‘Blue Bills’ – Montana’s Ruddy Ducks

As I sit at my desk on this rather balmy January day, I’m thinking of what bird to write about for your enjoyment. By the time my readers see this article published it will be February and waterfowl will begin to return north by midMarch as the ice retreats on lakes and ponds.

Some like the Northern Pintail actually come through Western and Southwestern Montana in numbers as early as mid-February, though I have seen a few in all of the winter months. Mallards are the same as the pintails with some overwintering and large numbers by mid-February and early March. Others such as the Common Goldeneye remain in Western Montana all winter in fairly large numbers.

If the water is at all open at Warm Springs Wildlife Management Area, I will count upward to 300 individuals, whereas other duck species are only in single digits.

Crossword Puzzle

One of the latest waterfowl to move north are the Ruddy Ducks. I always look forward to seeing this waterfowl as they are unique in appearance. First of all, they are small, only weighing 1.2 pounds compared to the familiar Mallard which weighs in at 2.4 pounds. By the time males arrive in Montana, most are in breeding plumage. This is where the males show one of the more unique breeding plumages of all waterfowl. Their bodies are a bright chestnut, with a white cheek, black capped head and a rather obvious blue bill.

Many duck hunters have nick-named this species “blue bills.” The only other breeding plumage blue-billed duck in America is the rather rare Masked Duck, position, but if you watch long enough you will see it. In addition to hunters calling this “blue bill,” some call Ruddy Ducks “stif-tailed ducks.”

Females are rather drab brown, dirty white check with a black line through the cheek, dark cap and bill.

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found only in southeast Texas and southeast Florida.

The reason I think the Ruddy Duck is such an interesting species is that in

They are a species of “least concern” with 6,263 sightings here in Montana with the Natural Heritage Foundation’s data base. That’s not nearly as common as the Mallard with 43,816 sightings, but stable.

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goal for you would be to find 30 species. I hope you take the challenge; that’s how you learn the birds and get out into the field which is much better than mowing the lawn or cleaning the garage!

A final note. My book, “My Montana Birds” sold well over the non-breeding plumage of September through February the bill is dark, and the chestnut body is drab brown, looking much like the female. The dark cap and white cheek is retained.

The other key field mark of this species is the up-turned tail. It is not always in this

There are 39 species of waterfowl that have been observed in Montana. This upcoming spring see how many you can find. Most can be seen fairly easily with only seven being rare and more difficult to find. Of those seven, three have been seen less than 20 times. A reasonable the holidays. If you haven’t gotten a copy yet, email me at birdmt@charter.net and request a copy. You can use VENMO or send a check for $39.95 to 800 St. Marys, Deer Lodge, MT 59722. Thanks for considering getting a copy, I know that you will enjoy it. I’ll even sign it! Thanks. all of Montana, to help every individual achieve their unique potential,” said Bodnar. He praised McLean’s accomplishments in her first six months on the job, saying, “I don’t think we could have found a better more qualified leader. Someone who understands education, understands the state, who understands what it means to build a team and what it means to build a community. It’s an important time for Bitterroot College and I am very excited about what you have done and the trajectory that this institution is on.”

“When I first came here, we knew we had to get the message out that this college was still open for business and that was my first Op Ed… and we began the “Start here. Stay here” campaign and established a presence in every single high school.” In fact, they pursued every avenue available, even distributing thousands of fyers to local businesses.

“The eforts paid of,” said McLean. She noted that this spring’s enrollment numbers were a 20% increase over last fall’s.

“That is due to a lot of good messaging, hard work, blood and sweat from our faculty, and our students, who created a podcast about our faculty and staf,” said McLean. “Just good hard work telling the good story about the wrap-around services that we provide here and about how you can start here and stay here.”

“We live in a world that is changing rapidly,” said Bodnar. “Employer demands are changing rapidly. The skills that people need are changing rapidly. We have an aging workforce and a major talent crunch across the state. We have to adapt in terms of how we deliver education.

“The good news is that we now know there are ways to get a degree from Helena College without being in Helena, right? There are ways to get a degree from Montana Tech without being in Butte. There are ways to get a degree from the University of Montana without being in Missoula. And there are ways to get all that right here in the Bitterroot. That’s why I’m so excited about the ‘Start here! Stay here!’ motto. It’s exactly right.”

He said that the university’s goal “is for this campus to meet the unique needs of every student in the Bitterroot Valley.”

“We should see this as a portal,” he said. “It’s a portal to access everything, not just the University of Montana system which includes not only Missoula College and Montana Tech, and Montana Western, but the whole U.S. Why should a learner have to leave the Bitterroot to access the oferings of the University of Montana educational system?”

A couple of students at the roundtable expressed their appreciation of having access to a college right in town.

Lydia Lee, LPN, was one of four students in the LPN program at the college, part of a cohort of 16 students through Helena. She said two of the Bitterroot students graduated at the top of the class.

