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Covering the Bitterroot Valley – “Where Montana Begins!”
’ ! l a c o est at L
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Volume XXXV, Number 28
Honor
Established 1985 – Locally owned & independent
Humane shelter construction project held up by lawsuit By Michael Howell
Donald Helmbrecht (left) of Victor accepts the Montana Congressional Veterans Commendation and a flag from U.S. Congressman Greg Gianforte. The award, Gianforte said, was for Helmbrecht’s “service to his country and his dedication to veteran causes in his community.” The flag was flown in Helmbrecht’s honor over the U.S. Capital on Veterans Day this year. Michael Howell photo.
Helmbrecht receives Montana Congressional Veterans Award By Michael Howell Donald Helmbrecht of Victor was presented with the Montana Congressional Veterans Commendation last week by U.S. Congressman Greg Gianforte. The award, Gianforte said, was for Helmbrecht’s “service to his country and his dedication to veteran causes in his community” and took place in the Ravalli County Commissioners’ meeting room in Hamilton last Wednesday, January 22. Gianforte said that the veteran’s award program reached out to veterans in the Hamilton community and that Helmbrecht was nominated by his peers for the award. Along with the commendation, Gianforte presented Helmbrecht with the flag that was flown in his honor over the U.S. Capital on Veterans Day this
year.
Helmbrecht volunteered for service in the U.S. Army in 1970 and served a couple of years in combat in Vietnam. After that he was stationed for a year in Berlin, Germany. The Berlin Wall was still up at the time. He also met and married the love of his life, Arlene, while serving there. The couple just celebrated their 40th anniversary in early January. From Berlin he went on to serve three years at Check Point Charlie in Korea. In all he served in the US Army for just under seven years. He received multiple commendations during his military service, including the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. Gianforte noted that Helmbrecht’s dedication to his country and to his fellow veterans continued after his years of service. He now serves on the American
Legion Honor Guard with Corvallis Post 91 where he helps maintain the American Legion roadway cross program as well as a veterans cross program. Helmbrecht is also an active volunteer in his church and for many other community activities. Upon receiving the award and the flag Helmbrecht said, “This is certainly a big surprise, I didn’t expect this. I am certainly honored.” He said it was humbling but that it was also nice to be recognized. “I am very proud of him and his years of service,” said his wife, Arlene, “both his military service and now that that’s over his service to the community. “We are caring people,” she said, “so now we help where we can.”
Grizzly bears entering the Bitterroot are protected under Endangered Species Act
By Michael Howell
Grizzly bears entering the Bitterroot are protected under Endangered Species Act The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has notified supervisors of the Bitterroot, Nez-Perce-Clearwater, Lolo and Salmon-Challis National Forests informing them that grizzly bears present in the Bitterroot Grizzly Bear Experimental Population Area (BGBEPA) are protected under the Endangered Species Act. It also means that the forests would have to consult with the agency concerning potential impacts on the grizzlies where federal agency actions are proposed in an area that may impact the bears. The question arose last year when the rules were changed concerning “experimental populations.” Since there was no established population in the Bitterroot recovery zone, some wondered whether the rules would affect or weaken protections for
grizzlies if they ever established themselves in the Bitterroot. The grizzlies that were intended to be introduced into that area in the 2000s were designated an experimental population allowing public land managers more flexibility in handling the bears, but that project never happened. What has changed now is the recognition that grizzlies are migrating into the area. In the January 21, 2020 letter to the Forests, USFWS officials refer to the collared bear that travelled into the Bitterroot from the Cabinet-Yaak recovery zone last summer. “This grizzly bear was not released or reintroduced into the BGBEPA by the Service, and Service has not released or reintroduced any grizzly bears into the BGBEPA. Therefore, grizzly bears that are present in the BGBEPA are not covered by the 10(j) rule and are considered threatened under the ESA.” The USFWS states that it is updating its species occurrence map with locations of where griz-
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
zly bears may be present within and near the BGBEPA and upon completion will provide that map to the Forest Service to use in determining where consultation over proposed projects is required. David Smith in the USFS Regional office in Missoula said that the letter was simply clarifying that grizzly bears in the area are protected as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. He said that it would not change anything essentially in the way the Forest Service operates. “We already consult with USFWS on all our projects,” said Smith. He said in the case of grizzly bears, certain things like road construction and other activities could impact the bears’ behavior. He said his agency consults with USFWS on their projects about the potential impacts and if it is determined that the project activities had that potential they determine what actions could be taken to mitigate that impact.
