Explore Big Sky - November 30 to December 13, 2023

November 30 - December 13, 2023 Volume 14 // Issue #24

BIG SKY RESORT OPENS FOR 50TH SEASON MONTANA HEADWATERS LEGACY ACT REINTRODUCED

17 YEARS OF LOTUS PAD LOCAL ATHLETES EARN ALL-STATE, ALLCONFERENCE HONORS JERRY AND BECKY PAPE: FROM AN UNPLANNED VISIT TO 50 YEARS IN BIG SKY PLUS: HOLIDAY GIFT AND GEAR GUIDE

November 30 - December 13, 2023 Volume 14, Issue No. 24 Owned and published in Big Sky, Montana

PUBLISHER Eric Ladd | eric@theoutlawpartners.com

EDITORIAL VP MEDIA Mira Brody | mira@theoutlawpartners.com

OPENING SHOT On Tuesday, Nov. 28 Wellness In Action held its open house event, welcoming the community to its new space. Mrs. Thompson-Butler, Ophir’s art teacher, decorated the space with artwork by her students. In this photo, students stand in front of a wall of fourth and fifth grade holiday animal portraits. Certificates of Appreciation will be given to the art students on Friday, Dec. 1 for their work that brought holiday cheer and inspiration to attendees. PHOTO BY JEN CLANCEY

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jack Reaney | jack@theoutlawpartners.com 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 MARKETING OFFICER Megan Paulson | megan@theoutlawpartners.com CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Treston Wold | treston@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.owens@theoutlawpartners.com SENIOR ACCOUNTANT Sara Sipe | sara@theoutlawpartners.com BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT LEAD Patrick Mahoney | patrick@theoutlawpartners.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS

6 GIFT GUIDE 8 LOCAL 19 SPORTS 23 REGIONAL 25 A&E 29 DINING 32 BUSINESS 36 ENVIRONMENT 39 HEALTH 43 FUN

CONTRIBUTORS

ON THE COVER:

Daniel Bierschwale, Kaley Burns, Mario Carr, Rachel Hergett, Michael Hilliard, Colter Nuanez, Holly Pippel, Benjamin Alva Polley, Shannon Steele, Paul Swenson

Elk are matriarchal in nature. The decisions on where to feed, bed for the day and calve are made by the lead cow. #gatewayelk PHOTO

BY HOLLY PIPPEL

10

BIG SKY RESORT OPENS FOR 50TH SEASON It may be a dry start to winter, but that didn’t stop Big Sky Resort from opening for the season on Nov. 22. Thanks to 272 hours of labor and 34 million gallons of water pumped through the resort’s upgraded snowmaking infrastructure, opening day felt just as good as it should as the resort begins its celebration of fifty years.

12

JERRY AND BECKY PAPE: FROM AN UNPLANNED VISIT TO 50 YEARS IN BIG SKY When their ‘68 Winnebago motorhome broke down in the Gallatin Canyon on the way to Yellowstone in 1972, Chicagoans Jerry and Becky Pape got stuck in Big Sky for 12 days. That turned into 50 years after Big Sky’s cowboy appeal and slow pace of life brought the Papes back and kept them since 1973. Jerry Pape, owner of Triple Creek Realty, has been selling those Western dreams for decades.

12 15

17 YEARS OF LOTUS PAD Since 2007, Lotus Pad has served Thai food to Big Sky. The restaurant closed in late October. More than just its tasty food, Lotus Pad was known for being a locally owned business and a non-exclusive space to gather.

EBS sat down with founder Alex Omania to discuss the restaurant’s 17year history, and why now was a fitting time to end its chapter. Omania expressed gratitude to the community and confidence in her decision.

19

LOCAL ATHLETES EARN ALL-STATE, ALLCONFERENCE HONORS Lone Peak High School athletes didn’t fly under the radar this fall—six earned all-state recognition and many more were selected to all-conference teams. Furthermore, boys soccer coach Tony Coppola was named Montana Class A coach of the year for his leadership on a state semifinalist team.

23

MONTANA HEADWATERS LEGACY ACT REINTRODUCED In November, Senator Jon Tester reintroduced the Montana Headwaters Legacy Act for the third time. If passed, the legislation would protect 384 miles of Montana rivers, including the Gallatin and Madison rivers.

Gallatin County Commissioner Zach Brown calls the MHLA a nobrainer as it’s garnered support across party lines, but the bill has still faced challenges in the past.

6

PLUS: HOLIDAY GIFT AND GEAR GUIDE Every year, Explore Big Sky releases a Gift and Gear Guide with items and experiences that fit in well with the mountain lifestyle we love. This year, each of our products was hand-reviewed by one of our staff or family members—from quality outdoor gear from Stio, to fine cured meat from RegenMarket, to a handy headlamp from your local ACE Hardware in Big Sky. Get gift ideas for your loved ones (or yourself ), from all of us, to you—enjoy!

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 December 14th issue December 6th, 2023 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 © 2023 Explore Big Sky unauthorized reproduction prohibited

@explorebigsky

S PAN I S H PEAK S M OU NTAI N CLU B

S PAN I S H PEAK S M OU NTAI N CLU B

220 Wildridge Fork 4 BED | 4 BATH + 2 HALF BATH | 4,571 +/- SQ. FT. | $7,495,000

422 Wildridge Fork 5 BED | 4.5 BATH | 6,609 +/- SQ. FT. | $12,250,000

Martha Johnson VP of Sales, Founding Broker martha@bigsky.com 406.580.5891

Charlie Johnson Sales Associate charlie@bigsky.com 406.209.0247

Please contact us for a summer recap analysis and to discuss listing your property.

View all my listings at bigskyrealestate.com/team/martha-johnson

G R EY D RAK E | TOWN CE NTE R

TOWN CE NTE R

338 Grey Drake Road 5 BED | 4 BATH + 2 HALF BATH | 6,984 +/- SQ. FT. | $10,995,000

23 Moose Ridge (Fully furnished) 5 BED | 5.5 BATH | 3,092 +/- SQ. FT. | $3,350,000

Price Reduced

M EAD OW VI LLAG E

148 Crail Creek Court (On Big Sky Golf Course) 3 BED | 2.5 BATH | 2,986 SQ. FT. | $2,150,000

Walking Distance to Town Center Amenities

TOWN CE NTE R

199 Big Pine Drive #C | Moose Ridge Lofts 4 BED | 4.5 BATH | 3,138 +/- SQ. FT. | $2,695,000 Panoramic Mountain Views

M OU NTAI N VI LLAG E

S PAN I S H PEAK S M OU NTAI N CLU B

Mountain Lake Condos 2-4 BED | 3-4 BATH | 1,918 - 2,465 +/- SQ. FT. | FROM $2,225,000

Inspiration Point 5 BED | 6 BATH | 4,146 - 4,275 +/- SQ. FT. | FROM $7,550,000

ALL INFORMATION PROVIDED IS DEEMED RELIABLE BUT IS NOT GUARANTEED AND SHOULD BE INDEPENDENTLY VERIFIED. INFORMATION AND DEPICTIONS ARE SUBJECT TO ERRORS, OMISSIONS, PRIOR SALES, PRICE CHANGES OR WITHDRAWAL WITHOUT NOTICE. NO GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY HAS JUDGED THE MERITS OR VALUE, IF ANY, OF THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS ADVERTISEMENT OR ANY REAL ESTATE DESCRIBED OR DEPICTED HEREIN. THIS MATERIAL SHALL NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL IN ANY STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE PRIOR REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED OR WHERE SUCH AN OFFER WOULD BE PROHIBITED, AND THIS SHALL NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION IF YOU ARE WORKING WITH ANOTHER REAL ESTATE AGENT. NOTHING HEREIN SHALL BE CONSTRUED AS LEGAL, TAX, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL ADVICE.

25 TOWN CENTER AVENUE | 995 SETTLEM ENT TRAIL | 66 MOUNTAIN LOOP ROAD | 181 CLUBHOUSE DRIVE

n i e f a S Stay ! y r t n u o Bear C Your Bear Awareness Resource.

Bear Education Bear Safety Retail Store

HEYBEAR.COM

11 Lone Peak Drive, Unit 104 Big Sky, MT 59730

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O U R MIS

@Say_HeyBear

BETTER TOGETHER A District bulletin

2024 Business Registration FAQs All businesses operating in Big Sky are required to register with the Big Sky Resort Area District (BSRAD) annually.

What is Resort Tax?

Resort Tax is a local sales tax on luxury goods and services. It helps fund critical public services and infrastructure that would otherwise appear on property tax bills.

PAID

by customers

COLLECTED by businesses

Which businesses need to Register?

ALL businesses operating in District must register each year. These include, but are not limited to: • lodging & short-term rentals • artists & photographers • retail businesses & market vendors • restaurants & food trucks • private chefs & prepared meal delivery services • concierge & delivery businesses • massage therapists, spas & fitness • construction & contractors • real estate offices & services • cannabis dispensaries • nonprofits & tax-exempt businesses • businesses based elsewhere entering the District to provide/sell goods & services

ADMINISTERED

by BSRAD

REINVESTED

in our community

What does it mean to operate in the District?

Businesses ‘do business’ differently. All businesses located in Big Sky need to register. Additionally, if you’re based outside of the boundary, but you or an employee/contractor come into the District to provide a good or service, you are also required to register and may be responsible to collect resort tax.

I registered last year. Do I need to register again this year?

Yes, all businesses are required to register each year.

Simply log in to your MuniRevs account and answer a couple quick questions.

Do I need to collect Resort Tax?

When do I need to register?

If you have a question about taxable items, please refer to Ordinance 98-01 on our website or reach out to District staff.

Where can I find more information?

While every business must register with the District, not every business is required to collect resort tax. Taxable items are goods and services that are not considered ‘Necessities of Life,’ including but not limited to lodging, prepared food, recreational activities, and souvenirs.

New businesses should register prior to opening. For existing businesses, the 2024 Annual Registration Renewal is due by December 31st, 2023.

If your business will not be operating in 2024, please contact the BSRAD office to close your account.

resorttax.org/business-resources support@resorttax.org 406.995.3234

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 |

6 November 30 - December 13, 2023

GIFT & GEAR 2023

Each year, Explore Big Sky releases a Gift and Gear Guide with items and experiences that fit in well with the mountain lifestyle we love. This year, each of our products was hand-reviewed by one of our staff or family members—from quality outdoor gear from Stio, to fine cured meat from RegenMarket, to a handy headlamp from your local ACE Hardware in Big Sky. Get gift ideas for your loved ones (or yourself ), from all of us, to you—enjoy!

Explore Big Sky

SCAN TO START SHOPPING!

A gift for the outdoorsy family: KidRunner Review by Taylor Owens KidRunner Multisport is a game-changer for active parents who refuse to compromise on their outdoor pursuits. Based in Bend, Oregon, KidRunner has crafted an innovative, award-winning trailer that has evolved into a versatile multisport platform. Get 10% off trailers & the adventure kit with the code OUTLAW at checkout.

Stio: Head to toe, get “shreddy” to go

Reviews by Ersin Ozer & Henry H Gear your kids up from head to toe with Stio’s jacket, pant and bib options. also reviewed: Jr. helmet and goggles to keep your young one safe this winter. 10% off with code OUTLAW at checkout.

Lone Peak Cannabis Co.: Holiday cheer?

Look no further!

Review by Sara Sipe Whether you’re just here for a visit or are a longtime local, Lone Peak Cannabis Company offers a wide variety of high-quality options for all. LPC has an array of products to help you gear up for an elevated holiday experience!

Cudaway Knives: Handmade, chef knives for every day Review by Ennion Williams For a chef, there are certain aspects of a knife that are essential to making any knife your go-to. Cudaway knifes checks all the boxes.

FITFO: Humidors made for adventures PLUS exclusive Bill Henry T-shirt Review by Ersin Ozer FITFO Custom Cans has one mission: To create a portable, durable, rugged, airtight and distinctive humidor for their clients. Each is handcrafted, durable, unique and functional even under the most rugged conditions.

What you’re doing next summer: a river trip with Boundary Expeditions Review by Jack Reaney The trip of a lifetime starts on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in the Idaho wilderness. Join a Boundary trip while sign-up space remains.

LMNT: Chocolate Mint Energy Bites Review by Leslie Kilgore Minty, salty, chocolatey and sweet. What more could you ask for? For an afternoon pick-me-up or a tasty and healthy treat after a cold day outside, the Chocolate Mint Energy Bites made with LMNT’s Chocolate Mint electrolyte powder is the perfect wintertime snack. Get the recipe and shop for the pack – it’s the perfect stocking stuffer this season.

7 November 30 - December 13, 2023

GIFT & GEAR 2023

Explore Big Sky

Big Sky Natural Health: The gift of health this winter Review by Sophie Gotwald Give the gift of good health this winter at Big Sky Natural Health! We recommend the Vitamin B and D combined shot as a quick and effective way to get a boost when you’re feeling down this winter – for yourself, or a loved one as a well-earned gift.

Book your reservation at Baldface Valhalla Review by Ersin Ozer On a brisk January morning, imagine standing out in front of Baldface Lodge deep in the Selkirk mountains of British Columbia, eager to ride in the 30 cm of fresh snow that had settled from the previous night’s reset. This could be you.

A gift everyone could use: Ace Hardware Big Sky A Montana Culinary Experience: Olivelle’s Big Sky Steak Salad Recipe Gift Kit Review by Taylor Owens Olivelle’s Big Sky Steak Salad Recipe Gift Kit is a perfect gift for the home cook that may not have all the right spices readily available and wants a straightforward recipe to make a killer meal.

Review by Ersin Ozer We’ve all been in this scenario: imagine the last time you needed both of your hands to hold tools to work on something but you also really needed a light – or, whatever you’re working on is in a tight space and you can barely see it. Enter the impact resistant LED light from ACE Big Sky.

The Halfdays Kit at Bluebird

406 Agave Añejo Old Fashioned: A Taste of Montana’s Spirit

Review by Leslie Kilgore Functional, stylish and cozy. That’s what you’ll find this season at Bluebird, Big Sky’s newest outdoor clothing shop located in Big Sky Town Center. Focused on men’s and women’s skiwear and unique lifestyle brands, warm up this season with outerwear and accessories from the brand Halfdays, a favorite of Bluebird’s owners.

Review by Tucker Harris Nestled in the heart of Big Sky, Montana, 406 Agave boasts tequilas born of rugged landscapes and artisanal craft. Made by generations-old distillers in Jalisco, Mexico with 100% Blue Weber Agave, the Blanco, Reposado or Añejo tequilas are sure to serve the perfect cocktail this holiday season.

RegenMarket: Garlic lemon salmon with roasted carrots and asparagus

Why Surefoot? Because you don’t know what you don’t know about your skiing feet

Review by Michael Ruebusch RegenMarket has a short list of hand-selected partners and farmers committed to producing food at the highest calibre. Here, we give their Alaskan-caught salmon a try in a delicious recipe good for any night.

Review by Jack Reaney After about 200 total ski days, I brought my boots into Surefoot’s new shop on Town Center Avenue, I yanked out my K2 factory liners, and asked manager Chris Fajardo to give me his honest opinion on their condition. Find out why you should do the same.

Hey Bear: Stay safe with the SCAT Belt Review by Mira Brody I’ve left the house for a run and forgotten some ridiculous things: my watch, a jacket, enough snacks, one time even my shoes. But if there’s one thing that I never forget, running thousands of miles per year in bear country: it’s my bear spray. The SCAT Belt makes remembering easy.

Keep it mellow with a wellness package from The Florist Cannabis Review by Mira Brody Although new to the Big Sky scene, The Florist Cannabis is already making its mark in the area with high quality cannabis products for every mood and use. We reviewed their wellness package, which contained a medley of infused chocolates, gummies, tincture and even CBD calming treats for your canine friend.

Peak Ski Company: Rippin’ on the Peak 104s Review by Leslie Kilgore Got a one-quiver skier on your holiday list? Then the Peak 104 by Peak Ski Company is the ultimate gift. And the crew just launched their 2023-24 lineup, ready to shred any mountain aspect that you'll test them on.

