said Brian Wheeler, executive director of The Big Hole River Foundation and serves on the advisory board for Save Wild Trout.

Wheeler is also spearheading BHRF’s water quality monitoring program, which is designed to complement the work being done by state agency folks.

“To work together and provide them with useful and relevant data that they don’t have the capacity to collect,” says Wheeler.

For the analogy of the stool to stand and support life, the legs must not be isolated but work together in unison to hold up the gold standard of high-quality blue-ribbon trout streams—and that is what Save Wild Trout aims to do.

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21 February 8 - 21, 2024

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SPORTS

BEST IN THE WEST SHOWDOWN: A WEEKEND OF SKIJORING, STUNTS, LIVE MUSIC AND TRADITION

BY JEN CLANCEY BIG SKY—On the first weekend of February, the Big Sky Skijoring Association held its annual Best in the West Showdown. For its sixth year, the event, which collaborated with the Big Sky Ski Education Foundation gathered spectators, more than 150 teams of skiers and riders, freestyle snowmobilers and even the showdown’s first mini pig fan.

On Saturday, Feb. 3, the day began with some much-needed snow in Big Sky Town Center.

After a week of carting snow to the course in an otherwise dry and warm winter, precipitation and cooling temps began the weekend in classic Montana winter style.

Each division opened with prayer over the course and competitors, and community members sang the national anthem to begin the afternoon open division.

The Western sport of skijoring wasn’t the only spectacular show in Big Sky—for the second year in a row, Big Sky Skijoring and the Big Sky Ski Education Foundation brought professional freestyle snowmobiler Keith Sayers to perform aerial stunts. And for the second year in a row, Sayers jumped over a rider and skier to the crowd’s awe. PHOTO BY JOSH KING PHOTOGRAPHY

Spectators watch from the hillside. PHOTO BY KELSEY KRADEL

Overall, Richard Weber riding Frank’s and Beans, toting skier Tyler Smedsrud, won the open; Kevin Derzapf on Neato with skier Ty Free won the sport division; Tyler Smesrud riding Three with skier Dennis Alverson, took first place in the Switch-a-roo. Cortney Andersen on Moon pulling snowboarder Jakobe Chacon won in the snowboard category. In the novice division, Karli Lloyd on Russell with skier Tyler Boody had the quickest time; and Josey Woodring with Dennis the Menace brought skier Kate Thompson in for a winning time in the junior division.

Lone Mountain Ranch Wranglers, Melanie Sim on Frenchie, Cailin Ross on Maze and Monica Ellis on Lane carry flags in the opening ceremony on Saturday. PHOTO BY KELSEY KRADEL

Butters the pig, Big Sky Skijorings first micro-mini pig spectator.

PHOTO BY KELSEY KRADEL

Taylor Stobaugh, nicknamed “Captain America” in the skijoring community, stands with her horse Little Bo Peep outside the Bozeman Spirits Distillery tent. Stobaugh, a Big Sky local and crowd favorite, had three runs on Saturday—one in the snowboard division and two in the open division. PHOTO BY KELSEY KRADEL

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23 February 8 - 21, 2024

SPORTS

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STINGERS AND SUNS BATTLE IN BIG SKY’S MARTY PAVELICH ICE RINK Their opponents, the Sun Valley Suns, also enjoyed the opportunity to play outside, and it was a game they had looked forward to since the season schedule was announced.

BY MERRICK PARNELL EBS CONTRIBUTOR

The Bozeman Stingers took their game into the elements to face off against the Sun Valley Suns at the outdoor Marty Pavelich Ice Rink in Big Sky Town Center. Bozeman has hosted at least one outdoor game since 2020, and it’s a game everyone looks forward to.

On Saturday, Jan. 27, the two teams battled it out on the ice, gathering hockey fans from around the area to watch the game played in the majestic openair setting with snow-capped Lone Mountain in the background.

Mary O’Flaherty, a Stinger’s fan and Graduate Student at Montana State University came up to Big Sky to take in the game and was excited to watch the team play at the outdoor rink.

“Outdoor Hockey games are always special and add a lot of excitement to the game,” O’Flaherty said.

The Stingers entered the Black Diamond Hockey League game riding a three-game winning streak after they earned victories against the Jackson Hole (Wyoming) Moose and the McCall (Idaho) Mountaineers. Sun Valley would pick up a 6-1 win in this latest outdoor classic against Bozeman.

“Playing in the outdoor game at Big Sky was one of the most fun hockey games I’ve been privileged to be a part of,” said Sun’s player Ben Barton. “It felt like we were playing in a winter classic with views of the surrounding mountains. The Bozeman Stingers did a great job organizing the event and being great hosts for us.”

Puck drop begins Saturday’s game. PHOTO BY JACK REANEY

Luke McKay would score Bozeman’s only goal in the game.

Despite the loss, It was a festive atmosphere as the sun set and lights came on to illuminate the ice. As temperatures dipped into the midtwenties, outdoor fires were lit, and fans roasted marshmallows while the teams whirled and raced up and down the ice.

“I thought the weather was great for family and friends to watch the game. It was under the lights; it was fast and exciting to watch,” said Bozeman player Ryan Padden. “It was a great turnout despite the losing effort,” he added.

The outdoor game in Big Sky was the second game that weekend for the Stingers. Bozeman hosted the Suns on Friday the previous night. The Suns would win that game inside Hayes Pavillion.

The Stingers will now turn their attention to the Jackson Hole Moose as they come to town on Feb. 9 and 10. For tickets and more information, check out Bozeman-stingers.com or @bozemanstingers on Instagram.

Merrick Parnell is originally from Orcas Island, Washington. He specializes in sports writing, especially covering hockey along with other sports. He has been involved with local hockey in Montana since 2016 in several capacities, including coaching, scouting, advising and media roles. Parnell contributes to several publications in Montana, the Northwest and Canada.

You can read more of his regular work at norpacsn.com.

Phone and Internet Discounts Available to CenturyLink Customers The Montana Public Service Commission designated CenturyLink as an Eligible Telecommunications Carrier within its service area for universal service purposes. CenturyLink’s basic local service rates for residential voice lines are $30.50 per month and business services are $42.00 per month. Specific rates will be provided upon request.

CenturyLink participates in the Lifeline program, which makes residential telephone or qualifying broadband service more affordable to eligible low-income individuals and families. Eligible customers may qualify for Lifeline discounts of $5.25/month for voice or bundled voice service or $9.25/month for qualifying broadband or broadband bundles. Residents who live on federally recognized Tribal Lands may qualify for additional Tribal benefits if they participate in certain additional federal eligibility programs. The Lifeline discount is available for only one telephone or qualifying broadband service per household, which can be either a wireline or wireless service. Broadband speeds must be at least 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload to qualify.

CenturyLink also participates in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which provides eligible households with a discount on broadband service. The ACP provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward broadband service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands.

For both programs, a household is defined as any individual or group of individuals who live together at the same address and share income and expenses. Services are not transferable, and only eligible consumers may enroll in these programs. Consumers who willfully make false statements to obtain these discounts can be punished by fine or imprisonment and can be barred from these programs.

If you live in a CenturyLink service area, visit https://www.centurylink.com/aboutus/community/communitydevelopment/lifeline.html for additional information about applying for these programs or call 1-800-201-4099 with questions.

24 February 8 - 21, 2024

SPORTS

Explore Big Sky

BIG HORN BASKETBALL PLAYERS, COACHES OFFER INSIGHTS INTO CLASS B ON FEB. 10, SENIOR NIGHT WILL WRAP UP HOME ACTION BEFORE PLAYOFFS

Head coach Al Malinowski is optimistic. He is proud of his team’s progression toward cohesive defense, chemistry and confidence between teammates of varying experience, and balance across the offense—that’s a need, because 60% of all points are being scored by junior Isaac Bedway and sophomore Ebe Grabow. If the Big Horns can continue pushing forward and minimizing mistakes, Malinowski thinks they could surprise some opponents in the remaining four regular season games, and perhaps the district tournament.

BY JACK REANEY BIG SKY—Unlike 2023, Lone Peak High School likely won’t have both of its varsity basketball teams vying for a state tournament berth. Ask coaches and players and you’ll learn that’s not their focus—it’s about growth and stepping up to a challenge.

Lone Peak basketball moved up from Class C for this season, and now faces opponents with almost three times the school’s enrollment, in some cases. The Class B debut season is nearing the finish line, with the regular season conclusion scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 10, as the Big Horns celebrate senior night at home. Then it’s off to the double-elimination district 5B tournament, for which all teams qualify.

