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1 Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013

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Life and land from the heart of the Yellowstone Region

Explore Big Sky

Big Sky Fall on the fly: The fishing issue

Sam Byrne talks investment at Montana economic summit

Business profile: Willie's Distillery takes Ennis by storm

A summer of Music in the Mountains

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Gov. Bullock meets with top Montana companies

Photo by Dave Edwards

Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013 Volume 4 // Issue #19

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On the cover: Madison on the Madison. Dave Edwards, general manager at Gallatin River Guides, snapped this photo of his 4-year-old daughter Madison’s first trout… ever. With this image, Edwards won explorebigsky. com’s Town Crier/Patagonia photo contest, scoring a grab bag from Patagonia. Madison scored this monster rainbow she caught on the Madison River this summer. Photo by Dave Edwards

SEPT. 20-OCT. 3, 2013 Volume 4, Issue no. 198 Owned and published in Big Sky, Montana

PUBLISHER Eric Ladd

editorial MANAGING EDITOR Emily Stifler Wolfe senior editor Joseph T. O’Connor staff writer/distribution director Tyler Allen associate editor Maria Wyllie

creative CREATIVE DIRECTOR Mike Martins GRAPHIC DESIGNER Kelsey Dzintars VIDEO director Brian Niles Video Producer Joe Paulet

SALES and operations COO Megan Paulson

First snow: Big Sky-based photographer Ryan Day Thomson shot this image of Lone Mountain on the morning of Sept. 18. See more of his work in a photo collage in the special Fishing section on page 49, or online at ryandaythompson.com and Facebook.com/ryandaythompson.

Operations director Katie Morrison

Tight lines!

Director of Business Development Yellowstone region EJ Daws

The Montana winter is on the horizon, coming into view. But first, we get to enjoy fall – arguably the best time of year in this great state. Animals are on the move with hunters in hot pursuit, MSU football fills weekends with community excitement, and fishing ramps up again as warm days fold into cool nights.

CONTRIBUTors Jamie Balke, Tyler Busby, Mike Coil, Brian D’Ambrosio, Kevin Devaney, Dave Edwards, Nick Hamill, Dave Hanson, Tyson Krinke, Kay Leggott, Craig Mathews, Erik Morrison, Chloe Nostrant, Kenton Rowe, Patrick Straub, Ryan Day Thompson

Editorial Policy Outlaw Partners LLC is the sole owner of the Explore Big Sky. EBS reserves the right to edit all submitted material. Printed material reflects the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the opinion of Outlaw Partners or its editors. EBS will not publish anything discriminatory or in bad taste.

LetterS to the Editor Letters to the editor allow EBS readers to express views and share how they would like to effect change. These are not Thank You notes. Letters should be 250 words or less, respectful, ethical, accurate, and proofread for grammar and content.

We reserve the right to edit letters. Include: full name, address, phone number and title. Submit to media@theoutlawpartners.com.

ADVERTISING DEADLINE For next issue, SeptOCT. 40 SeptSept. 273, 2013

Autumn fishing in Montana can be a mixed bag.

Uncertainty in weather and fish activity gives it an unpredictable yet exciting feel, and the solitude can be unmatched.

We seek this solitude in quiet waters. You might stand in sleet and rain to free your mind of job stress, deadlines, family problems or health issues. Maybe you enjoy a challenge that can never truly be mastered, or being part of a river ecosystem. Or maybe you just love the pastime and its camaraderie.

Please report errors to media@theoutlawpartners.com.

P.O. Box 160250, Big Sky, MT 59716 (406) 995-2055 • media@theoutlawpartners.com © 2013 Explore Big Sky Unauthorized reproduction prohibited

Explore Big Sky regional distribution Hundreds of drop points surrounding Yellowstone National Park

© 2013 Explore Big Sky Unauthorized reproduction prohibited

Enjoy this special fly fishing issue of Explore Big Sky, the newspaper, where we hope to open your eyes to new ideas, offer tips to help get more enjoyment from the sport, as well as display areas where fly fishing has opened doors to help people in various walks of life.