BuzzBallz: Cocktails to go!

Review by Conner Clemens Buzzballz may be small, but they pack a mighty punch! We took the holiday collection pack, featuring Choco Chiller, Espresso Martini and Eggnog, out to a football tailgate for the group to try.

Yellowstone Foods: Snacks for adventure Review by Jen Clancey Yellowstone Foods makes locally sourced snacks for every adventure. For the holiday season we tested out the Butte-based company’s top cookies – perfectly delicious for a trail snack or cozying up at home by the fire.

8 November 30 - December 13, 2023

Explore Big Sky

LOCAL

NEWS IN BRIEF

BIG SKY CHRISTMAS STROLL TO KICK OFF HOLIDAY SEASON

BE A SANTA TO A SENIOR: SHARE GIFTS WITH GALLATIN VALLEY SENIORS UNTIL DEC. 4

EBS STAFF

EBS STAFF

The Big Sky Christmas Stroll will kick off its 26th season on Dec. 8 and 9, bringing the streets of Meadow Village Center and Big Sky Town Center alive for a weekend of family-friendly events, entertainment and holiday cheer. Take note of the full lineup of events in both communities and join in on one or all:

A holiday program encourages Gallatin Valley residents to share joy by giving a gift to older adults in the community who may not have anyone to celebrate with.

Friday, Dec. 8—Meadow Village Center 5:30 p.m. Tree Lighting Ceremony 5:30 - 8 p.m. Photos with Santa and holiday photo booth 5:30 - 8 p.m. Wagon Rides With Lone Mountain Ranch 5:30 - 8 p.m. Scavenger hunt with prizes at participating businesses 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Holiday carols by John Zirkle and his troupe 6:45 - 7:30 p.m. Holiday carols at The Big Sky Chapel by the choir 5:30 - 8 p.m. Stroll by snow and headlamp from Big Sky Resort’s new Nordic Center on Big Sky’s winter trails Saturday, Dec. 9—Big Sky Town Center

According to a press release from Home Instead, a senior care provider with an office in Bozeman, the Be a Santa to a Senior program will collect gifts until Dec. 4. This year, Home Instead aims to provide gifts and connection to more than 300 local seniors.

Anyone can get involved by choosing a gift request ornament and purchasing the item listed on it.

“The holidays can be hard for many older adults, especially those who may not have a companion to share them with,” Ruth Ann Marchi, owner of the Bozeman Home Instead office, stated in the release. “Through Be a Santa to a Senior, we can help these seniors experience the happiness and togetherness the season can bring.”

To participate, shoppers can look for “Be a Santa to a Senior” trees or displays at two Gallatin Valley stores: Rosauers in west Bozeman, and Town and Country on W. Madison Avenue in Belgrade.

3:30 - 5 p.m. Stroll pre-Party at Beehive Basin Brewery 3 - 7 p.m. Big Sky Winter Market at The Wilson Hotel 5 - 7:30 p.m. Wagon rides with Lone Mountain Ranch. Pickup and drop-off locations are at Fire Pit Park, Town Center Plaza and Beehive Basin Brewery 5: 30 - 7:30 p.m. Santa’s Holiday Lounge at BASE. Take your photos with Santa and enjoy a variety of fun holiday activities at BASE 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Holiday Carols by John Zirkle and his troupe 5:30 - 8 p.m. Scavenger hunt with prizes at participating businesses 7:30 p.m. Stroll fireworks and viewing party

Ornaments on display will show the name and desired gift of an older adult, and shoppers can buy the requested gift and return it unwrapped or in a gift bag to the location with the ornament attached. Ornaments will be available until Dec. 4, and the gifts will be delivered in time for the holidays.

RYAN BUSSE TO VISIT BIG SKY ON DEC. 15

THE ARTS COUNCIL OF BIG SKY HOSTS 26TH MADRIGAL DINNER — THE DEC. 4 EVENT INCLUDES MUSIC, THREE-COURSE DINNER AND OLDE ENGLISH CUSTOMS

EBS STAFF On Friday, Dec. 15, gubernatorial candidate Ryan Busse will visit Big Sky for a meet and greet at The Waypoint. The event will run from 5 to 7 p.m.

Busse is a Democrat and a candidate for Montana governor, having announced his campaign on Sept. 14. At this time, only one other opponent has announced their campaign, Republican Tanner Smith.

Explore Big Sky spoke with Busse in a Q&A about what Montana means to him and the key issues he would address as governor. Read the story at explorebigsky.com

GIVING TREE TO HELP FAMILIES IN NEED THIS HOLIDAY SEASON ROTARY CLUB OF BIG SKY The Giving Tree, with support from the Rotary Club of Big Sky and the Big Sky community, is an annual program that helps families during Christmas by providing gifts for local children and Christmas treats for their families. This program is to help families who live in the community of Big Sky or Gallatin Canyon or who attend a Big Sky School.

If you would like to participate, please pick up the detailed information at the Big Sky Food Bank, Country Market and Roxie’s Grocery stores bulletin boards, American and First Security Banks or the Thrift Store.

Once your Santa Letter is received, Big Sky Rotary Giving Tree will place your children’s requests on the Christmas Giving Tree in the post office. These gift tag ornaments are updated daily by the Giving Tree members to include Big Sky and Gallatin Canyon children’s Christmas wishes. It is through the generosity of community members, who pick up a gift tag ornament, that ultimately fulfill the child’s wish by purchasing the gift(s).

Please know this program is completely confidential. We look forward to working with you to ensure you and your family enjoy a wonderful holiday season. Please call or text Deb 406.640.1388 or Lauren 406.539.9190 with any questions.

“Gifts aside, the true value comes in the connection Be a Santa to a Senior makes between the community and our older neighbors,” Marchi stated.

EBS STAFF On Dec. 4, the Arts Council of Big Sky and Montana State University School of Music will present the 26th annual Madrigal Dinner at Big Sky Resort’s Missouri Ballroom.

Tickets for the 5 p.m. dinner are $80 per person, and the dinner typically sells out, according to a press release from the Arts Council. The evening will include “a fantastic three-course dinner prepared by the chefs at Big Sky Resort, as well as festive music from the Montanans, the MSU Brass Quintet and Voces Luminis ensemble,” according to the release. Seating will begin promptly at 6 p.m.

“The Madrigal Dinner has become a Big Sky tradition since we first presented it more than 25 years ago,” stated Brian Hurlbut, executive director of the Arts Council. “We’re excited for a new venue this year, but of course all of the popular aspects of the event will remain.”

The event—in its 59th year of production by MSU School of Music—is themed with Olde English customs, “including fanfares introducing the Ceremonial Procession, the Wassail Bowl and Christmas Toast, the Boar’s Head Procession and the Flaming Pudding Dessert,” according to the release. MSU singers will serenade guests throughout the evening and the Voces Luminis ensemble will present a concert finale.

“This event is considered by many as the traditional opening of the holiday season and is one of the highlights for the Big Sky community,” the press release stated.

The dinner closes with the audience joining the students in singing familiar carols.

WELCOME NEWEST OUTLAW!

Haydon Gregory Ladd BORN FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24TH 7 LBS. 13OZ.

Congratulations ERIC & KALEY!

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10 November 30 - December 13, 2023

L O CA L

Explore Big Sky

OPENING DAY: THANK A SNOWMAKER BIG SKY OPENS BEHIND A 272-HOUR, 34-MILLION-GALLON EFFORT

BY JACK REANEY BIG SKY—Thanks to a multi-year investment in snowmaking infrastructure and tireless work, turkey isn’t the only thing being carved this week.

Big Sky Resort opened this morning for its 50th winter season, a cause for smiles from skiers and riders of all ages and abilities as they carved into Mr. K, Tippy’s Tumble, Pacifier and Ambush.

Although the menu is somewhat limited, the resort’s ability to open four trails is a testament to its snowmaking push during an otherwise dry and temperate fall.

Adam West, director of mountain operations, spoke with Explore Big Sky after his opening runs. So far, he’s pleased to see hootin’ and hollerin’ from skiers and riders spread around the multiple groomed runs and small terrain park—even first-time skiers on the magic carpet.

“We’re excited. Ball is rollin’ now, can’t stop the show,” West said. But this November, the ball didn’t roll itself.

Big Sky Resort opened on Nov. 22 despite a lack of recent natural snow. PHOTO BY JACK REANEY

strategy to prioritize making snow in temperatures as cold as possible.

crew. West gave credit to Snowmaking Manager Cody Cavanaugh for leading the cold, dark charge.

A team of experts According to PR Manager Stacie Mesuda, Big Sky Resort began its season with the third-most open terrain in the country. West said the snowmaking crew is now entering phase three.

“All of these folks, they work so hard. I really can’t state that enough,” West said. “I mean, these guys are working in single digits or below [zero] temperatures, so they’re working 12-hour shifts… a standard work week for these guys is 48 hours.”

A recently installed water line will allow snowmaking on Lone Wolf—beneath the Explorer Chair—and that trail should be open by early next week, West said.

There’s two daily shifts: 12 a.m. to 12 p.m., or 12 p.m. to 12 a.m., West explained. It’s a grind between dragging hundreds of feet of hoses, chiseling and shoveling ice.

“We got out like 20 million gallons of water, which we simply could not have done just a couple years ago,” West said.

Hopefully tonight, he added, snowmaking will begin on Elk Park Ridge. The Swifty terrain park is another priority.

Compared to some other resorts in the mountain West, Big Sky’s climate is typically cold enough to begin snowmaking in October, West said.

The system upgrades revolved around Big Sky’s weather pattern, with the ultimate goal of meeting deadlines: this year, they rose to the occasion and opened on schedule.

“So we’ll kind of be spread out on all sides of the mountain here, and we’ll be doing stuff at Moonlight and over at Spanish Peaks as well. But the core of Big Sky will be Elk Park Ridge, Lone Wolf and the terrain park,” West summarized.

“We all have them to thank for skiing,” West said. “… This year is one where [snowmaking] really shines, and you see the work that team does and how important it is.”

West said Big Sky Resort doubled down and began making serious investments in snowmaking a few years ago. They’ve added mid-mountain booster stations to bring water higher up the hill, installed nine miles of pipe and purchased more than 100 high efficiency snow guns.

All of those improvements put the resort in a good position to capitalize on cold temperatures. A mid-October cold snap kept temperatures below 20 degrees Fahrenheit above Big Sky Resort’s 7,500foot base.

West explained that although the manmade snow doesn’t quite feel natural, “it’s real close” thanks to high-tech snow guns and the resort’s deliberate

The first chair crew showed up around 6 a.m.

He commended Big Sky Resort’s snowmaking department: “they’re experts.”

Some bring years of experience on Big Sky’s system, others are enthusiastic young contributors pitching in from other departments—instructors, lifties, park

Big Sky skiers enjoy Mr. K, an original trail from 1973—it was first called “Killefer.” PHOTO BY JACK REANEY

Adam West conducts a routine terrain inspection on Mr. K. PHOTO

BY JACK REANEY

L O CA L

11 November 30 - December 13, 2023

Explore Big Sky

RANCH TO TABLE TASTE THE B O O K N O W MONTANA DIFFERENCE 42950 Gallatin Rd, Gallatin Gateway, MT 59730 406.995.4132 | RainbowRanchBigSky.com

EST. 1997

Big Sky, MT

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406.995.3670

REPRESENTING AND BUILDING FOR OUR CLIENTS SINCE 1997

12 November 30 - December 13, 2023

L O CA L

Explore Big Sky

SINCE ‘73: JERRY PAPE SR.

HOW A CHICAGO CITY SLICKER BECAME A COWBOY SELLING DREAMS.

BY MARIO CARR EBS CONTRIBUTOR

It began with an unexpected pit stop.

Jerry Pape’s motorhome started having issues in the Gallatin Canyon in the summer of 1972, where Jerry was road tripping with his wife, Becky, and their three kids. Jerry was 34 and Becky was 31. Jerry got the vehicle running and drove it to the Conoco in Big Sky. He and his family were on their way to visit Yellowstone National Park and had no intention of spending any time in Big Sky. A kind gentleman named Jim Hake was working at the gas station and offered to help fix the Papes’ motorhome, a 1968 Winnebego.

“Well, Jim Hake was not the greatest mechanic in the world,” Jerry recalled, chuckling, in an interview with Explore Big Sky 50 years later.

Jerry came out of the Conoco to find smoke pouring out of the windows of the motorhome. Hake had burned out the wiring harness. Jerry contacted a trucking outfitter in Bozeman that couldn’t start repairs for at least a week. Thankfully, Jerry met a man named Paul Lytle, with Big Sky Real Estate, who was aware of their calamity and willing to help.

The Pape family stayed in Big Sky for 12 days. Lytle moved the family through model condos between showings. On their way out, Pape remembers asking Lytle, “What do I owe ya?”

“Nothin,” Lytle responded. “I’m glad I could do it for ya and I’m sorry I had to move you around.”

The motorhome repairs cost $1,700 alone. Humbled by the grace shown to him and his family, Pape told Lytle that he was going to buy the last condo they stayed in, priced at $59,500. Becky was very happy in Big Sky and their new Silverbow condo and felt content to never travel anywhere else.

The family enjoyed their trip to Yellowstone before heading back home to Chicago where Jerry had a career as a private investigator. On their way home,

Jerry Pape, 84, stands outside his business in the Gallatin Canyon after 50 years in Big Sky. PHOTO BY JACK REANEY

however, their Winnebago lost its driveshaft on the highway. This was the last straw for Becky and she flew the rest of the way home.

gonna tell you something and I’m only gonna tell you one time—You made the right move… When I was younger I really wanted to be a cowboy.”

“I never got in a camper ever again, nor will I ever,” she said.

Jerry responded, “How do you like my 2 million acres of backyard?”

Jerry, an ex-Marine, ran his own security business back home, and even had close ties with former Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley. In the summer of 1973, Jerry was working long hours, six or seven days a week.

Becky was unhappy in Chicago, so she took the kids to their new condo in Big Sky. That same summer, Jerry remembers his wife’s voice through the phone: “I made a decision,” Becky told him. “I’m putting Jerry [ Jr.] in kindergarten out here. I love it out here and I never see you anyway, so you’ve got a decision to make.”

In the mid-1970s, Jerry was approached by a man named Jim Phennicie who wanted to start a real estate company in Big Sky. Jerry agreed to help start the business and eventually bought out his partner just a couple of years later. Jerry has owned Triple Creek Realty for 45 years. He never envisioned himself doing real estate, but thinks his positive experience with Paul Lytle may have influenced his decision.

“It seemed silly to go back to Chicago,” she explained in 2023. “It was dirty and ugly, and too hot, too damp, too windy or too cold and the kids were always sick…

I thought maybe out here in the fresh clean air they would stay healthier.”

Jerry called his wife back and said, “I’m comin’. I don’t know what the hell I’m gonna do but I’m comin’.”

The old Western dream For about two years, Jerry continued to collect checks from his business in Chicago. He had no desire to go back, despite being called upon by the Chicago mayor himself. He sold his business and committed to the mountains.

In Chicago, the Papes lived downtown with no yard.

Jerry’s father, Frank Pape, a police officer and subject of the book “The Toughest Cop in America,” wanted Jerry to get his young family out of the city. Even so, when Jerry and his family moved away from Chicago, it was hard on his parents. After years without reconciling, Jerry was finally able to convince his father to come visit. Jerry and his father had ridden horses together throughout Jerry’s childhood, and the pair rode into Porcupine Creek.

The Papes’ daughter, Rebecca, rides the old Gondola-I and skis down to the Mountain Mall. COURTESY OF REBECCA PAPE

“I was really pissed off at you when you moved out here,” Jerry remembers his father saying. “I really was.

You took those kids and you moved away but I’m

“When they were seven, eight or nine years old, they’d jump on their horses, take off and ride across the road and they’d be gone all day,” Jerry said about his three kids, Jerry Jr., Frankie and Becca. “We never worried about ‘em, nobody cared yaknow? They’d show up at four o’clock in the afternoon and we’d feed ‘em and make sure they were okay.”

