Bitterroot Star - April 3, 2024

Group welcomes ladies to Senior Women’s Tea

by John Dowd

It is important to remember older generations, and honor what they have seen and done. This is a view taken very seriously by the Soroptimist International of Hamilton. In order to honor elderly women, the group has been holding an annual event just for them. Syble Solomon, coordinator for this year’s Senior Women’s Tea, wants to welcome elderly women back again this year. She even hopes to see new faces in attendance.

The tea event is put on every year by the Soroptimist group, and according to Solomon, it really makes a diference to the ladies. The Soroptimists often get letters from the ladies after the event saying how much they enjoyed it. “We really try to make it into a fun event,” said Solomon.

The tea event usually brings in over 50 women and Solomon loves the fact that the event really honors and remembers these women, some of whom Solomon described as having lived through world wars and much more. “It’s a chance to dress up, relax, enjoy themselves and be served.”

This year, the event will take place May 4, from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at Sapphire Lutheran Homes. All women over 90 years old are en-

couraged to come out. The event is like a big tea party, and is free to all participants.

This will be the 18th year they have hosted the event, and have done it every year except for the two years of COVID-19. That year they put together bags with gifts and sent them out.

The Soroptimists invite participating ladies to wear “fancy hats,” when they attend this year. Solomon excitedly described the event as “very women’s-tea-party-like, with hats!” She explained that the event is full of a fancy tea-time humor, and a lot of fun. Solomon explained that it allows the women to see people they may not have seen in a long time, and to meet new people. Participants will talk, drink tea, eat great snacks and more.

Every year the event has a theme, and this year’s is ‘music from 40’s and 50’s movies.’ Many of these songs are iconic and even current generations might recognize a few of them. This Year’s Senior Women’s Tea will also be calling upon Mara Luther and Ben Morse to sing songs from that period.

Another big part of the event is the recognition of the oldest women in attendance. Last year, a lady of 105 years old was recognized, and as far as Solomon knows, she may attend again.

When asked why they hold this event and why it is particularly important, Solomon said, “As a rule, we all get really busy with our lives and we often don’t pay attention to these people that aren’t visible to us,” she said. “We hope when we get over 90 somebody will remember us, too.”

Soroptimist International of Hamilton works to promote the success of women in the professional setting, and provides scholarships for women and girls to further their education. The group also supports policies that help women and girls. They are always looking for new members, and encourage interested women to contact the group to get involved.

More information about Soroptimist can be found at sihamilton. org. For those interested in participating with the Senior Women’s Tea event, they can call (406) 361-8012 to reserve, or email syblesolomon@ gmail.com.

Every woman over 90 is encouraged to come. However, Solomon stated that interested parties should contact the group ahead of time. Once contacted, the Soroptimitsts will mail out ofcial invitations. Anyone can contact them, either for themselves or for loved ones. However, the group does not ofer transportation to the event.

Wild Mustangs join Moose Creek Ranger District workforce

This winter, two new animals joined the Moose Creek Ranger District’s herd. Born in the wilds of eastern Oregon in 2020 and gentled by inmates at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center’s Horse Facility, Tito and Nugget transferred from the Bureau of Land Management to the Forest Service this December.

Forest Service Packers Pete Armichardy and Heidi Brackebusch took their trailer to Nevada to pick up their new coworkers. Pete explained that, “The adoption process was really easy for us and came at no cost to forest, besides the time and travel to Carson City.”

The Moose Creek Ranger District frst tried to adopt horses from the BLM’s program in 2019, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, “for 3 years we didn’t really get anywhere and it was in limbo.”

Last fall, however, as the feld season slowed down, he tried again and was successful. Since late November, the two horses have resided at Fenn Ranger Station on the Selway River, where they are learning to be a part of the herd. Armichardy explained that, “It’s a fairly standard equine integration process. Their experience level is still pretty low and almost everything they’re seeing is new, with diferent terrain, diferent smells, and diferent sights.” Recognizing the need to move slow, Armichardy “didn’t start training them hard immediately. I wanted them to move at their own pace.”

The six- and seven-year-old animals spent their childhood in the wild before joining the team at the Nez Perce- Clearwater National Forests. Armichardy anticipates a bright future for Tito and Nugget, who will eventually be a part of the pack strings that bring supplies to the forests’ remote and wilderness areas: “they’re going to get to a competent enough level that they can just do the job of being a riding animal, leading the mule string for the rest of their working lives. I could get them used to packing but generally we just ride the horses and pack the mules. The general working life of a horse is until about the age of 20.”

Armichardy stressed that their personalities and the integration process will determine how soon they will start working for the forests. “Nugget looks at me and trusts me. Tito/Nick is a little more high strung and may have had a traumatic experience and isn’t as trusting but he’s putting

his guard down and is recognizing I’m a solid person,” Armichardy stated. Because, Nugget “is the gentler and calmer one and we think will be able to get out on the trail soon.”

The experience of adopting these horses is one that Armichardy believes will likely continue: “I think we will adopt other wild horses in the future for our forest. It’s defnitely an option considering the prices in the horse and mule market, it’s a cost efective way to get

Caption: Packers Pete Armichardy and Heidi Brackebusch with their new colleagues Tito and Nugget. Photo courtesy US Forest Service.

Soroptimist members Barbara Anderson (left) and Mary Kearns, (right). Photo courtesy Syble Solomon.

Victor Community Garden now taking registrations

Gardeners - - Come join in the fun of growing free, fresh, healthy vegetables for which you know exactly how they were grown. The garden is located on 5th Ave. just west of Victor. We ofer 20’ x 20’ plots with great sun exposure surrounded by a deer proof fence. We provide compost, mulch, tools and have an automated watering system that waters every night and a garden manager who is always happy to help new gardeners. We require organic methods and the annual fee for a plot is $35 for the year/season. Our Annual Spring Work Day will be Sat., April 13, starting at 10 am and going until we give out. Bring a digging tool, some food and water and dress for variable weather conditions.

Pollinators abound with both fruit trees and a diverse native fower garden located in the center of the gardening area. We have a shaded picnic area and we

also have an innovative composting outhouse that we built, designed by water systems designer Roger DeHaan, with nearly all of the materials donated by local building supply businesses. (That compost is not for use in the garden, however.)

The garden was started in 2011 when Sustainable Living Systems received grant funds and formed an agreement with the Bitterroot Church of the Nazarene to develop one acre of their pasture land for a community garden. A well was dug, a deer proof fence built, and an automated sprinkler system was installed. The garden was opened for business in April of 2012.

Volunteers - to celebrate Earth Day, and to make a contribution to the health of the earth by culti-

Pantry & Its Mission

Our goal is to ensure community members don’t go to bed hungry. To accomplish that goal Pantry Partners provides a once -a-month food box to those in need, intended to assist clients for a 3-5 day period. Our service area is North Ravalli County from Victor Crossing Road to the north county line (all Florence addresses included).

The Pantry is an all-volunteer organization and has 31 active volunteers who work with clients and 4 gleaners who pick up donated food at grocery stores. All food is donated or purchased using monetary donations given by community members or obtained through grants

In 2023, we were able purchase nearly 66,500 lbs. of food and received over 91,000 lbs. of donations. Thus far in 202 4, we’ve purchased about 11,000 lbs. of food and had 15,000 lbs. donated

During 2023, Pantry Partners served an average of 1 46 households each month, including a monthly average of 112 children and 99 seniors. We also welcomed 120 new families as clients in 2023. In 2024, so far, there have been an average of 113 households served each month and 22 total new clients

For more information, see the Bitterroot Gives Nonprofit Giving Guide newspaper insert (Missoulian & Ravalli Republic) available on April 27 th in those papers and around the valley On-line, you can also visit: pantrypartnersfoodbank.org or https://www.facebook.com/PantryPartners FoodBank

*Pantry

Contact Jill Davies for more information. Photo courtesy Victor Community Garden Website.

vating soil health, come join us at our annual spring Work Day, Sat., April 13, 10 am, where we work together to get the garden ready for the season, digging out grass roots in the paths, and loosening the soil in the plots. To reserve a plot give Jill a call 406-360-1751 or go to this page: VictorGarden and click on the link at the bottom.

Evan Schroedel fles for HD 88

has served as a volunteer for various organizations and fundraising projects.

He regularly serves as a substitute teacher in the Bitterroot Valley, primarily in Florence.

Democrat Evan Schroedel, native Montanan, military veteran and railroad engineer for more than 30 years, has announced his candidacy for House District 88. Schroedel says he will bring a wealth of practical experience and common sense to political ofce. He was born and raised on a farm in Montana and graduated from Simms High School in the Sun River Valley School District. He served in the military for four years and then returned to Montana to attend Northern Montana (MSU Northern) in Havre and University of Montana in Missoula.

His parents were a former educator and a retired IRS agent. He was raised in a politically aware family who inspired him to be open-minded and reasonable, qualities he vows to guide his work in Helena.

He and his wife reside in Florence, and have two adult children who also reside in Montana.

Looking for that cute, in town, updated home, here it is. Con venient to all outdoor recreational activities including prime Montana hunting, fshing, & boating. Major rodeos also. Smalltown charm with many small shops to entertain you.

numerous updates to the interior. These units rarely become available. Extra nice and private. Sit on your back deck, overlooking the wooded/grassy common area, BBQ, and watch the wildlife pass through. Water feature in backyard. Close to all amenities, including medical services, dog park and river. This won’t last. Call today!

garage/shop w/mechanic’s pit. Barn/tack room & 3-sided loafng shed. AWESOME VIEWS. Rare property on the westside w/MILD covenants. Private, yet close to Victor. Bring your horses and ride on in.

MLS #22203944 $1,150,000

Spring 2024

Gardeners

He went on to hire out with BNSF Railroad and retired after 30 years as an engineer in 2020. He served as Local Union President of BLE. He was the local Legislative Representative for the union, and conducted railway safety training for youth and

How can you provide help?

Donate food: ➢ Fresh fruits & vegetables ➢ Bottled juice

➢ SpaghettiOs, ravioli, etc.

“I have worked hard my entire adult life and learned early on that the middle class is the heart and soul of America,” Schroedel said. “I vow to bring those values to Montana state government that has, unfortunately, begun to favor the wealthy and politically connected over working class Montanans. I will do everything in my power to change that.”

Of particular concern to Schroedel are soaring property tax rates, erosion of access to public lands and eforts to change the Montana Constitution that protects so many aspects of the quality of life in the Treasure State.

➢ Heat ‘n serve soup and mac & cheese

➢ Nutritious kid snacks

Please consider planting and harvesting a row or two of veggies for Pantry Partners!

➢ Cereal, rice, & pasta

➢ Canned soups, stew, chili, fruits, vegetables, tomato products, & beans

➢ Cereal, pasta, rice, flour, sugar

Donate personal care items :

➢ Deodorant

➢ Diapers for all ages

➢ Toothpaste & brushes

➢ Shampoo

➢ Feminine products

Donations may be given at/through:

Did you know?

• Your cash gifts are multiplied when we purchase through the Montana Food Bank Network (MFBN) which offers foods for pennies on the dollar.

• You can designate Pantry Partners as a recipient in your IRA or estate after your passing.

“We are all lucky to live in a state like Montana, blessed with vast wilderness areas, a diverse wildlife population and clean air and water,” says Schroedel. “Without responsible political leadership these resources can be lost before we know it.”

What we can do for the trout

The conversation over cofee with friends, naturally for us, was mostly about fshing.

We talked about fy rods and my recent conversations with Kerry Burkheimer. In what had to be a weak moment Kerry said I could trade fies in partial payment for two of his rods. Time marches on… and I hope to get some fies in his hands before he changes his mind.

His rods are superb.

You could make a real good argument that Burkheimers are the best graphite fy rods made. They are made from scratch with hands-on attention to detail, not mass-produced. Kerry understands how to translate taper design into rod actions that are built for fshing performance. His fnish work is superb.

by Chuck Stranahan

If I’m going to fsh a Burkie he deserves to fsh my best work in return. The cofee crew agreed: I’d better get to work.

Kerry Burkheimer, like many in the trade, is a conservationist. He devotes a section of his website to conservation and cites not only donations to conservation organizations but also their roll-up-your-sleeves, get your hands dirty volunteer work for stream clean-ups, angler education, and habitat restoration.

Our cofee crew also talked about the recent Bitterroot Water Partnership forum that was widely written about in local papers. Simply put, along with the panelists, we are concerned about the Bitterroot River. The problems on the Bitterroot didn’t originate with this year’s snowpack –they originated decades ago.

We agreed that there are things

we can do – things that are meaningful, that will have immediate impact, and are within our reach.

The Bitterroot is sufering unprecedented fshing pressure. The presence of hook-scarred fsh is increasing. Trout populations are decreasing.

Taken together, those trends as documented by Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks data are alarming – or should be.

The hook-scarred mature fsh that we’re seeing, I’ve often insisted, are the survivors among fsh that were caught on barbed hooks.

Think about it: that seventeen incher with an entire jaw mandible ripped of probably didn’t lose it as a mature fsh, but more likely as a softer, smaller, more easily damaged seven-incher. Those dinks, as they’re derisively called, have a rough time surviving injury, time out of water, and the rough handling that follows when wrestling a barbed hook –much less the treble barbs on a Rapala – free from its head and face. They might appear to swim of “just fne ” only to die soon after and quickly disappear to the work of nature’s clean-up crew. Their mortality doesn’t show as a statistic.

My overwhelming sense, having seen it happen, is that many of the smaller fsh caught on barbed hooks and seriously injured didn’t make it. As I said, the hook-scarred fsh we see are the survivors. Numbers of hookscarred fsh are increasing, numbers of trout, overall, are decreasing.

We do know, from histories over time in other waters, that a release restriction is only partially efective unless accompanied by a barbless hook restriction.

The major rivers in the Clark Fork drainage, including the Blackfoot, Bitterroot, Rock Creek, and Flint Creek,

all have populations of Westslope cutthroats - a specie of concern according to FWP. In the upper Bitterroot and Blackfoot their numbers are signifcant. Throughout the Bitterroot they are protected by catch-and-release regulations, yet their numbers are declining.