“We didn’t do that on our own,” said Lee. “It was made possible by the staf here and faculty members who would help us study, give us their time and go out of their way to help us reach those goals. And people like Meri [Administrative Associate Manager Meri Telin] who proctored our exams and answered ten million questions and helped communicate with Helena for us.”

“For many of us in the Bitterroot College who did the LPN program,” she said, “we are all moms. We all work. We all live here. It is not feasible for us to go anywhere else to do this program. This was just such a huge opportunity.”

She said she didn’t believe that it was possible but, when she went in to talk to the staf about it, they convinced her that she could.

“They helped me figure out how I could manage this and they helped me every step of the way,” said Lee. She said having a local option for college had made a big impact not just on her life but on her kids and her husband. “My whole future is better.”

Christian Rodriguez was born and raised in Hamilton. She is also a mom and said, “It made it really nice to be able to come here to some place locally and not have to commute back and forth all the time to Missoula. It wouldn’t have been possible for me at the time that I started here.” She said that she didn’t know what to expect when she arrived, “but found the staf and the teachers here really care about their students. They want you to succeed.” Rodriguez graduated last month.

Bodnar said it was important to realize that the college was not here just to help students in high school get a head start or to participate in workforce development.

“You have lives, you have families, you have roots here in this valley,” said Bodnar. “You can’t just uproot for two years and go get a two-year degree. But to go purely online with no person to talk to, to help you through that? That doesn’t work for a lot of people. So why are those the only two options? Either abandon my family or work only by computer? There’s got to be a better way. That’s what the Bitterroot College is. A wrap-around service. A model of what the future of UM looks like.”

He said there was a long way to go, and it would take partnerships, and part of that was creating a University of Montana Bitterroot College Advisory Council to participate in the development of a plan to meet workforce needs.

One business that they have been working closely with on workforce development plans lately was represented by Dr. Marshall Bloom, Director of Administration at Rocky Mountain Laboratory.

Bloom said, “It’s been a terrific pleasure brainstorming with you and Ter- ry Burkhouse and other members of your staf over the last six months about ways that we might be able to work together on projects and possibly bring some unique oferings to the Bitterroot College.”

Toby Wilson, who works with Bitterroot Health as Workforce Health Coordinator, said, “We’ve had a few meetings where we have looked at a few new avenues, arrangements, operations to try and give people opportunities. He said in his former position at Job Service, federal funds were used to send a lot of students to Bitterroot College for CDL, CNA and phlebotomy, “so I knew the value of the program and the value of the training that was here and available.”

Curtis Bunton, CDL instructor at the college for five years, said he had run over 100 students through the program with a 96% success rate. He said it was “because I slow down and take the time to get them through, where most schools just shove them through too fast. I have over-the-road driving just short of three million miles, so I bring a lot of my experience into my class and that is what they say after they get out of this class.”

Hamilton School District Superintendent Tom Korst said the district looked at its facilities and thought they were underutilized and worked with UM to bring Bitterroot College here. He said the school district made close to $500,000 worth of renovations and hopes to make more.

“It’s been a great partnership for lots of reasons,” said Korst. “We are always seeking out dual credit opportunities and workforce training programs and the college has always been super supportive of that. We are one of the biggest leaders in dual enrollment in the state.”

Paul Gladen, Director at Accelerate Montana UM’s economic development program as well as the workforce training program at the Missoula College, said they have some significant funding right now for the state’s workforce training programs and are now bringing those programs to the Bitterroot. Bodnar said the collaboration between Accelerate Montana and the Bitterroot College makes it “the economic development engine of this region.” He said that while many businesses are in desperate need of workers, you can’t just call out for a workforce, you have to build one.

“The world changes quickly and the idea that you are going to go to school ‘til you are 18 or 22 and then go get a job for 30 years and then get your watch and your pension upon retirement,” said Bodnar. “Those days only existed for a small sliver of the population, they don’t exist anymore. So, one of the things we are trying to do across the entire U of M system is to better serve learners at all stages of their lives and careers.”

McLean thanked everyone for being a part of the Bitterroot College story.

“I think the next chapter of the Bitterroot College story is about to be written and I think it’s going to be a very good one,” she said.

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Naomi J. Cheeney Cheeney Law, PLLC PO Box 212 Hamilton, MT 59840

Phone: (406) 363-9060

Attorney for Co-Personal Representatives MONTANA TWENTY-FIRST JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT, RAVALLI COUNTY

IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF MELVIN CHARLES MOOERS, Deceased. Case No.: DP-23-05

Dept. No. 1 NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NOTICE IS HEREBY

GIVEN that the undersigned have been appointed Co-Personal Representatives of the above-named estate. All persons having claims against the decedent are required to present their claims within four months after the date of the frst publication of this notice or said claims will be forever barred. Claims must either be mailed to Alan K. Mooers and Donald K. Mooers, the Co-Personal Representatives, return receipt requested, at Cheeney Law PLLC, PO Box 212, Hamilton, MT 59840, or fled with the Clerk of the above-entitled Court.