He explained that as a real estate agent, he’s selling dreams. People grow up to be doctors and lawyers, Jerry said, but can never grow out of that childhood dream of being a cowboy.

“I’ve been riding this country for 40 years, riding in the hills, riding on the trails, and I bet you that I have not ridden more than 30% of the trails that are already here in this country,” Jerry admits.

Jerry has been rodeoing for the last 50 years and continues to practice and teach his skills. He and his horse, Luther, together are 102 years old.

“In the old days around Big Sky everybody had horses and dogs,” Jerry said. He has a soft spot for children and animals and has never claimed to be a “macho man.” He loves being with his horses more than anything, and loves his rescued Pomeranian and Chihuahua, Mini and Piwi, with all his heart.

A booming market When Pape began selling real estate in Big Sky, 20 acres would go for $160,000. He’s amazed by the

13 November 30 - December 13, 2023

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influx of people moving to Big Sky. He believes that the money people are making is “magical.”

Jerry recalls skiing at the Yellowstone Club and being reprimanded for scaring the members after telling them that he had snuck in. He laughs when explaining how badly Everett Kircher—the late pioneer of Boyne Resorts and owner of Big Sky Resort—wanted Jerry’s business out of the Arrowhead building at the resort due to a disagreement between the two men, only to find out that Boyne didn’t actually own that property. Jerry reminisced on his relationship with Kircher and described it as one of mutual respect; Kircher encountered very few people that were willing to disagree with him, so the two bonded over their bouts.

“It’s pretty amazing how much money is out there today, and with the young people, not the old people.

It’s astounding,” he said, explaining how so many of these expensive properties are being bought with cash. He sees no problem with people having lots of money, but he is concerned how wealth is affecting the way people view Big Sky. He recalled a time when someone drove to his house, passing multiple “NO TRESPASSING” signs, and began negotiating a price on his property that was clearly not for sale.

“In the last two or three years it’s gone haywire,” Jerry said. He described a property that sold for $800,000 less than ten years ago that is now on the market for $16 million.

“The change I’ve seen in Big Sky is astronomical…

And I think to myself, ‘God would I ever have imagined that this would happen?’ And I never thought it would. Look at Bozeman [now], you can’t hardly drive around this goddamn town at four o’clock in the afternoon,” he said.

He was friends with Tim Blixseth, who helped build the Yellowstone Club and was always trying to get Jerry to join. Jerry never saw the need because he was already up there skiing all the time due to his close ties with Blixseth.

“I noticed how [the Yellowstone Club] started to change the aura and the atmosphere of Big Sky. The wealth that was up there didn’t really [trickle] down into Big Sky,” Jerry said. He believes that most property in Big Sky is being priced in comparison to the Yellowstone Club, and that that has caused a lot of inflation.

‘The old days of Big Sky’ Jerry recently overheard a woman talking about “the old days of Big Sky,” and when he asked her how long she had been here, she told him eight years.

Pape then talked to her about the days of the dirt road up to the mountain that broke three axles on his vehicles, having only two TV channels, and the small community with potlucks and a population of a few hundred people. The sheriff wouldn’t just take Pape home after he had had too much to drink, he would also take Pape back to his car the next day. Pape went on to quit drinking altogether 29 years ago, and has

Explore Big Sky

Jerry has been a passholder at Big Sky Resort every winter for 50 years. He enjoyed ski racing, as have his children and grandchildren. He still has a need for speed at 84 years old, even after breaking his femur a few years ago in a nasty wreck on Silver Knife. He continues to ski and even said that he gets a free pass for helping teach a resort manager’s kids how to rodeo.

Working hard for the next generation PHOTO BY MARIO CARR

been on the Gallatin Valley DUI Task Force for the last five years.

Jerry has lived in anticipation of the change. He advises all of his clients to buy as much land around their property as possible. He bought 20 acres at a time, amassing 140 acres in Beaver Creek.

“I don’t see a light, I don’t hear a sound,” he boasted.

“I live in a veritable zoo up there. I have grizzlies, I have black bears, I’ve got wolves, I’ve got everything you can think of. But I don’t have people and that’s something that’s pretty hard to find out here.”

Without the extra privacy, he believes his family would have likely moved on by now.

“I hear it from everybody, we had our 40 years of greatness,” Jerry said of Big Sky. “We had 40 years of great times, it’s over.”

Jerry does not seem bothered when discussing the change in Big Sky. He does everything he can to avoid wasting his energy on things he can’t control. Instead, he keeps a mischievous smile as he reminisces on his 50 years.

Jerry says it’s difficult for young people to make a living in Big Sky. “They come here for recreation, but the problem is they don’t get to partake in it because they gotta work.

It’s a catch 22… It’s kinda sad,” he said.

Jerry believes that many families moving into the area are bringing money with them, or working remotely, because he is convinced that they are not working here. All his children found that it was too hard to make the money needed to live in Big Sky, he observed.

Jerry is a family man. He talks about his wife, children and grandchildren with great pride and joy in all of their successes. Jerry will tell you his wife is a genius, and she will counter that she is simply “bookish.”

“They’re great kids, they’ve got great education,” Jerry said.

As Jerry’s business was coming up, there were many times when he didn’t take a paycheck, because he didn’t even have enough money to pay his employees.

Becky and Jerry even started their own school, “Big Sky’s School for the Gifted.” They hired a teacher full-time who taught their three kids in the morning and Becky would take over in the afternoon. Their children’s academic prowess, combined with their eldest son’s insulin-dependent diabetes, spurred the couple to find a way to avoid sending their kids on an hour-long bus ride to Bozeman for high school.

Jerry and Becky are a textbook complimentary duo— both hardworking and excelling in their fields. She is not a very social person, yet he could talk to a fire hydrant, Becky said.

“He likes horses. I like the stock market. I find it fascinating and a lot more interesting than trying to talk to a horse,” Becky said. She currently chairs the Gallatin Tax Appeal Board, and has been on the Gallatin Canyon Big Sky Zoning Advisory Committee since 1996.

“My kids understood that mom and dad were working their ass off,” Jerry said. “We were givin’ ‘em whatever we possibly could, but we were working our ass off to get it.”

In time, everything worked out. Jerry lived out a cowboy dream, his kids attended college in California and two of them own businesses in Bozeman.

Undeniably, the family name has been inked in Big Sky’s history for decades.

Jerry recognizes that if his motorhome didn’t break down on the way into Yellowstone, the Papes would never have been here.

COURTESY OF JERRY PAPE

“I say to myself everyday that I’ve been out here, ‘How did I get so goddamn lucky?”

14 November 30 - December 13, 2023

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Explore Big Sky

OUTLAW EVENTS DIVERTS 5.2 METRIC TONS OF WASTE FROM LANDFILL DURING SUMMER 2023 AIMING TO REDUCE IMPACT FROM RODEOS TO CONCERTS, FOUR MAIN EVENTS RECYCLED 8,475 POUNDS AND COMPOSTED 3,023 POUNDS

Between February 2023 and last week’s Friendsgiving, Big Sky SNO estimates 82,849 attendees have passed through their partner events. Peyton said there might be some double counting, but a pretty close and impressive count for total people educated.

BY JACK REANEY Editor’s note: Outlaw Partners is the publisher of Explore Big Sky and producer of Big Sky PBR and Wildlands Festival.

“We’re really excited for the opportunity to work with all the event organizers in Big Sky,” Peyton said.

BIG SKY—Despite the continued growth of Outlaw Events—from the nine-time PBR Event of the Year to a bar-raising Wildlands Festival that brought Lord Huron and Foo Fighters to Big Sky—the carbon footprint isn’t growing at the same clip.

In fact, according to a report from 406 Recycling, YES compost, Big Sky Sustainability Network Organization (SNO) and EcoMontana, this was Outlaw Events’ “biggest year yet” in terms of waste diversion. The diversion rate—percentage of recyclable or compostable waste that evades the landfill—climbed to 56.2%, up by roughly 6% over 2022, according to Big Sky SNO. Diversion was tracked through four main events: first, Caamp brought a sizeable crowd to the Big Sky Events Arena on July 11. Shortly after, Big Sky’s Biggest Week from July 14-22 included the Big Sky Community Rodeo, Community Day and Dick Allgood Community Bingo Night, and the Big Sky PBR. Finally, the Wildlands Festival brought another packed arena on Aug. 5-6.

The Caamp concert collected 1,320 pounds of recyclables—about half of which was aluminum—and 275 pounds of compost.

She noted that in 2023, Big Sky SNO had more volunteers than ever because of engagement from large employers like Big Sky Resort.

Trash talkers at the Big Sky PBR. COURTESY OF LIZZIE PEYTON

For high-value ticketed events like Outlaw’s, Peyton pointed out that talking trash is a great way to earn volunteer hours and support a great cause, while also attending the event.

complete recycling compliance for every business in Big Sky someday.

Talking trash Big Sky SNO volunteers “talk trash” with event attendees; they stand beside waste bins and help guide proper disposal.

Aiming for 90% Lizzie Peyton, director of community sustainability for Big Sky SNO, shares Williams’ vision of a zero-waste Big Sky. “Zero waste” is categorized as diversion rate of at least 90%. That’s a lofty goal, Peyton says, but a worthy pursuit. She’s inspired to encourage all businesses to purchase divertible materials.

The Big Sky Community Rodeo, presented by the Yellowstone Club, collected 840 pounds of recyclables and 205 pounds of compost. The bingo and Community Day events added 85 pounds of recyclables, and 26 pounds of compost.

“I still think it’s a very valuable push,” Peyton told EBS in a phone call. She recognizes that sustainable materials may cost more in the short term, but when accounting for the long-term value of Big Sky’s outdoors and natural resources, “we should be making that investment every damn day.”

The two-day Big Sky PBR collected 3,160 pounds of recyclables—including 1,300 pounds of glass and 1,110 pounds of cardboard—and 2,140 pounds of compost.

Big Sky SNO has been supporting Outlaw for the past three summers. Every year, Peyton sees more excitement and less resistance to sustainability efforts.

Finally, the Wildlands Festival collected another 3,070 pounds of recyclables—including 1,680 pounds of glass and 970 pounds of cardboard—and 377 pounds of compost.

“We’ve seen such an increasement in engagement with the vendors themselves being on board and being proactive with their purchasing habits... Our diversion increases because our vendors are on board,” she said, adding that it took some convincing for some due to the higher cost of materials. Even attendees are learning— returning guests know the deal.

In total, the events only collected about 20 pounds of recyclable plastic. That’s no accident: Outlaw’s intention is to move away from plastic at their events entirely.

When Ennion Williams, VP of events with Outlaw Partners, first started, he recognized an opportunity: these events are entirely fenced in with security, which allows Outlaw to control what materials come in—every material should be recyclable or compostable. He works with every vendor to demand they bring only compliant products, and most vendors cooperate. Williams is proud that this summer’s events filled just one 30-yard dumpster for landfill.

“The 4.5 tons of recycled product is amazing. When we started out, we were excited about 1,500 pounds... It’s amazing to see what we’ve been able to do.”

Although Big Sky’s recycling facilities are somewhat limited—the local drop-off does not accept glass, which is recycled no closer than Salt Lake City—Williams was confident about his partnership with Helena-based 406 Recycling. As for 406 Recycling owner Matt Elsaesser, Williams said, “I knew that if I got it into his hands that it would actually get recycled.”

Williams is confident that Outlaw will continue to approach zero-waste, and he has a bold vision of

Even with the improved diversion rate over 56%, Peyton said there’s a lot of room to grow. Even with the size of Outlaw’s events, she envisions them reaching the goal of 90% diversion.

Peyton pointed out that smaller events are easier to manage. In their second year of partnership, Big Sky SNO helped the Big Sky Biggie divert waste at 78%.

In a new partnership, the Rut diverted 69% of waste from landfill.

Big Sky SNO supports popular Big Sky events including Music in the Mountains and the Big Sky Farmers Market, although commingled recycling does not allow them to track diversion rate. Peyton called them “great consistent events” and said crossover attendees and vendors—who also attend Outlaw Events—understand the rules.

“You’re getting somebody who comes to the farmers market four times, and then Music in the Mountains three times... They have not just seen it once, they have seen it seven to 10 times in one summer. So it’s becoming more of a habit and a greater understanding, which is awesome,” Peyton said.

Karl Johnson, owner-operator of YES Composting in Belgrade, commented on trash talkers.

“Makes a massive difference in terms of diversion to have volunteers that are helping people sort... The volunteers are key,” Johnson said. “We probably diverted another 25% of materials based on volunteers.”

YES Composting partnered with Outlaw for the past three summers. Johnson put this year’s diversion rate and 3,023 compostable pounds into context: “If you think about it, most of what we’re composting is pretty lightweight material,” he said. “It’s actually a huge volume: 3,000 pounds is about 15 yards of material...

Loosely packed, it’s probably a 20-yard dumpster full of material.”

He’s especially proud of the diversion rate, which reflects stronger participation from vendors.

“When I look at our success, that’s the number I’m looking at,” Johnson said. “And trying to make sure that year-over-year, we’re getting better and better...

We’re getting closer to having all foodservice items be compostable.”

Plastics and certain other materials are not compostable, and Johnson’s team must pick it out by hand—they sort through every waste bag they collect at events. They spend lots of time educating people, and Johnson said that’s getting easier, but they still have to inspect everything.

“We can’t be selling that [soil product] if there’s a ton of plastic or fruit stickers or silverware,” he said. Trashtalking volunteers help minimize those materials.

YES uses a worm composting process, and Johnson hopes to grow the participation and accessibility for residents and businesses in Big Sky. He highlighted Big Sky Resort for participating actively, as well as the private clubs, Town Center management and a bunch of small restaurants that participate in the food scrap collection program.

Johnson appreciates Big Sky’s engagement as an unincorporated community.

“There’s just been a lot of different groups that have been into this, and very supportive of getting more composting and recycling,” Johnson said. “... It’s not a free service that we offer, and they’re putting their money where their mouth is and making it happen.”

15 November 30 - December 13, 2023

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Explore Big Sky

LOTUS PAD CLOSES AFTER 17 YEARS “no spring rolls on powder days.” She wanted to stay in Big Sky for its lifestyle, skiing and biking.

BY JACK REANEY Alex Omania wants the memory of Lotus Pad to be one of human connection. She remembers days when friends would bring fun ingredients into her Thai restaurant during slower seasons.

In 2016, a dream seemingly came true: Omania met business partners who wanted to grow the concept.

After almost ten years in Westfork Meadows, Lotus Pad was outgrowing its small space.

“And they would sit at the counter... and I just would whip up a dish,” Omania recalled. “And we would hang out and talk, and talk about the food, and I think that the most important part of connecting with people, for me, is when it is related to food. Because food brings us together.”

Omania believes she gave all she could for 17 years.

She knows she has a big heart, and as a business owner, she hopes to be remembered for bringing people together.

Lotus Pad served its final dish on Oct. 27. Omania, who started Lotus Pad in 2007, sat down with Explore Big Sky to explain why. Despite the saddening reality of closing her homegrown restaurant, Omania reflects with careful perspective and fierce confidence in the future—both for herself and for Big Sky. Sales were down at Lotus Pad. “It just has been a really weird year,” Omania said.

“We aren’t doing the sales that I thought we’d be doing—that we should be doing—yet all the prices have gone up. So the economics of it... the cashflow has been really difficult, and I haven’t been able to keep up with rent.”

As Lotus Pad’s rent deficit grew, Omania lost sight of the path forward. Her staff was struggling and leaving. She had taken on an undesired role as landlord as she leased three units for her staff.

Omania’s responsibilities merged with business management and shifted away from being chef of a small restaurant.

“It just got to a point where it wasn’t healthy for my life... the dynamics of what it would take to keep [the restaurant] running wasn’t healthy for me financially, emotionally, physically,” Omania said.