John McGuire took over as head coach for the Big Horns, and his first year came with an extra challenge: moving up to Montana Class B. PHOTO BY RICH ADDICKS

“It’s been a good experience in that we know we have the talent to compete, but one of our challenges is our depth,” Malinowski said. “When you get into several road games in a row, or back-to-back games… you can see the fatigue in some of our players.”

Senior Samantha Ayers, student-manager for both teams, summed up the story: Class B takes a lot more work, and the programs are more focused than ever on developing younger players. On the girls’ side, even with Class B’s challenges, the Big Horns have won a few games this season.

“Class B is as advertised… I’m proud of the girls for the way they’ve fought in this new environment,” said head coach John McGuire, pointing out that some schools are making cuts at two or three high school levels. It would not serve Lone Peak to be cutting players.

Speaking to EBS before hosting Three Forks High School on Friday, Jan. 26, McGuire highlighted team leadership from seniors Astrid McGuire and Vera Grabow. Overall, it’s an exceptionally young team— two seniors, two juniors, and 11 combined freshmen and sophomores.

Senior Juliusz Shipman said Class B basketball is more aggressive. “I don’t think they’re necessarily way better at basketball, they’re just kind of more physical. I think that’s something that’s pretty hard to adapt to, because we’re a young team, too,” Shipman said before facing Three Forks on Jan. 26.

Senior Astrid McGuire ranks among top scorers in Lone Peak’s district 5B. PHOTO BY RICH ADDICKS

Grabow said Class B is definitely challenging with a new realm of opponents, but the goal is to stay positive. Even with a lot of young players with little or no basketball experience, they’ve worked hard every day. “Props to them,” she said.

“I think our growth from the beginning of the season onwards… It’s gone a lot better,” she said.

Junior Isaac Bedway is averaging about 15 points per game. PHOTO

BY RICH ADDICKS

Astrid McGuire is averaging more than 11 points per game, good for sixth in district 5B as of Jan. 26. Coach McGuire said she plays an indispensable role on the young team.

Coach McGuire also showered praise upon his assistant coaches, Jessica Bedway and Christine Toy. With strong roster depth in years to come, McGuire sees potential especially with support of his experienced coaching staff.

“Going into the season we knew that Class B was going to be really hard. But it’s been really fun to grow together,” Astrid said. In many games, she sees her team playing well to start, but lacking the depth to keep up with tough opponents.

Astrid said it’s been a joy to see her dad step into the head coaching role this season. Even though “basketball is not his forte… he’s doing a great job and he’s made it really fun,” she said. His strength is his passion in everything he does, she said, and he’s learning the game.

With the team’s young core, coach McGuire is pleased with the individual and team growth. He commended their enduring chemistry—nothing builds chemistry like winning, he said, and wins have been hard to come by.

“The girls are getting excellent reps against some strong competition, all across southwest Montana… And we surprise a lot of teams,” coach McGuire said. “It’s been a very, very positive year.”

“Every single player is a better basketball player,” he said.

Sophomores Harper Morris and Maddie Wilcynski will step up and lead in years to come, and junior Addy Malinowski has rounded out the team’s starting five.

On senior night against Whitehall, the Big Horns should be able to compete.

Coach McGuire also rattled through up-and-coming talent: sophomores Cate Leydig, Poppy Towle, Taran Gilbert and freshmen Sophie Kendrick and Catherine Coltea are splitting time between the varsity and JV squads. Next year’s team will be stronger with a healthy Anna Masonic, a current junior.

Astrid’s priority this season is to lead the girls so they’re excited to keep playing and they improve. That’s the biggest thing the team can do right now, she said.

Malinowski said the amount of experience for younger players will only help build the program in future years.

Plus, the younger players will continue to physically develop, helping match up to some big opponents.

Unlike last year’s team, which knew its leaders from the start, this year has come with open roles for younger players to fill. Freshmen Ryan Malinowski and Miles Romney are punching above their weight. Sophomore Oliver McGuire has made an impact since his midseason return from studying abroad, and senior Aidan Germain has settled in after a season away f rom basketball.

He commended Grabow on her recovery from an ankle injury in July, and her return to an impactful role.

“They’ve really stepped up, they always work really hard in practice,” Astrid said.

Class B opponents are generally bigger, faster and stronger. With larger rosters, opponents have a greater number of physically developed players.

“I think using all the motivation from previous games to actually follow through and win that game would be very good,” Astrid McGuire said.

Grabow also sees upside.

“We’re looking forward to finishing the season on a strong note, maybe get a few wins,” she said.

Boys finding their stride The Big Horn boys had a strong start to the season, with three wins against Class C opponents on their way to a 5-3 overall record. Six losses followed, with a lot of learning and trial by fire for younger players.

While coach Malinowski said the team’s search for identity has been a roller coaster, the losses are becoming narrower. And last year, narrow losses were valuable experiences that helped the Big Horns earn narrow playoff wins and a state tournament berth, he noted.

Now, the team is playing fewer games with massive scoring deficits, and more where a loss can be attributed to a small handful of specific miscues. Against a highlyranked Three Forks team on Jan. 26, the Big Horns trailed by four at halftime and lost, 47-33. With better shooting, Malinowski said it could have ended a lot closer.

“You keep the game a little bit tighter. And the last few games, our boys have played with a little more grit, and more effort and are really battling,” he said.

In the upcoming district tournament, the top three of seven teams will advance to the Class B divisional tournament. “We certainly have to beat someone that we haven’t, but we have experience doing that in the past,” Malinowski said. He’s seen enough confidence from his team to believe they could win in the playoffs, but they’ll need to execute on details.

Ebe Grabow sees that as an advantage of Class B— developing team and individual skills against better competition. As a sophomore, he’s learning to capitalize on opportunities when given, and leading the team with about 16 points per game.

“It’s a new experience for sure, but we just gotta take our time and adjust. It’s a different game, faster paced, and we just gotta change, adapt to it,” Grabow said.

To win on senior night against Whitehall on Feb. 10, coach Malinowski said the team will need to knock down shots. When they faced off earlier in the season, it was a sloppy game for the Big Horns. They’ll look for redemption in front of a home crowd.

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26 February 8 - 21, 2024

Explore Big Sky

OP NEWS

BIG SKY’S BIGGEST WEEK RETURNS FOR 13TH YEAR JULY 12-20 TICKETS FOR BIG SKY PBR ON SALE MARCH 4, 2024 AT 10 A.M.

Cowboys stand during opening ceremonies at the Big Sky Events Arena for night one of last year’s Big Sky PBR. OUTLAW PARTNERS PHOTO/BY TAYLOR ALLEN

year we saw just that. Looking at the list, Big Sky already has new super stars marking their calendar for the Event of the Year,” continued McCoy. “We are always excited to be there and it’s been fun since the first ride in Big Sky.”

OUTLAW PARTNERS

Outlaw Partners is bringing back the summer’s best wild west experience with the nine-time Event of the Year for the 13th annual Big Sky PBR and Big Sky’s Biggest Week. This year’s PBR will be one-of-a-kind with elevated venue experiences and two weeks of events for the entire family. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on Monday, March 4, 2024 and will sell out fast at bigskypbr.com.

“The energy every year at PBR in Big Sky is electric,” said Eric Ladd, founder and chairman of Outlaw Partners. “We’re excited to take the experience to the next level this year and look forward to bringing the community together again to celebrate the Biggest Week in Big Sky.” Three nights of Big Sky PBR bull riding will take place July 18, 19 and 20, featuring some of the world’s best cowboys going head-to-head with world-class bulls. After bull riding each night, live music performances will feature top touring musicians, starting with Thursday’s free Music in the Mountains concert in neighboring Len Hill Park. Corb Lund will perform on Friday, and Jason Boland & The Stragglers on Saturday at the Big Sky Events Arena. Music is included with bull riding tickets, but a limited number of music-only tickets will be available.

“Big Sky PBR continues to raise the bar and set the standard for bull riding. The best of the best,” said Cord McCoy, bull stock contractor and former professional rodeo cowboy. “Last

Big Sky PBR brings the best bulls and cowboys to the arena for three nights of high-energy bull riding. OUTLAW PARTNERS PHOTO/BY TAYLOR ALLEN

Lukas Nelson + POTR perform on night three of last summer;s Big Sky PBR. Each night of bull riding concludes with live music. OUTLAW PARTNERS PHOTO/BY TAYLOR ALLEN

Smaller rodeo athletes compete during the infamous mutton bustin’ competition. OUTLAW PARTNERS PHOTO/BY TAYLOR ALLEN

Big Sky’s Biggest Week will kick off on Friday, July 12 with the Big Sky Community Rodeo at the Big Sky Events Arena in Big Sky Town Center. On Tuesday, July 16 from 2-5 p.m. the arena will host family-friendly and free Community Day including the muchanticipated mutton bustin’ competition for kids ages 4-7. Events will include carnival games, pony rides, food and drink, and other familyfriendly activities.