Tight lines!

Whatever it may be, fly fishing is a fine outlet to calm and center yourself in some of the prettiest country around.

CORRECTIONS OUTLAW PARTNERS & Explore big sky

Growing up in Bozeman, I’ve fished these waters for many years – but in the making of this issue, I learned something new, myself: I spent a weekend with the crew from Casting 4 a Cure, learning and writing about Bill Farnum’s quest to use fly fishing as a platform to raise money and awareness for a rare, genetic brain development disorder called RETT syndrome, which affects his daughter as well as 1 in 20,000 young girls worldwide.

– E.J. Daws

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Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013 3

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All information given is considered reliable, but because it has been supplied by third parties, we cannot represent that it is accurate or complete, and should not be relied upon as such. These offerings are subject to errors, omissions, and changes including price or withdrawal without notice. All rights reserved. Equal Housing Opportunity. Š2013 LK REAL ESTATE, llc. lkrealestate.com | *Membership is required

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table of contents

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Features: 10

Explore Big Sky

Sam Byrne speaks at Montana economic summit

Section 1: News Community...................................................5 Local News............................................................7 Regional......................................................8 Montana.....................................................10 Nation.....................................................14

Section 2: Business and sports Dining.................................................................17 Business.................................................................19 Outlaw News.......................................................21 Sports...........................................................22 Health..............................................................29 Classifieds....................................................30 Environment....................................................31 Bull Market...........................................................32

49 fishing

special section:

6

a summer of music in the mountains

Section 3: Life, land and culture Entertainment..................................................33 Events........................................................37 Calendar.......................................................39 Outdoors..........................................................40 Wanderer at Rest................................................45 Fun/Crossword....................................................47 Back 40.................................................................48

17

willie's distillery takes ennis by storm gov. bullock meets with top montana companies

Special Section: Fishing.......................49

21

New staff at Big Sky School District It’s back to school for Big Sky students enrolled in Ophir School and Lone Peak High. This year, they welcoming six new staff members into the BSSD family. EBS introduced three instructors in the Sept. 6 issue. Here is the second installment of introductions.

Lander Bachert Ms. Bachert spent her normative childhood in Boone, N.C., and moved to Michigan in high school. She graduated from Grand Valley State University in 2008, with degrees in Social Studies and English while also competing on the rowing team.

Lander Bachert

An advocate of continuous learning, Ms. Bachert also received an M. Ed from Montana State University in 2011. Beginning her sixth year of teaching, she is very excited to be part of the Ophir School district where she teachers English and Social Studies at the middle school.

Outside of the classroom, Ms. Bachert enjoys climbing, exploring with her floppy-eared hound dog, laughing easily, taking pictures, reading and generally loving the stuff of life.

Tony Coppola Mr. Coppola moved from Ohio to Big Sky in the fall of 2001 to snowboard and enjoy the outdoor adventures and natural beauty Montana has to offer. He’s called Big Sky home ever since.

Tony Coppola

For the majority of his time here he has worked as a raft guide and run a kitchen, but he says it feels great using his degrees. Mr. Coppola received his master’s degree from Montana State University in Native American Studies and also earned his teaching certification there.

His position in the Big Sky School District includes Indian Education For All and Social Studies for Ophir Middle School.

Scott Davis Mr. Davis is the Integration Technology Specialist for the Big Sky School District. Originally from Townsend, he has more than 30 years of teaching experience at the secondary and post-secondary level in the state.

Over the course of his career, Mr. Davis has provided leadership in professional associations at the state level in career and technical education and at the national level in the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association.

He spent the last 24 years as a teacher-educator in the Department of Education at MSU, where he previously graduated with a B.A. in History and an M. Ed. in Industrial Arts. He earned his doctorate from Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.

Keeping abreast of technology used in teaching and learning has always been one of Mr. Davis’s interests, and he has been involved in the use of instructional technology in teaching for more than two decades. Mr. Davis looks forward to providing instructional technology support to the students, teachers and staff at Big Sky School District.

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Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013 5

BSCC expands Big Sky trail system

By Maria Wyllie

those the easements this winter.