“I think it’s important to understand when quitting is OK,” she added. “When you throw in the towel. I mean, you can only take so many punches.”

To the hungry patron or outside observer, Lotus Pad may have appeared stable; the restaurant has anchored the same location since the birth of Town Center Avenue, where Omania helped design her restaurant space as she upsized from her original location in Westfork Meadows. But perception isn’t always reality.

“We were turning business away,” she said. With support from these new partners, Omania seized an opportunity to move into an attractive concept under construction called “Town Center.” Lotus Pad moved in February 2017.

Omania in the kitchen. PHOTO BY SHANNON CORSI

“Anyone who owns a restaurant knows, it is not a giant money-making operation. It just isn’t,” Omania said. Profit margins are generally slim even before Big Sky’s expensive labor, cooking materials and rent. It’s a lot of work for not a lot of money, she said. For those who saw Lotus Pad as thriving, she joked, “you got duped by the good food.”

Omania is not mourning Lotus Pad as much as she’s learning from it.

“I think this is a really good opportunity for Big Sky, and for the people that are helping to develop this town to try and figure out: how do you create an environment where a small business owner can thrive? And how do you create an environment where all people feel like they’re an integral part of the community?”

In Omania’s view, Big Sky’s common, everyday person may face an unhealthy energy deficit— putting more energy in than they’re getting back. She found herself in that state, and it became exhausting.

If Lotus Pad’s closure creates opportunity, “It’s an opportunity to balance out the lifestyle and the energy it takes to be part of [Big Sky],” Omania said. Big Sky attracts people for a balance between work and play, but that may be drifting out of reach.

The beginning Omania moved to Big Sky in 2002. Her friends would taste her cooking and encourage her to open a restaurant.

“I was like, yeah, I want to open a restaurant,” Omania recalled. “Of course. That would be amazing. And showcase my talents, and in Big Sky at that time, there was no food beyond burger and steak, and pizza... No rice, anywhere.”

Omania, her partner Scott and ski patroller Mike Buotte found a perfect space: a T-shirt shop for sale beside Blue Moon Bakery. They built it into a restaurant themselves, and settled on Thai food through market research and Omania’s experience living in Thailand for a year.

Creativity and character In her 17 years as a local business owner, a lesson Omania said she’s learned is that “true connection—connecting with each other from the heart,” is important in building a strong community.

As Big Sky continues to grow its population, workforce, economic impact and private and public development, Omania said those will be increasingly important. “That is absolutely the essence of what is needed more. Real creativity, and the opportunity to do that,” she said. “Creativity is a cool idea, received well by everyone, not designed only for visitors and second-home owners.

Creativity has character, and wealth is how we feel when we connect with each other in commonality.”

Omania noted additional struggles with housing security and the challenges it creates when trying to run a successful business. “That is the absolute fundamental need: housing security to feel secure,” she said.

With the end of Lotus Pad, Omania moved to Bozeman.

“I’ll never stop loving Big Sky,” she said. “And I love the community of Big Sky—the community that I remember. And the people that I’ve connected with in various ways. And... rest in peace Lotus Pad, you know, it’s a really awesome thing that happened.”

Fighting tears, Omania expressed her heartfelt thanks for those who supported her and the restaurant over the years.

“I do owe a big thank you to the community for their support. And it was a good run, it was amazing.

“We made a lot of good pad Thai, and we made a lot of s***** pad Thai. You know, like, thank you for eating the good and the s***** pad Thai.”

Laughing, Omania also thanked her patrons for their patience during busier nights.

“You’re gonna miss those long waits,” Omania joked.

“It was intimate, and it really fed my need to bring people together,” Omania said. Lotus Pad was well-received, fun and inclusive; Omania served everyone from private club members to lifties. “It was kind of a place where the two demographics could come together and be able to eat the same food. And there wasn’t that exclusivity thing.”

Omania (right) and her longtime manager, Marsha Barker.

COURTESY OF ALEX OMANIA

The small restaurant hosted wine dinners. Hours were flexible. Their menu set labor expectations:

The upstairs bar at Lotus Pad’s original location. COURTESY OF LOTUS PAD

16 November 30 - December 13, 2023

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Explore Big Sky

SURVEY SEEKS CHILD CARE SUGGESTIONS FOR BIG SKY, GALLATIN COUNTY

BY JACK REANEY BIG SKY—On Nov. 14, the Cooperative, Holistic, Innovative, Local, Design (CHILD) Task Force met at BASE to discuss child care needs and opportunities in Big Sky. The hour-long discussion focused on three topics: child care workforce retention, employer supported childcare, and policies and subsidies. The CHILD Task Force held similar meetings in numerous other Gallatin County communities. About a dozen Big Sky community members attended, mostly representing a local nonprofit or company.

At the end of the workshop, organizers urged Big Sky community members to fill out a five-minute survey that follows the same questions asked in the workshop.

The survey link can be found in the online version of this story at explorebigsky.com.

“A key component to developing a successful strategic plan is obtaining input from community members.

Anyone who cares about child care in Big Sky and its impacts is encouraged to take this short survey,” Maclaren Latta, a consultant helping to guide the effort, wrote in an email to EBS. With the results from the survey and insights from the Nov. 14 discussion, the task force will create a Gallatin County Childcare Strategic Plan.

This ongoing effort is funded by the Bozeman Chamber of Commerce, City of Bozeman, Gallatin County, Yellowstone Club Community Foundation and Zero to Five Montana.

Workshop takeaways According to Jackie Haines, executive director of the Northern Rocky Mountain Economic Development District, child care expenses should make up about 7% of a household’s monthly income to be considered affordable. According to community surveys (no state or federal data is available) Big Sky parents pay closer to 20%, with child care costing an overage of $1,733 per month, per child.

Haines said a Big Sky household would need to earn $297k annually to afford child care at the industry standard affordability rate of 7%.

Discussion also covered the topic of transportation, as Big Sky’s expansive layout makes it difficult for parents to quickly leave work and transport their children between school, care facilities and activities. Many parents in Big Sky’s workforce live in the Gallatin Valley which may add complication.

The workshop asked for factors in improving caregiver retention. Housing, pay, development and growth opportunities, benefits, time off and healthy work culture were listed as areas to improve.

care offsets their paycheck. That loss of workforce leadership can negatively impact Big Sky’s economy.

When asked what’s unique about Big Sky’s needs, one attendee pointed out that Big Sky is not a multigenerational community. Often without parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles to provide support, parents are left to fend for themselves as they raise kids.

The seasonality of Big Sky adds another challenge, as parents’ variable work situations may dictate variable child care needs.

What could Big Sky look like?

With better child care, attendees suggested, Big Sky could have a larger and better-retained workforce with more working women. Stress levels would decrease, and community morale would increase, the group agreed.

One attendee imagined full-day, seven-day-a-week child care in Big Sky. Another suggested a diversity of options including child care options for visitors.

For policy, the Montana Early Childhood Project offers professional development incentives to help students become licensed Child Development Associate professionals. Meeting attendees also noted similar incentives at the University of North Dakota for elementary educators.

Big Sky could be more family-friendly if some recommendations in the Gallatin County Childcare Strategic Plan target the unique needs of Big Sky. The strategists are hoping to emulate good ideas such as Colorado EPIC—not to be confused with the ski pass— and avoid mistakes made by other communities.

To inform the study, hosts encouraged Big Sky residents to fill out the five-minute survey—Haines pointed out that because Big Sky is unincorporated, surveys are often the only public source of data.

For parents in the workforce, improvements to parental leave may help. One attendee pointed out that some parents simply stop working because the cost of child

Although Big Sky residents may feel survey fatigue, Haines urged the community to always take a few minutes to provide feedback and data when surveys arise.

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18 November 30 - December 13, 2023

L O CA L

Explore Big Sky

BIG SKY’S NEW BLUEBIRD

OUTDOOR BOUTIQUE IN TOWN CENTER OUTFITS LOCALS AND VISITORS ALIKE WITH UNIQUE BRANDS Located on Town Center Avenue in the heart of Big Sky’s ever growing shopping and dining area, Bluebird’s space is expansive and colorful, with a cozy sitting area for their customers to gather while they shop. Many of the brands they feature are not sold anywhere else in the Rockies or even in North America, such as Peak Performance, a sleek, highly technical brand for men and women based in Sweden; The Great Outdoors, a new outdoor segment of the cult favorite THE GREAT.; Halfdays, a female-owned brand based in Colorado; the London-based Shoreditch Ski Club, which features an urban take on outerwear; and the Rialto Jean Project, a brand known well in the area for its founder’s roots and connection to Bozeman.

BY LESLIE KILGORE EBS CONTRIBUTOR

Caroline Kelter and Elizabeth Bradley met at a dinner gathering in Big Sky just a few years ago where they first shared their similar dream of opening a boutique shop in Big Sky that featured unique lifestyle clothing and ski wear. Now, that mutual dream has come true with the opening of their new store, Bluebird in Big Sky’s Town Center.

Named for those perfect bluebird days that we all love to ski, Kelter and Bradley bring something to Big Sky that fashionable skiers and outdoor enthusiasts have never seen here before. A space for their customers to gather for events, share stories of recent adventures and celebrate the Big Sky lifestyle, while also featuring carefully curated ski wear and lifestyle brands that any fashionable and active person would appreciate and covet. And they’ve sought out brands that aren’t usually offered in boutiques or stores, with many sold direct-to-consumer.

“For the merchandise, we took the curation really seriously. We sought out brands we love, brands that aren’t sold in many other places, technical

Caroline Kelter and Elizabeth Bradley are the owners of Bluebird, a new outdoor boutique in Town Center. PHOTO BY LESLIE KILGORE

ski wear lines, fashionable outdoor brands, great denim brands, sophisticated menswear and fun accessories,” Bradley said. “We want it to be a place where women and men can always find something they need or love for on and off the mountain.”

“We wanted to create a place where locals would want to come to shop and a destination for tourists to come year after year,” Kelter said. “We made a point to have a wide selection of both skiwear and lifestyle pieces for both men and women. We want Bluebird to be a special and unique shopping experience; our goal is to create a store where people can come to shop and also hang out for a while.”

19 November 30 - December 13, 2023

SPORTS

Explore Big Sky

LOCAL FALL ATHLETES EARN STATE AND CONFERENCE HONORS

AND NOT JUST THE PLAYERS; SOCCER COACH TONY COPPOLA WINS BOYS CLASS A COACH OF THE YEAR United Soccer Coaches named Coppola the boys coach of the year from Montana Class A. Coppola was nominated by Lone Peak Athletic Director John Hannahs.

BY JACK REANEY BIG SKY—Lone Peak High School athletics are catching the attention of coaches across the division and state, as evidenced by awards from this fall season.

“In my opinion, the award is not just for me,” Coppola said in a phone call. “It’s for the team and the program.

We’ve only been a program for four years, and the substantial growth... That speaks volumes for the program, for the feeder program with Big Sky Futbol Club.”

Big Horn football saw numerous players recognized following the season which ended in a first-round playoff loss to Fort Benton High School, 36-33. Both Big Horn soccer teams also saw players recognized, including four all-state awards and a recognition of boys’ coach Tony Coppola.

Two football players earned a spot among just 12 players selected for Montana eight-player all-state: Juliusz Shipman, senior quarterback and team captain, finished at No. 2 on the all-state team. Ebe Grabow, sophomore receiver, finished at No. 6 out of 12. Both Shipman and Grabow also made significant contributions to the Big Horn defense.

Junior Grady Towle earned a first-team all-conference selection for his work as an interior defensive lineman, with six sacks across nine regular season games—Towle is on pace to graduate as Lone Peak High School’s alltime sack leader. On offense, Towle earned second-team all-conference at the guard position.

Senior David Perdue made first-team all-conference at two positions: kick returner and outside linebacker.

In his nine-game season, he returned three kicks for touchdowns with an average return of 18 yards.

Coaches Jeremy Harder (left) and Tony Coppola (right) and their seniors after the semifinal game in Whitefish. COURTESY OF TONY COPPOLA

Coaches Jeremy Harder (left) and Tony Coppola (right) and their seniors after the semifinal game in Whitefish. COURTESY OF TONY COPPOLA

Coaches Jeremy Harder (left) and Tony Coppola (right) and their seniors after the semifinal game in Whitefish. COURTESY OF TONY COPPOLA

On the other side of the ball, Shipman made secondteam all-conference at inside linebacker.

The sophomore also tied for first-team all-conference in the defensive back/safety category.

“Julek Shipman, to come back from an early injury and put up those numbers is just incredible and speaks to the time he put in during the offseason,” coach Shipman wrote. “Ebe Grabow was the only sophomore to be placed on the all-state team, in fact the only underclassman at all, he is just an unstoppable athlete on the football field and the will to make plays is really evident in his performance.”

Soccer earns four all-state nods, coach of the year The Big Horn boys soccer team made a historic run in the Montana Class A state tournament, reaching the semifinal round for the first time.

Johnson scored eight goals with six assists, and Beattie scored 15 goals with one assist.

Senior Mason Dickerson and juniors Arlo Hurlbut and Finn McRae earned second-team all-conference.

Dickerson, a team captain and four-year starter, returned from injury for the state semifinal. Hurlbut scored six goals with one assist, and McRae added five goals.

Sophomore Brady Johnson received honorable mention for the all-conference team. His hat-trick sent the Big Horns to the state semifinal for the first time in program history. He scored five goals with two assists during his sophomore season.

In addition to their all-state honors, both Shipman and Grabow earned multiple all-conference nods.

Grabow put his speed, height and vertical jump to work at the wide receiver position, with 775 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns across nine games. He made secondteam all-conference.

“I’m just humbled to be honest with you,” Coppola said.

“It came out of left field. Getting that email... I was definitely walking a lot taller that day. I was definitely emotional about it.”

From Coppola’s team, senior captains Beckett Johnson and Cash Beattie made the all-state team for Class A. Both were also selected to the first-team Montana Class A Eastern Conference roster.

“These guys are all deserving of individual recognition,” head coach Dustin Shipman wrote in an email to EBS. “David and Grady are both great players and I am happy that they got the individual accolades from the other coaches in the district.”

Shipman played in seven regular season games, missing some time due to an ankle injury in week 2.

At quarterback, he passed for 950 yards and rushed for 850 yards. The dual-threat QB combined for an astounding 28 touchdowns in six-and-a-half regular season showings. He made second-team all-conference at quarterback.

He said he’s been congratulated by a handful of his players, and it means a lot to hear it from them.

Cash Beattie (17) scores and celebrates with teammate Beckett Johnson. PHOTO BY JACK REANEY

“The boys can look back on this season and know that they all had substantial growth as young men, teammates and soccer players,” head coach Tony Coppola wrote in an email to EBS. This year’s team set Lone Peak records in wins (9), goals scored (50), fewest goals allowed (21) and fewest losses (2)—the team’s only losses came against Billings Central Catholic High School and Whitefish High School, who faced off in the state championship game.

“The team records are very significant to the coaches as they are reflective of all players, team managers, coaches, parents and the entirety of the program,” Coppola wrote.

“I would also like to add that this season was full of outstanding moments and individual player and team growth,” coach Coppola wrote. “It was a total team effort that led to the many successes of the Bighorns’ season.

Coach Harder and I continued to uphold the mantra of building better humans first and soccer players second.

With up to 16 players returning next fall and another sizable freshmen class, coach Harder and I are looking forward to another successful season in 2024. To all the players that make up this amazing program, thanks again for your continued dedication and trust in the process.

Know that we are super proud of all of you and the team’s accomplishments this season.”

Coppola sees future championship teams in Big Sky’s growing pool of youth soccer talent combined with this year’s playoff experience.

The girls team missed the playoffs, but coach Kim Dickerson still applauded her team’s growth in just four years. Two players made the Class A all-state team: sophomore Harper Morris and senior Astrid McGuire.

Morris scored 15 goals this season and McGuire plans to continue her soccer career at Bowdoin College in Maine.

McGuire, Morris and sophomore Maddie Wilcynski earned first-team all-conference selections.