I think the number of anglers we’re seeing and their fshing methods are important. I think that how they handle their fsh is a signifcant contributor to the cutthroat’s demise. And we can change that.

Consider: There are things you can do to protect any of the wild fsh you catch. As a matter of conscience, do them.

One, get a stream thermometer and use it. When the water temperature

gets to 65 degrees, quit fshing. Take a hike, take a siesta, or take pictures. Catching a lethargic heat-stressed trout is not something that leaves you feeling real proud of yourself.

Two, fsh barbless and as much as possible, keep the fsh wet while reviving and releasing.

It’s catch, revive and release. And learn to do it well. I’ll detail how it’s done several times through the the season.

Three, if you must have a squatand-grin photo keep the fsh wet as much as possible and then the mantra is “quick grin, back in.” More memorable and dramatic shots occur as the fsh is held underwater being revived.

These things will help. And we can do them.

A fsh in water photo makes a better statement than a grin shot. Photo by Chuck Stranahan.

Opinion continued

of the United States to vote in any primary”…

U.S. Constitution, Amendment XXVI, Section 1; The right of citizens of the United States who are 18 years of age”...

Montana State Constitution, Article IV, Section 2; Any citizen of the United States 18 years of age or older who meets the registration and residence requirements provided by law”...

Montana Code Annotated, 13-2206. Citizenship requirements. (1) A person may not be permitted to register until the person attains United States citizenship. (2) Illegal aliens are prohibited from voting in the state of Montana National Voters Rights Act (NVRA) 1965; Sec 11(c). “Whoever knowingly or willfully gives false information as to his name, address, or period of residence in the voting district for the purpose of establishing his eligibility to register or vote,...shall be fned not more than $10,000 or imprisoned not more than fve years, or both.”

HAVA, Sec 905, (b) “Any individual who knowingly commits fraud or knowingly makes a false statement with respect to the naturalization, citizenry, or alien registry of such individual in violation of section 1015 of title 18, United States Code, shall be fned or imprisoned, or both”...

As for the “courts” referenced in Mr.Sabin’s letter, this obviously is a product of higher education, who, instead of teaching the LAW, teaches “case law”. To that I quote President Abraham Lincoln who stated; “We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution.”

There are three candidates in this

primary who clearly understand the quotes above. No need for “courts” to interpret the meaning of plain english. They will defend your rights against those who wish to abridge them as do the above mentioned. They are Dailey, Love and Manzella.

My previous letter STANDS.

Doug Bohn Victor

No vote for Tester

Jon Tester along with all of his Democrat comrades just voted against an amendment to the spending bill which would have banned all of the fights ferrying illegal aliens into our country. Tester and his Democrat friends obviously support and even invite this invasion by illegals. He along with all of his Democrats also voted to count all of these illegals in future censuses so as to have them counted when determining House of Representatives and Electoral College delegates.

Please consider the damage that Jon Tester is doing to our country when the time comes to elect our next senator.

Hand counts

David Stover Stevensville

Regarding the raging debate on hand-count ballots: “Experts agree that these machines are insecure because they record votes electronically and could either be manipulated or malfunction without detection. They can’t truly be audited and they leave room for some doubt in the result...[We need] paper ballots 100 percent ... This isn’t hard, this isn’t controversial. As scientists, we know exactly what we need,” Schneier said.

Where in the dark corners of the web did I unearth that piece of tin-foil hattery? Breitbart? Newsmax? Infowars?

To the Citizens of Montana

County Commissioners from across Montana appreciate the widespread support that Senate Bill 442 enjoyed throughout its legislative process.

Marijuana revenues are new to Montana, and the bill’s thoughtful distribution of this higher-than-expected new revenue stream included some funding for county roads.

Bipartisan and impactful legislation backed by such a wide variety of Montanans is a rarity, and we commend Senator Lang and the bill’s many proponents for their eforts.

Even after Governor Gianforte exercised his right to veto, we were confdent the Legislature would overturn it.

The Governor’s veto letter made clear his belief that State revenues should solely fund State projects. No Governor in the history of Montana has ever taken such a State-centric position that blatantly disregards the needs of Montanans.

Public infrastructure benefts Montana’s economy, the State’s revenue, and Montana’s citizens and visitors alike. The veto letter stated that SB 442 would create a “slippery slope” by utilizing State funds for local infrastructure. However, Montanans have always benefted from State resources provided to local governments for assisting with bridges, the secondary road system, and access roads to recreational sites, to name a few.

Given that the State relies almost exclusively on federal funding and gas taxes to maintain the State jurisdictional road system, the Governor’s position that “what’s ours is ours” is ill-informed and inaccurate. It is not how our state has operated in the past and doesn’t recognize the fact that ALL Montanans beneft from infrastructure investments, no matter where the money comes from, even the State’s General Fund. SB 442 doesn’t create a “slippery slope.” It provides new dollars to help meet longstanding infrastructure needs.

Governor Gianforte didn’t just veto the bill. He tried to invent a new “pocket veto,” which was specifcally rejected by the framers of our constitution. There is no scenario where a governor’s veto cannot be checked by the Legislature, and that check is an important part of Montana’s “separation of powers doctrine.” If a governor vetoes a bill while the Legislature is in session, the Legislature can override that veto. If the veto comes when the Legislature isn’t able to review that action, it is sent to the Secretary of State to poll members of the Legislature. The procedural framework is simple and straightforward. Every governor in Montana has followed this constitutional process. Yet when asked to submit the bill to the Secretary of State for polling, this Governor refused.

The litigation surrounding SB 442 sought to protect the Legislature’s authority under the Montana Constitution, a right that was violated

The JBS website?

Nope, that was in an article before the 2020 election, from NPR, that bastion of reactionary-right thinking.

See, it’s not just the MAGA crowd that have voiced distrust in the system. Let us remember that concerns about electronic voting go way back, coming from both sides of the aisle. Moving forward, why shouldn’t we aim for simplicity and trust in the voting system? What exactly makes hand counts and in-person voting worse than what we have now?

From a 2022 AP article:

“French voters in Sunday’s presidential election will use the same system that’s been used for generations: paper ballots that are cast in person and counted by hand. Despite periodic calls for more fexibility or modernization, France doesn’t do mail-in voting, early voting or use voting machines en masse like the United States...Mail-in voting was banned in 1975 amid fears of potential fraud...Machine-voting was allowed as an experiment starting in 2002, but the purchase of new machines has been frozen since 2008 due to security concerns. Only a few dozen towns still use them.”

Even if you’re convinced that the 2020 election was “the most secure in American history,” why wouldn’t you want a system that left less room for distrust and controversy, post election? Why can’t we do the same as France and other hand-count nations? Who knows, with clean elections we may even be able to elect someone outside of the red/ blue factions of the Uniparty!

Dan Shumway Stevensville

Let’s demand better

It’s disappointing to see politicians twist the truth to gain an advantage. At the Republican Women’s Club meeting on Tuesday, March 26, Kathy Love and

Theresa Manzella claimed that House Bill 402 would allow “illegals” to vote. This is outright wrong. Both women were present when the bill’s sponsor explained that the purpose of the bill was to STOP and IDENTIFY, and prevent illegals and other unauthorized individuals from voting.

It’s concerning that Love and Manzella would intentionally deceive their audience. And when Manzella was called out on her lie, she reacted immaturely, stomping her feet, and yelling at those who questioned her. This is not the behavior we need from our elected ofcials and it showed the “true” Manzella. Not a good look on your part, Theresa!

Citizens now know that Manzella cannot stand to be criticized and will explode if they state such. Love also realized that she is NOW tainted as a Manzella mini-me, and she wisely faded back into the woodwork and closed her mouth. From the look on her face, she realized that she too, should not have lied for self-serving purposes.

In June, we can elect representatives who are honest and have our best interests at heart. Binkley HD-85, Bedey HD-86, Rusk SD-44, and Overstreet HD-88 are the kind of representatives we need in the legislature. They will listen to us, care about us, and keep us safe from those who seek power and control. Let’s not fall for the same old lies and deceit. We deserve better.

As Reagan said, “there you go again,” but this time we can say “enough is enough.” Let’s demand honesty and integrity from our elected ofcials.

Helen Sabin Corvallis

by the Executive Branch, which in turn required the Judicial Branch to intervene and mandate the Executive Branch into compliance. Any twisting or spinning of the case is pure political gamesmanship.

The Court Order is clear. Judge Menahan stated, “At the time the Senate voted to adjourn, few if any legislators were aware of the governor’s veto. Following adjournment and a request from the bill sponsor, Jacobsen refused to initiate the post session override procedure, claiming she had not received a copy of the governor’s veto and a statement explaining his reasons for doing so. The legislature was thus deprived of an opportunity to override the veto of Senate Bill 442 and draft the policy contained therein into law.”

We respect the right of the Governor to veto legislation. We respect the rules established by the Legislature on how they conduct their business. We respect any legislator’s vote on the poll being conducted on the veto of SB 442. But we do not respect the political spin that when a governor fails to allow the Legislature the opportunity to review his veto action—and the Court is required to compel him to allow the Legislature their constitutional duty—that it somehow justifes a legislator refusing to participate in the poll.

As local elected ofcials, we take our oaths seriously. We have jobs to do, serving our constituents and our communities. State Senators and Representatives take the same oath and serve the same constituents.

SB 442 was good policy when it passed by a supermajority in both the House and Senate. It was good policy when the Executive exercised his veto authority. It was good policy when the Court ordered the Secretary of State to poll the legislators. And if those legislators evaluate the merits of the bill and vote according to their constituent needs, it will become good policy for the State of Montana.

If legislators decide to play politics and cite claims about “separation of powers” as an excuse to sabotage SB 442, then it is clear that those legislators are more concerned with engaging in political games than they are working to represent you.

The Court ordered the Governor to abide by the separation of powers and respect the role of the Legislature by issuing the veto poll. And as legislators return their ballots on this critical issue, we would urge you to watch carefully to see how your local legislator votes—because a vote to support SB 442 is a vote in the best interests of Montanans, and a vote to let the Governor’s veto stand is proof your local legislator is ignoring you, and just playing politics.

Board of Directors, Montana Association of Counties (MACo)

Standing with Sportsmen

Once again I must take in hand some misinformation that appeared last week in regards to the proposed constitutional amendment. Ammendment HB372 had the potential to compromise property rights and to create endless legal uncertainties for both the legislature and the agencies tasked with regulating hunting, fshing and trapping.

We already have a constitutional amendment safeguarding these rights (Article IX, Section 7) and, interestingly, it was authored by the same lobbyist who has now decided that it won’t do. Their argument for the Preservation of our Harvest Heritage (passed in 2004) was that it strikes a “great balance”—which it did—and is why it passed both legislature and ballot box in overwhelming and bipartisan fashion (see Ballotpedia C41 2004) https:// ballotpedia.org/ Montana_Right_to_ Wild_Game_Hunting_and_Fishing,_C-41_(2004).

the ends for which it was drafted. There was a space of 5 days between the committee vote and the hearing on the House foor in which time I learned of its failure the two sessions before, and came to better understand the concerns of opponents.

I did not make deals with anyone to kill 19 amendments as was asserted. Only six even made it to the House foor — the others having lost support before they could get that far. I own these votes outright and they were taken consistent with the constitutional conservatism upon which I campaigned, and I have gone to the people to sustain me in them.

Now it seems they have turned on their own achievements and deemed them “very weak.” The truth is, if this bill had passed, lawyers would have been busy for many years litigating the meaning of some of the new constitutional language – something that has long been settled with the existing constitutional provision (and giving yet more power to the courts). In particular, the defnitions of “present means and methods” and “necessary” provide the potential for a large number of lawsuits because their meanings will determine the relationship between the “right to hunt, fsh, trap, and harvest” and the power of both the legislature and the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) to modify that right. For example, if FWP changes any “means and methods” for harvesting a particular species, there would likely be litigation over whether the change was “necessary” for the management of the species involved or whether it was even a “present” means or method in the frst place.

It is asked why I voted HB372 out of committee before ultimately determining it was not going to achieve

While we’re on the subject, I would also point out that I did not deprive the electorate of a chance to decide the issue because these amendments did not originate with the people; they were rather, in this and other cases, the oferings of longtime lobbyists, and they are therefore vetted through the legislature.

In sum, the high bar of two thirds to amend a governing document (constitution) was established in order to transcend partisanship and achieve consensus. While we had the “letter” of the law met (supermajority), we still lacked the “spirit” of the law (consensus). This, together with the fact that nothing was to be gained for sportsmen, obliged me to lay aside partisanship and stand upon the airtight amendment already passed by both parties, in both places (legislature and electorate). For more information visit my website (waynerusk.com) where my constitutional conservative position on many of these bills is explained under the voting record heading.

As a sportsman and gun owner I will always be found preserving, protecting and defending our sporting traditions and second amendment rights consistent with our constitutional system. Reach out anytime, 1-406-370-8486.

Rep. Wayne Rusk HD-88

Candidate for SD-44

Gamblers Anonymous

Gamblers Anonymous meets Wednesdays from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the United Methodist American Baptist Church on N. 6th St in Hamilton. Use the south door. For more info call 406-304-9198 or 406-369-0458.

WIC clinics

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Family Shelter

Stevensville Al-Anon

The Stevensville

Bridge every Tuesday at 1 p.m.

Bingo every Tuesday at 6 p.m.

Pokeno 2nd and 4th Friday at 1 p.m. For info or to volunteer call 642-3320.

Hamilton Senior Center

Open for lunch Monday, Wednesday, Friday, serving from 11:30 a.m.12:15 p.m., $5. Line Dancing, Tuesdays, 10-11:30 a.m.

Bridge, Sundays & Wednesdays, 1 p.m. Canasta (Hand and Foot), Mondays, 12:30 p.m. Cards/shufers provided. $2.

Bingo, 1st and 3rd Saturdays, doors open at noon, play starts at 1 pm. $2 entry fee, games $1 each. Must be age 18+.