Returning for its fourth year, the annual Dick Allgood Community Bingo Night will take place on Tuesday, July 16 following Community Day under the big tent adjacent to the Big Sky Events Arena. A portion of the proceeds from the event will be donated to Big Sky local nonprofits.

For those who want to hit the links to support Western Sports Foundation, which provides mental and physical health resources to PBR athletes, the annual PBR Golf Tournament returns to Big Sky this year on Wednesday, July 17 and will take place at its home turf at the Big Sky Resort golf course.

Sponsorship opportunities for the 13th annual Big Sky PBR and Big Sky’s Biggest Week are available. Tickets for the Big Sky PBR and all events during Big Sky’s Biggest Week will be on sale online only at bigskypbr.com.

I G B G E S S ’ T Y K W S EEK G BI July 12-20, 2024

CO M M U N I T Y E V E N TS

P RO F E S S I O N A L BULL RIDING

FRIDAY, JULY 12

THURSDAY, JULY 18

BIG SKY COMMUNITY RODEO 7:00 PM - Big Sky Events Arena

BULL RIDING NIGHT 1 6:00 PM - Big Sky Events Arena

TUESDAY, JULY 16 FREE COMMUNITY DAY / FAMILY ACTIVITIES 2:00 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

MUSIC IN THE MOUNTAINS CONCERT 8:00 PM - Featuring TBD Len Hill Park

FRIDAY, JULY 19 BULL RIDING NIGHT 2 7:00 PM - Big Sky Events Arena PBR AFTER PARTY 9:15 PM - Featuring Corb Lund Big Sky Events Arena Stage

SATURDAY, JULY 20 WEDNESDAY, JULY 17 BIG SKY PBR GOLF TOURNAMENT 9:00 AM - Big Sky Resort Golf Course

BULL RIDING NIGHT 3 7:00 PM - Big Sky Events Arena PBR AFTER PARTY 9:15 PM - Featuring Jason Boland & The Stagglers Big Sky Events Arena Stage

b i gs kypbr.c o m

29 February 8 - 21, 2024

Explore Big Sky

A&E ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

WYATT FLORES ON RED DIRT STYLE, LIFE LESSONS AND PLAYING AT WILDLANDS FESTIVAL

PHOTO BY MATT PASKERT

BY JEN CLANCEY Editor’s note: Outlaw Partners is the publisher of Explore Big Sky and is the producer of the Wildlands Festival, which will host Wyatt Flores in August.

BIG SKY—Wyatt Flores is a 22-year-old Mexican American singer-songwriter from outside Morrison, Oklahoma. He grew up around the red dirt tradition—a medley of folk, bluegrass, swing, Mexican influences and a heavy dose of rock and grit. Flores began 2024 by releasing his most recent single, “Milwaukee.” The year will be marked by the musician’s tour that will take him abroad later this spring.

Flores will be playing at Wildlands Festival in Big Sky on Aug. 3, before headliner Dierks Bentley.

Explore Big Sky’s Hoary Marmot podcast hosts Joe and Michelle Borden interviewed Flores about his music alongside EBS so that before Wildlands, fans can learn what Flores is all about.

This conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity. Please listen to Hoary Marmot’s episode, “Coming to Wildlands: Wyatt Flores,” to hear the full conversation, including how Flores and his team lost sleep in the re-recording of “Losing Sleep.”

Explore Big Sky: Have you been to Montana before?

Or will Wildlands be your first time in the state?

Wyatt Flores: This will be my first time. I’m excited as all get-out to finally get up there. I’ve heard so many great things from, you know, other artists, but also friends that have had to go out there and do cattle sales and stuff like that. So I’m super excited.

EBS: What else is on your list while you’re here?

WF: I haven’t really started digging in all that I want to do while I’m there. But I’m gonna start trying to figure out things that the entire band can do.

EBS: So your style is country red dirt style music. And that spoke to you when you started playing. Can you elaborate more on that?

WF: The red dirt style. It’s rock and roll mixed with folk … it’s hard to describe red dirt because there’s so many styles of it. And I don’t know, I feel like you can’t go wrong—if that makes sense—with whatever style that you choose. It’s real country. It’s got some classic country songs in there. And then it’s got mostly folk, up-tempo kind of rock, but it’s [red dirt’s] own sound.

You know, it’s something you don’t get anywhere else … It’s rough. And that’s just what the state is, you know, Oklahoma. It’s—you don’t even have to scratch the surface on the history, and it’s not pretty at all ... It’s just the history of the state and everything that it’s been through. It just rolls straight into the music as well.

EBS: You just came out with a single last week, Friday [ Jan. 26]. I’d be really interested to know about the writing process behind “Milwaukee.”

WF: Milwaukee’s writing process was just us having fun … It really just fell right into our laps, honestly. And I think that’s why the song’s doing as well as it is because there was no real struggle behind it. It was just meant to be that day. And honestly, it was me wanting to try and write a song for Graham [Barham], but Graham was trying to write a song for me and I think we hit that perfect mix of commercial country mixed with folk.

EBS: There’s definitely a sense of ease in that song.

So it makes sense that it started rolling, and then kept going. What made you choose that song to kick off 2024?

WF: I’d had it in my pocket since February of last year. And so I’ve been holding on to it for a hot minute … I was real tired of holding on to it. And I was like, now we got to record this. I wanted to kick off the year with a bang.

EBS: A few weeks ago, you played an encore on the bed of a pickup truck outside The Basement [in Nashville].

How did that feel doing that? And what possessed you to do so?

WF: Well, it was one of the things where we knew that we could sell it out. But we didn’t think that many people would show up. We had 200 people wrapped around after we’d already closed off and then I told them, “Hey guys, I know it’s cold. Y’all have been out here for a while waiting. I’m gonna do an encore after the show if y’all want to stick around or come back and we’ll do it right here in the parking lot.”

There was another band that was coming in so we couldn’t go over time or anything like that. So we got done with the show. And then I told everyone inside that we’re gonna do it outside. We just hopped in the back of that truck.

It was one of those moments where it’s like, this is what music is all about. It’s a moment of just being there, being present and enjoying it for what it is.

EBS: And that was in Nashville. You’re from Oklahoma. Other than those two places, where do you feel like you’re being you know, the most well-received?

Who gets you?

WF: I mean, honestly, everywhere we’ve been. All the fans are nice—they’re the sweetest people ever.

And they all tell me their stories. I end up relating to them more than they realize … And sometimes it feels like there’s a disconnect between fans and the artist. You know, they put you on a pedestal, but I don’t believe that I’m on a pedestal, I believe that I’m just the exact same as them. And I just have a skill of writing songs and putting out music.

And I’ve been so lucky that I have the fanbase that I do, because with having them I don’t feel so alone in this world. And I think that’s the entire message that I’m after is trying to tell people that you’re not the only one that’s going through whatever you’re going through.

Continued on page 30

A&E

30 February 8 - 21, 2024

Explore Big Sky

EBS: I’m really intrigued by your cover for your singles and album that you have. What’s the inspiration behind having skeletons going on these different adventures among flowers?

WF: With this next bit of music that I’m working on, it kind of tells a story that I haven’t quite told yet. The reason that there’s the skeleton and everything else is because it’s odd for me. But this has been going on for like two, three years … I’ve had an odd satisfaction with the thought of death. I’ve been to so many funerals, and I’ve lost so many friends and family. It’s opened my eyes to realize that one day it all comes to an end, and what are you gonna leave behind? What are you going to do with your life? Are you going to make something worth it, and go out and live?

So you have “Life Lessons,” which is all about taking the chance on whatever path you want to take and realizing that if you take the path less traveled … it’s filled with heartbreak, because it’s the pursuit of happiness. And the pursuit of happiness is not glamorous, until you get to the very end, and you have that slight bit of success and finally reach your goal … And you know, you need the yin and yang. And that’s the next thing that I’m working on—showing off the other side of where “Life Lessons” came from.

EBS: Thank you for sharing. So I love the song “Wildcat” and I have a couple of questions. Is that song about you? I’d love to hear the inspiration behind that song.

EBS: It seems like you’ve learned so much about yourself and about the industry. And your career is just getting off the ground. What are your goals?

WF: My goals right now are to finish what I’ve started. I can’t give any news on what is being done currently. But … once I’m done with this project and get everything that I want out of my head, I’m going to take a good long look at what I want from myself. My goal is just to figure out who I am.

As a young adult. I’ve been focusing a lot on past things and digging into that. And I think I want to really be present for the future—soak up everything that I absolutely can, and learn. And sit down and start writing the next project.

Wyatt Flores will perform at the Wildlands Festival on Aug. 3.