Sophomore Hana Mittelstaedt, eighth grader Maeve McRae, and freshman Marley Chapin made secondteam all-conference.

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URBANFARMBOZEMAN.COM | 406.995.2404 All information given is considered reliable, but because it has been supplied by third parties, we cannot represent that it is accurate or complete, and it should not be relied upon as such. These offerings are subject to errors, omissions, and changes including price or withdrawal without notice. All rights reserved. Equal Housing Opportunity. If you currently have a listing agreement or buyer broker agreement with another agent, this is not a solicitation to change. ©2023 Outlaw Realty www.outlaw.realty

IF YOU DON’T DO IT THIS YEAR, YOU’LL JUST BE ONE YEAR OLDER WHEN YOU DO. —Warren Miller

22 November 30 - December 13, 2023

SPORTS

Explore Big Sky

PLAYOFF PREVIEW: BOBCATS LOOK TO OVERCOME WOES, PROVE FCS STATUS AGAINST NORTH DAKOTA STATE playoffs in which SDSU finished as the runner-up to Sam Houston.

BY COLTER NUANEZ SKYLINE SPORTS

“I think there’s two ways you can go after this: you can either let it define you or you can respond,” said Brody Grebe, Montana State first-team All-Big Sky defensive end. “I think I know this team well enough and the choice we are going to make.”

BOZEMAN—What looked like a clash of titans now needs a serious resuscitation.

South Dakota State rides a 25-game winning streak into the FCS playoffs, the fourth-longest winning streak entering a playoff run in subdivision history. SDSU last lost on Sept. 3, 2022 to an Iowa team that continues to reset the metrics for what makes a great college football defense.

Since then, the Jackrabbits have rolled, claiming the first national title in school history by toppling the perennial power in 2022, beating rival North Dakota State, 45-21.

SDSU has not lost since, although Montana State was an inch away from beating the ‘Jacks in Brookings, S.D. the second week of this regular season. The instant replay of Sean Chambers’ touchdown pass to fellow senior Clevan Thomas ruled no touchdown, ensuring that SDSU’s winning streak would continue.

Despite the 24-21 loss at Idaho the final weekend of October and the disheartening loss to the Griz in Missoula before Thanksgiving, Montana State had another standout regular season.

Montana claimed the Great Divide Trophy for the 11th time since the trophy was instituted in 2002 with a 37-7 win over Montana State.

PHOTO BY BLAKE HEMPSTEAD

A total of 14 MSU players were named to the All-Big Sky all-league squads, including eight to the first team.

Defensive end Brody Grebe is a Buck Buchanan Award finalist given to the best defensive player in the FCS while offensive lineman Connor Moore is a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award given to the top FCS freshman.

Since the 20-16 loss in Brookings, Montana State has consistently battled with the narrative of personifying the second-best team in the subdivision or one that’s still fighting to get into the ranks of the elite.

Senior quarterback Sean Chambers (as an all-purpose player), senior H-back Derryk Snell, senior tight end Treyton Pickering, junior punter Brendan Hall, junior offensive linemen Marcus Wehr and Rush Reimer plus Grebe are each All-American candidates.

The ‘Cats 42-30 win at Top-10-ranked Sacramento State indicated the former. A 24-21 loss at Idaho the following week indicated the latter.

Challenged in Missoula Montana State steamrolled Northern Arizona, winning 45-21, and Eastern Washington, 57-14, in the first two weeks of November to set up the showdown of the modern generation against rival Montana. For the first time in the 122nd rendition of the rivalry, both teams were ranked in the Top 5 of the national polls. And for the first time in the 60-year history of the Big Sky Conference, the rivalry clash would be for the outright league title.

The resuscitation stems from what comes next: Montana State’s no-show in Missoula. The Grizzlies exerted their dominance from the outset in front of the largest crowd in Washington-Grizzly Stadium history (27,178 fans), building a 14-0 lead, then riding the momentum of what turned into a tidal wave on the way to a 37-7 win that sewed up UM’s first outright Big Sky title since 2009 and secured the No. 2 seed in the FCS playoffs for the Griz.

That second seed was supposed to belong to the Bobcats. Montana State was ranked No. 2 in the country for eight of the 11 weeks this regular season and in the Top 5 throughout. The Las Vegas books favored MSU by 3.5 points in the rivalry game in Missoula.

Now, Montana State has plenty of questions to answer while it pursues a fourth consecutive run to the Final Four of the FCS playoff bracket. MSU’s lopsided loss dropped the ‘Cats to the No. 6 seed.

“This game does not end our season,” Vigen said following the loss to the Griz on Nov. 18. “We have to go back to work… We have to get off the mat, get up off the mat and go after that next opportunity.”

Montana State has experience bouncing back from beatdowns in Missoula.

The Bobcats were on the wrong side of a 29-10 thrashing in the Garden City in 2021, then proceeded to win three straight playoff games to advance to the title game. Can MSU reach that precedent again?

“It’s a different year, yes, but we had a lot of guys that were on that 2021 team, a lot of guys who didn’t let their season end with how they felt here today two years ago,”

The Bobcats are into the playoffs for the fifth season in a row, a program record. MSU enters Saturday’s matchup against NDSU with a 25-game home winning streak, which is the longest in Division I college football.

Montana State has established itself as one of the top programs in small-school college football. No one has a longer home winning streak, and no program claims selling more than maximum capacity at its stadium over the last few years.

Montana State senior captain Sean Chambers carries the flag onto the field at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula on Nov. 18.

PHOTO BY BLAKE HEMPSTEAD

Vigen said in Missoula. “We have to regroup…and not look back.

“We have put ourselves in position where we are going to be in the playoffs. You are in the playoffs, you have a shot, whether you are home or away, you have a shot. We have a good enough team where if we play well, I like our chances against anybody. But we have to play well and that’s what’s in front of us.”

The road ahead Following North Dakota State’s 66-3 win over Drake on Nov. 25, the Bobcats will play the Bison for the fourth time since 2018.

In 2018, MSU lost 52-10 in the second round of the FCS Playoffs to the eventual national champions. In 2019, Montana State fell 49-14 in the semifinals. And in 2021, MSU rode the wave to its first national title game appearance since 1984, only to lose 38-10 to the next version of the NDSU freight train that seemed to have no weakness.

Last season, Montana State hit a brick wall—not in Fargo or Frisco and not against the Bison, but rather in Brookings against the new bearers of the FCS throne.

South Dakota State ice skated and maneuvered its way to a dominant 38-19 victory over MSU. If Montana State is to forge another run, it will certainly start with a familiar nemesis in NDSU and will likely include all-too-familiar foes in Montana—the Griz, as the No. 2 seed, will host the semifinals if they win out—and South Dakota State, as the ‘Jacks received the top seed in the bracket. They are the betting favorite to return to Frisco for the second time in a row—and the third time in four seasons if you include the 2020 spring

“Every home game we have, every game we have in general, we tell ourselves to not take it for granted,” Montana State senior defensive back Level Price Jr. said in early November. “It goes by so fast, our college career went by so fast, so we are trying to appreciate it, appreciate everyone that’s been around us and go out there and leave it all out on the field because you never know when it’s your last game.”

For potential to become reality, though, Montana State will have to figure out how to bounce back once again.

The Bobcats did it in Vigen’s first season at the helm.

But a wholesale change at quarterback gave MSU the element of surprise.

When MSU lost to UM in 2021, Vigen benched quarterback Matt McKay. That sparked the rise of Tommy Mellott.

Coming into the Bobcats’ Dec. 2 playoff matchup, Mellott and Chambers will both have to play crucial roles. An abrupt quarterback change isn’t going to ignite the trajectory of another MSU playoff run.

Instead, the Bobcats will have to ignore the elephant standing in the way of a spurt and also not look forward to a potential semifinal rematch in Missoula.

“You are happy you are one of 16,” Vigen said. “No matter if it’s North Dakota State or not, we are happy to still be playing. Sometimes, you might get a playoff draw like we did last year with William & Mary (55-7) that you just don’t know or Tennessee Martin in 2021, you just don’t know. With NDSU, we definitely know what they are all about.”

If the Bobcats can embrace the present, they can reaffirm their position as one of the top contenders in the FCS. “We see this as another measure, another challenge for our guys,” Vigen said. “We need to rise up to that challenge. And if we don’t, we know it’s going to be a long off season.”

23 November 30 - December 13, 2023

REGIONAL

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MONTANA HEADWATERS LEGACY ACT REINTRODUCED ACT WOULD PROTECT 384 MILES OF MONTANA RIVERS

BY JEN CLANCEY Some say the third time’s the charm; in this case, it’s for passing an important piece of river legislation in the U.S. government. On Nov. 16, Sen. Jon Tester announced the reintroduction of the Montana Headwaters Legacy Act, giving the river protection bill a third run since its initial introduction in 2020.

The MHLA would protect 384 miles of Montana rivers, including the Gallatin, Madison and Smith rivers, as well as waterways in the Custer-Gallatin National Forest.

The foundation for the MHLA comes from a national law that has protected 13,396 miles of U.S. rivers since 1968. States can propose their river be designated under the U.S. Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, meaning that the waterway, or portions of it, would be protected federally.

The MHLA would be the most significant use of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in nearly half a century. For a state where less than 0.5% of rivers are designated Wild and Scenic, the impact would bring Montana closer to preserving crucial ecosystems.

Supporters of the bill feel that it's gaining momentum.

Level of support ‘almost unheard of ’ “Support for the bill has continued to grow over the years. We're now at a point where 85% of Montana supports it,” said Scott Bosse, Northern Rockies regional director for American Rivers. American Rivers is an organization that works to protect and restore rivers and waterways nationwide.

“90% of Gallatin county residents support it, which is almost unheard of,” Bosse said.

The results of the Breakthrough Campaigns poll also state that 93% of democrats, 84% of independents and 82% of republicans support the MHLA, making it a very bipartisan issue.

The Gallatin River is among the proposed protected rivers in the MHLA. PHOTO BY SCOTT BOSSE

“It has strong support across the political spectrum,” County Commissioner Zach Brown. “But it's really Bosse said. “And the other change is… [that] the culture, cultural, economic, and environmental the little opposition to the bill that did exist, has centerpiece of Gallatin County.” decreased quite a bit over the last few years.”

“So providing permanent protection, Bosse said that a few groups did express concern acknowledging it as a real gem of this country, as over the bill but that American Rivers has worked well as of our county and state is just a no-brainer,” with them to properly address these concerns.

Brown continued.

In strong support of the bill is Gallatin County; two years ago, the Gallatin County Commission unanimously endorsed the MHLA in a public meeting about the bill.

Bringing wild and scenic rivers ‘home’

“The Gallatin River just symbolizes some of the challenges we've had with intense growth, in terms of some of the problems it's having,” said Gallatin

John and Frank Craighead, both wildlife biologists who worked with National Geographic, realized the idea when they opposed the Spruce Park Dam and Glacier View Dam, two projects that would have eroded the ecological health and environment in the middle of the Flathead River.

Montana’s history with the Wild and Scenic River Act goes back more than 50 years.

“We're trying to bring the Wild and Scenic Rivers back home, where it was born,” Bosse said.

One of the challenges is to get the rest of the Montana delegation on board with the bill. For those passionate about the bill’s success, Bosse recommends calling Montana representatives and expressing support for the legislation.

“They need to hear from people,” he said. “Elected officials don't see the light until they feel the heat.”

Tester speaks on the Montana Headwaters Legacy Act when it was first introduced in 2020. PHOTO BY GABRIELLE GASSER

To learn more about how to contact your local Montana Legislator, visit leg.mt.gov/legislator-lookup/ contacting-legislators/

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25 November 30 - December 13, 2023

Explore Big Sky

A&E ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

TO THE SKYLAND

STUDENTS CREATE STORIES AND POETRY AND PROSE ABOUT BIG SKY’S NEXT PUBLIC ART PROJECT

BY LESLIE KILGORE EBS CONTRIBUTOR

The Arts Council of Big Sky continues their fundraising efforts for a public art display titled "To the Skyland" by artist Brad Rude, a life size sculpture that will enhance the already robust public art collection in Big Sky. Rude’s piece has already been inspiring locals; fourth graders at Ophir Elementary School have been busy sharing their stories and poems about the sculpture after a small replica of the art took a visit to their classrooms.

The piece is a bronze and features a lonesome wolf looking ahead with the aid of two wheels and a walking stick.

“Our students worked very hard on their poems and stories,” said Ophir Elementary fourth grade teacher Jonathan Gans. “It was a great way to partner with the Arts Council while learning about poetry and storytelling.”

Gans and his colleague, Mariel Elleman, who also teaches fourth grade, inspired their students to use their imaginations to write poems about the wolf, or stories about what the wolf ’s journey would entail.

Born in Montana, the artist Brad Rude spent most of his life in Walla Walla, Washington, where he explored his grandfather’s folk-art studio as a child. With his own studio now tucked beneath Walla Walla’s Blue Mountains, he’s inspired by nature combined with symbols that represent the human conditions of uncertainty, danger, questions and joy. Rude creates sculptures and paintings of animal adventures that spark the imagination and can be found in prominent places such as Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo, the Boise Art Museum and the Microsoft art collection.

“Brad Rude approaches art with the wonderment and curiosity of a child. It seemed fitting to share To the Skyland, our next public art project, with students in our community,” said Patty Rhea, chair of the Arts Council’s public art committee.

With the life-size sculpture To the Skyland, Rude tells the tale of a wolf on his own quest and captures the spirit in each of us as we look forward to our next adventure, while also using common objects that help carry his storyline. If all fundraising goals are met, the sculpture is slated to be placed in Big Sky’s Town Center in 2024.

“The fourth grade’s enthusiasm for the project was heartfelt. The children composed poems and stories about the bronze wolf and his many adventures.

Art should be an open conversation. There are no right or wrong answers,” Rhea said.

For more information about the Arts Council of Big Sky’s fundraising efforts for To the Skyland or to make a donation, visit bigskyarts.org.

Fourth graders at Ophir Elementary School are sharing their love of local art by writing prose and poetry based on a sculpture called To the Skyland. PHOTO BY LESLIE KILGORE

Writing Samples from Ophir’s Fourth Graders on To the Skyland The Wolf Story, by Crosby Once upon a time there was a wolf named Jamal.

Jamal wanted to go to Alaska so he started on his long, long, long long advance. He stopped and asked the Rabbit if he could borrow the red wheels and hiking stick. “Yes,” said the Rabbit. So Jamal kept going and he came across a big mountain and he got a good idea that he was going to hike the mountain. He was successful and when he came back down he was strangely old. He went from age 17 to 89. After he hiked the mountain, he retired in Alaska. The End. The Wolf, by Max The wolf is on a journey to go to Montana from Idaho. He started hiking on a mountain. Once he was halfway up, he saw four bears. But this wolf is not scared of bears. So he went toward the bears.

The bears names were Glacier, Icicle, Hailstorm and Winter. They said they would help the wolf.

The next day they got to Wyoming and the wolf found a walking stick and two wheels. He decided to use them. The bears had to go back home. At sunset, the wolf decided to take a nap. He dreamed about getting to Montana and having cubs. The next day he got to Montana and had a great time.

The End. The Wolf Story, by Vivi When I look at it, it reminds me of Beauty and the Beast. It looks colorful and I like how he is creative.

And his name is going to be Ghost. And it is heavy and shiny. And it is so cute and cool.

To the Skyland, by Mae Too beautiful Out of this world The details How amazing Evolve through creativity

See the beautifulness Know how to believe You can change your life Life is about living A beautiful sculpture Now or never Down into your feelings The Wolf, by Abi El nombre es luna. Porque ella pesa mucho y porque tiene ruedas y un palo creo que se chanco o creo que quiere ir más rápido porque se perdio y por eso y cuando lo veo siento que me mira y porqué es azul, verde, amarillo ¿El huele a pasto y me siento mal por ella tiena familia?

Creo que si y la familia le estará buscando su mama estará nerviosa pobre luna ojala que llegue tranquila sin heridas sana y salva ojala que la familia le lleve al hospital para que le sane las piernas.