BIG SKY – The Big Sky Community Corp. is giving local residents and guests a lot to look forward to: new trails, climbing boulders and a pavilion at the Big Sky Community Park are just a few projects BSCC has been working to complete.

“It would be such a cool thing for the community to have access to the mountain and meadow via a single trail,” she said.

Explore Big Sky Associate Editor

The Big Sky Community Park is also now home to three climbing boulders – a $70,000 project donated by The Rotary Club.

It was 12 years ago when BSCC applied for trail easements to expand Big Sky’s trail system. Finally, in early June, eight miles worth of easements throughout the meadow, Town Center and Ousel Falls area were transferred from the Gallatin Peak Masters Association to the local nonprofit.

“We’re at a spot now where they are mapped, and we are in negotiations with various landowners to make sure the easements are placed in a location that makes sense for them and for us,” said Jessie Wiese, BSCC’s executive director.

Although details surrounding the project are still being ironed out, Wiese says they’re close to sending the project out for bids so construction can begin this fall.

The Rotary Club of Big Sky donated funds for all three of the community park boulders. Photo courtesy of BSCC.

Wiese added that the new trail system, known as the South Forks Trail Project, will be different than other trails in Big Sky in that it’s less steep and rocky and follows gentle, rolling terrain.

is surrounded by a bubble of private property, so what BSCC does is try to make Big Sky more livable by gaining access to easements within that bubble.”

“I think that right now we are in a real pinch to have accessible trails directly to our community apart from Forest Service trails,” Wiese said. “Big Sky

BSCC is also mapping out preliminary routes to build a trail beginning at Ophir School and leading to Big Sky Resort. Weise plans to obtain

Rev. Robert (Rob) Nedbalek, Pastor & Mission Developer Photo courtesy of All Saints in Big Sky

All Saints welcomes guest preacher BIG SKY – On Sunday, Sept. 29, at 9:30 a.m., All Saints in Big Sky will welcome the Rev. Rob Nedbalek, pastor of Freedom in Christ Prison Congregation at the Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge.

Pastor Nedbalek has a background in retail and wholesale business, automotive and motorcycle mechanics and myriad of other jobs. He ultimately went to Wartburg Theological Seminary, seeking a master of divinity degree and ordination to the ministry of Word and Sacrament.

Subsequently, he served as pastor of rural, multi-point parishes in

Montana, as well as North and South Dakota before returning to Montana with his family.

While at the seminary, Nedbalek became acquainted with prison congregations of America and was encouraged to consider making himself available for call to prison ministry.

A coffee hour will follow the service with further discussion continuing at Cindy and Darius Larsen’s home, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

All Saints is a shared ministry of the Episcopal and Lutheran churches.

And climbers, skaters and softball players will be pleased to learn that port-o-potties will no longer be needed at the park.

Construction for a new pavilion, located between the two softball fields, is underway. The building will have restrooms and a concessions area, as well an overhanging awning with room for eight picnic tables beneath it. BSCC’s annual Parks and Trails Gala, which raised close to $100,000 this year, provided funds for the new building.

6 Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013

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WMPAC debut season planned

By Barbara Rowley

ming to find a significant family audience.”

BIG SKY – With the construction of Big Sky’s performing art center complete, Warren Miller Performing Art Center Artistic Director John Zirkle has been planning the debut season for the state-of-the-art facility.

Bringing in internationally recognized acts from Minneapolis, Chicago, New York and abroad is expensive. That’s why a large part of Zirkle’s job is not only to devise an inspiring season, but also to find a way to fund it outside of ticket sales.

The mission: present world class performances from December through April that will match the world class ski options that Big Sky residents and guests have come to expect.

Although Zirkle is holding off until early November to announce details, he says the Big Sky community should anticipate rousing winter entertainment.

The Warren Miller Performing Arts Center upon completion last winter. The new season starts in December.

Photo by Kene Sperry “What we are presenting is a truly original, responsive season Zirkle says, with a lineup mixing movement, music, of events that I believe will help theater and spoken word. foster the growth of our community of confident performers and inspired audiences.”

