6 January 28 - February 10, 2022
LOCAL NEWS BRIEFS
Explore Big Sky
Voters to decide on Ennis bond issue
GVLT preserves Peets Hill land, closes deal
EBS STAFF
EBS STAFF
MADISON COUNTY — Ballots for the $59 million bond issue proposed by Ennis School District for improvements to the 51-year-old high school building are in voters’ hands.
BOZEMAN — Gallatin Valley Land Trust and the City of Bozeman on Jan. 19 ensured that Peets Hill would remain free from development. The 120-acre parcel is now under the ownership of the City of Bozeman as public park land.
The existing high school building, built in 1971, is not meeting space and infrastructure needs, according to Casey Klasna, superintendent of Ennis K-12 schools. The district’s concern, he said, is that growth will outpace the existing facility, which is overcrowded with classes held in every available space.
After months of public fundraising and campaigning to raise both private and public money to purchase the 12 acres, in total costing $1.23 million, GVLT now can protect “Peets’ final piece.”
“The bottom line is we are doing this for our students and our education,” Klasna told EBS on Jan. 4. Among the electorate to approve or deny the bond are registered Big Sky voters residing in Madison County, who make up nearly 12 percent of the Ennis School District voting bloc and contribute roughly 87 percent of the district’s property tax base, according to data from the Montana Department of Revenue based on levy districts. Ballots for the election have been mailed out to Madison County voters in the Ennis School District and must be returned by 8 p.m. on Feb. 8. Ballots postmarked on Feb. 8 but received later will not be counted.
South Crazy Mountain Land Exchange completed CUSTER GALLATIN NATIONAL FOREST LIVINGSTON – The Custer Gallatin National Forest, Yellowstone Ranger District, is excited to announce that after more than a decade of work, the Forest has officially closed on the South Crazy Land Exchange, acquiring two easements and exchanging approximately 1,920 acres of National Forest for 1,877.5 acres of private lands. The Crazy Mountains are located northeast of Livingston and northwest of Big Timber. The sections entering Forest Service lands are now available for public use. “Our team is pleased to bring this exchange to the finish line and have these sections in the public estate,” said Mary Erickson, Custer Gallatin Forest supervisor. “While we recognize there is work ahead to continue improving public access and land consolidation in the Crazy Mountains, it feels good to pause to celebrate this step forward. We’re thankful for the interest and passion that people have for this area, and for the cooperation and support from landowners and partners in making this a reality.” The benefits of the South Crazy Land Exchange are numerous, including the direct benefit to the public. The newly acquired sections consolidate National Forest System lands, creating a larger block of clearly identifiable public lands; benefiting dispersed recreation opportunities; reducing unintended trespass issues with intermingled private lands; and saving administrative maintenance costs. This decision further sets the stage for improving future public access in the southern part of the Crazy Mountains. Visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=56687 for more information.
“In a matter of weeks, hundreds of people donated to raise $800,000 to help with the sale,” the Bozeman Daily Chronicle reported on Jan. 20. “The land trust then turned to the city to ask for $485,000 to cover the rest of the costs and an additional $315,000 to be paid over the next two years to cover the cost of trail and land work planned for the parcel.” Bozeman City Commissioners unanimously approved the funds in December from their cash-in-lieu of parkland fund. GVLT hosted the Peets’ Final Piece Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on Jan. 27 at 4 p.m. at the southern end of the top of Peets Hill.
Yellowstone sets record visitation in 2021 EBS STAFF MAMMOTH — Yellowstone National Park hosted 4,860,537 recreation visits in 2021, up 28 percent from 2020 which logged 3,806,306 visits, making it the busiest year on record. The months of May through September were the busiest on record. Visitations in July exceeded 1 million visits in a single month, making it the most-visited month on record in the park’s history. 2021 - 4,860,537 2020 - 3,806,306* 2019 - 4,020,288
2018 - 4,115,000 2017 - 4,116,524 2016 - 4,257,177
“Although the park accurately counted 4.86 million visits in 2021, a close analysis of visitor use data shows that over 350,000 vehicles re-entered the park in 2021 compared to 2019, before COVID-19,” NPS staff wrote in a Jan. 21 press release. “This is likely due to approximately 20 percent fewer overnight stays in the park during the year.” Construction projects and COVID-19 limitations were the largest contributors in reduced overnight stays, with approximately 20 percent fewer campsites and hotel rooms available in 2021 compared to previous years. Visit https://irma.nps.gov/STATS/ for more data on park visitation, including how they calculate these numbers. *The park was closed March 24-May 18, 2020, due to COVID-19. Two entrances were open May 18-31 and the remaining three opened on June 1.
BSSEF Nordic Program holds Viking race for Winter Fest Racers have the option to participate in three distances: 1k, 3k or 5k races at three levels: Competitive Team, Development Team and the Club Team. The races are either classic or skate and a there is a fun relay event for the final Viking Race on March 8.
EBS STAFF BIG SKY — The Big Sky Ski Education Foundation Nordic Board has partnered with Outlaw Partners, publisher of Explore Big Sky, to hold a Viking Nordic Ski Race on Thursday, Feb. 3. The Winter Fest event will feature music, food trucks and a tailgate as well as a raffle and prizes for race winners. All experience levels are welcome, and the race will be broken down by age categories. BSSEF Nordic Board and BSSEF board members host monthly Viking Races at the Big Sky Nordic Center to fundraise for BSSEF’s athletes.
“We are hoping to create events that would enrich our athletes and create community events, and that more people would take part in our world class facility that we have here at Lone Mountain Ranch,” said Nicole Barker, BSSEF’s Nordic coordinator.
Register Here!
Visit outlaw.partners/winterfest to register for the Winter Fest Viking race. Visit bssef.com to learn more about the Nordic Ski Program.