Wolfy the Wolf! by Grace One day a wolf named Wolfy set off; he was super young. But he was super active! He had two red wheels and he had a walking stick too! He was such a cool wolf but he did not like his mom who was super mean. She would not let him play and have fun. He was clearly sad. One day, Wolfy ran away! He passed roads and trees and cars. It was so much fun! One day, he came to a dumpster. There were two red wheels and a walking stick! So he got on the two red wheels and used the stick and he walked for the rest of his life. And he was happy!

A&E

26 November 30 - December 13, 2023

Explore Big Sky

BIG SKY EVENTS CALENDAR Thursday, November 30 - Wednesday, December 13

If your next event falls between Dec. 14 - Dec. 27, please submit it to media@theoutlawpartners.com by Dec. 20.

THURSDAY, NOV. 30

SATURDAY, DEC. 9

Peer Support Drop-in Hours Big Sky Community Food Bank, 4:30 p.m.

Big Sky Christmas Stroll Big Sky Town Center, 3:30-8 p.m

FRIDAY, DEC. 1

Live Music: North Fork Crossing The Waypoint, 8 p.m.

All Levels Pick-up Volleyball BASE, 6 p.m.

SUNDAY, DEC. 10

SUNDAY, DEC. 3 Her Gift/ Her Creation Warren Miller Performing Arts Center, 7 p.m.

MONDAY, DEC. 4

Big Sky Christmas Stroll Big Sky Resort, all day Community Art Class: Pinch Pot Bowls Arts Council Studio at BASE, 4 p.m.

MONDAY, DEC. 11

Storytime BASE, 10:30 a.m.

Storytime BASE, 10:30 a.m.

Pick-up Futsal BASE, 6 p.m.

26th Annual Madrigal Dinner Missouri Ballroom at Big Sky Resort, 5 p.m.

Pick-up Futsal BASE, 6 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 13 Community Art Class: Resin Floral Accessories Arts Council Studio at BASE, 6 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 6 Adult Pick-up Basketball BASE, 9 p.m.

Trivia The Waypoint, 7 p.m.

Trivia The Waypoint, 7 p.m.

Artist in Residence: Jasmine Pickner Bell Warren Miller Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m.

THURSDAY, DEC. 7

FEATURED EVENT: ARTIST IN RESIDENCE WITH JASMINE PICKNER BELL Warren Miller Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m.

World Champion Hoop Dancer will perform at the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center on Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m. with students of Kate Riley and Jeremy Harder’s classes. Pickner Bell will workshop the hoop dance performance with students during a days-long residency and take it to the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center stage.

Wellness Fair BASE, 7 a.m.

FRIDAY, DEC. 8 Big Sky Christmas Stroll Big Sky Meadow Village, 5:30-8 p.m.

Luck of the Draw: Auction Preview Exhbition BASE, 5-8 p.m.

All Levels Pick-up Volleyball BASE, 6 p.m.

Do You or Someone You Know Need Help Getting Sober?

Contact A.A. - We’re alcoholics helping other alcoholics stay sober.

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BUILDING A HOME IS PERSONAL. For over 30 years, Bob Houghteling, the owner of HCI Builders, has personally

Maggie Biggerstaff Broker 406-580-6244

Dan Delzer Broker 406-580-4326

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overseen custom builds built with relentless perfection. Backed with handson experience, his wealth of knowledge specializes and spans from Timber Frame to

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28 November 30 - December 13, 2023

Explore Big Sky

29 November 30 - December 13, 2023

A LA CARTE

Explore Big Sky

DINING

GOOD GRAVY

BY RACHEL HERGETT EBS COLUMNIST

have a place on every celebratory table. It is fire on mashed potatoes.

Last week’s festivities have me thinking about turkey dinners, and more specifically, the gravy that ties the whole thing together. The promise of a big ol’ bird, stuffing, green bean casserole and mashed potatoes with gravy is always a treat, no matter the season.

Making a gravy from drippings can be as simple or complex as you’d like. Basically, you thicken drippings on the stove with flour or cornstarch.

Start by pouring the drippings into a bowl or glass measuring cup and skimming some of the fat from the top. Some fat is good, but too much will make the gravy separate. Ideally, you’ll have enough liquid left for your gravy, but you can add some stock if you have a mountain of mashed potatoes lying in wait.

One particular off-season turkey dinner, I watched as the hostess pulled a perfectly roasted turkey from the oven, the bottom of its throwaway aluminum pan heavy with drippings. She placed the turkey on top of the stove and then opened a nearby cupboard and reached inside for a couple packets of gravy.

The horror!

Pour your dripping/stock back into the heated roasting pan (after you remove the bird). I like to use the roasting pan for gravy, because adding liquid back into a hot pan allows some of the caramelized bits stuck to the bottom to release and add their flavor into your concoction. This is known as deglazing.

Now, I have nothing against packaged gravy. My stocked kitchen houses packets of both a turkey and beef version. There are times when drippings aren’t available and a person needs gravy. It is a solid substitute. But to ignore a delicious pan of fresh turkey drippings was too much.

The final step is to thicken the liquid. The simplest method is to make a slurry. Take flour or cornstarch and mix in a little bit of water until it’s a gooey paste. If your gloop is smooth, you will prevent lumps in the gravy. You’ll need a couple tablespoons of flour per cup of liquid, or one tablespoon of cornstarch. Some people will go fancy and make a roux, a fat and flour mixture that is heated and browned and used to thicken dishes like gumbo.

Add your slurry or roux to your drippings/stock and stir over heat. Voila, pan gravy.

“Can I show you how to make a gravy?” I asked, a slight overstep in the name of our collective taste buds.

Gravy is essentially a thickened sauce made from the drippings of roast meats or a stock. It seems to

ADOBE STOCK PHOTO

Gravy comes in countless forms, each delicious in its own way. In my family, we have biscuits and gravy every Christmas morning. While recipes have shifted depending on who is cooking, the base is a simple hamburger gravy, a form of Army slop my grandfather always called “SOS” or “S*** On a Shingle.” It’s similar to a sausage or country gravy, just a little cheaper and a little more brown.

I’m also a huge fan of sage cream gravy, a delicate version made with fresh sage, chicken stock and heavy cream that I first tried at Chico Hot Springs’ immaculate brunch buffet. Now that my family usually smokes a wild turkey for holidays, and no drippings are available, this too has become a staple of the table.

I bumped into the friends who hosted the offseason turkey dinner at Shine Beer Sanctuary in Bozeman last year. We chatted and played a cutthroat game of Candyland with their son. But before we parted, I had to ask one question of the hostess: Did she make gravy from drippings the next time she roasted a turkey?

No, she admitted. The packets were easier.

Well, it’s all gravy. Or is it?

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.

30 November 30 - December 13, 2023

Explore Big Sky

600 N. WA L L A C E AV E. B OZ E M A N, M T

T H E F I N E S T M O U N TA I N T O W N L I V I N G BESPOKE LIVING IN DOWNTOWN BOZEM A N Perfectly located in Bozeman’s Northeast Neighborhood, just a few blocks from Main Street, Wildlands is a truly exceptional location. Conveniently situated near multiple coffee shops, restaurants, trailheads, and within 20 minutes of Bridger Bowl Ski Area, living at Wildlands means you are never far away from world-class adventure and culture. Wildlands consists of 12 luxury residences only four blocks from downtown and 10 minutes from Yellowstone International Airport.

AMENITIES •

Spacious two & three bedroom floor plans highlight mountain views & natural light

•

Private, heated garage for resident parking

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Large storage space for each owner

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Professionally managed for ease of lock & leave ownership

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Conveniently located blocks away from Downtown Bozeman

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Custom finishes boast Poliform cabinetry, quartzite countertops & engineered hardwood floors

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31 November 30 - December 13, 2023

Explore Big Sky

2 1 1 T O W N C E N T E R A V E . B I G S K Y, M T

THE BEST OF BOZEMAN & BIG SKY CONVENIENT MAIN STREET LIVING IN BIG SK Y Beautifully designed condos and penthouses in a highly sought-after downtown location. Footsteps away from Big Sky Town Center restaurants, shopping, farmers markets, live music, and all that Big Sky has to offer. A downtown lifestyle where rooms are filled with natural light and breathtaking views no matter the time of day or the season. Third-level penthouses come with private, 4th-level rooftop decks and hot tub. Let the stargazing begin.

AMENITIES •

Exquisite engineered hardwood floors

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Meticulously crafted cabinets

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Luxurious granite countertops

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State-of-the-art stainless steel GE Monogram appliances

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All residents have a storage unit in addition to their residence

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Secure underground parking garage with designated parking spaces

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Third-level penthouses come with private, 4th-level rooftop decks

Scan the QR code to visit the website for floor plans, virtual tours, and more.

W W W. T H E F R A N K L I N B I G S K Y. C O M

WWW.OUTLAW.REALTY | 406.995.2404 | EJ@OUTLAW.REALT Y

32 November 30 - December 13, 2023

Explore Big Sky

BUSINESS

THE BIG SKY WAY: A TALE OF TWO COUNTIES AN OVERVIEW OF MADISON AND GALLATIN COUNTIES AND HOW BIG SKY STRADDLES THE LINE

Montana’s busiest airport. Gallatin County’s mission is to “Enhance the quality of life in Gallatin County through service and innovation from dedicated, caring Peace Officers.”

BY DANIEL BIERSCHWALE EBS COLUMNIST

The book on governance in Big Sky is broken into many chapters, starting with special purpose districts and working up to federal government. Where do counties fit into our community story and why is that important?

Counties are one of America’s oldest forms of government, dating back to 1634 when the first county governments, called “shires,” were established in Virginia. Nationwide over 3,000 county governments are now chartered to fit the needs of local citizens. Big Sky straddles Madison County to the west and Gallatin County to the east with limited public access through “one way in, one way out” via U.S. Highway 191 and Montana Highway 64. County oversight in our community truly is “a tale of two counties” that locals often find themselves navigating.

Lone Mountain is located in Madison County, but the eastern side of Big Sky belongs to Gallatin County. PHOTO BY JACK REANEY

The basics of county governance Counties balance numerous administrative responsibilities and deliver vital services to ensure healthy, vibrant, and safe communities. County services vary, ranging from managing elections and property tax collection to issuing birth certificates, marriage licenses and vehicle titles.

They play a major role in justice and public safety by supporting emergency management and the criminal justice system. Counties keep communities safe by providing law enforcement and preventing crime.

COURTESY OF BSRAD

Health and well-being are often county priorities, serving many at-risk residents. Health departments protect residents by offering services like flu shots, providing health information, and preventing public health emergencies. Many counties also invest in behavioral and mental health services for residents, including those involved in the justice system.

Counties are governed by locally elected officials including commissioners, sheriff and coroner, clerk and recorder, clerk of district court, attorney, justice of the peace and treasurer. They oversee the varied services while simultaneously managing multiple priorities.

This is not an easy task. All decisions and votes must be made in public, except decisions regarding confidential personnel and legal issues.

While these are generalizations, no two counties are the same. They are diverse in structure and how services are delivered to communities. In general, states decide the powers and authority of county governments through a constitution and subsequent law. There were nine Montana counties formed when structured as a U.S. territory in 1864, including Madison and Gallatin; today there are 56.

Madison County Madison County’s seat resides in Virginia City—a historical capital of the Montana Territory. Its mission is to “provide quality public services in an honest, transparent, and efficient manner. We will encourage public involvement and cooperation to identify present and future needs and solutions.”

Known for its rugged landscapes, historic mining towns and outdoor recreational opportunities, Madison County is the 13th largest in Montana by land area. Big Sky Resort, Beehive Basin, Moonlight Basin, and Yellowstone Club all reside in Madison County. Voters elect three commissioners who serve four-year terms, with elections running every two years during the general election. Madison County commissioners serve one of three districts—District 3 serves our community.

With a census estimated population of approximately 9,265, Madison County is a mixture of old and new residents attracted by the area’s natural beauty and slower pace of life.

The average median age of 54 is notably higher than the Montana average of 40.2, as a significant proportion of retirees are drawn to the tranquility of the region. Economically, Madison County has a diverse base, with agriculture, tourism and small businesses contributing to its vitality.

Madison County Commissioners typically hold public meetings every Tuesday at 10 a.m. temporarily at the Placer Loop Office Building in Virginia City. They welcome engagement from citizens.

Gallatin County Gallatin County’s seat resides in Bozeman—home to the Bobcats of Montana State University and

Characterized by a dynamic blend of urban and rural influences, the county is an economic and cultural hub for the region and Montana’s 24th largest county by land area. Big Sky’s Meadow Village, Town Center and “the canyon” all reside in Gallatin County. Voters also elect three commissioners who serve six-year terms, with elections every two years. Unlike Madison County, for example, commissioners do not represent specific districts but rather the county “at large.”

Boasting a population of over 120,000, Gallatin is one of the fastest-growing counties in Montana.

The presence of Montana State University attracts a notably younger population contributing to an average median age of 33.8, lower than the national average of 38.8. The university also fosters a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, with a growing tech sector that complements more traditional economic pillars like agriculture and tourism.

Gallatin County’s population growth is fueled by an influx of residents seeking a blend of outdoor recreation and urban amenities.

Gallatin County Commissioners typically hold public meetings every Tuesday at 9 a.m. in the Courthouse Community Room, 311 W. Main in Bozeman. They encourage the public to attend.

Navigating the confluence The confluence of both counties’ characteristics creates a story of varied perspectives and lifestyles.

Long-term residents find themselves sharing the landscape with new residents drawn by economic opportunities and the allure of a growing vibrant community. Citizens are encouraged to participate at regularly scheduled commission meetings or locally at the biannual joint county meetings. This helps inform county leaders to support important decisions that impact our community.

Aligning values to address these diverse needs is a critical task for local leaders. They must take a collaborative approach to providing essential community services. For instance, interlocal agreements are created between both counties and BSRAD to fund these vital services. Finding common ground becomes increasingly crucial to ensure that Big Sky remains a beacon of natural beauty, community spirit, and economic opportunity—for all residents, both old and new.

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.

BUSINESS

33 November 30 - December 13, 2023

Explore Big Sky

MAKING IT IN BIG SKY: CUSHING TERRELL EBS: What sets you apart from other firms in the area?

SC: One of the phrases we often use to portray Cushing Terrell is “Where design meets you” and I think that really captures our differentiator in a nutshell. Our design process is highly collaborative and always centers on improving the user experience of the built environment above all else. We don’t have a defined “style” and we approach every design challenge as an opportunity to live out our mission to “invent a better way of living.” This, paired with our multidisciplinary structure enables a uniquely holistic approach to our design solutions.

EBS STAFF

Experience isn’t something you can replicate, explains Sky Cook, associate owner at Cushing Terrell, an architecture firm that services seven states in the U.S., including coverage in most of Montana. And Cushing Terrell has 85 years of it. The firm moved to their Bozeman office in 2002 and has been designing, planning and building projects of every shape and size across the valley and Big Sky since. For this issue’s Making it in Big Sky, Explore Big Sky talked to Cook about their vision for the area’s future, as well as her favorite local projects: contributing to the Ramcharger and Swift Current lifts at Big Sky Resort.

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: Sky, tell me about yourself—when did you join the Cushing Terrell team and what is your role?

Sky Cook: I am an architect, project manager and associate owner at Cushing Terrell. I have been with the firm for 16 years and lead the architecture studio for our Bozeman region projects. The Bozeman office was established in 2002 and we have continued to grow our multidisciplinary architecture and engineering practice in Bozeman and surrounding communities since then. The team here is currently comprised of architects, interior designers, mechanical engineers, civil engineers, landscape architects, surveyors and land planners.

EBS: Cushing Terrell has been around for a while. Can you speak to what longevity brings to the table for an architecture firm?

SC: Having 85 years of business behind us really gives Cushing Terrell, above all, perspective. We have experienced, first-hand, the growth and evolution of this critical industry over the past eight-plus decades and have grown and evolved along with it.