“I think it’s the responsibility of any performing arts venue to push the boundaries of what performing The season will include 10 acts, including several arts means,” he said. “[This] doesn’t mean these acts cooperative ventures with The Arts Council of are inaccessible – I anticipate much of our programBig Sky. This will be “adventurous programming,”

“It almost goes without saying that the cost of bringing in internationally recognized artists is not insignificant,” he said.

Zirkle hopes the enthusiasm shown for building WMPAC will continue to build its programming, noting that sponsorships will directly impact ticket prices and help make events accessible to everyone in the community.

Music in the Mountains wraps up fourth year in Town Center Arts Council debuts end-of-season festival, looks to winter series

By Tyler Allen

place than Big Sky, and for free. It doesn’t get any better than that.”

BIG SKY – From the California Honeydrops’ opening licks, to Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit’s season-closing set, this summer’s Music in the Mountains concert series brought the Big Sky Town Center to life.

The Orzechowskis began planning their getaway to Big Sky when they first heard about the show months ago, and rented a condo less than a mile from the stage. Jason spent Saturday morning fishing and they grabbed lunch from the Hungry Moose with their 12-year-old son before setting up their lawn chairs right at 3 p.m., when the grounds opened.

Explore Big Sky Staff Writer

The Arts Council of Big Sky’s fourth season of free Thursday night concerts at Center Stage featured bluegrass and blues, jazz and pop, nationally touring acts like Lake Street Dive and the Deadly Gentlemen, all culminating on Saturday, Sept. 7 with the debut Music in the Mountains Festival.

The season’s final show brought a hefty lineup of the Dead Winter Carpenters, T. Hardy Morris, the Driftwood Grinners and the southern styling of former Drive-By Truckers’ guitarist Jason Isbell to Town Center Park. Landing the big-name Isbell pulled in fans from around the region.

“I talked to a lot of people came for Isbell from Bozeman and Helena,” said ACBS General Manager Brian Hurlbut. One of those fans was Sheila Orzechowski of Helena, who brought her family to Big Sky for the weekend.

“My husband [Jason] and I are huge Isbell fans,” Sheila said. “This was our first chance to see him and what better

“The venue was awesome,” Sheila said. “It’s such a gorgeous area. Now that we know it’s there, and how well run it is, I see some long weekends coming up next summer in Big Sky.” The music culture is gaining momentum in Big Sky, Hurlbut says. “There’s a lot of good energy with the music scene [here] right now. I think the summer concert series is a big part of that.”

ACBS plans to keep the tempo going this winter, debuting a winter concert series at the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center. The plan is to book at least three concerts with a lineup announced around Oct. 1, Hurlbut said.

The winter shows won’t be free, but the Arts Council plans to keep them affordable, he said.

Jason Isbell Photo by Tyson Krinke

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local news

Explore Big Sky

Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013 7

Fire restrictions lifted

Looking into the late summer sun from the Gallatin Valley, east of the airport

As fall brings cooler weather and precipitation, local agencies have lifted fire restrictions.

forested state and private lands in Gallatin and Park counties.

and forests are still susceptible to fire no matter the calendar date.

Fish, Wildlife and Parks on Sept. 13 lifted restrictions in Park and Gallatin Counties. FWP had enacted Stage 1 restrictions into place Aug. 30, because of prevailing dry conditions.

With recent rainfall and more in the forecast, Madison County Commissioners lifted the last fire restrictions for the Big Sky Area on Sept.

17.

Stage 1 restrictions were also lifted on the Gallatin National Forest that day, including in the Lee Metcalf and Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness Areas, as well as from BLM lands and

Fire officials ask people to continue using extreme caution to decrease the chance of fires. They caution the public not to be fooled by cooler temperatures or rain events: Grasses

The Big Sky Fire Department suggests signing up for Gallatin County Emergency Management’s Emergency Preparedness Network System, which calls landlines with emergency information. To get this information on a cell phone, visit readygallatin. com/epns.

Burn permits are required in all fire districts and area counties, and are available at burnpermits.gov.