Ping-Pong, Mondays & Wednesdays, 10-11 a.m.

Toastmasters, Tuesdays, 6:30-8 a.m. Pinochle, Fridays, 1 p.m. All supplies provided. $3. The center is located at 820 N. 4th Street; 406-363-5181.

Golden Age Club

Pinochle every Wednesday, 1 PM. $3, Cofee Provided. Light Exercise Monday, Wednesday, Friday 9-10 AM, $1. Bimonthly Membership Meetings, March 7, May 2, July 11, September 5, November 7.

The Club is located at 727 South 5th Street, Hamilton

Stevi Senior Center

Stevensville Senior Center serves on-site meals Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 11:30 a.m.

Cofee Club - Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. Exercise - Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10 a.m.

Pinochle - Mondays & Saturdays, 7 p.m.

Victor Masons

Victor Masonic Lodge 43 meets the second Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. on Main Street above Farmers State Bank. For any questions or membership information call 406-381-1250.

Stevensville Masons

Stevensville Masonic Lodge #28 Stated meetings are the frst Thursday of every month at 7:30 pm with dinner for members and family at 6:30 pm. A fellowship pot luck for members and family is held on the third Thursday of every month at 6:30 pm. All Freemasons and those interested in Masonry are invited and welcomed to either event. For more information email papajack222@msn.com.

Sapphire Quilt Club 2nd Tuesday of each month, Senior Citizens Center, Stevensville. Doors open 6 p.m., starts 6:30 p.m.

Parkinson Support Group

The Hamilton Parkinson Disease Group (Movers and Shakers) holds monthly meetings on the 3rd Monday of the month at 1 p.m. at Sapphire Lutheran Homes, 501 N. 10th Street, Hamilton. For information call Ginny Wigen, 406-544-9186.

St. Mary’s Parish Mass Mass is held at St. Mary’s Church in Stevensville every Sunday at 11 a.m. Weekday Mass is celebrated on Tuesday and Thursday at 12 p.m. and Friday’s at 9:30 a.m. (Mass for St. Joseph’s in Florence is still suspended).

St. Francis of Assisi Mass

St. Francis Church Saturday vigil mass at 5 p.m. Sunday mass at 8:45 a.m. and every Wednesday at 12 noon.

Breaking Bread

Free dinners to the Bitterroot community every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Light of hte Valley Church. Join in for a free dinner, a brief message of hope and lots of fellowship! There is a children’s group available for your K-5th graders as well so all can enjoy!

Soul Suppers

Soul Suppers are served every Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Stevensville Senior Center, 100 Mission Street. Free homecooked meals with a message. For more information contact Corey at 406214-8708.

Bitterroot Heritage

Civic Group

The Bitterroot Heritage Civic Group, formerly called theSouth Valley Civic Group, has reorganized. New members and volunteers are welcome. Regular meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month at 6:15 p.m. at the Darby Library.

Quantum Group

The Quantum Group of the Bitterroot invites you to attend its monthly meetings. You need not have knowledge of quantum physics to enjoy learning about this exciting feld of science that afects our daily lives. Topics alternate each month between science (particles, felds, etc. and their practical applications) and the metaphysical aspects of quantum physics. Meetings feature presentations and discussion.

When: the last Wednesday of each month

Time: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Where: Bitterroot Public Library, downstairs meeting room, Hamilton.

Am Legion Post 94

Meeting 3rd Tuesday of month, 7 p.m., at the Legion Hall, 754 Middle Burnt Fork Road. For info call Garrick, 541-953-8827.

Am Legion Post 94

Auxiliary

Meetings 1st Tuesday of month, 6:30 p.m., at Legion Hall, 754 Middle Burnt Fork Road. For info call Cheryl, 406-531-4132 or email cherylburgmeier@yahoo.com

VFW Post 1507

VFW Post 1507 meets the second Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. at 108 Main in Victor. For information contact Matt Walker, 541-852-7215.

Am Legion Post 47

American Legion Ravalli Post 47 meets the 2nd Wednesday at 7 p.m. at 322 S. 2nd (corner of Madison next to 2nd St Sushi), Hamilton. Check us out! visit https://www.legion.org/membership/whyjoin

Am Legion Post 134

American Legion Florence Post 134 meets the 1st Monday of the month at 7 p.m. at Florence Rural Fire Hall. Contact: Robert Davis, Commander, 949-285-9010.

Am Legion Unit 91

Auxiliary

Corvallis American Legion Auxiliary Unit #91 meets the 3rd Tuesday of the month at 1:30 p.m. at Corvallis United Methodist Youth Center, 352 Corvallis Cemetery Road. The Auxiliary has programs and projects to support veterans and Americanism. For info call Andrea, 406-381-6239.

Lions Club

The Hamilton Lions Club meets the frst and third Tuesdays at noon at BJ’s Restaurant, 900 N. First Street in Hamilton. Guests and prospective members are invited to come and learn more about how Lions fulfll their motto “We Serve.” For more information contact Dan Rothlisberger at 406-363-3879 or check the website: www.hamiltonlions.org.

Blizzard Doll Club

The doll club meets the second Thursday afternoon each month at a member’s home. There is a short business meeting to discuss the club’s charities, its annual doll show, and other business. There is generally a program about dolls, bears, toys, miniatures, paper dolls, and related subjects. And, there is always show-and-tell! Contact Kay Schrader at 406-360-7214 or schrader1501@blackfoot.net

Three Mile bingo

Bingo games are held on the frst and third Tuesdays of the month. Early bird game 6:45 p.m., regular 7 p.m. at Three Mile Community Center, 4433 Sunnyside Cemetery Road. For more information call 406-7773710 or go to 3milecc.org.

Bitterroot Toastmasters

Afraid to speak up at work, your church or in the community? Bitterroot Toastmasters can help you fnd your voice and speak with clarity and confdence. For details about our weekly meetings, call Mike at 406- 360-7262‬.

Amateur Radio Group

The Bitterroot Amateur Radio Group meets the 3rd Monday of every month starting at 7:00 PM in

the back room of BJ’s Restaurant in Hamilton. Contact n6mgml@ gmail.com or visit the web page at W7FTX.org. Come early and enjoy fellowship and a meal.

Socrates Cafe

The Socrates Cafe’ Philosophical Discussion Group welcomes you for a night of inspiring talks on topics ranging from philosophy to social issues to current events. It’s a time of social interaction and enlightenment. The group meets every other Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. at the Bitterroot Public Library downstairs meeting room. Cofee, tea and cookies are provided by the Library. People of all philosophies are encouraged to attend.

Kiwanis

Kiwanis meets every Wednesday at 12 noon at BJ’s restaurant in Hamilton.

John Birch Society

The John Birch Society Ravalli County Chapter meets every Monday at 7 p.m. at 330 3rd Avenue, Victor. For info contact Terri, 406880-2492.

TOPS TOPS Club (Take Of Pounds Sensibly) meets every Thursday morning at Kootenai Creek Village, 43 Club House Way, Stevensville. Guests are welcome, including men. Weigh-in is from 8:30 to 9:10 a.m.; meeting follows until 10:30. A program on sensible eating and weight loss is presented every week along with incentives for weight loss. TOPS is an afordable non proft weight loss support group. For more information call Diana Grifn at 406-531-0785.

Lone Rock Community Network Times for Lone Rock Community Network meetings are changing to an “as requested, as needed” basis. The group will meet periodically for classes, having to do with sustainable and independent living, that are highly relevant to the community. Members will receive email notices of meetings, and they will be posted on Next Door and Facebook. If you’d like to be included, contact Rick Nelson at 406381-1466. Feel free to call or text to suggest topics or hands-on classes. Or, you may just want to get involved with this active, existing network of neighbors that are currently working on projects together.

Selway-Pintler Back Country Horsemen

The Selway-Pintler Wilderness Back Country Horsemen meet the 2nd Thursday of every month at 6 p.m. at the Forest Service ofce in Hamilton (enter through the rear door). Come enjoy refreshments and conversation. For additional information contact Kathy Hundley at 406-363-8230. Visit the website at bchmt.org/wp/spwbch/ or their Facebook page for more information.

continued on next page

Calendar continued

Montanans for Life

Montanans for Life will hold their monthly meeting on the frst Thursday of every month at 6PM at More to Come Fellowship, 330 3rd Ave., Victor. For more information call (406) 407-1254.

Call for nominations

The Florence Civic Club is accepting nominations until April 30th for its Community Service Award for 2024. This award honors a local person for outstanding contribution of service to the Florence community. Their service may be through involvement in their community, church, nonproft organization, the schools, or simply individually. Past winners have been active in securing grants for trails, developing a local homework help program, fund raising for local scholarships, and other community enhancement activities.

Send your nomination with an account of the nominee’s activities to:

Florence Civic Club

Attention Community Service Award

P.O. Box 544

Florence, MT 59833

A Course of Love study

group

Fridays 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon. Center for Spiritual Life, Hamilton Call: 406-381-6480

Volunteer at St. Mary’s

Mission

Share your talents! If you enjoy history, like to meet people, and be involved in your community, there’s a place for you! No matter your background or level of experience, there’s a role for you to play. Whether you can spare a few hours a week or a month, our schedule is fexible. Join in making a diference and leave a lasting legacy for future generations. Visit the website: saintmarysmission.org or call (406) 777-5734.

Stevi Tax-Aide AARP Tax-Aide will be ofering free tax preparation services for low to moderate income taxpayers of all ages. Tax preparation is held at the Stevensville Senior Center on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. The Senior Center WILL NOT schedule those appointments. Call 406-201-5734, leave your name and phone number, and a volunteer will call back to schedule your appointment.

Florence American Legion

Florence American Legion Post 134 is having a free pancake breakfast on the frst Saturday of each month from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Florence Rural Fire Hall.

North Valley Dems

Join the North Valley Democrats for “Politics and Pals” on Thursdays from 5 to about 7 p.m. at Fireside Pizza, 3885 North U.S. 93. This is due west of the Stevensville Super 1, on the southbound side of the highway. Meeting room is in the back of the

Wednesday, April 3,

restaurant. Check RavDems. com or fnd them on Facebook for info and or changes. The newsletter is at RavDems.com/newsletter.

Bitterroot Celtic Society

The Bitterroot Celtic Society meets every 3rd Thursday at 6 p.m. at BJ’s restaurant in Hamilton. The Bitterroot Celtic Society is a passionate group of volunteers, dedicated to keeping the Celtic culture, heritage, and history alive in the Bitterroot Valley. Their biggest event is the Bitterroot Celtic Games and Gathering, held every third weekend in August at the Historic Daly Mansion. They also host a Burns’ Night supper, St. Andrew’s, St. Patrick’s, and Tartan day events. The BCS is a non-proft organization. The public, new members, and the curious are always welcome to attend. For any time changes or additional committee meeting info, follow their Facebook page for updates.

NV Library events

Fiber Arts Club – Thurs. April 4 at 12pm

Do you enjoy knitting or crocheting, embroidery, hand sewing, or quilting? Bring your work-in-progress, problem piece, or brand-new pattern and enjoy the company of like-minded crafters during this informal Fiber Arts Club. There will be no presenter or expert teacher but rather a cozy place to gather, tea, and a community of yarn and fber artists like yourself. All experience levels welcome. Club is held the frst Thursday of every month from 12-1:30pm in the Community Room.

Birding for Beginners feat. Bitterroot Audubon – Thurs. April 4 at 6pm

The Bitterroot Audubon Society is swooping by for all you would-be or newbie birders out there. They will share their tried-and-true tips to successful birding right here in Stevensville and the surrounding area, advice for taking your birdwatching adventures to the next level, and the special qualities that deem our area an ofcial Important Bird Area. You’ll also learn about the Audubon Society and how you can get involved in important projects.

Board Meeting – Wed. April 10 at 3pm

Meetings are open to the public. Agendas and the Public Participation are posted on the website. If you are a member of the public and are unable to attend the Board meetings, the Board would still like to hear from you. Please email the Director at denisea@ northvalleylibrary.org or you can email board members directly. A link to Trustee contact information can be found at Montana.Gov.

Science Squad for Ages 8-12 –Wed. April 10 at 2:30pm

Explore the universe, both micro and macro, and learn the science mysteries behind the natural world. Expect fun activities with Legos®, paper planes, experiments, and more. Registration required. This program is for ages 8-12.

Rockhounding with Neil Maier (Watch Party) – Wed. April 10 at

6:30pm

Get ready to rock with Neil Maier, president of the Hellgate Mineral Society, as he joins us to dish out the dirt on rockhounding in Montana. From seasoned mineral masters to new rockhounding recruits, Neil will fascinate you with his adventures, complete with pictures of his abundance of fnds. He will also discuss the best tools, safety tips and rockhounding hotspots. Whether you are a die-hard gem seeker or casual rock enthusiast, this presentation will leave you prepared to embark on your own rockhounding adventures this summer.

Accordion Club

The Accordion Club will hold music jams at the Missoula Senior Center from 1 to 4 p.m. on the following dates:

March 24th

April 14th

April 28th, Annual Meeting, 12-4 p.m. May 12th, Mother’s Day

Everyone is welcome. $6 fee at the door. Polka, swing, waltz and 2-step dances. Good dance music and fun for all. For more info, contact Helen Steele, 406-369-1839.

Hamilton school board meetings

Governance Committee Meeting

Wednesday – April 3, 2024

4:00 p.m. – District Ofce Conference Room

The Committee will be conducting this meeting with live participation.

Regular Board Meeting

Tuesday – April 9, 2024

6:30 p.m. – Washington Elementary – Room 4

The Board will be conducting this meeting with live participation. In addition to meeting in person, the District will also be streaming the meeting on YouTube.

You are encouraged to join the meeting at:https://www.youtube. com/@HSD3Boardmtg

Trekker Kids programs

Travelers’ Rest State Park near Lolo began its annual Trekker Kids program series Saturday, March 9. The free, interactive programs are geared towards kids ages 4-10 and their families. The one-hour programs run every other Saturday through May 18 beginning at 11 a.m.:

April 6: Fire in the pines/discover more about wildfre

April 20: Native games

May 4: Gift of the Bitterroot/fower art and Indigenous culture

May 18: Raptors of the Rockies/ meet real raptors

For more information, contact Travelers’ Rest State Park (6717 Hwy 12, Lolo) at 406-273–4253 or visit travelersrest.org under the events page.