Kent Barbian, a resident of Stonegate Meadows, came to the Hamilton City Council last week to express how disheartened he was by the actions of the Hamilton Zoning Board of Adjustment. Barbian and some neighbors are suing the Hamilton Zoning Board of Adjustment for granting a conditional use permit that would allow the Bitter Root Humane Association to build a new facility 100 feet closer to the property line separating the animal shelter from the residences. The Bitter Root Humane Association was included in the suit. In the group’s amended complaint filed on December 10, 2019, they claimed that moving the building 100 feet closer to the
property line would substantially increase the noise of barking dogs and its negative impact on the homeowners. The lawsuit held up work on the construction project. Attorneys for the Bitter Root Humane Association answered the neighbors’ claims with some of their own. They asked the court to declare that their building plans complied with all the applicable laws and zoning regulations governing issuance of a conditional use permit and they want the homeowners to pay $43,996 in costs created by the delay in construction that was caused by the unfounded legal action taken against them. Those costs, they claim, will increase by $1,000 a day once the ground warms up allowing for construction to begin again.
The Zoning Board of Adjustment maintains that its decision to issue the conditional use permit last July followed the law. They claim that the permit contained provisions to address noise issues and that the City of Hamilton would enforce the permit. City attorneys also claim that the complaint was not notarized as required and was not submitted in the required time period. Barbian told the City Council that he and the neighbors were arguing their case pro se but they were up against two attorneys working for the city and three working for the Humane Association. He said he was very disheartened that he was being accused by the attorneys of acting unethically See HAMILTON, page 3
TU sponsors online interactive map of fishing access sites
Montana Trout Unlimited recently unveiled a new online map of Fishing Access Sites all across the state. Although the state already has a map of FAS, Montana TU felt that the map did not adequately depict the condition of the sites nor pinpoint locations where additional sites might be helpful. Montana TU Executive Director David Brooks said that the real point is to illustrate that
there is a need for improvement in fishing access across the state, and that the Land and Water Conservation Fund has been and could continue to be one way of filling that need. The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) uses revenues from offshore drilling to fund conservation and recreation projects on public lands throughout the United States. In March 2019, Congress permanently
authorized the LWCF and is currently considering $900 million per year of permanent funding, the full amount prescribed by Congress in 1965. Montana Trout Unlimited is advocating for a permanent, dedicated, and fully-funded LWCF because it has been critical to protecting important cold water habitat and securing public access to our land and water. You can access the map at montanatu.org
Victor’s Tintzman wins award By Jean Schurman
Cassy Tintzman is the vocational-agricultural (vo-ag) and FFA teacher at Victor. She has been there since 2014. Last fall she was awarded the Teacher Turn the Key Award. There was one winner selected from each state. This is a professional development scholarship and is awarded by the National Association of Agricultural Educators. It is given to teachers who are in their second to fifth year of teaching with hopes of helping these younger teachers with their classrooms and keeping them employed. Teachers who have been teaching agriculture for a while mentor these newer teachers and give them ideas on what works and what doesn’t work in the classroom. Tintzman made the trip to Anaheim, California, the first week of December for the conference where she met with other teachers and industry leaders. She said the conference reminded her of why she teaches, how to teach certain subjects, and how to become a leader in the field. “I was reminded of why I am here, teaching,” said Tintzman. “It’s why I have a passion and love for agriculture and passing that on to my students.” Tintzman grew up in Corvallis on a farm. However, while she was in school, there was no FFA or agricultural education in the school. An attendee of the University of Montana, she became a teacher in Victor through the Vocational Industry program. In this program, a person has to have five years of experience in the field. She worked on the family farm, at the
Victor’s ag ed instructor Cassy Tintzman recently was the Montana winner for Teacher Turn the Key Award given to newer teachers in agriculture education. Tintzman is shown here with various types of grain seed. Jean Schurman photo. Western Ag Research Center, and was a crop advisor for Lakeland Feeds in Hamilton. The ag education curriculum in Victor is made up of veterinary science, food science, horticulture, and many other agriculture-related subjects. As the FFA advisor, she leads students in SAE, (Supervised Ag Experience) which are individual projects with swine, goats, horticulture or other agriculture subjects; various competitions ranging from livestock and
meat judging to public speaking and ag issues. Last year, Gracie Smith, who is now a senior, went to the national convention where she did a prepared speech on vertical farming. Tintzman said that all these activities make the FFA and ag ed experience fun and engaging. With the recent award and the experience she gained while in California, she is looking forward to bigger and better experiences for her students.