Bear Smart Big Sky talks waste management, education

By Tyler Allen

Explore Big Sky Staff Writer

BIG SKY – The Bear Smart Big Sky committee met on Sept. 5, taking steps toward enforcement of better waste management practices, and continuing its education efforts aimed at reducing bear-human conflicts in the community.

Two members of the committee’s 10-person technical advisory group attended the meeting, Madison County Planner Charity Fechter and Gallatin Canyon/Big Sky Advisory Committee chairperson Mindy Nowakowski. They provided guidance for proposing amendments to county ordinances and regulations that already require bear-proof waste management, as well as suggestions for working with the counties to build these recommendations. This was the first time anyone involved with planning on the advisory group attended a meeting.

Alpine Property Management no longer has bear issues on the properties it manages, said owner Markus Kirchmayr during the public comment period. He attributed this to the fact that all of Alpine’s properties are required to have bear-proof curbside carts, enforceable with fines.

On the topic of community education, the committee agreed it could help increase awareness of how to coexist with bears. It has already developed refrigerator magnets with tips reminding homeowners to feed pets inside, clean grills after use, only to use bird feeders from November to February, and to secure garbage.

Representatives from the Big Sky Community Corp., Big Sky Natural Resource Council, Big Sky Owners Association, Big Sky Resort, Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Keystone Conservation, Moonlight Basin Ski Resort, Spanish Peaks and the Yellowstone Club attended the meeting, which was held in the Big Sky Owners Association conference room.

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BWTF hosts Gallatin River cleanup On Saturday, Sept. 21, the Blue Water Task Force will host its annual Upper Gallatin River Cleanup. Volunteers should meet at the Big Sky Community Park Pavilion at 9:30 a.m. and come dressed to work in the river or along stream banks. There will be a free barbecue following the cleanup.

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8 Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013

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“Nothing will change if nobody learns” Gallatin Community Collaborative hires facilitator Goebel has already spoken with more than 20 people from a range of interest groups, from Livingston to West Yellowstone.

“I learned that people would like to have this resolved,” he said. “Most important was that there was an intention of whatever comes of this, is that the community stops being polarized and divided. There is a sense of goodwill.”

Committee member Steve Caldwell, a Livingston city commissioner, says Goebel has “potential for taking people off the defensive. I think his approach in terms of trying to develop a blank slate and use that starting point to build trust [could be] very effective.”

Eventually, Caldwell says, the committee members realized “the protocols weren’t as important as how we actually got there.” He hopes that if the GCC’s work is successful, it could be applied to future conflicts.

Jeff Goebel began facilitating a conflict between warring ethnic groups in Djenne, Mali in 1998. Within 15 months of his second workshop on food scarcity, the tribes began working together, nearly doubling their food production, Goebel says.

The GCC just hired him to work on the 30-year land use conflict in the Gallatin Range. Photo courtesy of Jeff Goebel

By Emily Wolfe

Explore Big Sky Managing Editor

Jeff Goebel began facilitating a conflict between warring ethnic groups in Djenne, Mali in 1998. Within 15 months of his second workshop on food scarcity, the seven tribes began working together, nearly doubling their food production, Goebel says.

He returned five times over the next four years, and by the time his work was finished, violent conflict had completely ended between the 10 villages.

“Instead of coming into a conflict as adversaries and staying adversaries, [the tribes] came in as adversaries and built friendship and trust,” he said.

Based in Portland, Ore., Goebel has facilitated conflicts around the Western U.S., and from Hawaii to Palestine, he says, working with individuals, families, businesses, communities and tribes. And the Gallatin Community Collaborative Exploratory Committee just hired him to work on the 30-year land use conflict in the Gallatin Range.

“He’s a little bit more outside the box, but I think that’s what we need,” said Gallatin District Ranger Lisa Stoeffler, also a committee member.

Through his business, About Listening, Goebel focuses on conflict resolution through consensus building, as well as strategic planning “from a holistic point of view – that means helping people meet their basic quality of life values, their economic needs and their ecologic needs.”