DATED this 10th day of January 2023.

/s/ Alan K. Mooers, Co-Personal Representative /s/ Donald K. Mooers, Co-Personal Representative BS 1-18, 1-25, 2-1-23.

Montana 21st Judicial District Court, Ravalli County

In the Matter of the

Name Change of Patricia

Zaft Anderson, Patricia Zaft Anderson, Petitioner.

Cause No.: DV-23-21

Dept. 1

NOTICE OF HEARING ON NAME CHANGE

This is notice that Peti- tioner has asked the District Court for a change of name from Patricia Zaft Anderson to Patricia Joan Anderson. The hearing will be on March 2, 2023 at 1:30 p.m. The hearing will be at the courthouse in Ravalli County.

DATED this 19th day of January, 2023. Paige Trautwein Clerk of Court

BY: Catherine di Gleria Deputy Clerk of Court BS 1-25, 2-1, 2-8, 2-1523.

TANKO LAW OFFICE BRIAN C. TANKO, ESQ. Montana Bar No. 5194 392 - 1st Avenue East North Kalispell MT 59901 Tel: (406) 257-3711

Fax: (406) 257-3722

Email: btanko@tanko. law.com

Web: www.tankolaw. com

Attorney for the Estate MONTANA TWENTY-FIRST JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT, RAVALLI COUNTY IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF DONALD J. D’HONDT, Deceased. Case No.: DP-22-65

HON. LINT District Court Judge NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE IS HEREBY

GIVEN that the undersigned have been appointed Co-Personal Representatives of the above-named estate. All persons having claims against the deceased are required to present their claims within four (4) months after the date of the frst publication of this Notice or said claims will be forever barred. Claims must either be mailed to SYLVIA L. NOLASCO and FELIPE NOLASCO, the Co-Personal Represen- tatives, certifed with return receipt requested, to ℅ Tanko Law Ofce, 392 - 1st Avenue E.N., Kalispell MT 59901, or fled with the Clerk of the above-entitled Court.

DATED this 12th day of January 2023.

/s/ Sylvia L. Nolasco, Personal Representative /s/ Felipe Nolasco, Personal Representative BS 2-1, 2-8, 2-15-23.

NOTICE OF ERROR IN STEVENSVILLE’S PUBLIC NOTICE

The recently published Notice regarding the Town of Stevensville’s MOTION TO AMEND STATEMENT OF CLAIM 76H 214635-00 incorrectly stated that objections must be fled by March 6, 2022, the correct date is March 6, 2023. A corrected Notice is provided below.

Notice to Mainstem Bitterroot River and East Side Subbasin (76HA) – Bitterroot River Water Users

MOTION TO AMEND STATEMENT OF CLAIM (Pursuant to Section 852-233(6), MCA)

A Motion to Amend Statement of Claim 76H 214635-00 has been fled with the Montana Water Court by Claimant Town of Stevensville, seeking to amend the place of use for claim 76H 214635-00 to its projected service area encompassing the boundaries of its reasonably projected growth. Stevensville’s Motion to Amend requests an enlargement of its place of use based on projections of population growth through the year 2075. Stevensville does not seek any other modifcations to Claim 76H 214635-00. By fling this Motion, Claimant is asserting that this amendment is necessary to accurately refect the service area Claim 76H 214635-00 is entitled to.

The entirety of Claim- ant’s Motion may be viewed on the Montana Water Court webpage at: https://courts. mt.gov/Courts/Water/Notices-Info/PublicNotices

OBJECTION DEAD-

LINE

Any response or objection to the Motion to Amend must be fled with the Montana Water Court, P.O. Box 1389, Bozeman, MT 59718, 1-406-586-4364, within 45 days of the date of the last newspaper publication of this notice, by March 6, 2023, in accordance with Section 85-2-233(6), MCA.

Please indicate “CASE 76HA-6002-A-2022” on any response, objection, or other correspondence related to this Motion to Amend BS 2-1, 2-8, 2-15-23.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

Thursday, February 9, 2023, 6:00 pm

NOTICE IS HEREBY

GIVEN that the Stevensville

Town Council will hold a public hearing on Thursday February 9, 2023, at 6:00 pm during their regular scheduled meeting at Town Hall, 206 Buck Street, for the purpose of hearing public comment on the proposed Subdivision Regulations. Comments to be considered may be given orally at the hearing, submitted in writing via email to jenelle@townofstevesnville.com<mailto:jenelle@ townofstevesnville.com> or mail to Town Clerk, PO Box 30, Stevensville, MT 59870 before 5:00 pm February 9, 2023. Questions, comments or more information may be obtained by contacting the