8 July 16 - 29, 2021
LOCAL NEWS BRIEFS
Goose fire south of Ennis grows EBS STAFF The Goose wildfire began on July 1 and as of EBS press time has grown to upward of 3,000 acres as a result of dry and windy conditions afflicting the area. The fire is 32 miles south-southeast of Ennis near HooDoo Pass; Flames have moved to border the southern tip of Cliff Lake and are expected to continue growing in the south and northwest directions. The wildfire’s cause has been determined to be natural by officials, having resulted from a lightning strike. Three fire crews are fighting the fire at the time of print, with helicopters assisting from above. Evacuations and closures of nearby campgrounds have been following the steady increase in the fire’s size. The smoke column can be spotted while looking west from popular weekend getaway Hebgen Lake, and is adding to the haze taking over much of the mountain west in an early fire season.
Gianforte declares ‘drought emergency’ across Montana EBS STAFF HELENA – Montana farms are in trouble, something that’s been validated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s declaration of drought emergency for 15 additional counties. This brings the total to 31 counties under emergency out of the state’s 56 total counties. Gov. Greg Gianforte has put pressure on the Department of Agriculture to declare a federal emergency for the entire state and on July 14 he issued an executive order declaring a statewide wildland fire emergency in Montana.
Explore Big Sky
Lone Mountain Land Company purchases Crazy Mountain Ranch LONE MOUNTAIN LAND COMPANY CLYDE PARK, MONTANA – Lone Mountain Land Company on June 30, 2021 announced its purchase of the Crazy Mountain Ranch located near Clyde Park. The guest ranch was formerly owned by Philip Morris USA. “Lone Mountain Land Company will continue to operate the ranch’s cowcalf operation and guest ranch,” said Managing Partner and Co-Founder at CrossHarbor Capital Partners, Sam Byrne, the parent company to Lone Mountain Land Company. “We look forward to working with our neighbors, the Clyde Park community and the Forest Service to be thoughtful stewards of the land and good members of the community.” Lone Mountain Land Company learned of the opportunity to purchase the ranch earlier this year. For two decades, Philip Morris USA has operated the property as a commercial guest ranch for adult smokers 21-plus with an Old Western Town, housing 20 buildings that include a saloon, an events barn, a spa, hotel rooms and modern facilities. At peak season, the ranch employs approximately 100 people. Lone Mountain Land Company will retain the 13 full-time employees currently working at the ranch and plans to hire more. There are no plans for residential subdivision or a commercial heliskiing operation at the property.
“Montana faces critical fire conditions that pose significant threats to our communities, infrastructure, first responders, and way of life,” Gianforte said in a news release. “As our firefighters battle active fires across the state with more to come, this executive order helps ensure they have the suppression resources, supplies, and fuel they need to safely and aggressively respond.”
Sarah Blechta welcomed as new Resort Tax board chair
As of July 14, all of Montana is experiencing dryness, more than 25 percent seeing extreme drought conditions, negatively impacting crops, livestock and fire restrictions.
EBS STAFF
Public hearing for water and sewer district annexation EBS STAFF BIG SKY – The Big Sky County Water and Sewer District is soliciting public opinion during a July 20 hearing via Zoom to vote on annexing the old American Bank and adjacent lots into the district. The land, which is currently outside of the water and sewer district, was purchased earlier this year by Lone Mountain Land Company for future workforce housing developments to be completed in partnership with the Big Sky Community Housing Trust. The proposed RiverView Apartments would provide 100 units of living space, allocating a quarter to Big Sky workers and the rest to local employers to lease to their employees. The project is, however, contingent on the area being included in the water and sewer district’s jurisdiction. A vote for the final decision of whether or not to annex will be made by the board following the July 20 hearing.
BIG SKY –The Big Sky Resort Area District board elected new officers at a July 14 meeting following Kevin Germain’s announcement last month that he would be stepping down as board chair. The board unanimously approved Sarah Blechta as board chair, Ciara Wolfe as vice chair and Steve Johnson to continue his current officer position as secretary and treasurer. “I’m very pleased with this suite of officers, I think that we are in good hands,” said Germain at the meeting. Germain is the V.P. of Moonlight Basin and has served two board terms since he and his family moved to Big Sky in 2014. He was at the helm of BSRAD during their efforts with Big Sky Relief during the COVID-19 pandemic and played a large role in implementing the surveillance testing program as well as the vaccine incentive program. Blechta grew up in Big Sky and is the director of Property Owners Associations for Yellowstone Club. She emphasized that she wants to continue the example of strong transparency Germain set as board chair. The officer position changes are effective immediately.