The GCC Exploratory Committee spent the last two years bringing together opposing user groups to find a solution for the 155,000-acre HyalitePorcupine-Buffalo Horn Wilderness Study Area.

resolution it can present to the Gallatin National Forest and federal elected officials.

After her time with the committee, Stoeffler thinks the public is ready to find this solution. “It feels really stalled

Congress designated the WSA in 1977 to “preserve its existing wilderness character” until a long-term decision about management and protection could be made.

Managed by the Gallatin National Forest, it’s been a point of contention between user groups ever since.

Goebel plans to hold a series of community meetings in mid-October, and he says they will be different, and very structured.

“My process works with how we function physiologically as humans, by addressing our fear and concerns. Unless you can address those, it’s really difficult to move to what your hopes are.”

This, Goebel says, begins by creating “a respectful listening environment, so everyone leaves feeling like they are heard,” he said. “I do things differently.

I get change, big change and unexpected change.”

Because Goebel is only contracted for six months to start, he says he’ll work to transfer his skill set and knowledge to others involved locally. “I want [the GCC] members to go back to their interest groups or communities they’re from, wherever the opportunities are for them to resolve big or small issues.”

The Gallatin Community Collaborative Exploratory Committee cel-

Led by Dan ebrates two years of hard work. Photo courtesy of GCC Clark, director of the Montana State University Local Governout to people. People see a better way. ment Center, the GCC Exploratory They were tired and unhappy with the long term conflict and wanted Committee represented motorized to overcome that.” and non-motorized interest groups, outfitters, landowners, conservation, educators and agency managers.

Goebel’s approach aims for “100 With the National Forest considering percent agreement.” Instead of looking for common ground, he revisions to its management plan and no litigation pending, the committee plans to help the community find built guidelines and operating protonew ground: “stuff people don’t cols for a future collaborative group to even know exists at the moment.” create a “broad, adaptive and durable”

Caldwell pointed out that many successful collaborative efforts in southwest Montana have been related to physical resources like water, timber or grazing rights – things you can allocate and partition.

“But recreation is something that people have more of an emotional bond to – being able to ride, hike or ski in a given place with your own set of expectations,” he said.

“Those intangibles are tough, in terms of compromising.”

The key, Goebel says, is for everyone to learn. “What’s important in our life is not only where we end up, it’s also what we learn as we’re going there.

Nothing will change if nobody learns.”

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Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013 9

MSU chapter of Engineers Without Borders to host regional meeting MSU NEWS SERVICE BOZEMAN – Montana State University will host the Rocky Mountain regional meeting of Engineers Without Borders Oct. 4-6, giving western chapters a place to discuss their collective efforts working with international communities and implementing sustainable engineering projects.

The three-day conference for EWB student and professional members will feature hands-on sessions, lectures and social events.

“The conference is a chance for us to come together and find out what other chapters are doing and what their successes have been, as well as their failures,” said Cassidy Fisher, a junior mechanical engineering major and coordinator of the October conference. “And of course, we’re really excited to be representing MSU and showing off what EWB-MSU has accomplished.”

Each summer since 2004, the MSU chapter of EWB has worked with the community in the Khwisero District of Kenya to implement clean water and sanitation projects. This summer, 21 students in four rotations spent six weeks working there while they completed all of their projects, something Fisher said doesn’t always happen.

In 2011, EWB was honored when MSU received the prestigious C. Peter Magrath University Community Engagement Award from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, beating out some of the largest universities in the nation.

With its commitment to implement clean water and sanitation systems at the 61 schools in Khwisero over a period that could last decades, MSU’s EWB is recognized as one of the most ambitious and successful student-led organizations in the school’s history.

Its members include approximately 40 students representing every college in the university.

Over the past 10 years, more than 100 MSU students have traveled to Khwisero, in western Kenya, where they have built 10 deep-water wells and 12 composting latrines in an effort to decrease the rate of waterborne illnesses.

EWB-MSU has also contributed to a biogas-capturing and energy-producing latrine, a system for catching rainwater, as well as the first phase of a water pipeline.