PHOTO BY MATT PASKERT

WF: This is really funny, because whenever it finally released, a lot of reviews were like, “No, Flores was not good at playing football.” And I was like, no, no, not quite.

I had written a song about me back in high school when I was the mascot for the Morrison Wildcats.

And I was not good at football. But being the mascot was the coolest thing ever. Even though I was never on the field, I’d still get chewed out after a game and then had to sit on a smelly bus for the next two hours until we got back home.

You’ll have to hear that one live. We have a lot of fun playing that one.

EBS: Well, that was fun. Thank you for your time.

WF: I can’t wait to finally meet y’all in person and see y’all up there.

CHECK OUT THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE!

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A&E

32 February 8 - 21, 2024

Explore Big Sky

BIG SKY EVENTS CALENDAR Thursday, Febuary 8 - Wednesday, Febuary 21

If your next event falls between Feb. 22 - March. 6, please submit it to media@theoutlawpartners.com by Feb. 14.

THURSDAY, FEB. 8

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 14

Seasonal Workforce Events: Bowling at the Montage Montage Hotel, 11 a.m.

Fill a Bag @ Big Sky Thrift Big Sky Thrift, 6:15 p.m.

Train Like a Girl: Mindfulness BASE, 4 p.m.

FRIDAY, FEB. 9

Montage Valentine’s Dinner The Montage Hotel, 5 p.m.

Kids’ Craft Happy Hour The Wilson Hotel, 5 p.m.

Bozeman Men’s Meetup Mazevo Coffee, 8:30 a.m.

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

Winter Live Music The Wilson Hotel, 5 p.m.

Big Sky Christian Fellowship Big Sky Chapel, 4:30 p.m.

MONDAY, FEB. 19

Trivia The Waypoint, 7 p.m.

Gays on Blades Marty Pavelich Ice Rink, 8 p.m.

THURSDAY, FEB. 15

TUESDAY, FEB. 20

Queer Movie Night The Waypoint, 7 p.m.

Big Sky Transportation District Meeting Big Sky Resort Area District, 1 p.m.

SATURDAY, FEB. 10

FRIDAY, FEB. 16

Big Sky County Water and Sewer Board Meeting Big Sky Water and Sewer District, 8 a.m.

Board Game Night The Wilson Hotel, 5 p.m.

Canis Lupis: George Hill Artist Reception Courtney Collins Fine Art, 4 p.m.

LPHS Basketball: Senior Night vs. Whitehall

Auction for the Arts: Sound and Color Reception Old Choppers Building, 5 p.m.

Black Tie Trivia Montage Hotel, 5:45 p.m.

Bough-Dolan Gynasium, 4 p.m. (boys) and 5:30 p.m. (girls) Marty Pavelich Invitational Marty Pavelich Ice Rink, 7 p.m. (Adult game) Danish String Quartet WMPAC, 7:30 p.m.

SUNDAY, FEB. 11

SATURDAY, FEB. 17 International Guitar Night WMPAC, 7:30 p.m.

Desperate Electric The Waypoint, 9 p.m.

SUNDAY, FEB. 18

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

Bozeman Men’s Meetup Mazevo Coffee, 8:30 a.m.

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

Montage Super Bowl Viewing Party The Montage Hotel, 4:30 p.m.

Big Sky Christian Fellowship Big Sky Chapel, 4:30 p.m.

MONDAY, FEB. 12 Holistic Emotional First Aid Santosha Wellness Center, 3 p.m.

TUESDAY, FEB. 13 Western Roots Line Dance Lessons Tips Up, 7:30 p.m.

Winter Wildlands Backcountry Film Festival Warren Miller Performing Arts Center, 6 p.m.

American Legion Bingo The Waypoint, 6:30 p.m.

Western Roots Line Dance Lessons Tips Up, 7:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 21 Trivia The Waypoint, 7 p.m.

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

FEATURED EVENT INTERNATIONAL GUITAR NIGHT FEB. 17, WMPAC, 7:30 P.M. On Saturday, Feb. 17, International Guitar Night will present masters of the guitar from around the world on the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center stage. Performers include Olli Soikelli, Stephanie Jones, Jesus Guerrero and Jocelyn Gould. The event will run from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and tickets range from $20 to $55.

PHOTO COURTESY OF INTERNATIONAL GUITAR NIGHT

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34 February 8 - 21, 2024

Explore Big Sky

A LA CARTE

DINING

CAFE 191 DISHES OUT BREAKFAST AND LUNCH

BY RACHEL HERGETT EBS COLUMNIST

“Breakfast or lunch?” a waiter asks everyone who walks through the door of Cafe 191. It’s a Tuesday at 1 p.m. and I can’t make such important decisions on an empty stomach.

“Both,” I say.

I had come to Cafe 191 in search of breakfast, reminiscing about the days when the space was home to Bugaboo Café. Faced with options, however, I felt the need to weigh them and perused both the breakfast and lunch menus.

Bugaboo gave way to Caliber Café in 2018.

And for the last few years, the restaurant in the Bighorn Shops in the West Fork shopping center, just north of the intersection of Lone Mountain Trail and the cafe’s namesake highway, has been Cafe 191.

When in doubt, stuck in my own hunger and the glorious privilege of choice, I tend to rely on recommendations. This may mean cautiously consulting the internet, befriending other diners or placing my trust in the palate of my server. But it’s easier if the restaurant simply tells me what is popular. On the Cafe 191 menu, dishes marked with a miniature version of the U.S. highway road sign that backs the restaurant’s logo are “local legends.”

Cafe 191 is located near the entrance to Big Sky. The restaurant serves breakfast from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., and lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. PHOTO

BY RACHEL HERGETT

Next out is the French toast. The outside looks a bit grainy and so orange that a part of me wonders if it is breaded with Cheetos (it’s not). I poke at it a bit with my fork. Rose tells me the recipe is top secret.

For breakfast, served from 6 a.m. until 3 p.m., those dishes are the chicken fried steak, Firehole French toast and the Cafe 191 omelet with ham and bacon, cheese and bell peppers. Part of me was grateful for the inclusion of bell peppers. With a slight allergy, crossing that dish off shortened my list of possibilities. But I have heard tell of the French toast.

Local legends on the lunch menu, served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., are the Lone Peak turkey sandwich, a Reuben, the Cafe 191 bacon cheeseburger and bison chili.

The secret is not well-kept. Later, I learn that after the bread is soaked in an eggy custard mix, it is breaded in the sugary breakfast cereal favored by pirates, Captain Crunch.

Cafe 191’s Firehole French toast. PHOTO BY RACHEL HERGETT

Of these dishes, my waiter, Jon Rose, points me toward the turkey sandwich. I pair it with a cup of chili, then order a side of French toast for good measure. I explain that I’m considering writing about the food, hence my large order, and Rose nods. But I think we both knew that when I eventually return to Cafe 191, I will order sides of French toast with lunch anyway.

While I wait, I enquire about the grab and go combo advertised on a sign out front. It’s a breakfast burrito, with either Mexican-inspired filling or sausage, egg and cheese. Add in a cold sandwich (ham, turkey, roast beef or Italian), chips and a cold drink or coffee and it’s a steal for $19.

Separate, Rose tells me, the meals would cost closer to $25. It will be on my mind next time I head up to the mountain.

Rose likes Cafe 191 because of the good-sized portions. Plus, he said, the menu has lots of options and most of it is made to order. There is also a full bar and a coffee bar. While I wait, a continuous

I coat the odd-looking toast with butter and syrup and tentatively take a bite. Time passes slowly and quickly in the same instant. The French toast is magical, with the slight crunch of the breading adding complexity to the sweetness. The toast quickly disappears. I am glad I ordered the side, which is really one slice of bread cut on the diagonal.

My hot turkey sandwich arrives. It’s huge, with piles of thick cut turkey, cherry smoked bacon, tomato, spinach and melty provolone. There’s a slightly ominous big ol’ knife stuck right in the top.

I’m not ready for this. My stomach is not ready for this.

PHOTO BY RACHEL HERGETT

stream of people come through the door, telling me he is not alone in these ideas.

My chili arrives at the table first. It’s got a slight spice that is nicely warming, though I’m not in love yet. Still, I can imagine it singing with other dishes.

I’m not going off script here—chili fries and chili tots are both menu options.

I take one bite and ask for a to-go box. It seems “both” breakfast and lunch is too much for me these days, and a sandwich that good deserves my full attention.

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.

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36 February 8 - 21, 2024

Explore Big Sky

BUSINESS MAKING IT IN BIG SKY: SNOW COUNTRY LIMO EBS STAFF Snow Country Limo is no stranger to transporting folks in the Mountain West. The transportation service that began in Park City, Utah has now grown to serve Big Sky and Bozeman, moving people safely and conveniently to and from their favorite ski hill.