Pro-Life training

Montanans for Life invites anyone interested in participating in efective pro-life training with Dena Espenscheid, Director

of Coalitions and Pro-Life Training for the Leadership Institute to attend this important meeting. Her expertise and knowledge of how to work in pro-life campaigns and actively participate in the pro-life fght at the local, state, and national levels will beneft all who attend this event. There is no cost to attend, however, registration is required as dinner is provided. The training event is being held on Thursday, April 4th at More to Come Fellowship, 330 3rd Ave in Victor from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. To register: https://montanansforlife. com/events.

Stevi police chief

‘meet and greet’

A get-together to welcome Chief

John Boe, Stevensville’s new police chief, will be held Friday, April 5th from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Stevensville Senior Center, 100 Mission Street. Refreshments will be served. For more information contact Wally Smith, 702203-0859.

Pachyderm Club

The Bitterroot North Valley Pachyderm Club will meet Friday, April 5 at 12 noon at The Frontier Cafe, Hwy 93 in Stevensville. Guest speaker will be Kim Dailery, candidate for HD88. The North Valley Pachyderm Club is an educational arm of the Republican Party. All are welcome.

Pint Night for Pets

Pint Night for Pets will be held Friday, April 5th from 5 to 8 p.m. at Blacksmith Brewing Co, 114 Main St, Stevensville to beneft the Bitter Root Humane Shelter. One dollar of each beer sold will beneft the shelter and the animal guests. There will be a rafe and collectable pint glasses to purchase, as well. So, come have a pint and support the animals at the shelter!

Dances of Universal Peace

The Dances of Universal Peace are inspired by many spiritual traditions. Simple words, movements, and song are taught each time, creating an atmosphere of acceptance, joy and unity. No partner or experience needed. Donations welcome. All are welcome, including children. Sunday April 7, 4-6 p.m. at open ended expressive arts, 201 Daly Ave, Hamilton. Call Star at 406-546-5344 for more information.

Florence Civic Club

The next Florence Civic Club meeting will be held on Monday, April 8, at 12 noon at the Florence Fire Hall. New members are invited to join. Questions? Call Kim Maclay, FCC President, 406-529-4863. “Working for the greater good of Florence.”

Lone Rock Park Board

The Lone Rock Park Board will meet Wednesday, April 10th at 7:30 p.m. at the Three Mile Community Center, 4433 Sunnyside Cemetery

Road. Public welcome.

Stevi school board

The Stevensville School Board of Trustees will hold a regular board meeting on Tuesday, April 9 at 7:00 p.m. in the MPR Choir Room.

Women Newcomers

Club

Are you new to the Bitterroot Valley? Maybe you have been living in the valley for quite some time, but would like to meet new and interesting women. If so, the Bitterroot Women Newcomers’ Club is for you! You are welcome to attend the meeting, April 11th, starting at 10 a.m., at First Christian Church, 328 Fairgrounds Road in Hamilton. After a short meeting, K&S Nursery will be presenting tricks and tips for getting our gardens ready for the planting seasons. Come and join this great group of women!

Bluegrass festival

18 bands perform at the Neely Center, in Victor on Saturday, April 13th, for the Montana Rockies Bluegrass Association’s Spring Bluegrass Festival and Fund-raiser. Bands start at 11 am and play continuously until 8 pm. Admission is $5 for non-members and $3 for members. Under 12 is free. As in the past, dessert donations are appreciated. Bring your friends and join in the fun.

Miss Teen Rodeo

Montana Fundraiser

Join Rachel Lowitt in your best vintage western wear for a fundraiser for Miss Teen Rodeo Montana on Saturday, April 26th at the Bedford Building, 223 S. 2nd in Hamilton. Doors open at 5pm, dinner at 6pm. $50 ticketssponsor tables available. Call or text 406-802-4446 for reservations.

National Day of Prayer

The National Day of Prayer will be Thursday, May 2nd from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Lone Rock Bible Church, 1142 Three Mile Creek Road, Stevensville. Opening with inspirational and patriotic music featuring Linda Lanier. Come join our nation for a time of prayer.

Florence HS class reunion

Florence Carlton Class of ‘79 will be having their 45th reunion on June 28-30 at Priest Lake, Idaho. Come and camp. For more information contact Gayla at 702-274-5683.

Calendar postings are free to non-proft groups. Submit by emailing to: editor@bitterrootstar.com

Sports

by Scott Sacry Sports Editor

Hamilton track wins at Frenchtown

Twenty-fve local high schools traveled to Frenchtown on Thursday, March 28th for the Frenchtown Invitational. Most of the Bitterroot Valley schools participated on a cool and overcast day.

Hamilton once again fexed their track and feld muscles as both the boys and girls teams took 1st place at the meet.

There were some great individual performances by Bitterroot Valley athletes. Hamilton’s Tyson Bauder won the 100m and the Javelin. Corvallis’ Derek Criddle won the 200m and the High Jump. Hamilton’s Andrew Burrows won the Shot Put and Discus. Hamilton’s Annalise Lewis won the girls 400m and the 800m. Hamiton’s Mya Winkler won the girls Shot Put and the Discus, and took 2nd in the Javelin.

In the team standings, the Hamilton boys and girls teams took 1st place. The Corvallis boys took 2nd and the Corvallis girls took 4th. The Florence girls took 7th and the Florence boys took 11th. The Darby girls took 11th and the Darby boys took 20th.

ers:

Bitterroot Valley boys top 6 fnish-

100m

1. Tyson Bauder (11.43) Hamilton

2. Solomon Morgan (11.47) Corvallis

5. Riley Reeves (11.58) Florence

200m

1. Derek Criddle (23.02) Corvallis

4. Isaac Bates (24.24) Florence

400m

1. Isaac Bates (53.80) Florence

2. Jake McCarthy (54.09) Hamilton

800m

1. Evan Bennett (1:59.64) Hamilton

2. Brayden Lanser (2:04.14) Hamil-

ton

5. Bryson Poulsen (2:09.56) Hamil-

ton

1600m

3. Taylor Doleac (4:42.31) Hamilton

5. Taggart Jessop (4:47.15) Corvallis

3200 Meters

6. Ben Martin (10:43.43) Darby

300m Hurdles

3. Trace Chapman (47.99) Hamilton

5. Noah Guisinger (50.34) Hamilton

Shot Put

1. Andrew Burrows (56’ 4) Hamilton

2. Wyatt Miles (55’ 10) Corvallis

Discus

1. Andrew Burrows (167’ 1) Hamilton

6. Drew Lewis (133’ 6.5) Corvallis

Baseball roundup

Corvallis 9, Columbia Falls 12

Corvallis hosted Columbia Falls on Thursday, March 28th and lost 9-12. For Corvallis, Brandon Brenneman went 1 for 2 with 3 RBIs, Justis Brickley went 2 for 2 and scored 2 runs, and Andy Pintok went 2 for 3 with an RBI.

Florence 15, Corvallis 0

On Tuesday, March 26th, Florence hosted Corvallis. It was one of those games for Corvallis, as their pitches just couldn’t hit the strike zone and, as a team they walked 13 Florence batters and gave up 15 runs on only 4 hits.

For Florence, Drew Wagner, Isaiah Testerman, Chase Wagner and Levi Winters each had hits. Florence pitcher Mason Arlington got the win, allowing 3 hits and striking out 5.

Florence 13, Troy 1

On Thursday, March 28th, Florence hosted Troy and defeated the Trojans 13-1 in 5 innings. On the mound, Florence pitcher Isaiah Testerman got the win; he struck out 6

and only allowed 4 hits. At the plate for Florence, Drew Wagner went 2 for 3 with 3 RBIs, Jake Roth went 1 for 3 and had 2 RBIs, and Trapper Oster went 1 for 2, had an RBI and scored 2 runs.

Florence 6, Butte HS 5

On Saturday, March 30th, Florence defeated Butte High 6-5. Florence starting pitcher Trapper Oster had 6 strikeouts while Mason Arlington came on in relief and got the win and had 5 strikeouts. At the plate for Florence, Jake Roth hit a home run and had 3 RBIs, Mason Arlington went 2 for 4 with an RBI, and Nolan Lippy went 1 for 2 with an RBI.

Hamilton 1, Butte HS 3

Hamilton hosted Butte High on Thursday, March 28th and lost 1-3 in a close game. Hamilton pitcher Connor Ekin had 5 strikeouts and allowed 4 hits. At the plate, Hamilton’s Toby DeMoss went 3 for 3, Jackson Lubke went 1 for 3 with an RBI, and Andrew Ricklefs had 2 stolen bases.

Javelin

1.Tyson Bauder (173’ 3) Hamilton

2. Levi Reynoso (171’ 2) Corvallis

3. Hunter Loesch (167’ 3) Corvallis

5. Trevor Lewis (150’ 2) Hamilton

6. Logan Avery (150’ 0) Corvallis

High Jump

1. Derek Criddle (6’ 0) Corvallis

4. Ledge Conner (5’ 8) Corvallis

Pole Vault

5. Aiden Carnes (9’ 6) Hamilton

4x100 Relay

1. Corvallis (Logan Avery, Stuart Brennan, Derek Criddle, Solomon Morgan) 44.86

3. Hamilton (Carter Korst, Marshall Smith, Tommy Bender, Tyson Bauder)

45.31

6. Florence (Isaac Bates, Mattix Chase, Logan Williams, Riley Reeves) 46.08

4x400 Relay

1. Hamilton (Carter Korst, Brayden Lanser, Jake McCarthy, Evan Bennett) 3:41.96

6. Corvallis (Silas Hammill, Chance Jessop, Taggart Jessop, Kaison Weidow) 4:08.61

Bitterroot Valley girls top 6 fnish-

ers:

100m

4. Farah Wyche (13.30) Corvallis

6. Ella Varner (13.45) Corvallis

200m

4. Nadia Bruno (27.06) Hamilton

5. Bailey Kroeker (27.44) Florence

400m

1. Annalise Lewis (1:00.71) Hamil-

ton

6. Quinn Skaggs (1:07.63) Florence

800m

1. Annalise Lewis (2:27.80) Ham-

ilton

4. Aleigha Child (2:36.15) Hamilton

1600m

3. Aleigha Child (5:31.27) Hamilton

5. Lily Adair (5:39.44) Darby

3200m

2. Violet Jessop (12:20.15) Corvallis

3. Lily Adair (12:25.04) Darby

100m Hurdles

4. Madigan Hurlbert (17.68) Florence

6. Natalie Anderson (18.09) Darby

300m Hurdles

1. Olivia Lewis (45.28) Corvallis

3. Madigan Hurlbert (50.41) Florence

6. Natalie Anderson (53.35) Darby

Shot put

1. Mya Winkler (36’ 3) Hamilton

2. Tyana Jessop (34’ 9) Hamilton

3. Meredith Buhler (32’ 10) Corvallis

4. Ashlynn McKern (32’ 8) Hamilton

5. Elaina Lewis (31’ 7) Hamilton

Discus

1. Mya Winkler (128’ 4) Hamilton

3. Alanna Auch (120’ 3) Corvallis

4. Ayda Grifn (110’ 1) Hamilton

6. Tyana Jessop (103’ 2) Hamilton

Javelin

2. Mya Winkler (114’ 5) Hamilton

4. Quinn Skaggs (103’ 4) Florence High Jump

4. Ayda Grifn (4’ 8) Hamilton

Pole Vault

1. Aubrey Korst (9’ 6) Hamilton

3. Jocelyn Covington (7’ 6) Corvallis

Long Jump

2. Ella Varner (16’ 5.5) Corvallis

3. Farah Wyche (16’ 3) Corvallis

4x100 Relay

2. Corvallis (Ella Varner, Olivia Lewis, Jillian Huls, Farah Wyche) 52.03

3. Hamilton (Aubrey Korst, Madi Nelson, Nadia Bruno, Annalise Lewis) 53.08

4x400 Relay

1. Corvallis (Shaylee Weidow, Ella Varner, Farah Wyche, Olivia Lewis)

4:11.88

2. Hamilton (Madi Nelson, Nadia Bruno, Aubrey Korst, Annalise Lewis) 4:27.61

‘Jacket tennis

On Saturday, March 30th, the Stevensville tennis team traveled to Polson to play against a tough Pirates squad. In the girls matches, Stevi lost 1-6 and in the boys matches Stevi lost 0-7. In the Girls Singles Matches: (P) Julia Barnard def. (S) Dani Felton 3-6, 6-4, 6-4; (P) Summer Newman def. (S) CC Franchi 6-0, 6-3; (P) Lauren Collinge def. (S) Jackie Reed 6-0, 6-1; (P) Hinkley Moss def. (S) Tasia Rohbock 6-1, 6-4. In the Girls Doubles Matches: (P) Lauren Collinge/Vivian Grainey def. (S) Tanna Bailey/Nevaeh Meeder 6-1, 6-3; (S) Avery Sacry/Nika Hulling def. (P) Maddie Lake/Maddie Hufne 6-0, 6-2; (P) Adamary Guerrero/Ziya Walker def. (S) Maja Masinic/Jana Purell 6-1, 6-1.

In the Boys Singles Matches: (P) Torrin Ellis def. (S) Agnus Trangmoe 6-0, 6-0; (P) Taegan Gage def. (S) Jeremy Madruga 6-1, 2-6, 6-0; (P) Branson Mass def. (S) Jeremiah St. Germain 6-1, 6-0; (P) Strider Gage def. (S) Jason Agostino 7-6 (7-5), 6-1.

In the Boys Doubles Matches: (P) Tate Barentsen/Otto Lund def. (S) Jeremy Madruga/Agnus Trangmoe 6-2, 6-1; (P) Roger Ellis/Brock Henriksen def. (S) Jason Agostino/Jeremiah St. Germain 6-1, 6-0; (P) Max Violett/Noah Flater def. (S) Drake Tully/Andrew McGowan 6-0, 6-0.