But with age also comes wisdom and the benefit of experience—so many years of transferred knowledge is simply impossible to replicate. And then, of course, we’ve had the opportunity to really become a part of the fabric of the communities where our team members have lived and worked for so long. Making positive impacts on the health, safety and growth of our communities is really what brings us to work each day.

EBS: We live in such a beautiful place. What does Cushing Terrell feel your responsibility is in working with this landscape with your projects?

SC: Our vision for design in Montana and elsewhere is a balance between the built and natural environments that will provide a healthy future for

Cushing Terrell’s Bozeman office located downtown. PHOTO COURTESY OF SKY COOK

our clients, colleagues and communities. We aim to contribute to this balance by making sustainability a foundation of our design and business operations.

Montana, being not only home to our founding office, but also unique in its vast and as yet undisturbed natural landscapes and resources, holds a special importance in our minds and in our work. With all the knowledge and insight we have today that point to the critical importance of protecting this natural beauty and these finite resources, we acknowledge and accept our role as innovators who can set a precedent for environmentally conscious and sustainable design solutions for the next 85 years, and beyond.

EBS: Tell me about some projects you’ve done in Big Sky: SC: We have a long history of working in the Big Sky area and have weathered the peaks and valleys of the growth that has occurred here in recent decades.

One of my favorite Big Sky Resort projects was the Ramcharger and Swift Current chairlift buildings, a structure witnessed by so many on the mountain, that not many firms get to include in their portfolios.

Cushing Terrell also played a big part in the development effort of the Big Sky Town Center at its inception two decades ago; the Big Sky Town Center vision was largely implemented according to the planned unit development that we completed in 2004. This project exceeded typical development timelines and evolved with changes that occurred in the market over time, but the overall vision of creating a commercial hub at the base of a mountain resort, infilled with walkable residential, has materialized.

Today we are working on projects around Big Sky Resort including the Levinski Lodge, a 30-unit workforce housing project, and the Cold Smoke development, an approximately 350-unit workforce housing master plan in partnership with Lone Mountain Land Company with the goal of starting entitlements this winter.

EBS: Sustainability seems to be a core pillar of the company; can you explain how you advocate for that your work and why it is important in every project?

SC: As I alluded to previously, with the information we have today that illustrates the building industry’s contribution to energy use and damaging carbon emissions, we are compelled to be responsible stewards of the natural environment by reducing our own footprint and that of our clients. This emphasis is apparent in the commitments we have made to hold ourselves accountable for making a measurable impact. Some of these include a firm-wide Sustainable Design Initiative that aligns with the AIA Framework for Design Excellence and is applicable to all projects, our SME Climate Commitment/UN Race to Zero Participant, and the institution of a sustainability service sector to elevate our sustainable design experts among our project teams and make their guidance more readily available to our clients.

EBS: What is some of the best business advice you’ve ever received that sticks with you in your work?

SC: Working in a project-based, deadline-driven industry, I have engaged in many discussions about finding balance between work and life. One quote that stands out is: The secret to life is always having something to look forward to... so, what are you looking forward to?

EBS: Anything else you feel is important to tell the Big Sky community?

SC: In this destination-oriented city we call home, we have focused our work and impact around the resort community as well as the local community. We all love to live, work and explore in this region and know what it takes to keep momentum going around growth and evolution. Through our range of service offerings, project typologies, and market sector expertise spanning across commercial, financial, mixed use, multi-family residential, education, and healthcare, Cushing Terrell brings a unique and dynamic perspective to shaping our environments. Taking a holistic approach allows us to maintain authenticity and respond to the needs of our community.

34 November 30 - December 13, 2023

BUSINESS

Explore Big Sky

ENJOYING THE RIDE

PUTTING MARKET VOLATILITY IN PERSPECTIVE—THE DOW THROUGH THE DECADES

BY MICHAEL HILLIARD EBS CONTRIBUTOR SPONSORED ARTICLE

With the recent stock market volatility, I am reminded of my friend Don Connelly, and a talk he gave long ago, which I’ll expound on and share now.

In short, there has always been negative news headlines and threats, providing every reason for investors to pause, but here are some attentiongrabbing news events from the last eight decades and how the Dow Jones Industrial Average has fared throughout: In the 1950’s we had the Korean War. It was communism versus democracy that saw almost 37,000 American dead. The Soviets tested a Hydrogen bomb in the summer of 1953, then launched the first artificial satellite to orbit the earth (Sputnik), and for the first time in history Americans didn’t feel safe in their beds. In the Fall of 1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower had a heart attack in office. But despite the uncertainty and panic in this decade, the Dow was up over 24% per year on average. (Source: Macrotrends; www. macrotrends.net) In the 1960s, things got worse! The Berlin Wall went up, further solidifying the West versus the Soviet Union. In 1962, Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba and for the first time we had communism in the Western Hemisphere. This led to the Cuban Missile Crisis, when the Soviets placed missiles just 97 miles off the coast of Florida, and for thirteen days no one blinked. John F. Kennedy, a young and very popular president, was assassinated, and on November 22, 1963, the American spirit died.

There was the Six Day War, when Israel faced off against Egypt, Jordan, and Syria, and then the Yom Kippur War, when the United States sided with Israel, which prompted the Arab nations to break ties with the U.S. The Vietnam War began, with over 58,000 American dead and the Civil Rights movement was born. The press painted such a dark picture that an entire generation stopped investing, but the Dow was up almost 18% for the decade.

(Source: Macrotrends; www.macrotrends.net) In the 1970s, OPEC put an embargo on the United States as punishment for the Six Day War and the price of oil quadrupled. Inflation skyrocketed, the Gross Domestic Product fell, and the stock market dropped 45%, which was the worst decline since the Great Depression. Richard Nixon resigned from office due to Watergate, and Americans were kidnapped in Iran, spending 444 days in captivity. The end of the decade saw the birth of cable news and CNN, and the negativity in the world and the markets spread. The Dow remained nearly unchanged in the 1970s, going from about 809 to 964 or 1.9% per year on average. (Source: Macrotrends; www.macrotrends.net) In the 1980s we had hyperinflation at 14%; with 17% government bonds and 13% mortgage rates.

President Reagan was shot less than one hundred days into office. Terrorism ran rampant, mostly limited to the Middle East, and the Achille Lauro cruise ship was highjacked, with Leon Klinghoffer—a 69-year-old Jewish American in a wheelchair—thrown overboard and murdered.

It was the first time we used the term “we don’t

ADOBE STOCK PHOTO

negotiate with terrorists.” Then 5,500 banks in the United State failed and we had the biggest single day decrease in the stock market, as the Dow shed 508 points or 22.6% on Black Monday: Oct. 19, 1987. Still, the Dow managed almost 22% per year growth on average. (Source: Macrotrends; www. macrotrends.net) In the 1990s we had the first Gulf War, civil war in Yugoslavia, the Mexican currency crisis, and the Soviets defaulted on 100% of their bonds. Timothy McVeigh bombed a building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people, and Bill Clinton was impeached.

At the end of the decade there was the technology stock boom and bust and then the Y2K computer scare. The Dow was up almost 31% per year on average. (Source: Macrotrends; www.macrotrends.net) In the 2000s we had 9/11, the second Gulf War, and Hurricane Katrina. Gas prices went above $4 for the first time. There was the housing boom and bust, followed by the 2008 financial crisis and the stock market plummeted twice in one decade.

The Dow was negative since the 1990s, retreating from 11,357 to 10,428. (Source: Macrotrends; www. macrotrends.net) In the 2010s, Obamacare became insurance law, North Korea started challenging us, and China devalued their currency. We saw the rise of ISIS and continued terrorism with the San Bernardino terrorist attack, the Paris theater massacre, and the Orlando Night Club attack. There was Brexit in June of 2016, and then the heated Donald Trump versus Hillary Clinton election. The Dow rose almost 17% per year on average. (Source: Macrotrends; www.macrotrends.net) In the 2020s, so far, we’ve suffered and are recovering from the COVID pandemic, and continued civil unrest stemming from the murder of George Floyd. The term “woke” has taken hold, with a new era of “political correctness,” with people choosing their gender, identity, and pronouns. Historic statues have been torn down and professional sports teams forced to change their names. In March of 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, and on Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel. The Federal Reserve raised the Federal Funds Rate 11 times since March 17, 2022, from .25% to 5.5%, and as I write this on Nov. 1, 2023, the Dow stands at 33,195 or an approximate 4.2% per year gain so far in the 2020s. (Source: Macrotrends; www. macrotrends.net)

So, there it is, a brief summation of some of the most important world events and crises the markets have weathered over more than 70 years. I must admit that I was surprised at how resilient the markets and economy are, and how diversification and asset allocation, combined with active asset management is so important. I am constantly reminded that our jobs as financial advisors are never done, and our client’s financial situations are always evolving. It's why consistent client contact and ongoing communication to understand our client’s financial goals, time frames, and risk posture, is so integral to financial success.

Michael Hilliard, ChFC, CLU, CFP®, Managing Director, Shore to Summit Wealth Management Michael Hilliard is a Managing Director at Shore to Summit Wealth Management. He currently works and lives in Severna Park, MD with his wife and children.

Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network is not a legal or tax advisor. Be sure to consult your own tax advisor and investment professional before taking any action that may involve tax consequences.

Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network did not assist in the preparation of this report, and its accuracy and completeness are not guaranteed. The opinions expressed in this report are those of the author(s) and are not necessarily those of Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network or its affiliates. The material has been prepared or is distributed solely for information purposes and is not a solicitation or an offer to buy any security or instrument or to participate in any trading strategy Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network and Shore to Summit Wealth Management are not legal or tax advisors. You should consult with your attorney, accountant and/or estate planner before taking any action.

Shore to Summit Wealth Management is located at 105 E. Oak Street, Unit 1A Bozeman, MT 59715 # 406219-2900.

This advertisement was written by Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network and provided to you by Brant Wiehardt, Associate Vice President. Investment products and services are offered through Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, LLC (WFAFN), Member SIPC.Shore to Summit Wealth Management is a separate entity from WFAFN. ©2022 – 2023 Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, LLC. All rights reserved.

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36 November 30 - December 13, 2023

Explore Big Sky

ENVIRONMENT

DISPATCHES FROM THE WILD GRIZZLIES RETURN TO THE PLAINS

The American Prairie Reserve has thousands of acres of public lands, including large continuous Bureau of Land Management blocks like the 375,000-acre Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s 1.1-million-acre Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, and state lands.

APR has purchased 462,000 acres in the region to restore the shortgrass prairie ecosystem and hopes to return all of the native wildlife that comes with it.

BY BENJAMIN ALVA POLLEY EBS COLUMNIST

This past October, I was invited to go hunting with family and friends at the American Prairie Reserve. We stayed at the accommodating PN Ranch for three nights. It was my first time tromping around with a rifle along the Missouri Breaks and Judith Basin. I sat on buttes and mesas above coulees, glassing for deer, waiting for them to stir from their daybeds where they hid under Douglas firs and junipers, then rise at dusk or dawn and walk through sagebrush to cottonwood galleries lining the Judith River. The weather grew incredibly moodier daily, starting with that Sunday afternoon in the high 50s. A melancholy Monday rained all day with temps dropping into the 30s and low-level fog covering everything. Tuesday’s temperatures dropped into the 20s, and Wednesday brought ten inches of fresh snow, 35 mph winds, and temps falling to single digits. The area teemed with wildlife of all sorts. We had run-ins with elk, mule deer, whitetail deer, coyotes, and predator tracks. Some of us were fortunate.

PHOTO BY BENJAMIN ALVA POLLEY

The American Prairie Reserve is a conservation success story. The area is also home to antelope, bighorn sheep, black bears, 900 bison, and at least one lone grizzly. But only some people are excited about APR or grizzlies. Many agricultural ranches are skeptical about their plans and don’t like that an out-of-state organization is buying up a bunch of land.

Tuesday morning, I walked upriver, following game trails through thick willows. The willows crowded me, making me feel claustrophobic, so I dipped toward the river, hoping to see how long this willow stand would last. Down at my feet in the mud were the unmistakable tracks of a grizzly covered in leaf litter next to a mountain lion track.

My heart skipped a beat. Adrenaline jolted through my body. I was excited they had made it this far east, but I didn’t want to surprise one in these thick willow river bottoms. I snapped photos on my phone, then backtracked out how I came and hunted more in the open prairie bottoms under giant cottonwoods the rest of the day.

“I’ve been dreaming about this moment since the day I started at American Prairie almost six years ago,” wrote Daniel Kinka, APR wildlife restoration manager, in a recent email. “Some of us for much longer. Other than bison roaming, I don’t think there is any better symbol of prairie wildness than a grizzly bear.”

PHOTO BY BENJAMIN ALVA POLLEY

When we returned home, I contacted Michael Ferda, manager of PN Ranch, and emailed him the photos and location. In a voicemail on Nov. 1, he said, “We have a couple of game cameras out trying to get pictures. No one’s got an eyeball on him, but we have seen tracks.”

This is a monumental moment in rewilding the landscape and making the American Prairie’s vision a reality. They have sought to restore the role of large carnivores in this ecosystem for more than 20 years since they first became an organization. They and many wildlife lovers would love to see more and more grizzlies and wolves make it out to the plains, where each species can have a self-sustaining population. This is just one step to make a healthy and whole ecosystem.

Only time will tell how long it takes for more grizzlies to survive the gauntlet of cattle ranches, chickens, and roads by migrating eastwards and once again occupying this place that was once home to their ancestors.

On Nov. 15, the American Prairie Reserve sent out news bulletins showing photos of the grizzly they captured on remote cameras in October.

This is the first evidence of a grizzly bear in the Missouri Breaks in over a century. As grizzly populations expand, more and more explorer bears like this one are on the move, trying to find a home.

Biologists say young males usually wander far and wide, looking for territories with enough habitat, food, and mates. This bear traveled the gauntlet past highways, chickens, and cattle ranches to make it a hundred miles from the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem’s population.

Historically, grizzlies lived from the Pacific Ocean to the Mississippi River and from Mexico to Alaska. The Lower 48 states boasted around 50,000 bruins. They were more of a Great Plains animal until settlers and fur trappers hunted them to nearextinction and pushed them to 2% of their former range, where they had to eke out an existence in remote Montana and Wyoming mountainous areas.

Today, their population sits at around 2,000. Female grizzlies require 50-300 square miles of habitat, and males need 200-500 square miles.

Grizzly tracks from a bear discovered at American Prairie Reserve.

PHOTO BY BENJAMIN ALVA POLLEY

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.

37 November 30 - December 13, 2023

ENVIRONMENT

Explore Big Sky

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: LIFE NEEDS CHNOPS

THE SURPRISING IMPACT OF REMNANT ORGANIC COMPOUNDS FROM HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF YEARS PAST

BY PAUL SWENSON EBS COLUMNIST

What a great acronym, CHNOPS. You are 98% CHNOPS, even when you’re not drinking. This little mnemonic—a way of remembering a concept that is being taught— stands for: Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Phosphorus and Sulphur.

These six elements, all non-metals, are found in the upper left-hand corner of a periodic table.

Their covalently bonded organic compounds make up the vast majority of life on Earth. Every living organism uses these six elements to make DNA, RNA, proteins, fats, carbohydrates and other necessary compounds.

Algae in Taylor Fork growing in a nutrient rich environment. PHOTO BY PAUL SWENSON

We humans cannot synthesize many of these important molecules, so we depend on other organisms to do the work for us. That makes us the consumers, and other organisms, especially plants, the producers. Plants take the ingredient list of CHNOPS, along with the energy of the sun, to make carbohydrates, fats and amino acids.

they fall to the ocean floor where they produce a black, stinky mud that gets thicker and thicker over time. The nitrogen compounds contained in the mud becomes trapped in the rock. Then millions of years later, they’re released back into the environment when the shales are eroded.

Soils that are produced from eroded shales have a nitrogen/nitrate component that can be as high as 1 gram of nitrogen per kilogram of soil. That is a lot!

So ground water and surface runoff can transport this plant-accessible nitrogen to creeks which— along with lower flows, higher temperatures, and more sunlight—increase the growth of algae during the later parts of summer.