“We’re really proud of the pipeline, because the community has completed the second two phases entirely on their own,” said chapter president Bronwyn Rolph, a senior majoring in civil engineering.

While work on the ground in Kenya is the point, Rolph noted that fundraising is just as critical to the group’s success as its approach to engineering and carrying out projects in Khwisero. The organization’s next fundraiser is the Clean Water for Kenya Jubilee, set for Oct. 26, at the GranTree Inn in Bozeman. Every spring, EWB hosts Junk 2 Funk, a recycled fashion show.

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TEDxBozeman seeking speakers and performers for 2014 TEDxBozeman showcases some of Montana’s most impressive creative minds. Past speakers have included a diverse group of individuals ranging from musicians, business people, teachers, researchers and humanitarians.

Now in its third year, this independently organized event licensed by TED was the inaugural TEDx event in Montana. After being featured in WIRED magazine’s December 2012 issue, TEDxBozeman’s sold-out, March 2013 event had more than 500 attendees.

Started as a four-day conference in California 26 years ago, TED is a nonprofit organization that has hosted some of the world’s leading thinkers and doers, asking them to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes.

In the spirit of “ideas worth spreading,” TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video as well as live speakers combine to spark discussion and connections in a small group.

TEDxBozeman 2014 will be the third week in March, and the organizing committee is currently accepting applications from those interested in performing or giving talks. Sixty-five prospective speakers and performers applied last year.

“The talent pool that Montana has to offer seems virtually boundless,” said co-founder Ken Fichtler.

Past Bozeman presentations have included National Geographic’s Casey Anderson talking about a grizzly bear he rescued and raised; Robert Keith, of Beartooth Capital, describing how he and his business partner combined investment and conservation; and University of Montana professor Jakki Mohr discussing the use of biomimicry to develop technological innovations and transform business practices.

The application period for those interested in performing or giving talks at TEDxBozeman is open Sept. 20 through Oct. 20. For more information or to apply, visit tedxbozeman.com. Find sample talks from previous years at youtube. com/tedxbozeman.

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10 Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013

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Tipping edge: Montana Economic Development Summit draws more than 3,000 Byrne talks investment

Organized by Sen. Max Baucus, the sixth annual economic summit drew more than 3,000 people to Montana Tech in Butte Sept. 16-17. PHOTOS BY EMILY WOLFE

By Emily Wolfe

ity here. People are enthusiastic, willing to roll up their sleeves and get it done.”

BUTTE – Montana’s mountains and minds are on par with the best in the world, but we’re not broadcasting that effectively: This was one of the recurring themes at the sixth annual Montana Economic Development Summit, held Sept. 16 -17, at Montana Tech of the University of Montana in Butte.

The challenge, Stursberg said, is money.

Explore Big Sky Managing Editor

Organized by U.S. Sen. Max Baucus, the summit drew more than 3,000 people from around the state and country. Tech cancelled classes for the two days, hosting talks in its library and engineering, geology, chemistry and natural science buildings, as well as its 2,000-person HPER sports complex.

Keynote speakers included Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt, Facebook CEO Sheryl Sandberg, Spacex and Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk and ConocoPhillips CEO Ryan Lance.

More than 30 panels featured topics from the Bakken as an economic driver, to international business, the future of wind and biofuels in Montana, protecting intellectual property, biochemicals, timber and agriculture. The rooms were packed, many with standing room only.

Elements needed for significant growth exist in Montana, according to the speakers at an afternoon panel called “Cultivating the Ecosystem of Startups.”

“This is the best place to do business and raise a family,” said Joe Fanguy, president of the Missoula-based business incubator, MonTEC. “There’s so much opportunity here we haven’t even begun to capitalize on.

It’s all right here, you guys are all it,” he said, speaking to a group of around 200.

The state is on the “tipping edge,” echoed Amy Stursberg, Executive Director of the Blackstone Charitable Foundation, part of the international investment and advising firm Blackstone. “There’s talent here, possibil-

Even the summit itself is under-leveraged, said Dawn McGee, president of the Montana-based Goodworks Ventures, at that panel.

