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Covering the Bitterroot Valley – “Where Montana Begins!” – Established 1985 – Locally Owned & Independent
‘The Volume XXXVII, Number 4
’ ! l a c o L Best at
www.bitterrootstar.com
Wednesday, August 11, 2021
Housing hard to find in Bitterroot by Nathan Boddy The Bitterroot Valley is not the only place in the west experiencing a real estate ‘perfect storm,’ but that doesn’t help anyone who is looking to relocate within, or from outside of the valley. “It isn’t anything anyone in my office has experienced before. Not at this level.” Hannah Jessop, Property Manager with Cardinal Properties in Hamilton, refers to the scarcity of homes available to rent within the area. She says that, during a normal summer, they would expect to maintain anywhere between 10 and 20 places for rent at any time. This summer, however, a prospective tenant is lucky to find one. “We list them for a day or two, then we take them down because we have a lot of
applications for them.” Pinning down specifics for the housing shortage can be tricky, with very few sources
giving the whole picture. Census data available for 2020 shows a predictable increase in population (45,002 for Ravalli County), but
forces in play during 2020 have only gained more steam in 2021. A global pandemic, a booming interest in rural and small town living, and an increasing ability to work from home, may just be the tip of the iceberg. One contributing factor is that a lot of renters in the area would normally be expected to change locations during the summer months, but Jessop says that isn’t happening now. “Some of (the shortage) is because people who currently have a property didn’t move this year,” she says. “We’ve had way fewer of our current tenants move because they were afraid they wouldn’t be able to find housing if they moved.” Jessop adds that fear of moving isn’t the only reason for a low inventory. See HOUSING, page 2
River low flows not as bad as elsewhere by Michael Howell Caught under the same heat domes that have brought extremely high temperatures and drought across the West, the Bitterroot River is faring a good deal better than other rivers in the state. Just on the other side of the Great Divide, for instance, the Upper Missouri River above Fort Peck Reservoir saw the lowest flows last month than it has in the last 123 years. According to the press release issued by the Army Corps of Engineers, the runoff this year is forecast to reach only 57% of average. “If realized, this runoff amount would be the 10th driest year in the upper Basin since 1898,” it said in the press release. What makes things a little better in the Bitterroot is that
the river has been so severely impacted by low flows for decades that major action has already been taken to save up more water by increasing our storage capacity in Painted Rocks Reservoir and Lake Como and manage it in a way that it can last through the summer. Primary players in the ongoing cooperative effort are the State of Montana DNRC, the Painted Rocks Water Users Association, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and Trout Unlimited. J.R. Iman, former County Commissioner and President of the Painted Rocks Reservoir Water Users Association, was recently appointed to serve as the Bitterroot River Water Commissioner to replace retiring commissioner Al Pernichle. Iman said that through the dam improvements and the
A mother and daughter walk up the middle of the Bitterroot River near the Lee Metcalf Wildlife Refuge. Right now the deepest part of the river at that spot is below the girl’s knees. Photo by Micki Long.
Darby Rodeo Association’s 2021 FUNDRAISER EVENT
Trinity Seely IN CONCERT
cooperation, Bitterrooters have managed to extend the water season for irrigators by a month and at the same time maintain river flows for the fish. Bell Crossing is where the most crucial flow measurements are made. There is only one water diversion, out of fifty, that is diverted below Bell Crossing. All the other water is being diverted above Bell, where the river has historically run dry. When the Painted Rocks Dam was improved and heightened, both
the irrigators and Fish, Wildlife and Parks got water and it is by managing it together that they try to keep the flows up at Bell. FWP biologists determined a targeted amount of flow for maintaining a good fishery at 550 to 600 cfs. In the heat of the irrigation season, that simply can’t be met. That’s when the compromise begins and sometimes flows go lower. “It’s not a perfect solution,” See RIVER FLOWS, page 2
North Valley Library survey underway Have your say on the future of your library and take the North Valley Public Library Community Input Survey. It takes about five minutes. The link is at the top of the library’s website at northvalleylibrary. org. Residents of the Stevensville and the Lone Rock areas can find a paper copy inserted in this week’s Bitterroot Star. In order to serve the needs of the community now and in the future, the North Valley Public Library in Stevensville is in the process of having a Preliminary Architectural Report (PAR) done to assess the building. The board is seeking input on a variety of issues that will help in the planning process.
There are nine questions on the survey. The board is asking for the main reasons you use the library. If you do not use the library, then the board wants to know why. The board wants to know what you think of the current facility, and what your preference is regarding renovation, expansion, or a new building, and also what you want to see in a renovated or new building. In addition, the board needs to know what you like that the library should continue doing and what would make the library better for you. Library Director Denise Ard says, “Please take the five minutes to fill out the nine questions. It will help us serve you.” The last day to fill out the survey is September 15.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 12 DOORS OPEN 5 PM | DRA RODEO GROUNDS • • • • •
Tri-Tip Dinner with all the fixin’s • No Host Bar by 406 Saloon Live & Silent Auctions featuring Auctioneer Extraordinaire Jaxon Allen Pre-Concert entertainment by Isabella Parell $50 per person, includes dinner and concert Tickets sold at Darby Wine & Spirits, Murdoch’s, and online at darbyrodeo.org
WILD WEST RODEO | AUGUST 13 & 14 • $20/person per night - Gates open at 5 pm - Rodeo at 7 pm