Hamilton softball wins

Hamilton 6, Lakeland HS 4 Hamilton hosted Lakeland HS at Frenchtown on Thursday, March 28th and won 6-4. Hamilton pitcher Mariah Johnson got the win and struck out a whopping 13 batters. At the plate for Hamilton, Cierra Cole went 3 for 4 with an RBI, Thea Jackson went 1 for 3 with 2 RBIs, and Addison Flynn went 1 for 3 with an RBI. The Lady Broncs are now 3-0 on the season. Last week they defeated Dillon 6-5 on March 22nd and Ronan 11-10 on March 23rd.

Corvallis’ Ella Varner took 2nd place in the Long Jump at the Frenchtown Invitational on March 30th with a jump of 16’ 5.5. Photo by Scott Sacry.

Hamilton’s Tyson Bauder won the Javelin at the Frenchtown Invitational on March 30th with a throw of 173-3. Bauder also won the 100m at the event. The Hamilton boys and girls teams both took 1st place at the Invitational. Photo by Scott Sacry.

Florence’s Wes Potter (#4) taking a lead of 2nd base as Corvallis’ Brandon Brenneman (#8) looks to make a play. Florence defeated Corvallis 15-0 on March 26th in Florence. Photo by Scott Sacry.

Prescribed burn planned for Threemile Wildlife Management Area

A 200-acre prescribed burn is planned for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ Threemile Wildlife Management Area (WMA) located northeast of Stevensville in the Bitterroot Valley, beginning the week of April 1.

The objectives of the prescribed burn are to enhance wildlife habitat and reduce fuel loads. The burn is expected to occur from now through mid to late April, and residents and visitors should expect to see smoke periodically.

Prescribed fre is a short distur-

bance for long-term benefts of fuel reduction and wildlife habitat enhancement on the WMA, and this particular project was proposed as part of phase 2 of the Threemile WMA forest habitat work, approved by the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission in 2019.

Specifc project objectives are focused on enhancing forage for big game wildlife, restoring open forest conditions dominated by ponderosa pine, and reducing fuel loading. The treatment is aimed at creating a con-

dition that would allow fre to burn at a low severity appropriate for the habitat type, reduce susceptibility to bark beetle infestations, and promote aspen growth and regeneration.

The project is a cooperative efort between FWP, the Bitterroot National Forest, and the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. Funding for this habitat management work was provided by FWP and grants through the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

Smoke from Threemile WMA

will be visible from many places in the Bitterroot Valley, including from Highway 93. The project is weather dependent, but burning is expected to start this week with most complete prior the end of April.

Spring is a typical time for prescribed burns to occur region-wide, so recreationists and residents could expect to see smoke from other public lands as well. To minimize smoke impact on communities, the exact timing of the burns will depend on weather, fuel moisture levels, and air fow.

MAYOR: Stevi takes steps to clean up streets

Continued from page 1

pay every year for their events. He posited that the Stevensville Farmer’s Market only pays a small percentage, though they hold their event every weekend during the summer. However, the various Civic Club events, such as the Creamery Picnic and the July Pignic, occur only on a select few days during the summer. Even with that, the Civic Club pays over $900 just in licensing and permit fees, let alone all the other costs to hold the event.

Mayor Bob Michalson commented, “It brings so much business to the town.” It was discussed further, and noted that the various events in town bring thousands of people, far more than all the markets throughout the year, combined.

A decision was not made on the overall fee, but the council did approve waiving the fee for the storage and set-up of the stage, which amounted to around $200, which will lower the cost. The council will be addressing the cost during their next budget fee schedule.

Doyle also sought permission to hold the upcoming Culpepper- Merriweather Circus at Lewis and Clark Park in town, this year. The event is sponsored by the Civic Club, and it comes to town every couple of years. In the past, it has been held outside of town, and Doyle was concerned about the limited parking available for that event. “It may be the only chance a lot of kids will get to see a circus,” added Doyle, speaking on the dying business. According to Doyle, this is one of the last

small-time circuses of its kind, and a perfect size for sleepy Stevensville. The council agreed and voted to look into approving the use. They will look into it to see if there are any conficts frst.

Another major topic covered was a request for proposals for towing services for the Town of Stevensville. This would allow the town to put various towing companies on retainer for when they need them. This is all part of Michalson’s new initiative to clean up the town. “As mayor, I am zoning administrator,” said Michalson. He claimed that part of his job is to keep the town clean. “I’m very serious about cleaning up our town,” he said.

He was referring to numerous abandoned vehicles, or broken down vehicles that have sat in town right away for long periods of time. He also referred to trash and overall rubbish scattered on certain properties within the town limits.

Michalson said he will immediately start sending out letters to property owners, requesting that they deal with various infractions to town policy. If they respond, and are willing to work to remedy these, the town will work with them. If they do not, then citations will be issued.

“We have rights too,” said Michalson about the town. “We have town ordinances that back us up.”

On February 14th, District Judge Jennifer Lint ordered the Town of Stevensville to begin abatement clean-up on property located at 523 East Third Street in Stevensville. The Stevens-

ville Town Council voted at a March 14th meeting to put out a request for proposals for that abatement clean-up project.

“I have walked every street in this town probably ten times now,” said Mayor Michalson. “Am I the only one who sees that we need to clean up some spots of our beautiful town? I see yards in disrepair, automobiles, and campers parked on the streets with expired tags and fat tires, etc. There are yards with junk lying around that should be hauled away. Property owners and renters have a responsibility to keep their property clean. We, as a town, have a responsibility to make sure that current ordinances are followed, and enforced.”

To that end, the Town of Stevensville will be extending its spring clean-up service to run from April 15th-26th. The Town of Stevensville’s Public Works Department will provide residents with curbside debris pick-up and disposal. There is no need to contact Town Hall to pre-arrange a pickup date, Michalson said.

Tips for curbside debris collection:

Leave debris on the street side of your property, as close to the curb as possible.

The Town will only collect organic materials such as branches and leaves. Town crews will not pick up any household waste, trash or building materials.

Branches cannot exceed 4 feet in length. Please cut longer branches.

• Make sure your debris is ready for

Wear PJ’s To Work & School on April 5th

pick-up by 8 a.m. on the day of pickup.

“Let’s all do our part to keep our town a place we can all be proud to call our own,” said Michalson.

Michalson also noted that one business owner, Brian Potton, had paid a local resident $100 to clean up Creamery Park and the mayor wanted to publicly thank Potton for doing that.

On another note, the mayor said that Stevensville will be moving forward with some “huge” projects soon. The Mission Street water main replacement project is starting in early April. Inspections will also be done on the town’s water tank for leaks/repairs. There will be upgrades to the water/ sewer plant as far as water system telemetry improvements. The Spring Street paving project will be starting in early June. Stevensville is also having issues with some of its meter reads, said Michalson. Every homeowner/ renter needs to check their water meter to see that it is cleared of any obstruction within a three-foot radius, he said.

For those interested in fnding out what they can do to help with this new initiative, Michalson recommends that they call the town and “ask what they can do to clean this up.” They are open to volunteers and proposed clean-up projects.

“If you get a call from Public Works to read your meter, please set a time that works,” said Michalson. “If anyone has any questions, feel free to contact me at 406-274-1946 or Town Hall at 406-777-5271.”

Obituaries

Charles P. ‘Charlie’ Stalker, III

It is with great sorrow, the family of Charles P. “Charlie” Stalker, III announces his passing on March 24, 2024 in the night at his home in Hamilton, Montana.Charlie was born in Barrow, Alaska in January of 1993. He attended school at Holy Rosary Academy in Anchorage and fnished at the Montana Youth Challenge Academy in Dillon, Montana.

He loved adventure and feared nothing. He was always up at the crack of dawn and anytime something needed to be done, Charlie was there to help. He worked for many years at Red Dog Mine near Kotzebue, Alaska. While on R & R he enjoyed hiking, rock climbing, hunting, shooting, fshing and rappelling from bridges. Flying was one of his biggest passions. He logged many hours towards his pilot’s license while in Alaska. Recently, he moved to Montana to be near family. He greatly enjoyed bridge jumping at Bell Crossing, and swimming in the Bitterroot River and at Como Lake. He often would hook up equipment and walk a tightrope or zipline through the Ponderosa pines. He loved preparing meals for others that would many a time consist of steak and pressure-cooked corned beef, or simple dishes of Spam & eggs. He started creating content through a YouTube channel, @alaska4life907. Carpe diem (seize the day) was tattooed on his arm. He lived this motto to the fullest; throughout his life he encouraged people to #getofthecouch and experience life.

Charlie is greatly missed by his parents, Charles P. Stalker Jr. and Michelle Tyson (Swisher); stepfather, Eric Tyson and grandmother Michaele Shellhorn;

girlfriend, Jenna Chung and their Pyrenees, Nala; siblings, Priscilla and Thomas John Stalker, Faith, Eric, Jr. and Vada Tyson; niece, Abigail Stalker; aunt, Anna delaRosa (Swisher), cousins Ricky, Camron and Cassidy delaRosa. There are many more extended family and friends who will miss Charlie and his fervor for life, adventure and entertaining others.

Preceding him in death are grandparents, Tom & Esther Swisher (Norris), Charles P., and Madeline M. Stalker (Killigvuk), and stepbrother (partner in crime), Tyler Tyson.

He is also remembered by his ex wife and partner of 9 years, Megan McLemore. Although this union was not permanent, they raised three beautiful Golden Retriever furbabies. Honey, being their frst, was the furbaby he gushed about for an hour over the phone describing every detail, down to the type of shampoo and brush. Soon afterwards, Emma and Harper joined the family. He thoroughly enjoyed pampering them all. They were his pride and joy and were like children to him.

Visitation and Rosary vigil was Monday, April 1 from 6:00-7:00 pm at St. Mary’s Church in Stevensville, Montana. A Mass of Christian Burial was held Tuesday, April 2, from 12:00-1:00pm at St. Mary’s Church with Committal from 1:30-2:00 at St. Mary’s Mission Cemetery. Father Ed Kohler ofciated. Reception followed at 2261 Poppy Lane, Corvallis, MT. Anyone wishing to leave a memory or condolences can go to https://www. brothersmortuary.com

Crossword Puzzle

Volunteers fght fre in Ravalli County

together, we know each other, we train together,” said Olson.

Olson also stated, “They can’t do all this on their own.” He talked about how the departments provide mutual aid to other departments in the valley. This is because call levels can be over whelming, as Stevensville alone covers over 700 calls per year. According to Olson, the process and intercommuni cation is “mostly seamless.”

Each department has their own crew and separate funding sources. a job and other responsibilities. Olson, For him, and others, a big part of the -

plained that one of the biggest ways the community helps is how employers let the volunteers go out on calls. “That’s huge,” said Motley. Motley has partment for 28 years, and said, “It’s the whole family that’s volunteering.”

When asked why the frefghters are so willing to volunteer, Motley stated, “We want to help our neighbors. It’s neighbors helping neighbors.” These thoughts were echoed by both Olson and the public infor

POLICE: Stevensville ofcer returns to town

Continued from page 1

When asked about her experience in the academy, specifcally as a female, Kopsa explained, “I was defnitely a minority, but also felt supported by the males in the program. I have the ability to make friends with everyone, so it was really no problem.” Kopsa was one of seven females to complete the program, and there were 54 males who graduated.

The academy started in January, with the frst few weeks mostly in the classroom. Montana State case law was the primary focus in the classroom but they were also given training in critical incidents, radar, radio communications and personal health. A week was spent focusing solely on active shooter training, which Kopsa stated was one of the best training sections they had. The classroom also brought several guest speakers that

participated in the education process. Volunteers from diferent agencies, such as Highway Patrol, dispatch, Department of Criminal Investigations, and various court employees came to share their side of Law Enforcement, which was very interesting and helpful according to Kopsa. The information that they learned was on their fnal exam.

The students then moved into “breakout” weeks, which included more hands-on training, like defensive tactics, where the martial art jiu jitsu is utilized to safely and efectively disarm or control a perpetrator. A driving track is used to teach safe driving techniques when an ofcer is involved in a high speed chase along with getting plenty of practice with trafc stops. Several days are spent at the shooting range where ofcers re-

ceive extensive frearms training. They also had a full week of Driving Under the Infuence training, with what Kopsa calls a “wet lab”, where a group of volunteers from the Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls put themselves into various levels of intoxication in a controlled environment so that the ofcers have the opportunity to use diferent sobriety testing techniques and equipment, and how to calculate blood alcohol levels. “I especially enjoyed learning the science behind the intoxilyzer. This was one of my favorite weeks” stated Kopsa.

To graduate from the course, ofcers had to pass several live scenario situations. These scenarios were acted out in a realistic way by the volunteers from Malstrom and other law enforcement agencies, and depicted real life situations that ofcers are

likely to encounter out in the feld. These included domestic violence calls, theft, ambush and disturbances of various types. Instructors observed how each student handled the scenario, and they either passed or failed. They also had to take a written fnal exam, with over 100 questions. Kopsa completed the course with a 91% grade.

Kopsa returned to Stevensville last week, and is looking forward to reuniting with all of the kids at the school.

“Overall I had a very good experience at the academy. I gained quite a bit of confdence. It was fun, but I’m really happy to be back home,” said Kopsa.

If you see Kopsa out on patrol or at the school, be sure to congratulate her on this amazing accomplishment.

Seeking nominations for Emergency Medical Services Awards

The Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) is asking Montanans to submit nominations for the annual Emergency Medical Services (EMS) awards ceremony to be held Wednesday, May 22, 2024, at the Capitol Rotunda in Helena.

The event, held during Emergency Medical Services Week May 19-25 and EMS for Children Day on May 22, honors individuals and organizations who provide exemplary service to the state through the EMS system. This year is the 50th anniversary of EMS Week and the theme for the week is EMS: Honoring the Past, Forging our Future.

DPHHS ofcials state the intent of this program is to recognize both volunteer and career EMS providers.