Explore Big Sky chatted with Marketing Director Bob Kain about their move to Montana and an upcoming 25th anniversary.

This series is part of a paid partnership with the Big Sky Chamber of Commerce. The following answers have been edited for brevity.

Explore Big Sky: Let’s start with you—are you based in Big Sky. If so, when did you come to Big Sky and what brought you here initially?

Bob Kain: The company moved a management team to the area in the summer of 2021 and began recruiting drivers. The team was comprised of people with ties to southwest Montana and they are now based in both Big Sky and Bozeman. With the exponential growth happening at Big Sky, we identified the need in the community for a luxury transportation business. We had 22 years in the industry at the time, and felt like we had the right experience and vision to fill that need.

EBS: How did Snow Country Limo begin?

BK: Our owner Dave Swartz started Snow Country with one SUV in 1999 in Park City, Utah. As more friends and like-minded people joined the company, it organically grew to two, three, five, eight … all the way to the 170 employees and independent partners we have now at Big Sky and Park City. Our growth has largely been driven by the close relationships we have formed with the hotels and properties we work with, as well as other tourism groups within the communities.

EBS: When did it expand to Big Sky and what was the driving decision to do so?

BK: We were approached by the Montage hotel group during the 2020-21 winter, to see if we had any interest in expanding to the Big Sky area. At the time we were building back from the pandemic and had previously scouted a few areas for possible expansion.

Working with a hotel the caliber of the Montage was a no-brainer and we began the process of building our new Montana business.

Bob Kain (left) and Manager Chris Kehr at the Big Sky Chamber of Commerce's 26th Annual Fore-0-Six Golf Tournament. PHOTO COURTESY OF SNOW COUNTRY LIMO EBS: What kinds of services do you offer that others may not in the area? What makes you guys unique?

BK: The consistent pursuit of excellence on every single transfer is what sets our business apart from the rest. We strive to provide a safe, timely and comfortable luxury experience on every single ride.

From the latest high-end vehicles, to the friendliest and most knowledgeable drivers, Snow Country treats its clients like old friends. The importance of great relationships also extends to the hotels and community groups we work with. Together we all have the same goal, to ensure visitors have the best experience possible seeing all that our beautiful areas have to offer.

EBS: What is your favorite thing about running a business in the area?

BK: We love the feeling of a tight knit community like Big Sky. It’s what drew our founding members to Park City in the early 2000s, and has fueled our passion for hospitality ever since. The feeling of closeness, acceptance and accessibility to outdoor recreation within stunning mountain town communities is second to none, and it’s where we prefer to call home.

EBS: You transport a lot of people from all over the country (and probably all over the world) to and from a

beautiful destination we are lucky to call home. Are there any stories or memories that stand out to you from your patrons when showing them the area for the first time?

BK: The reactions of first timers to Montana are always priceless. From the beauty of the Gallatin Canyon, to the inevitable run-in with local wildlife, passengers very quickly fall in love with rhythm and feel of the Big Sky state. Guests, particularly from the East Coast, are almost always blown away by the scale of everything in Montana, from the rivers and mountains to the wide-open ranges. Spotting a grizzly bear on a Yellowstone tour is always big hit!

EBS: Any celebration or milestones Snow Country Limo is celebrating?

BK: We are looking forward to celebrating our 25th anniversary this fall!

EBS: Is there any business advice you’ve received in years past that has stuck with you?

BK: If you take care of your employees and partners, they will take care of your guests. Also, it’s important to invest in your local community. Without the support of the communities where we do business, we could not be successful.

37 February 8 - 21, 2024

BUSINESS

Explore Big Sky

THE BIG SKY WAY: POWER TO THE PEOPLE HOW PUBLIC COMMENT CAN INFLUENCE THE ACTIONS OF GOVERNING BODIES

BY DANIEL BIERSCHWALE EBS COLUMNIST

Despite the complexities and perceptions of government in our country, the truth is that power ultimately resides with the people. All citizens have the potential to enact change and shape the course of their communities.

Beyond the ballot, ordinary citizens can influence government decisions and steer the trajectory of their communities. Public comment plays a crucial role in this democratic process.

Public comment allows the public to provide valuable insights and perspectives on topics, and voice their opinions on policies, regulations and programs. It promotes transparency, enhances accountability and helps identify issues and solutions that decision makers may not have considered.

It is also steeped in American history.

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution provides protection and opportunity for free speech in public forums. In 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention made a clear and unequivocal decision that government operates most effectively, most reliably, and is most accountable when it is subject to public scrutiny.

Article II of the Montana Constitution outlines freedom of expression and ensures citizens can engage and influence government agencies before decisions are made.

Public comment is input made by an interested person which can support or oppose rules or regulations. A comment can be as brief as a sentence. It can include data, views or arguments.

It can be a written statement received during the public comment period by letter or email, or an oral statement received on the record during a public meeting.

The public has a legal right to provide input on certain proposed government actions. Public comments are not mere formalities, but actually a direct channel between residents and decision makers. While public comment is important on all levels of government, it is the cornerstone of local governance.

Locally, Big Sky operates within the framework of special purpose districts and county governance.

Special purpose districts handle specific public service functions, such as fire protection, transit, or water and sewer management. County governance involves elected officials overseeing broader issues affecting the entire county. To make your voice heard effectively, it’s essential to understand the functions of local government and their impact on your daily life. It’s essential to attend meetings, stay informed about upcoming agendas, and actively participate in public comment sessions related to matters that resonate with you.

When and how to make effective public comment Comments can typically be made during designated periods of meetings, hearing, community forums or online consultations. For instance, members of the public may comment on all active projects in Gallatin County by providing verbal testimony during the hearing, emailing planning@gallatin. mt.gov, or sending physical mail to Gallatin County

Members of the Big Sky community prepared to provide public comment in the recent public hearing in Madison County for Big Sky’s removal from the Madison Valley Hospital District. PHOTO BY JOHN ZIRKLE

“WE ALL NEED PEOPLE WHO WILL GIVE US FEEDBACK. THAT’S HOW WE IMPROVE.” – BILL GATES Planning, 311 W. Main St, Room 108, Bozeman, MT 59715.

Montana Department of Transportation provides a link on their project pages which allow you to submit a comment on a particular project, such as the US 191/MT 64 Optimization Plan.

The public meeting of a board or council is considered a “limited public forum,” which means the government can regulate the time, place and manner of speech. Boards and councils regulate speech through the adoption of rules of procedure and conduct. Check with the organization for their rules to make sure your input is received properly.

Whether you’re speaking at a local government meeting or sending an email, the same guidelines apply. Speaking to decision makers directly is generally more impactful, unless you’re attempting to share a lot of information with cited references.

Successful comments include: Intro: Start with your first and last name and where you are from. It is also helpful to decision-makers if you can give a one sentence overview or “ask” for the governing body right at the start.

Why: How will this decision impact you personally, and how will it impact the greater good?

More detail: Include outside references or your own expertise/view as a member of the public.

Closing: Reiterate your position. Thank them for their attention.

When making comment in person, here are some other tips to be successful: Prepare and research: Before attending a meeting, thoroughly research the agenda items.

Understanding the context and background will help you formulate informed comments.

Be concise and clear: You have only a short time to get your point across. Writing out your comment and timing yourself before the meeting will help ensure that you hit all of the points you need within your allotted time.

Speak slowly: By speaking slowly, you will be heard and understood by all. The governing body values your testimony and needs to understand what you’re saying in order to record it for the public record.

Be polite: This may be difficult to remember because you may be very frustrated with an issue that you’re providing input on. Alienating decisionmakers typically does not work in your favor.

Connect emotionally: It is important to tell your story and let decision-makers know what the impacts of their actions will be.

Collaborate: Join local groups or organizations that share your concerns. Collective voices carry more weight, and collaboration amplifies the impact of our advocacy.

Stay engaged: After making public comments, follow up with relevant authorities to express your ongoing interest in the matter. This demonstrates persistence and commitment.

If you plan on presenting your comment at a public hearing, email your comment beforehand or bring enough copies for each member of the governing body. In your comment, refer to your email or copy so they can follow along.

Involvement in local governance isn’t just a civic duty, it’s a privilege, a way to shape our shared future. From understanding special purpose districts to engaging with county governance, we have the power to influence important decisions that impact our lives. Public comment connects us with decision makers. By understanding local organizations, preparing effectively and engaging constructively, we ensure our voices resonate where crucial decisions are made.

Daniel Bierschwale is the Executive Director of the Big Sky Resort Area District (BSRAD). As a dedicated public servant, he is committed to increasing civic engagement and voter education. Many ballot issues impact government services and public funding including subsequent property tax impacts. BSRAD is the local government agency that administers Resort Tax, which offsets property taxes while also funding numerous community-wide nonprofit programs.