For plants, five of the six elements are easily accessible but nitrogen is not. This seems surprising since 78% of the atmosphere surrounding plants is diatomic nitrogen gas, N2. The difficulty arises because the two nitrogen atoms are bound together by triple covalent bonds. This arrangement takes so much energy to decompose that N2 is basically inert. So a plant has to find sources of nitrogen found in other compounds where it is accessible.

Most common compounds that provide plantavailable nitrogen are nitrates and ammonium.

These two ions are found in most fertilizers and animal waste, and have naturally occurring sources.

There are many articles that address the human sources of nitrogen in our local water resources. The late summer algae blooms in the West Fork of the Gallatin River and the main stem of the Gallatin down stream of Big Sky are usually attributed to human activities in this watershed.

While I am confident human impacts do increase the nitrate load in the water, there are also many natural sources that contribute nitrates, ammonium and phosphorus to a creek. Taylor Fork, just over the hill 10 miles south of Big Sky, is a watershed with approximately the same size catchment basin, and almost identical geology. But it lacks the development found in Big Sky. Therefore, when algae blooms occur in this creek the sources of nutrient load must be primarily natural. So where is this natural “pollution” coming from?

Aside from nitrogen, phosphate compounds foundin household detergents can create similar algae blooms. Many states have banned the use of phosphate-based detergents, with a nationwide ban looming on the horizon.

The Phosphoria Formation exposed above the spur road. Chert nodules display white halos of weathered activity in the water column.

When organisms die, phosphate compounds.

PHOTOS

BY PAUL SWENSON

As the phosphate rich rocks of this formation are eroded and weathered, water soluble phosphate compounds are carried into the ground water then to the creeks. Just as with the shales, the Phosphoria Formation is also exposed up Taylor Fork contributing added nutrients to its water.

Now that winter is settling in for the next few months, the discussions over algae blooms, water issues, sewer issues and development will take the back burner. Powder days, tram laps, hang time and frigid weather will command our attention.

But when an order of schnapps shots comes ‘round, remember: CHNOPS shots keep you going. And maybe next summer, the region’s sources of natural pollution can be revisited.

Underlying most of both watersheds is the 100-million-year-old Thermopolis Shale. It is an easily eroded, dark gray to black, finely bedded rock that when wet, creates a black sticky mud experienced walking around the Hummocks trail system, Yellow Mule trails, or the first mile of Beehive Basin trail. Except for the headwaters of creeks in the Spanish Peaks, or Taylor Range, the rest of the streams run through this shale.

A black shale like the Thermopolis is produced in a marine environment where there is a lot of organic

But Big Sky has a natural source of phosphate pollution. The 270-million-year-old Permian Phosphoria Formation is exposed along Levinsky Ridge, Tick Ridge, then across North Fork, Beehive Creek and into the Madison Valley. It is also exposed on Buck Ridge, Cedar Ridge, Pioneer Mountain and other locations. As its name indicates, it contains a high phosphate concentration and is mined in Idaho.

Thermopolis Shale seen along the South Fork below Ousel Falls. PHOTO BY PAUL SWENSON

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.

BROKER/OWNERS Becky & Jerry Pape 406.995.4848 (Next to the Exxon) 406.580.5243 (Anytime)

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1662 ARROWHEAD CONDOMINIUM - BIG SKY RESOR T - Uniquely furnished front row chalet with true ski-in/ski-out access - 3 bedroom, 3.5 bath lavish, stand-alone condominium - 2 fireplaces, sauna, indoor jacuzzi, and much more! $3,500,000 | MLS 385525

78 MEADOW VILL AGE, UNIT E - LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION! - Commercial condo in the Meadow Village Center - 2,115+/- sf of office space in the heart of Big Sky $1,580,000 | MLS 377559

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85 FRENCHMAN RD - BIG SKY RIVERFRONT - 2 acres with fish-in/out access - 4 bedroom, 3 bath fully furnished, luxury home - Enjoy serenity along the coveted Gallatin River! $2,945,000 | MLS 381935

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39 November 30 - December 13, 2023

Explore Big Sky

HEALTH

HEALTH BUZZ HOLISTIC BRAIN HEALTH

BY KALEY BURNS EBS COLUMNIST

The human brain is a remarkable organ, home to billions of neurons responsible for every thought, memory, emotion and movement. However, with aging or poor health, the brain can deteriorate, leading to memory changes and brain fog.

Fortunately, we know that it’s possible to rewire parts of your brain. Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to adapt, change its structure, and rewire connections in response to experiences. This is a key player in maintaining cognitive vitality with aging.

Exercise the mind You may know that exercise is good for optimal physical and mental health, but it’s also a critical factor in brain function. Research shows that exercise increases neuroplasticity by boosting the activity of important chemical factors in the brain such as Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor. One analysis found that both single-session and regular exercise significantly increased BDNF. Each exercise session produces a response of BDNF, which has been found to be amplified over time by creating a habitual activity routine.

Mind your sleep Sleep is one of the quickest ways to transform the brain for better or worse. If you’ve ever missed a night of sleep, you know how rapidly it can affect brain function. Conversely, high-quality sleep can transform how your brain functions in a positive way. Long-term cognitive health is also affected when we chronically get sub-optimal sleep.

One way that sleep impacts our brain is through essentially “cleaning the brain.” This primarily occurs during deep sleep. One toxin that gets removed by this system is beta-amyloid, a protein that is commonly associated with neurodegenerative conditions.

Most adults require eight to nine hours of quality sleep per night. Try keeping the bedroom dark, quiet and cool, having a caffeine cut-off time in the afternoon, and avoiding large meals and alcohol in the hours before bed. Maintaining bedtime and wake times within the same hour each day—even on weekends—can also help to support overall sleep quality.

Foods for thought Plant-based compounds called polyphenols act as antioxidants to protect DNA, slow brain aging, and enhance neuroplasticity. These antioxidants are found in dark red grapes, curcumin (turmeric), apples, onions, berries, broccoli, pomegranate, green tea and cocoa. Recently, one study found that individuals who consumed one to two servings of green leafy vegetables daily had cognitive abilities equivalent to a person 11 years younger than those who rarely or never consumed them.

One of the primary culprits contributing to cognitive decline is the consumption of sugars.

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Uncontrolled sugar intake has been linked to a variety of health concerns, including “Type 3 Diabetes” in reference to the theory that Alzheimer’s may share similarities to diabetes.

When grocery shopping, check where sugar is listed in the ingredients list. Food ingredients are listed in order of volume, from highest to lowest amount.

There are also at least 57 different names for sugar.

When reviewing the list of ingredients, be wary of any ingredient ending in “ose,” such as maltose, fructose or sucrose.

Rethink your drinks It turns out that even moderate amounts of alcohol can negatively impact your brain.

In a recent study, moderate drinking was associated with brain shrinkage over a 30-year period. While heavy drinkers had six times the amount of brain shrinkage, moderate drinkers (one drink per day for women and two for men) still had three times greater odds of loss than non-drinkers. Higher alcohol use was also linked to changes in the structure of the nerve fibers that connects the brain’s two hemispheres and facilitates higher-level neurological functions.

Strengthen with acupuncture Acupuncture can significantly improve well-being and helps keep the brain sharp and active as we age.

By improving blood flow, acupuncture helps prevent cognitive decay. Moreover, acupuncture helps lower stress and improves sleep patterns, greatly enhancing brain function and focus. Research has

suggested that certain acupuncture points have connections to various regions of the brain, and can help to encourage neurogenesis, strengthening of synapse connections and turnover, and cell repair.

This kind of action is also important in memory and skill learning.

Enhance with NAD+ IV therapy People worried about maintaining cognitive function and overall brain health may choose nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) therapy to boost the body’s natural levels.

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide is a coenzyme that can help improve brain health through restoration, protection and enhancement of neurological function. Clinical trials for both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases are highly encouraging and demonstrate a slowing and even reversal of symptoms using NAD+.

Brain health is a critical piece of your overall and optimal health. If you have concerns about what avenues may be best for you to start boosting brain health, talk with your provider and start feeling more cognitively confident.

Dr. Kaley Burns is a licensed Naturopathic Physician providing a wide range of services for her clients, including: Naturopathic Medicine, IV Nutrient Therapy, Regenerative Injections, Rejuvenation Therapies, Vitamin Shots, and Nutrition Counseling.

She embraces a natural approach to health and aims to similarly inspire and guide others on their health journey.

40 November 30 - December 13, 2023

H E A LT H

Explore Big Sky

LET’S TALK ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH: CLARITY AMIDST LIFE’S FOG

NAVIGATING ‘BRAIN FOG’ AS A GATEWAY TO PURPOSE AND CONNECTION world. I’ll be gone and no one will care. I should at least do something with my life and leave a better life for my family before I go. At that point, I saw my purpose.”

BY SHANNON STEELE EBS COLUMNIST

Through life’s highs and lows, the term “brain fog” has become part of our shared language, describing a mix of thinking and emotional difficulties.

While I previously associated it with clear external causes and scientific explanations, I have come to realize, both through personal experience and as a witness to others’, that it is a widespread mental state triggered by various stressors. In our complex lives, influenced by work, financial pressures, environmental concerns, grief, mental health issues, relationships, and social and political matters, stress is rarely singular. As Audre Lorde noted, “there is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives”— our struggles are interconnected. Our bodies can handle stress in moderation, but when it becomes chronic and multifaceted, affecting various systems from respiratory to reproductive, it takes a toll.

What does brain fog look and feel like?

I first heard this term from a friend going through chemotherapy, who called it “chemo brain.”

The symptoms she talked about were a mix of forgetfulness, dulled thinking, and sensory inputs feeling muted. It felt like trying to live through a thick fog. I saw a similar struggle when my stepmom faced cognitive challenges during her own chemotherapy. Having a frame of reference, I could comprehend her emotional disconnection, and despite various interventions, her perceived quality of life remained unaffected.The words that best described what I saw were “flat” and “apathetic.”

The second time I encountered brain fog was during the COVID-19 pandemic, when it became known as “COVID brain” or “long COVID.” Its symptoms were like the cognitive fog from chemotherapy—fuzzy thinking, low energy, and feeling disconnected from oneself. People would say things like, “I don’t feel like myself,” “My life seems off,” “I feel disconnected with reality,” “I feel like I am floating,” “I feel like I am on autopilot,” and “It’s like I am sleepwalking.”

As mentioned, I thought brain fog was, like concussions, linked to clear causes like medicines, viruses and injuries. But personal challenges mixed with global and systemic problems made me see it differently. Brain fog became a symptom connected to the stress and mental health challenges of our society.

Community perspective: a story of finding clarity amidst the fog Markus Heinrich, part-time Big Sky community member, felt like he was navigating the world in a haze throughout 2022 and 2023, with dulled sensory inputs impacting his emotional dynamics— lows felt lower, and his ability to express joy and positivity was significantly restricted. Heinrich’s brain fog was linked to life’s challenges—job insecurity, money worries, anxiety, depression and feeling purposeless.

Realizing his need for purpose made him open his eyes to a new perspective. “I knew it wasn’t the right thing to do, and I needed to put something between me and that decision,” he said. The fog lifted, not just clearing his external vision, but also giving way to a deeper understanding of life.

“Everything was bright and beautiful; the prettiest I have ever seen,” Heinrich shared. “It was like I saw things in 3D for the first time. I could see the details and the depth of my life and surroundings.

My whole outlook on life changed.”

Big Sky’s Markus Heinrich shares his story of navigating brain fog.

COURTESY OF MARKUS HEINRICH

“Do you already know that your existence— who and how you are—is in and of itself a contribution to the people and place around you? Not after or because you do some particular thing, but simply the miracle of your life.”

- Adrienne Maree Brown Heinrich was on a mission to move from Big Sky to live and travel with his girlfriend, but the lead-up time included communication breakdowns, anxiety and ultimately led to him shutting down.

“I couldn’t find a job, and knew I wasn’t going to be able to survive [this lifestyle change]. I applied for 100 jobs, and didn’t get one call-back. I have always been cautious about money,” he said. “This was the final nail, and it slowly got worse from there.

I stopped going to therapy because I was worried about the money part.”

Heinrich described how he didn’t feel capable of self reflection, was unable to articulate his feelings, and could not remember past memories. “I don’t even remember what I was doing in Big Sky,” he said.

Heinrich explained his experience of emerging from brain fog vividly. His compounding life stressors sparked dark, spiraling, self-deprecating thoughts, leading to a dramatic moment of realization while driving solo on a highway in Zion National Park in September 2023.

“I closed my eyes on the highway. I was basically driving on top of rocks and took my hands off the steering wheel. I wanted to off myself, ” Heinrich said. Within that brief moment he thought, “I am going to die and I haven’t done anything in this

Heinrich continued, “I had the realization that life is short and you have very few days on this earth.

It is important to live every day to the fullest, never taking anything or anyone for granted.” Heinrich never thought about his age until then. In his moment of clarity he thought, “Oh s***, 34 is old. I have to do something with my life. I need to change the world.”

Heinrich sees the importance of preparing for tough times. “Daily reminders, a clear sense of purpose, and accountability partners are like lifelines,” he said. Asking deep questions and checking in on friends beyond the surface becomes a guide in navigating life’s complexities.

In a world often filled with disconnection, Heinrich encourages human connection, self-reflection, and open communication. He suggests living each day as if it were the last and being the hero of your own story.

As we deal with the lasting effects of a pandemic, personal struggles, and global challenges, Heinrich’s journey becomes a guiding light. Brain fog might be intangible and confusing, but within its grip is a deep invitation—to face life’s challenges directly, find clarity in the confusion, and come out with a renewed sense of purpose and connection.

Shannon Steele leads Be Well Big Sky, orchestrating collaboration with community members and local agencies including Big Sky Community Organization, Human Resources Development Council - Big Sky Community Food Bank, Wellness in Action, Bozeman Health - Big Sky Medical Center, Rimrock, Help Center, law enforcement, and more. To connect with local resources and explore Be Well and the Navigator Network—dedicated volunteers linking individuals with available resources and collaborating with agencies to cultivate a thriving ecosystem—visit bewellbigsky.com.

This opinion article is not intended to provide professional advice. It reflects personal opinions and experiences and should not be considered a substitute for seeking advice from qualified mental health professionals. Readers are encouraged to consult with licensed professionals for personalized guidance regarding their mental health concerns.

Individuals experiencing suicidal thoughts or actions should contact crisis services by dialing 911. To speak to a mental health professional 24/7/365, dial 988.

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90 Crail Ranch Condominium | 4 Beds | 4 Baths | Bonus Room MLS# 383611 | $3,100,000 | Funished | +/- 3,730 Sqft.

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85 Crail Creek | 3 Bd | 3 Ba | +/- 2,986 Sqft.

MLS# 385044 | $2,095,000 Listing Advisor: Stacy Ossorio, Broker | Private Office stacy.ossorio@gmail.com | 406.539.8553

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14 Upper Cascade Ridge Rd | 5 Beds | 6.5 Baths | +/- 4,340 Sqft.

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85 Crail Creek Club Condo, Big Sky Meadow Village Location 3 Beds | 3 Baths | Den | Bonus Room | +/- 2,986 Sqft.

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DON PILOTTE, BROKER | 406.580.0155 | BHHSMT.COM

171 SHIELDS RIVER RD E Livingston

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$11,200,000 | #379239

Private sporting retreat that hosts a magnificent custom residence and barn on 210± acres w/ approx. 3/4 mile river frontage. The lodge-style home has 2 master suites with 3 additional guest rooms and 7 bathrooms with both forced air and radiant heat.

TBD TIMBERLOFT DRIVE Big Sky

$2,600,000 | #388104

40± acre alpine meadow overlooking the Gallatin Canyon, outstanding views of the Spanish Peaks and Lone Mountain. Two adjacent 40± acre properties, designated building sites, end of the road privacy easy all season access. Close to Ophir School, the West Gallatin River and the Porcupine Game range.

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