The nomination form is available online here.

A total of six awards will be presented, including:

The EMS Volunteer Provider of the Year Award honors a Volunteer Emergency Care Provider who is exemplary in his or her quality of patient care and/or dedication to his or her community.

The EMS Career Provider of the Year Award honors a Career Emergency Care Provider who is exemplary in his or her quality of care and/or dedication to his or her community.

The EMS Service of the Year Award honors a volunteer or paid EMS agency that consistently exhibits dedication to improving patient care through education, injury prevention,

community awareness, medical director involvement and cooperation with other emergency service organizations in their community.

The 911 Dispatcher of the Year Award recognize a 911 dispatcher who has shown exemplary performance of duties as the “frst, frst responder” in medical emergencies.

The EMS Supporter of the Year Award honors an individual who has demonstrated exceptional support for an EMS agency or the broader EMS System. This person may be a law enforcement ofcer, another health care provider, a public ofcial, or a community member.

The EMS for Children Pediatric EMS Award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated excellence in

providing pediatric EMS care and/ or education. The nominee should serve as an outstanding role model for colleagues while consistently demonstrating commitment to high-quality, professional EMS care to the pediatric patient.

The general public, EMS providers, or any interested parties are encouraged to recognize those outstanding individuals and organizations by submitting a nomination.

Nominations must be received no later than Wednesday, April 17, 2024, and can be mailed to Shari Graham, EMS System Manager, PO Box 202951, Helena MT 59620, emailed to sgraham2@mt.gov, or via fax to 406444-1814.

FIRE: Rural and municipal departments work together to help

Continued from page 14

mation ofcer with the Florence Rural Fire District, John Ames. According to Ames, there are a lot of reasons fghters join, including “everything from the excitement to providing a service to the community.”

According to Motley, they are always looking for volunteers. “We’ll take you for as much or as little as you can give us,” said Motley. However, he clarifed that the fghters often put in hundreds of hours. Olson commented, “People may not realize, especially those moving into the valley, we do the same level as a career fre department.”

There are 10 departments spread across the valley, in places including Florence, Three Mile, Stevensville town, Stevensville rural, Victor, Corvallis, Pinesdale, Hamilton city, Hamilton rural, Darby, Sula, West Fork and at Painted Rocks. The town and city departments have single stations, but each rural district has several in their area. For example, Stevensville Rural Fire District has four stations.

Each department has their own way of getting help from the community, and gathering volunteers. Florence Rural Fire District has 45 members, fve of which are members of the cadet program. This is a unique program where young “cadets,” between the ages of 14 and 15 years old, join the department as trainees. This allows them to get ahead in their training, gain hands-on experience and actively help the department. When they turn

18, they can choose to join on as bona fde, fully-fedged, frefghters.

According to Ames, not all departments and districts have a cadet program, but he believes they are important. “It gives them a good opportunity for young men and women who are thinking about a career in fre to see if it’s what they really want to do,” said Ames.

Several cadets go on to become frefghters, and Ames himself came up through one of these types of programs. He believes it was a great starting point for himself, as a “student frefghter,” and recommends young people interested in frefghting give it a try. These cadets get to do everything real fghters do, even going on actual calls. However, cadets are kept out of danger and not allowed to go into burning buildings or on dangerous wild-land calls. When speaking on what else the

community can do to help their departments, the three men recommended interested parties contact their local departments to learn more. Olson added that employers should continue to let their employees go out on calls and he encourages people to volunteer. All three men agreed that all the departments need as much help as they can get.

And, according to Olson, “Pull over!” This is in regards to what drivers should do when they see the oncoming fashing lights of a fre engine. It

may mean life or death, both for the people they are going out on calls to help, or for the frefghters themselves. All while doing so completely uncompensated.

FRESH EGGS from Howell’s Happy Hens are back! $4.00/doz. Pick up at Bitterroot Star ofce, 115 W. 3rd, Suite 108, Stevensville.

COMPLETE, LARGE

ESTATE SALE - Early

1900’s - 2000’s - & the house is for sale, too! 519 Buck St., Stevi. 4/4 - 9 to 4(prices frm), 4/5 - 9 to 3, 4/6 - 9 to 2, 4/7 - 9 to 1(all ½ price or ofer). Like new couch & recliners, 2 queen beds, dining set, dressers, china cupboards, TV’s, side tables, sewing machine, fle cabinets, patio furniture. Kitchen everything, towels & bedding,cleaning supplies,vacuum, exercise bike,wood burning stove,books. Garden tools, wind chimes, wheelbarrow, hand tools, battery tool sets, vice, marine battery, compressor, power bars, large garage shelving. XXL men’s & women’s clothing, material, craft items, jewelry. Collect-

ibles = antique furniture & telephone, side irons, iron wagon wheels,mid-century dresser, dolls, glassware, candy/gumball machines, 60-70’s items & SO much more! Hop on over. There is a huge frog collection, too! NO EARLIES, CASH.

ALASKA, EUROPE, HAWAII plus dozens of other popular trips! Starting at $1649 per person (double occupancy req’d.) YMT Vacations plans everything, leaving you to relax and enjoy. Call 1-833658-1230 for more details. Use promo code YMT2024 for $250 of. Limited time only.

LOOKING FOR A HANDYMAN? Let me help you with small house projects that no one has time to do/fx for you. Contact Rob Graham, Stewart-Graham Construction. Registered MT Independent Contractor #375938IC.

Phone 406-369-4139.

Email rob@sgcmt.com

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tion, call 1-877-324-0193.

SWITCH TO DISH and get up to a $300 gift card! Plus get the Multisport pack included for a limited time! Hurry, call for details: 1-855-995-3572

GRAPHIC DESIGNER - part-time, newspaper-specifc work. Experience required. Call Victoria for details, 406-207-8793 or send resume to victoria@mullennewspapers. com.

WANTED TO BUY: Old Car, Truck, Motorcycle, also old signs and license plates, gas station items or dealership items. Call 406270-8630 any time.

HELP WANTED ROOM FOR RENTCosmetologist or Nail Technician or Esthetician. $360.00 Month Skeels Ave. Hamilton MT. (831) 905-5016.

CAREGIVER WANTED -– STEVENSVILLE

true and correct.

Dated this 15th day of March, 2024.

/s/ Kimberly Ann Dean, Personal Representative of the Estate of Mari Elizabeth Acker

/s/ Kevin S. Jones, Attorney for Personal Representative

BS 3-20, 3-27, 4-3-24.

Naomi J. Cheeney CHEENEY LAW, PLLC PO Box 212

Hamilton, MT 59840

Phone: (406) 363-9060

Personal Representative

MONTANA TWEN-

TY-FIRST JUDICIAL DISTRICT, RAVALLI COUNTY IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF ROSEMARY HUBBARD LARSON, Deceased.

Case No.: DP-24-28

Dept. No. 2

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned has been appointed Personal Representative 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 Naomi J. Cheeney, the Personal Representative, 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 11 th day of March 2024.

/s/ Naomi J. Cheeney, Personal Representative BS 3-20, 3-27, 4-3-24.

LEGAL NOTICE

Holtzen 6 Lot Major Subdivision Variance Request. The applicant is proposing a six lot commercial subdivision located approximately 6 miles south of Victor (Tax ID: 143300). The proposed subdivision fronts US Highway 93 N which is a Non-County-Operated Roadway. The proposed subdivision is served by two existing gravel approaches, both of which are documented in the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) highway plans. The applicant is currently working with MDT on obtaining new approach permits for their project, which will require engineering designs, pavement and improvements. As part of the subdivision review process, the applicant is required to submit copies of the preliminary and fnal approach permits from MDT. The developer is asking for a variance from RCSR Chapter 12-3-G.2 which states the following: “G. Roadway Standards – Of-Site Improvements Non-County-Operated Roadways (Gravel or Paved). When a subdivision of any number of lots abuts a non-County-Operated roadway, the applicant shall prepare and submit for review and approval a Trafc Impact Analysis consistent with the County’s adopted standards in Appendix H.” The applicant believes RCSR Chapter 123-G.2 should not apply in this case because the regulation omits the scenario of a subdivision abutting a state-maintained highway and may be in confict with state law. The subject property is located in Section 30, Township 07 North, Range 20 West, P.M.M., Ravalli County, Montana. The applicant is John Holtzen –Developer and the consultant is Ron Ewart – Planner of Professional Consultants, Inc.

Information describing the proposal is available for inspection at the Planning Department, in the County Administrative Center, 215 S. 4th St., Suite F, Hamilton, MT 59840. Written comments are encouraged to be submitted to the Planning Department prior to the below hearing, and will be forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners (BCC).

The Board of County Commissioners (BCC) will conduct a Public Hearing to review the proposal on Thursday, April 11th, 2024 at 1:30 P.M. in the Commissioners’ Meeting Room (Third Floor) at the Administrative Center. The public may comment verbally, or in writing, at the meeting. Comments and information submitted at the public meeting/hearing will be considered in the decision on the subdivision. However, please note that only under select circumstances will new information be allowed into the record after the public hearing.

BS 3-27, 4-3-24.

Craig Mungas State Bar No. 6746 Bjornson Jones Mungas, PLLC 2809 Great Northern Loop, Ste 100 Missoula, Montana 59808 Telephone: 406-721-8896 Telefax: 406-541-8037

Email: craig@bjornsonlaw.

com Attorneys for Sheree W. Fowler, Personal Representative

MONTANA TWEN-

TY-FIRST JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT, RAVALLI COUNTY IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF: PHILLIP M. FOWLER, Deceased Dept. No.: 2 Cause No.: DP-24-33

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned has been appointed Personal Representative of the above-named Estate. All persons having claims against the decedent 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 SHEREE W. FOWLER, the Personal Representative, return receipt requested, at c/o Bjornson Jones Mungas, PLLC, 2809 Great Northern Loop, Suite 100, Missoula, MT 59808, or fled with the Clerk of the above Court.

DATED this 21st day of March 2024.

/s/ Sheree W. Fowler

Personal Representative

Bjornson Jones Mungas, PLLC

By: Craig Mungas Attorneys for Sheree W. Fowler, Personal Representative BS 3-27, 4-3, 4-10-24.

SAFE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

TO COLLECT PUBLIC INPUT ON EMERGENCY SHELTER

Supporters of Abuse Free Environments (SAFE) seeks to collect public comment

on the expansion of SAFE’s emergency shelter in Hamilton, MT. SAFE is seeking comment on potential environmental impacts for this expansion project. Public comments may be provided in person, via email or US mail. The Hamilton City Council will accept public comment at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, April 15, 2024. The public comment will be accepted in the City Council Chambers, City Hall, 223 S. 2nd Street, Hamilton, MT. The public may also participate through the online/phone conferencing platform Zoom. Instructions on joining and participating via Zoom are available at www.cityofhamilton.net or by emailing cityclerk@cityofhamilton.net.

The building project plans and completed environmental review are on fle and open to inspection by appointment at the SAFE ofce. Any person may submit written comments and/or appear at the public hearing with comments or testimony. Written and signed comments may be submitted to SAFE Attn: Stacey Umhey, PO Box 534, Hamilton, MT 59840 or by email to sumhey@ safeinthebitterroot.org. For further information, please contact SAFE Executive Director, Stacey Umhey at 406-3632793 or via email at sumhey@ safeinthebitterroot.org BS 4-3-24.

PUBLIC OPPORTUNITY TO PROTEST TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP OF Montana All-Alcoholic Beverages with Catering Endorsement License VICTOR STATION, LLC (Daniel Fisher and Paula Fisher, Owner(s)) has applied to transfer Montana All-Alcoholic Beverages with Catering Endorsement License No. 13999-6402-002. The public may protest this license transfer in accordance with the law.

Who can protest this transfer? Protests will be accepted from residents of the county of the proposed location Ravalli County, residents of adjoining Montana counties, and residents of adjoining counties in another state if the criteria in 16-4-207(4)(d), Montana Code Annotated (MCA), are met.

What information must be included? Protest letters must be legible and contain (1) the protestor’s full name, mailing address, and street address; (2) the license number 13-9996402-002 and the applicant’s name VICTOR STATION, LLC; (3) an indication that the letter is intended as a protest; (4) a description of the grounds for protesting; and (5) the protestor’s signature. A letter with multiple signatures will be considered one protest letter.

What are valid protest grounds? The protest may be based on the applicant’s qualifcations listed in 16-4401, MCA, or the grounds for denial of an application in 16-4-405, MCA. Examples of valid protest grounds include:

(1) the applicant is unlikely to operate the establishment in compliance with the law; (2) the proposed location cannot

be properly policed by local authorities; and (3) the welfare of the people in the vicinity of the proposed location will be adversely and seriously afected.

How are protests submitted? Protests must be postmarked to the Department of Revenue, Ofce of Dispute Resolution, P.O. Box 5805, Helena, Montana 59604-5805 on or before April 20, 2024. What happens if the transfer is protested?

Depending on the number of protests and the protest grounds, a public hearing will be held in Helena or Victor. All valid protestors will be notifed of the hearing’s time, date and location. Hearings typically are scheduled within 90 days. A protester’s hearing testimony is limited to the grounds in the protester’s letter. Following the hearing, the Department of Revenue will notify the public whether the license transfer is approved or denied.

How can additional information be obtained? The cited MCA statutes are online at leg.mt.gov/bills/mca_toc/. Questions may be directed to Breanna Gill, Compliance Specialist for the Department of Revenue’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Division, at 444-0710 or Breanna.Gill@mt.gov. BS 4-3, 4-10-24.

John S. Masar LionWood Law PLLC 115 W. 3rd St., Ste. 103 Stevensville, MT 59870 (406) 625-2682 jmasar@lionwoodlaw.com

Attorney for Personal Representative

MONTANA TWENTY-FIRST JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT, RAVALLI COUNTY IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF:

Montana State University Extension will ofer a program that brings social engagement and dementia awareness to communities across Montana in April, May and June.