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40 February 8 - 21, 2024

Explore Big Sky

ENVIRONMENT

DISPATCHES FROM THE WILD: BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT’S PROPOSED SOLAR ENTERPRISE SOUNDS GREAT, RIGHT? YEAH, MAYBE.

BY BENJAMIN ALVA POLLEY EBS COLUMNIST

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management announced Wednesday, Jan. 17, that it proposes to open up 22 million acres of public lands for solar development in 11 western states in hopes of harnessing the sun’s energy as the nation moves away—reluctantly— from oil and gas.

While large-scale solar development would be a favorable step away from fossil fuels, it’s concerning that millions of acres of public lands are being viewed as an ideal location.

The BLM is America’s largest land management agency, overseeing 245 million acres, primarily in the West, including historic and scenic landscapes, lakes and reservoirs, rivers and streams, and a vast array of natural resources home to millions of wild living species. These areas are great places to recreate, boat, camp, hunt, hike and fish, to name a few. The agency manages recreation and minerals equally, across approximately 12 million acres in Idaho, about 18.4 million acres of land in Wyoming, and about 8.3 million in Montana. The agency also manages about 7% of the 12-22 million acres of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

As we move out of the Industrial Age into the Anthropocene—the age of humans—we must figure out ways to decarbonize the planet as climate change threatens civilization. Creating massive solar arrays is one way to reduce carbon, but largescale solar development doesn’t necessarily need to minimize the open space on public lands. Many alternative locations still have optimal potential for harnessing solar energy, without taking away from pristine public lands.

The Industrial Revolution was a game-changer for civilization. Humans began mass-producing goods and services, making them cheaper and easier to distribute. Fossil fuels made this happen but significantly altered the Earth’s atmospheric chemistry. Machines made human lives easier, but at the time, we weren’t aware that gas-guzzling machines pumping more and more carbon into the atmosphere would alter the climate to carbon concentrations that haven’t been seen in 800,000 years. The consequences of these events took time to become evident. Now, people are striving to reduce carbon emissions to avoid catastrophic changes to the climate and civilization. Many actions are required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and widespread solar power development is one thing to consider, but where we place solar arrays is vital.

green energy. Sliding head-on toward ecological disaster is one of the primary reasons we as a nation are taking steps to move away from oil and gas, but should we be putting these giant solar arrays on lands that could be used for conservation purposes, like habitat and wildlife corridors?

Many conservationists feel morally compelled to support solar development, but is more growth and development the correct option? Sustainable use of the land already contributes to reducing carbon.

Solar facilities can be sited nearly everywhere and don’t have to be on lands already delivering carbonreduction benefits.

Conserving more land helps mitigate climate change problems like destructive, life-threatening flooding— conserving forests and wetlands helps to absorb massive amounts of stormwater. Conserved open spaces provide relief from soaring temperatures that blacktop, asphalt, or even solar panels would gather and radiate. Habitat change forces many species to move to nearby territories or alter migratory patterns, and conserved land provides potential new habitats, migration routes and safe havens.

Will carving up some of this land for developing utility-scale solar on public lands hurt, harm, or help sensitive species like sage grouse, pronghorn, grizzlies, wolves, wolverines, mule deer, and elk?

Wyoming’s winterkill last year already drastically reduced pronghorn and mule deer populations.

Opening pristine public lands to a vast array of solar development should be thoroughly investigated, and to help solve the overall problem, the nation should also be focused on reducing energy use and consumption.

Alternatives Where we place solar panels is crucial. They do not need to be installed on land that should be left for plants, animals, or other ecological processes that sustain life.

Stakes Decarbonizing the planet by removing oil and gas production is an essential first step in moving toward energy independence and using alternative

ADOBE STOCK PHOTO

Optimal places for solar development require plenty of sun, moderate temperatures, light winds and low humidity. Regions covered with certain crops like peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, and grass are optimal places for solar arrays worldwide. Food agriculture and solar can co-exist if the panels are elevated high enough for people and animals to walk underneath them. The cover of shade provided by solar panels helps preserve water by cutting down evaporation, reduces heat stress on plants and can increase grass and food growth. The plants, in turn, help cool the solar panels.

Other alternatives include placing solar panels in parking lots, on rooftops of barns, government buildings, open spaces along highways and railroad tracks, above federally owned canals, on brownfield sites and abandoned mining lands.

Until April 18, BLM accepts public comment on its proposed solar development. If you value the existing—potentially threatened—benefits of open lands, please make your suggestions to the BLM to use lands that are already degraded and impacted by the development of oil, gas and mining, and lands that cattle have grazed too harshly, instead of carving up more pristine lands. You can leave your comment here, and be sure to write it in your own words, which has more impact.

In this 90-day comment period, the public can provide input on the alternatives and other management options presented by the BLM in the draft plan. Public input will inform a Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement and Record of the Decision. More details are available on BLM’s Solar Program website.

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

41 February 8 - 21, 2024

ENVIRONMENT

Explore Big Sky

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE SNOWFLAKE SPRINGS

BY PAUL SWENSON EBS COLUMNIST

A good friend asked me a couple of weeks ago about Snowflake Springs—how it was formed, and where the water comes from.

About 18 miles south from Big Sky on U.S. Highway 191, Snowflake Spring makes its grand reveal just before the Yellowstone National Park boundary. On a cold winter morning it steams and streams down the hillside just across the Gallatin River from the highway. The water that flows out of the hillside has a constant temperature of 54 degrees Fahrenheit, so during our cold winter days it produces quite a bit of steam.

This influx of warm water keeps the river ice-free until the cold Taylor Fork contributes to the mix.

The chemistry of the water coming from the spring shows no surprises. It contains an abundance of calcium ions, carbonate ions, sulfate ions and magnesium ions that one would expect to find from water that courses through limestone. But an interesting ion found is tritium, known as Hydrogen-3. Most hydrogen atoms have just a single proton, but H-3 has two additional neutrons.

It’s not rare, but when found and measured it can tell a hydrogeologist the length of time between the water percolating into the ground and it being discharged at the spring. In Snowflake Springs’ case it shows modern recharge. In other words, the water that comes out of the spring has been in the ground for a short time, less than a year.

So how does the water get into the ground and then back to the surface? In normal winters our region usually gets a lot of snow. The water content of the snow usually equates to around 20 inches of water. In the spring and early summer as the snow melts slowly, its water percolates through the soil and loose rock at the surface until it reaches a rock formation that has been fractured by faulting or folding. The photographs show a limestone formation with its bedding horizontal to the north of the spring. The bedding then gets folded to a

Snowflake Springs where it reaches the surface. The green plants are watercress , mosses and other bryophytes growing in the 54-degree water. PHOTOS BY PAUL SWENSON

Vein of calcite from an ancient spring system. PHOTO BY PAUL SWENSON

nearly vertical orientation. The fractures created by bending of a brittle rock like limestone gives the water a path to take. The water then courses down gradient to where it intersects the surface producing a spring.

A permeable rock formation such as this limestone, known as the Madison Formation, is called an aquifer. These types of rocks can transport water for long distances.

Snowflake is a small regional example of an aquifer, but there are much larger examples.

For example, in South Dakota the Madison limestone rises from the Great Plains along the flanks of the Black Hills. This is where the recharge area occurs for this aquifer that then carries water for 100 miles or more to central and eastern South Dakota.

Closer to home, Giant Springs State Park in Great Falls springs from the Madison limestone. It carries water underground from the Little Belt mountains, 30 miles to the southeast, all the way to the Missouri River. Using tritium ion analysis of the spring’s water it is calculated that the water takes close to 3,000 years to traverse this distance.

A drape fold outlined using the limestone layer that contains Snowflake Springs. Looking the other direction, the spring can be seen exiting the almost vertical layer of the same limestone.

PHOTOS BY PAUL SWENSON

On the way to Snowflake Springs the interior of a fossil spring can be seen in the cliff face to the east of the road. There is a vertical, light-colored band that consists of a vein of calcite crystals. Calcite is calcium carbonate, the major constituent of limestone.

It forms when water dissolves limestone then redeposits it somewhere else in the water column.

And if the water is hot, like in Yellowstone, the water dissolves a significant amount of limestone then deposits it as travertine in terraces like at Mammoth Hot Springs.

So if you want a little spring-time in the middle of winter, take a beautiful short drive up to see Snowflake Springs. The open water produced by the spring attracts a whole host of wildlife and birds. It is not unusual to find moose, elk, or bighorn sheep standing in the spring munching on watercress. There are also ducks, water ouzels (American Dipper), and Bald Eagles that spend the winter here.