The Mobile Memory Café ofers free, research-informed resources to caregivers and individuals with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. Registration is not required to participate in the Mobile Memory Café. The program was developed by Dan Koltz, MSU assistant professor and Extension gerontology specialist.

“Living well with dementia is a challenge,” Koltz said. “The Mobile Memory Café seeks to provide social engagement for caregivers and individuals in communities across Montana.”

Topics covered by the Mobile Memory Café include prevention, brain health, nutrition, sleep, social activity and physical health. The program is supported by the Montana

Geriatric Education Center, County and Statewide Area Agencies on Aging and the Alzheimer’s Association Montana Chapter.

“We are fortunate to have several partners working alongside us to provide critical healthy aging resources,” Koltz said. “We invite anyone interested in learning more about living well with dementia to visit the Mobile Memory Café this spring.”

Stops are scheduled in April, May and June in Anaconda, Butte, Darby, Drummond, Hamilton, Helena, Kalispell, Libby, Polson, Ronan and Roundup. A full list of dates, locations and additional details can be found at montana.edu/extension/ health/healthy_aging/index.html.

BIES: Public Works employee recognized

Continued from page 1

term operators are starting to retire, with no new people opting for this career path. Bies says that this is a recurring theme at all of the professional gatherings the Public Works employees attend, and is a major concern for operators and municipalities around the country. Another challenge for professional operators are new requirements by the Federal Government regarding lead and copper mitigation and new emerging contaminants, which change on a regular basis. MT Rural Water is an organization which helps smaller systems keep up to date with these sometimes confusing rules by holding training sessions and webinars.

In addition to his water and wastewater treatment responsibilities, Bies can also be found plowing the streets of town, testing and managing the chemicals at the pool and splash pad, tending to the bike path and keeping town parks and cemeteries mowed and weed free.

Bies humbly stated, “God has blessed our town with outstanding Public Works Directors. Ed Sutherlin, George Thomas and Steve Kruse are the leadership that kept Stevensville’s water clean and safe. They are the ones we need to thank for their conscientious work and caring attitudes over many years. They have kept our town out of harm’s way on many occasions. Now Stephen Lassiter will carry the torch as our newest Public Works Director, and is doing a great job. Cody Anderson and I are the licensed operators of our town, and are trying to keep the ball afoat. I like my job and the people that I work with, it is an enjoyable career.”

Clean water is something some may take for granted, so BIes suggests the next time members of the community enjoy a nice cold glass of water from the kitchen sink, they consider that they now know who is keeping it that way for them.

MSU Extension will ofer the Mobile Memory Café to communities across Montana in April, May and June. The program brings free, research-informed resources to caregivers and individuals with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. Photo courtesy UM News Service.

Glen Bies hard at work at the Public Works ofce in Stevensville. Photo by Kristin Kruse.

Research provides clues to slowing aging

by Michael Howell

Feeling old and especially vulnerable in the face of the many variations of Flu and RSVP viruses going around? There is good reason to be concerned. Recent research has shown that aging is associated with a reduced ability to generate immune responses against novel infections. Research into mortality from SARS-CoV2, for instance, shows that even after the rollout of efective vaccines, older Americans have remained the hardest hit by the virus. In 2023, people over the age of 65 made up more than half of all Covid-associated hospitalizations and 90% of in-hospital Covid deaths in the U.S. (Robert Verity, et al in The Lancet Infectious Diseases June 2020).

Although previous chronic health diseases are a signifcant factor, aging itself also plays a major role. One theory is that it all starts in the bone marrow, where a primitive reserve of stem cells replenishes the ranks of blood and immune cells to the tune of about 500 billion new cells every day. Some of these hematopoietic stem cells, or HSCs, are more likely to become long-lived stewards of immune memory like B cells and T cells; others are more likely to give rise to blood cells and front-line immune defenders. They all work in concert to get the balance right. As people age, though, one lineage of HSCs starts to dominate, throwing the equilibrium of-kilter and leaving them not only more vulnera-

ble to infection, but also less able to respond to vaccines.

But older people need not despair. Recent research by a team of scientists led by Dr. Kim Hasenkrug, Scientist Emeritus at National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Rocky Mountain Laboratory in Hamilton, in collaboration with a team from Stanford University led by Dr. Irving Weissman, suggests that an aging immune system can be

it wasn’t so important to respond to new infections because you had pretty much already seen everything, so you had a lot of memory cells that protected you, but you couldn’t respond very well to brand new infections. But more recently with planes, trains and automobiles, we are exposed to a lot of novel pathogens, things we have not seen in our past that arise in locales far away. Things like this are prone to causing pandemics.”

rejuvenated. (Ross, J.B., Myers, L.M., Noh, J.J. et al. Depleting myeloid-biased haematopoietic stem cells rejuvenates aged immunity. Nature (2024). https:// doi.org/10.1038/s41586024-07238-x)

Many of us have been there before: you’re hiking on your favorite trail with a heavy pack (that seems to get heavier with each step, did I really need to pack all this stuf for a one-night trip?). You’re tired, your feet hurt, and all you want is to arrive at your destination - when you meet a giant fallen log (or logs!) blocking your course. Do you try and go over? Do you heave your pack over the log and crawl under? Or, go around and bushwack your way past the blockade?

While every backcountry trip can bring unexpected circumstances, there is a group of local volunteers who are committed to lessening the obstructions you’ll face on the trail. The Selway- Pintler Wilderness Backcountry Horsemen (SPWBCH) are a group of local adult volunteers that work together throughout the summer on various trail projects in support of the Bitterroot National Forest - including clearing trails from downed logs and other obstructions to maintain access to trails for all types of recreationists. If you’d like to experience amazing country, share your love of the land with friends, and “recreate for a reason” this summer, you’re invited to volunteer with SPWBCH!

No horse? No problem. Volunteer hikers are always welcome to join in on projects. To learn about upcoming summer projects for 2024, please join us for “trail talk” and refreshments at the SPWBCH monthly meeting on Thursday, April 11, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. at the Hamilton Forest Service Building located at 1801 N. 1 st Street, Hamilton, MT. Entry is at the back of the building. For additional information, contact Kathy Hundley at 406-363-8230, visit our website at bchmt.org/spwbch, or follow us on Facebook!

Their latest experiments have shown that immune systems of aged laboratory mice can be made more youthful and efective at fghting disease by depleting a subset of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). The researchers think the method they developed may have potential for rejuvenating immunity in elderly people and are pursuing further study.

Dr. Hasenkrug has been working on problems with the immune system since 1978, primarily in relation to HIV. He said he became especially interested in the AIDS immune response during the Covid Pandemic when so many people were dying. They noticed that the vaccines were not working that well in the elderly.

“As you get old the immune response gets old just like the rest of you,” said Hasenkrug. He said the immune response dominates with memory cells. Those are cells that have already seen a virus, or bacteria and they are able to respond very quickly if they see that bacteria again. That’s how immunity works with vaccines. As you age, he said, you have fewer cells that can respond to new infections.

“If you think about how evolution occurred,” said Dr. Hasenkrug, “people were located in isolated communities where you weren’t exposed to things like Ebola Virus from Africa if you were in Europe. So you developed immunity to all the types of infections that were in your locale and as you aged

He said it was his colleague at Stanford University, Dr. Irving Weissman, who discovered the hematopoietic stem cell (HSC). That’s the stem cell that gives rise to all of your blood cells and all of your immune cells. Our immune systems, according to Hasenkrug, have two sets of defenses against would-be invaders.

There are the innate immunity forces, patrolling cells that can distinguish between friend and foe and attack any foreign microorganisms they come across. All of these kinds of cells are descended from “myeloid” HSCs. They release signaling molecules that trigger infammation, but the attack is not very specifc. “They can dampen infections, but they can’t kill it,” he said.

But they also marshal the forces of the adaptive immune system. These are the camps of B cells that reside in lymph nodes and produce pathogen-specifc antibodies and T cells, the body’s special forces units that are each programmed to fght only one specifc microbe. These cells make up the “lymphoid” lineage of HSCs.

“The innate immune response and the adaptive immune response work together and you need both,” he said, “but as you age, you have fewer lymphocytes that have not seen the infection yet. They are just waiting to identify something to respond to. Once they do, they will start dividing and making lots of cells with the exact specifcity needed.

“As you age, however, you get fewer and fewer of those naïve cells and that in turn may limit your response and you become more and more dominated by myeloid lineage stem cells. Those stem cells can then present problems such as too much infammation,” said Hasenkrug, “They can also become cancerous. So the more you age the more you become susceptible to myeloid lineage cancers.” It can aggravate other diseases that are infammation related as well including a lot of brain cancers that have an infammatory component.

According to Hasenkrug, it was the Stanford group that came up with the idea that if you just killed of a bunch of these stem cells that were myeloid biased, maybe the balanced stem cells would then take over and you would have a more youthful looking immune system.

Jason Ross, a postdoctoral researcher in Weissman’s lab, began the work by sifting through massive datasets of proteins expressed on the surface of diferent mouse HSCs and identifying three that were uniquely expressed on myeloid-biased HSCs. Through genetic profling his team identifed proteins on the surface of these two types of stem cells that were diferent and followed up by developing antibodies to proteins on the cells’ surface and injected them into mice and found that antibodies did bind to those myeloid cells and kill them.

increases in lymphoid cells and decreases in myeloid cells. Markers of infammation and “immune exhaustion” associated with age also were decreased. Even after 16 weeks, a single treatment remained efective in the aged mice.

“The question then became ‘what is the efect on the immune system?’ and ‘does it really impact how you are able to fght disease?’ That’s where the RML group stepped in and tested for functionality of the immune response by challenging aged animals with mouse retroviruses,” said Hasenkrug.

“I just supervised the work,” he said. “I think it’s important to say Lara Myers did the bulk of the work. She’s the one that did the mouse work, spending hours and hours working with the mice and she did an incredible job. It’s a tough job.”

He said the team observed increased virus-specifc T-cell development in treated mice compared to aged untreated controls, reduced pathology, and signifcantly increased virus control, with four of nine treated mice completely clearing the infection, proving that if you infected mice with these antibodies and replenished their balanced stem cells you were then able to induce vaccine immune responses and fght of infection.

The scientists also found that the my-HSC-specifc antigens targeted for depletion in mice are also present in human my-HSC, suggesting that similar protocols could be used in humans.

“These experiments represent the frst steps towards identifying therapeutic targets to deplete human my-HSCs and to rejuvenate the aged immune system using this strategy,” it states in their report published last week in Nature.

Stem cell biologist Robert Signer of UC San Diego’s Stem Cell Discovery Center, an expert in the biology of hematopoiesis who was not involved in the Stanford study, is quoted in Molteni’s article in STAT News, saying “It’s been mostly assumed or speculated what the consequences are of an increase in these myeloid cells as we age. This paper helps to show that directly, which is an important breakthrough.”

He agreed that the study is very much a frst step, one that invites more questions than answers at this point. But they’re questions worth going after, he said, because they open the door to the radical possibility of reversing a diverse set of age-associated conditions with a single intervention.

“Targeting these stem cells ofers the opportunity to have an outsized impact,” said Signer. “Not only does it help keep blood function normal but it could also improve immune function as well as lowering infammation, which has the potential to ameliorate a myriad of chronic diseases.”

Dr. Marshall Bloom, Director for Science Management at RML, said that it was important to note that this was not a “one-of” study but was the result of decades of research and collaboration between scientists at RML under the direction of Dr. Hasenkrug and Stanford University scientists under the direction of Dr. Weissman.

Both men grew up in Great Falls and as young high school students visited the McLaughlin Research Institute for Biomedical Sciences located in Great Falls which sparked their interest in bio-medical research. They both ended up working at the institute and have remained in touch over all these years.

To test their hypothesis, they identifed my-HSC-specifc genes in laboratory mice and then developed three methods using antibodies to deplete the targeted myHSC gene products. Within a week the team began observing a “rebalancing” of the immune system, with

It was in 1992 that Weissman began using his Montana ranch and NIAID’s nearby Rocky Mountain Laboratories (RML) as an ideal setting to foster collaborations between Stanford research groups and NIAID scientists. At the annual “Weissman Retreat,” budding, mid-career and senior scientists gathered annually to share ideas and plan projects, sometimes while fshing on the Bitterroot River adjacent to the ranch, sometimes while hiking the miles of nearby canyon trails, or sometimes during casual discussions at the laboratory campus or the ranch dinner table.

Hasenkrug said, “We sit down, eat, drink – and talk science for hours. Some of those conversations have led to important experiments.” He said over the last few years he has initiated at least four new translational research projects inspired at these events.

Dr. Hasenkrug said that the next steps in their current work will be to improve their methods and make sure everything works well in mice and then try it out on primates, because they are more like humans, and then move into clinical trials on humans if everything still looks good. He said any clinical trials are at least 3 to 5 years out.

The Tired Backpacker vs. The Fallen Tree Volunteer with Selway-Pintler Wilderness Backcountry Horsemen

Colorized scanning electron micrograph of a healthy T lymphocyte (green), also known as a T cell. Photo Courtesy NIAID.

to Animals. Click on Montana Field Guide. Then click on animal. Next choose vertebrate, and finally birds of the five choices of amphibians, mammals, reptiles, and fish. Then type in the name of a bird, or bird family.

Once you have the species there are photos, distribution and breeding maps, observations by month and year, general description and number of sightings reported. Remember, the amount of information is exhaustive. You can learn a lot about Montana’s natural heritage if you spend time on this webpage.

eBird has revolutionized how we keep track of birds worldwide. It starts with a free app for your phone

where you record the birds you see in the field. The App determines your location and then AI (artificial intelligence) generates a list of possible birds for that location and date. You simply note the number of birds of each species and submit checklists. If you encounter a rare species, it asks for additional information. Breeding data can also be noted, such as “on the nest”, near nest, chicks present”. If you go to the website, you can analysis your data. All your checklist will be there as well as the number of birds seen in any state by county.

eBird keeps track of all your personal data, total species seen in a year, or for all time in any country or sub-region (county). I personally have entered 4,600 checklists for 2,537 species of birds. In Montana I‘ve submitted 4,302 checklist for 382 species. A good feature of the program shows you where others have seen a particular species you type in. The information that is available is exhaustive and

relatively user friendly. Most importantly you are providing information to a national database that science can use to see trends in birds.

In 2023, checklists were submitted for 249 countries and 18.7 million checklists. In total, there are 247.3 million checklists in the database. In addition, 12 million photos have been sent in verifying sightings along with 454,400 sound recordings, as of March 25, 2024.

My 428 checklist and 113,797 individual birds seen in 2023 is a “dropin-the-bucket”, but I am contributing valuable information and so can you. In 2023, my checklists were used by ornithological researchers on 482 species of the 1,112 species analyzed for research papers last year.

Other resources I use are Birder’s Diary on my PC. I do this so I can analyze my personal data more closely than with eBird. There are several good bird book Apps that substitute for field guides. The Apps provide

by Gary Swant

songs in addition to regular information. Apps are constantly updated. Books become dated quickly. I recommend Sibley, and Birds of North America APPs.

What else is out there? Merlin is an App that allows you to type in characteristics, habitat type, date, and then the App gives 3 choices of what the bird might be. Birdnet analyzes songs and gives you a choice of several birds that it might be. New programs are constantly being developed. Swarovski optics is getting into AI where you focus their new AI binoculars on a bird and a list of possible birds appears in your field of view.

I’m currently involved in an AI program where bird images and sounds are recorded 24 hours a day. We then identify the species for the program. If we can teach an AI computer program to identify species with total accuracy, the use of that technology will greatly help us understand bird movement on a 24-hour scale, not just when we go to the field.

So, what is in the future? I have no idea. When I started birding in 1993 all we had were binoculars, scopes, and a field guide. If we wanted to play songs, we carried a cassette recorder to the field and played the song of a bird after inserting the right tape, and fast forwarding to the right footage. My have things changed! I can’t imagine what the next 30 years will bring.

I hope the future is not all remote AI birding. Folks still get out to the field and enjoy nature. We already spend too much time indoors on computers.

Collared Aracari, photographed in Panama. One of many great birds I have seen in the world. Photo by Gary Swant.

The other end of the line: Crisis Line workers

by Allie Wagner UM Byline Magazine

Editor’s Note: University of Montana School of Journalism students produce a magazine every other year as part of their capstone experience. Byline Magazine was written, photographed and edited by UM students under the mentorship of faculty advisers Chris Johns, former National Geographic editor-in-chief, and Denise Dowling, UM professor of journalism. This year, Byline Magazine tackled the crisis around mental health in Montana with a series of articles and photo essays.

As

UM News will release a selection of stories to showcase student work. This story was written by Allie Wagner of Miles City and photographed by Ava Rosvold of Wenatchee, Washington. Read more stories at bylinemagazine.com.

Several stories contain potentially triggering material. Don’t be reluctant to seek help if you or someone you know is in danger. Call or text the mental health crisis line at 988 or reach out to local resources to get the help you need.

Three hours before her 3 to 11 p.m. shift starts, Suzin Kratina sings. The melody of a lullaby travels down the hallway and into Kratina’s living room. Her granddaughter, Larken, is being put down for a nap.

Kratina and her husband watch their 2-year-old granddaughter four days a week. Books and art fll Kratina’s living room, including photographs she took herself. Larken’s toys

in Montana that take calls to the 988 number, a national suicide and crisis lifeline that anyone can call for help.

The Montana 988 number launched in July 2022, part of a national efort to replace the previous 10-digit number.

Down the hallway from sleeping Larken, Kratina enters the spare bedroom she works in from home. The room is painted salmon pink. Next to her laptop and second monitor, Kratina has her headset and a chocolate snack.

“That’s for when things get really tense,” she said. “I have to have a little piece of chocolate.”

At the call center, in the event that a call is intense or a specialist like Kratina has questions, Brittany Blair, the program manager at the center, is available to help them debrief. Kratina said that if she has questions she can always call or text Blair for help.

“You do hear really tough stories,” Kratina said.

But Kratina knew this would be the case. According to the Community Mental Health Journal, up to 77% of crisis line workers experience adverse efects on their mental health because of their work. While being a call spe-

as expected, the mill and taxpayer cost increases

“transition period” before and after her shift that helps her keep feelings from work separate from her personal time.

“I think I’ve gotten better at taking those feelings and leaving them at work,” Gentry said. “I touch dirt, I go out in my garden or I pet my cat.”

Kratina has a garden of her own that she enjoys spending time in, where she grows vegetables like tomatoes and carrots.

“I love being outside working in our garden,” Kratina said.

held on Tuesday, the 7th day of May, 2024.

are scattered about.

Oath of candidacy forms can be obtained from the Ravalli County Clerk and Recorder’s Office located at 215 South 4th Street, Suite C; Hamilton, Montana, or from the Ravalli County Elections website at https://www.ravalli.us/145/Elections. No filing fee is required.

For Kratina, watching her granddaughter makes it easier to focus on her daily life instead of work.

The Bitterroot Valley Community College District Election will be held on May 7, 2024 for district trustees who are not elected by acclamation.

“You have to be in the moment, so that really helps,” Kratina said.

Kratina works as a call support specialist at Lifeline Call Center through Western Montana Mental Health out of Missoula. It’s one of three centers

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Bill:

cialist can be stressful, Kratina doesn’t think it has negatively impacted her own mental health. She likes cooking, walking and gardening to give back to herself.

Dated this 13th day of March, 2024

Regina Plettenberg, Ravalli County Election Administrator

375-6550

Shalani Gentry works for the Bozeman Help Center, another one of the three centers that handles 988 calls in Montana. When Gentry can, she walks the 15 minutes to and from work, a

Please verify publication with an affidavit – Thank you!

are a registered voter and do not receive a ballot, contact the county election office to update your information as necessary and receive a ballot.

Persons who wish to register and who are not presently registered may do so by requesting a

Dated this 13th day of March, 2024

Regina Plettenberg, Ravalli County Election Administrator 215 South 4th Street, Suite C; Hamilton, MT 59840 (406) 375-6550

Liška, Kratina’s small reddish dog, runs around the backyard while Kratina looks at her garden. Where Kratina goes, Liška follows.

“[She’s] the most wonderful dog ever,” Kratina said. The Montana 988 line is not the only mental health resource center Kratina is involved in. She frst got involved with the National Alliance on Mental Health in Missoula when a family member had a mental health crisis. While Kratina said she always had an interest in learning more about mental health, one of her children was the catalyst to actually getting involved.

When her daughter started to struggle, Kratina and her husband tried to fnd resources to help. They enrolled in a 12-week class through NAMI meant to help families like hers. Through this class that Kratina now teaches, called Family-to-Family, Kratina said she learned how to listen and be more compassionate toward others, which helps her work at the call center.

While working as a call specialist means listening to some of the hardest parts of people’s lives, it can be rewarding, according to Kratina. Specialists have moments during calls where they know they have done their job.

“It’s this shift where you’re like, ‘okay, they’re over the hump,’” Gentry said. “They’re ready to see what they can do to help themselves in this moment.”

Kratina’s personal experiences with mental health challenges impact what she does with the call center and NAMI, and encourage her to stay involved.

“We are not therapists,” she said. “We are just there to keep people safe for now.”

Just listening to someone can help keep them safe, Kratina said. She said that the people who call 988 want help, even if help is just talking to someone.

Britney Marx works for Lifeline Call Center, like Kratina, in addition to doing in-person crisis care at Winds of Change Mental Health Center.

“You can’t see if they are truly safe when you’re on the phone. You have to pay attention to their words,” Marx said.

Slurring words is an example of speech that worries Marx on a call.

“It is scary knowing that individuals are calling when they are in crisis, and it is your responsibility to respond,” Blair wrote in an email. “With training and growing confdence, the fear lessens with hearing that phone ring.”

As part of a call specialist’s training, they listen to otherwise confdential calls that they did not take themselves. Listening back on other calls can give her ideas on other ways she can respond to callers, Kratina says.

its budget. The Stevensville Board of Trustees estimates the following increases/decreases in revenues and mills for the

During a single shift, Kratina has received as many as 10 calls and as few as zero. The average length of a call is 20 minutes, according to Blair, and there are usually two specialists per shift.

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“A lot of times what people really need is someone to talk to. We have regular callers, and they just need to talk,” Kratina said.

Before starting her shift, Kratina likes to make chai and do a breathing exercise. Once she is logged into the call system on her laptop, Kratina is ready to begin her shift and take her frst call of the evening.

“Thank you for calling 988 Lifeline, my name is Suzin. How can I best support you this evening?”

All estimates are based on the current year’s taxable value with no increase, as required by state law. If the District’s taxable value increases as expected, the mill and taxpayer cost increases will be less than presented here. These estimates are preliminary and changes are expected before the final budgets are set in August.

This notice must also document the District’s expected use of its Build Reserve and associated funding. This year, the District Expects to use those proceeds to partially fund deferred maintenance and replacement of safety and security systems as well as school safety operational costs.

This notice requirement is an estimate only. None of the budget changes have officially been adopted for the 2024-2025 school year. Action will not be taken on these items until the final Budgets are approved.

*Values are rounded to the nearest dollar

Dated this 12th day of March 2024.

Suzin Kratina picks up her granddaughter to get ready for lunchtime while her husband prepares 2-yearold Larken’s food in Missoula. Photo by Ava Rosvold.

Suzin Kratina opens a band-aid for her granddaughter Larken’s paper cut that she gave herself while playing with her grandmother’s ofce supplies. Photo by Ava Rosvold.

Bitterroot College UM sees big jump in spring enrollment

Enrollment is again rising at Bitterroot College UM. Bitterroot College UM has 145 students enrolled this spring semester, which is 39% increase compared to last spring. For the past two years, the institution located in Hamilton has experienced steady student enrollment growth, and this trend continues into the current semester.

“We are thrilled to see our enrollment numbers rise once again this spring,” said Bitterroot College UM Director Kristina Berger. “The enrollment increase refects our growing academic oferings, career preparation, workforce development and supportive community.”

The college has adopted a Guided Pathways approach where course oferings are more closely aligned to degrees and certifcate completion and delivered using the accessible learning modalities students prefer.

“What’s really exciting is our work with local high schools where pathway programs aligning high school and college oferings are being constructed

using existing dual enrollment programs,” Berger added.

In addition to classroom growth, Bitterroot College UM has graduated numerous Ravalli County residents this academic year in career felds that are in high demand, including:

25 graduates with a Commercial Driver’s License

25 graduates with a Medical Assistant Certifcate

6 graduates with a Nursing Assistant Training Certifcate

9 graduates with a certifcate in phlebotomy

Bitterroot College UM continues to focus on providing a dynamic learning environment that empowers students to achieve their goals and succeed in their chosen felds. Courses and programs have been designed with accessibility in mind allowing students to choose how they want to attend courses, be it in person on our Hamilton campus, accessing hybrid options through remote platforms or taking online classes.

“The University of Montana is committed to providing accessible, career-focused higher education at

Bitterroot College UM,” said UM Associate Vice Provost Tom Gallagher. “Director Berger continues to establish innovative partnerships that serve workforce demands, as we’ve seen in the healthcare and transportation industries. As UM Bitterroot College UM

looks to the future, it remains dedicated to fostering innovation, excellence, and inclusivity in its educational mission.”

For more information about Bitterroot College UM and its programs, visit umt.edu/bc.

Workshop scheduled on open burning protocol

Smoke is a common sight in our Bitterroot Valley whether it is spring, summer, winter, or fall. During the summer months, smoke from wildfres in neighboring counties, states, or Canada may be the culprit, but in the spring and fall the smoke is usually home grown. It primarily comes from residents burning debris piles, prescribed fres, or agricultural burns. Safe, controlled fre is a great way to dispose of yard waste, slash and dead vegetation. It promotes new growth and restores nutrients to the system, but the smoke that it creates can be hazardous to public health. While wildfre smoke is more hazardous to health than prescribed fre smoke, it is important that we work to manage the smoke that we can to reduce the impacts as best we can.

There are ways to burn debris piles and produce less smoke. The Fire

in the Root Council is hosting a free workshop on Saturday, April 6th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the main Victor Fire Hall on Meridian Road to show any that are interested just how to do this. Dr. Peter Kolb, MSU Extension Forestry Specialist, will provide an in-depth presentation on the science and strategies for burning debris with reduced smoke and greater efciency. He will include instruction on pile construction techniques, weather analysis, and proper burn timing.

Following Dr. Kolb’s presentation, attendees may enjoy a free lunch while observing a chainsaw safety demonstration by Team Rubicon, learn about the burn permit process from the Ravalli County Ofce of Emergency Management, and gather information on smoke management resources and wildfre preparedness. The workshop will conclude with the active burning

of three debris piles. One will be a poorly constructed pile, the second a well-constructed pile, and the third one of junipers (nicknamed “gas cans” by frefghters). Attendees will see the diference in smoke production and how efciently the piles burn.

“This will be a great opportunity for our community to hear from Dr. Kolb on how to plan our own debris burning projects. He has a wealth of information and will explain not only how to burn safely, but how weather forecasting and air quality issues are important factors to consider,” explains Judy Anderson, Ravalli County resident and co-chair of the Fire in the Root Council.

Kristin Mortenson, Community Preparedness & Fire Prevention Specialist with the Southwestern Land Ofce of the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation,

adds that “Ravalli County wildfres were predominantly human caused in 2023, with the #1 ignition source being escaped debris burns. Smoke is a very real health concern, and escaped debris burns are a very real hazard, which is why the Fire in the Root Council asked Dr. Kolb to help us address both here in the Valley.”

There is no cost to attend and free lunch will be provided to all that RSVP. Attendees will also have a chance to win a Winix purifer ($130 value). Visit freintheroot.org for more information and to secure your free lunch.

The Fire in the Root Council is a collaborative group of Ravalli County residents, local interest and business groups, and government partners dedicated to facilitating the reduction of wildfre risk throughout the Bitterroot Valley.

Photo courtesy UM news service.