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.

Water Ouzel at Snowflake Springs. PHOTO BY PAUL SWENSON

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43 February 8 - 21, 2024

ENVIRONMENT

Explore Big Sky

EVERY DROP COUNTS

SEPTIC SYSTEMS, RIVER HEALTH AND GROUNDWATER—WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Big Sky residential and commercial properties in the Gallatin Canyon rely on septic systems for wastewater treatment, but a new local district is working to create a centralized system that could take up to 156 septic systems offline. COURTESY OF GALLATIN RIVER TASK FORCE

BY MARNE HAYES EBS COLUMNIST

Maybe you’ve been there: you’re on a nice neighborhood walk with a friend and out of nowhere you’re hit with a smell that, well… isn’t quite right. Or, suddenly you notice an area of your property that is just a little softer than the rest. Or the tell-all: a toilet that won’t flush, or a backed up household drain. The culprit may be a faulty or unmaintained septic system, which not only wreaks havoc on our olfactory senses, but also on the quality of our groundwater.

Septic systems are designed to treat a home’s wastewater in place of access or connection to a municipal, city or community wastewater treatment plant. They are essentially underground wastewater treatment systems that are used in areas without centralized sewer systems, using a combination of nature and technology to treat wastewater from household plumbing.

If your home has a septic system, anything that enters the drain system—via sink, toilet, faucet, tub, washing machine or shower—goes into your septic system. The process, in theory, is quite simple: water flows from the drains in your house to a central pipe, and into the septic tank. From there, solid waste “sludge” settles at the bottom of the tank and is broken down by beneficial bacteria, and anything in the grease and oil family forms a layer of scum at the top.

The in-between layer is mostly water, which is then discharged from the septic tank into the septic drainfield, to be processed through a system of gravel and soil that helps further clean additional impurities—bacteria, nutrients and other contaminants—before it enters the groundwater.

Soil is integral to a septic system’s natural filtering process. Chemical reactions and naturally occurring microbes in soil break down contaminants, while pathogens can’t survive the inhospitable soil environment. But it’s a delicate balance: soils that are too wet don’t have adequate oxygen available for organisms that break down waste, gravelly soils allow water to pass through to surface or groundwater too quickly—interrupting the breakdown of contaminants—and clay soils may delay the rate at which the water is filtered. Because the Gallatin River watershed has a combination of all of these soils, septic system design in Big Sky is not a one-size-fits-all proposition.

A properly functioning septic system is generally effective at filtering wastewater, eliminating most bacteria, viruses and some nutrients before it enters our groundwater, lakes, streams or wetlands. An improperly functioning system, however, makes it more likely that contaminated water may seep into groundwater, or drinking water that comes from a well.

Septic systems are one of the leading causes of excess nitrogen in the Gallatin River watershed. In a natural system, nitrogen stimulates aquatic plant growth. In excess, nitrogen feeds algal blooms, negatively affects fishery health, recreation and aquatic life, and is an unpredictable cause of longterm degradation of water systems.

This is why maintaining an efficient and healthy septic system is a must, and further, why community-wide systems are important and arguably more reliable for the future commitment to the health of the river. A centralized sewer system has shown to have a far higher level of treatment than a traditional septic system, and in the case of the Big Sky County Water and Sewer District’s new Wastewater Resource Recovery Facility will, reduce effluent nitrogen by 75% and phosphorous by 95%, protecting our groundwater

and reducing risk for algal blooms in area streams and on the mainstem of the Gallatin.

If connected to the Big Sky Water and Sewer District, the new expanded Gallatin Canyon County Water and Sewer District would take a potential 156 septic systems offline. The project could save the groundwater from absorbing over 8,000 pounds of wastewater annually from canyon area septic systems, protecting the Gallatin River and drinking water from wells. The proposal of a central sewer system in the Gallatin Canyon corridor is invaluable to efforts of the Gallatin River Task Force to protect water quality and public health by reducing septic wastewater loading— and excess nitrogen—to the aquifer, and offering a much higher level of wastewater treatment community-wide.

A septic system, just like any piece of valuable equipment, must be properly operated and maintained to ensure its long-term efficiency.

When septic systems are properly designed, constructed, and maintained, they reduce or eliminate most human health or environmental threats posed by pollutants in household wastewater. With one-fourth of U.S. homes using septic systems, more than 4 billion gallons of wastewater per day are dispersed below the ground’s surface.

Inadequately treated sewage from septic systems can be a considerable source of groundwater contamination, and keeping up with recommendations on how to keep your septic system functioning properly is key to the health of the Gallatin, and our community’s water. Learning more, and understanding that proper maintenance includes an annual inspection of a home’s septic system, are key to keeping our watershed healthy.

Discover more at epa.gov/septic/how-care-yourseptic-system#inspect Marne Hayes is the communications manager for the Gallatin River Task Force

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46 February 8 - 21, 2024

ENVIRONMENT

Explore Big Sky

WRITERS ON THE RANGE

TOWN UNITES TO FIGHT A FLOODPLAIN DEVELOPMENT

BY MARY MORAN EBS CONTRIBUTOR

Moab, Utah is a growing town of 5,300 that up to five million people visit each year to hike nearby Arches and Canyonlands national parks, ride mountain bikes and allterrain vehicles, or raft the Colorado River.

Like any western resort town, it desperately needs affordable housing. What locals say it doesn’t need is a high-end development on a sandbar projecting into the Colorado River, where groves of cottonwoods, willows and hackberries flourish.

“Delusional,” shameful” or “outrageous” is what many locals call this Kane Creek Preservation and Development project, some sending letters of outrage to the weekly Moab Times-Independent and Moab Sun News. Developers plan 580 luxury housing units and a business park on the floodplain.

The 180-acre site is less than two miles downstream of Moab along a cracked asphalt road that’s barely two lanes. The development site and the unpredictable river are bounded by looming canyon walls. The road turns to dirt at the downstream end of the site before heading up Kane Creek, a popular mountain biking, hiking and fourwheeling area.

Just upstream of the site, there’s a riverside BLM campground and the mouth of cottonwood-shaded Moonflower Canyon, with its ancient petroglyph panels.

I first saw this floodplain site in April 1984 when it was underwater. Moab’s former Mosquito Abatement Manager Bob Phillips reports he canoed the site in 1995.

By mid-January of this year, a petition fighting the development, created by Moab resident Laura Long, had 1,200 local signatures. More than 13,000 other signatures came from visitors to Moab or former residents who have their own connections to this land of canyons and slickrock. Access the petition and more information here: https:// kanecreekwatch.org/.

A Jan. 16 Grand County Commission meeting about the development packed the chambers, the hallway and Zoom lines. The crowds of largely younger activists made the hearts of us older residents swell.

Like many resort towns in the west, Moab is rich in beauty, nature and outdoor activities. It’s why locals live and work here, and it’s what we care about preserving. But housing is hard to come by for working people.

Many live in their cars and vans. Local government and nonprofits pursue admirable, but relatively small-scale projects, to build workforce and lowincome housing. Unfortunately, this high-end project won’t bring us what we need.

How was this project approved? It’s complicated, but in 1992, the Grand County Commission mistakenly granted rights to build dense commercial and residential buildings on this property, instead of just the campground the former owners wanted. Developers are now exploiting the mistake.

The project has approval to haul in 8 to 10 feet of fill to bury the riparian soils and reach the required one-foot elevation above the designated 100-year floodplain. The County Commission hoped to exercise some control by governing the development’s water and sewer treatment plants,

The Colorado River near Moab, Utah. PHOTO COURTESY OF WRITERS ON THE RANGE

but the state Legislature intervened and allowed developers to run their own district instead.

“Re-grading” is underway and expected to take more than a year. It is major earth-moving, building up the floodplain and the adjacent Kane Creek Road.

Now, drivers and mule deer must watch for haul trucks that move cobbles, gravel and sand onto the floodplain. Migrating and resident birds that nest there may need to make new plans this spring.

Moab resident and Colorado River expert John Weisheit, along with others, have documented evidence of the Colorado River flooding in the past, some floods four times greater than any river volume in living memory.

Future, smaller floods may flood the site with upwelling from rising groundwater. Larger floods will most likely occur as climate change brings more extreme weather events. The entire development could be inundated, causing property loss and a lot of debris flowing downstream and into Canyonlands National Park.

This floodplain should be left alone. Think of the coming of floods small and large, unsolved housing issues, potential sewage-treatment plant failures, lawsuits, road issues, disrupted dark skies, destruction of a wide swath of critical wildlife habitat in the desert, and, of course, heartbreak.

Besides reading like an absurd satire, it sounds like a very poor investment.

Mary Moran is a contributor to Writers on the Range, writersontherange.org, an independent nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively conversation about the West. She lives in Moab where she is a hiker and birder.

For 20 years, she worked for Arches and Canyonlands national parks.

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48 February 8 - 21, 2024

Explore Big Sky

HEALTH

HEALTH BUZZ

THE REAL DEAL WITH VITAMIN D How much vitamin D do I need?

BY KALEY BURNS EBS COLUMNIST

To determine how much vitamin D your body needs, it’s best to talk to a healthcare provider.

They can measure your vitamin D levels with a simple blood test and make recommendations based on your personal data. While the reference range is large, optimal levels are between 50 and 70 nanograms per milliliter. In the winter you may need to rely on supplementation, best under the supervision of a healthcare professional.

Did you know that living above the 37th parallel likely leads to vitamin D deficiency during colder months? The 37th parallel intersects the U.S. just south of San Francisco on the West Coast, and just south of Richmond, Virginia in the East.

This means cities north of that line like Seattle, Minneapolis, Chicago, New York, Salt Lake City and Big Sky are impacted.

In Montana, not only are the winter months too cold to expose enough skin, but the sun’s UVB rays are not strong enough. If you do not address the lack of sunlight, your vitamin D stores could be significantly depleted.

Why are optimal vitamin D levels important?

Studies have shown a connection between vitamin D and protection against cancer, heart disease, bacterial and viral infections, and bone loss. It also supports a balanced mood, restful sleep and

Do I supplement or not?

The best food sources of vitamin D are oily fish, including salmon, mackerel and sardines. Other sources include egg yolks, red meat and liver.

Depending on your diet, supplementation may be necessary. To best know how much you individually need, it is recommended to visit with a professional and have a comprehensive lab workup.

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49 February 8 - 21, 2024

Explore Big Sky

HOW SODIUM EFFICIENCY CAN IMPACT YOUR MOOD

BY ROBB WOLF EBS CONTRIBUTOR

Salt-deprived rats are sad. They loaf around their cages, ignoring the sugar water that usually brings them joy.

It’s classic depressed behavior.

I unwittingly ran a similar experiment on myself for the better part of 20 years. I was sweating buckets—unlike pigs, who don’t actually sweat by the way—on the jiu-jitsu mat, but wasn’t consuming enough sodium to replace my losses. I felt low-energy, foggy, and, as I think back, losing passion for my sport. I wasn’t giving my body what it needed, and my mood paid the price.

Getting more salt was the remedy.

Compared to other factors, the link between sodium status and mood isn’t well-publicized. I want to change that. I’m not saying salt is a cure for depression, but I do believe it’s worth considering as part of a holistic approach to mood maintenance.

Mental health is the fruit of many inputs. And oftentimes many things are out of our control, but getting enough sodium isn’t one of them.

Today, I’ll explore why we crave sodium, how sodium deficiency can affect the brain, why sodium cravings may impair mood, animal and human evidence on salt depletion and depression, and practical advice on sodium intake. Let’s start with a little trip back to the past to learn from our long-lost ancestors.

We evolved to crave salt The very building blocks of life evolved in the salty sea. And when our earliest ancestors crawled out of it, they didn’t stop needing sodium chloride (salt) to regulate vital bodily functions.

Millions of years later, descendants of these ancestors—the early hominids—began roaming the hot plains of Africa. In this sweltering climate, salt was not only hard to find, but it was also rapidly depleted through sweating.

Natural selection pushed our ancestors to develop keener tastes for sodium when they needed it most. Hominids who prized salt flourished, and those who didn’t vanished. Something similar happened with herbivorous mammals. A plantbased diet provides scant sodium, so plant eaters evolved to cherish salty tastes. Think of the cow in salt lick heaven.

I’ll explore the neural and hormonal causes of sodium cravings now. Learning these mechanisms will help us understand how sodium deficiency impairs mood.

Sodium appetite can impact neural pathways Sodium appetite is largely regulated by the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. This trio of hormones fires up in response to low blood volume (a sign of sodium depletion) and yells "HEY BOZO, eat some sodium! And until you do, I’ll minimize your sodium losses.”

Specifically, the system interacts with brain regions to induce thirst and sodium appetite, and to increase sodium reabsorption in the kidneys.

For example, two brain areas—area postrema and the nucleus of the solitary tract (which happen to be the names of my pet fish)—are sensitive to the sodium-retention hormones aldosterone and angiotensin II. When you’re low on sodium, your kidneys and adrenal glands take note and release these hormones, activating these brain areas to stimulate a desire for sodium.

Then there’s the nucleus accumbens, a brain region that influences reward and reinforcement.

Anything to do with appetite and craving involves this hunk of gray matter, and sodium appetite is no different.

Here’s a further finding that blew my mind. In rats, sodium deficiency changes how the nucleus accumbens operates. The brain region starts to process salty tastes like it processes sugary tastes—as super rewarding. Researchers call this phenomenon the hedonic shift.

So yes, the brain is a beehive of activity when we need more sodium, literally altering its neural pathways. As you’ll learn, this can be bad news for mental health.

Why does sodium deficiency alter mood?

In 1954, Dr. James Old and Dr. Peter Milner designed a clever way to test pleasure-seeking behavior in rats. The experiment is fairly simple and has since been repeated many times. When a rat presses a lever, the action electrically stimulates a brain region linked to pleasure.

Unsurprisingly, the rat keeps pressing this lever because it’s rewarding. But when sodiumdepleted, rats tend to show disinterest in pleasure levers and sugar water. Why? One hypothesis is that sodium deficiency makes salty tastes more rewarding at the expense of other pleasures. This makes sense from an evolutionary lens. Sodium is an essential nutrient—and prioritizing an essential nutrient over nonessential activities will increase the chance of survival. Specifically, a brain region called the rostromedial tegmental nucleus may tamp down enjoyment for other behaviors we might normally find pleasurable, like reading, skiing, or compulsively gulping sugar water.

Meanwhile, the nucleus accumbens ramps up enjoyment of salty tastes via the hedonic shift. In other words, salt makes you happy when you’re sodium-depleted, but little else will.

Cortisol, the get-up-and-go stress hormone, may also be involved. When someone suffers from a sodium imbalance, their cortisol levels go way up. High cortisol, in turn, may drive depression, fatigue and stress.

The final hypothesis suggests that the salt cravings—not the deficiency itself—may underpin symptoms of depression. How did researchers test this? They made sodium-sufficient rats crave sodium anyway by administering an aldosterone precursor. What they found is that the rats—who craved sodium despite having no deficiency— stopped pursuing pleasure. Their perceived

need for sodium made other rewards pale by comparison. Practically speaking though, this may be a moot point because craving and deficiency typically go hand-in-hand.

Human evidence that sodium deficiency impairs mood Most research linking sodium deficits to mood issues has been conducted on animals. However, data suggests that humans experience similar effects as our furry friends: • •

•

In 2020, researchers found a significant link between low serum sodium and depression symptoms in 200 patients on dialysis.

In 2005, researchers found higher levels of aldosterone in 65 clinically depressed patients vs. 65 age-matched controls. One cause of overproduction of aldosterone is hypovolemia (low blood volume) which can result from a lack of water or sodium.

In 2001, The British Journal of Psychiatry published a community survey of 340 older adults correlating hypotension (low blood pressure) with less positive moods. Of course hypotension is a complex and multifactorial issue, but one of those potential factors is low blood volume which can be caused by inadequate fluid and sodium intake.

I’ll also mention the anecdotal evidence, not only from my past, but from many reports of folks following my work. The theme is clear: Sodiumdeficient people feel much better after bumping up their salt intake with LMNT or the salt shaker. Higher energy, fewer cramps, and better moods are more often the rule than the exception.

Experiment yourself and listen to your body— you’ll feel the difference when you get it right.

Recap and practical thoughts Here’s a quick refresher on what we covered: • Sodium scarcity pushed animals to crave salt via natural selection.

• Salt depletion makes rats (and that Robb Wolf guy) sad.

• Sodium deficiency instructs the dopamine system to make sodium more rewarding.

• When someone is sodium deficient, other typically pleasurable things become less rewarding.

• Salt-depleted humans often feel better after increasing their sodium intake.

The practical takeaway is to get enough sodium to support your body. Generally, I recommend 4-6 grams of sodium per day as a baseline for healthy folks. And if you’re quite active, you may need much more to replace what you lose via sweat. If you’re keen on exercise, you can learn how to be precise about your sodium intake by reading my articles on sweat rate and sweat sodium concentration.

I hope this article taught you something new and interesting! Stay Salty.

The article originally appeared on science.drinklmnt. com and was published with permission from LMNT. LMNT is a partner of Outlaw Partners, publisher of Explore Big Sky.

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51 February 8 - 21, 2024

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