“Why are there not more people here from out of state? To see [Facebook CEO] Sheryl Sandberg – there are something like 17 CEO’s in a 48-hour period. We have to get out to the rest of the world what is happening, the quality of the talent, the resources. I travel around the country, and people with a lot less do a lot better with marketing.”

Leveraging Montana If the elements are here, it’s up to the residents and those doing business in Montana to tell the world, said Delta Airlines CEO Richard Anderson at a discussion about travel and tourism.

“How do you distribute Montana?” Anderson asked.

“You have a gem of a state.”

Delta runs nonstop flights from Atlanta to Bozeman, Missoula and Kalispell, and is adding Billings next spring. The airline had double-digit growth here in the last two years, driven by demand.

Yellowstone Club principal owner Sam Byrne has worked with Delta and the state through the Y.C. in recent years, helping establish new direct flights into Bozeman-Yellowstone International Airport. He spoke alongside Anderson to an audience of about 300 in Tech’s library auditorium.

“In the last five years, we’ve invested more than $550 million in Montana,” Byrne said, referring not only to real estate purchases but also airline investments.

“That number will more than double in the next 10 years.”

Byrne’s investment firm, CrossHarbor Capital Partners, also owns The Club at Spanish Peaks and is set to acquire Moonlight Basin in early October.

Through a new partnership between CrossHarbor and Boyne Resorts, the Club at Spanish Peaks and Moonlight will now operate as one with Big Sky Resort.

Having conglomerated the largest ski area in the country, Byrne is at the forefront of Montana tourism. But Big Sky’s 400,000 annual skier visits are trivial compared with the big resorts in Colorado and Utah.

His commitment to invest in the southwest Montana market was based largely on the strength of Bozeman’s airport, the largest in Montana after a 2011 renovation and the second largest in the northern Rockies.

“It’s critical to develop business nationally,” Byrne said. To accomplish this, he says Big Sky will need help from the state and all Montana ski areas.

Business friendly, outdoor economy Passing business-friendly state legislation is key to the state’s growing business community, Anderson said, adding that one of Delta’s main hubs is Atlanta, Ga. for exactly that reason. “You’ve got to continue to think about… creating the kind of environment that businesses want to relocate to.”

For Montana, another part of that is inherent to its northern Rockies location – an asset that must be protected and nurtured, according to panelists in “Boosting Montana’s Economy through the Great Outdoors.”

“Americans spend $646 billion on outdoor recreation every year,” said panelist I Ling Thompson, Vice President of Marketing and Communica-

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Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013 11

tions for the Boulder, Colo.based Outdoor Industry Association. “Even during the recession, the average increased every year by 5 percent.”

People spend more on outdoor recreation than on cars, pharmaceuticals or utilities, Thompson said. “You’re at the forefront of a growing industry. More than half of all Americans participate in outdoor recreation. That’s 50 percent of people spending money.”

According to 2012 OIA research, nearly $6 billion is generated by outdoor recreation spending in Montana, generating $403 million in state and local tax revenue and nearly 65,000 jobs.

Another panelist, Alex Philp, president of Missoula software company GCS Research, said the outdoors contribute directly to his bottom line.

Big Sky investor Sam Byrne and Delta CEO Richard Anderson speak to a standing room only audience at the Montana Economic Development Summit, with Sen. Max Baucus and Montana Director of Commerce Meg O’Leary.

“We write software, ... but what defines us and what defines my staff – what allows us to recruit them – is love of public lands. The guys and gals that work with me… can live anywhere.”

In the past, Philp said, he flew to cities to solicit business from the world’s largest companies. Now he flies executives to Missoula. “Instead of just another meeting on their turf, I was transforming their lives.”

Global economy Like everywhere else, Montana must compete in the global market.

During his keynote on Sept. 16, Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt named a litany of problems with the world economy: globalization hollowing the middle class; manufacturing jobs shifting overseas; commerce moving online without replacement jobs being created; and aging baby boomers.

“[But] before we sink into this despicable terrible state, there is actually an alternative model,” Schmidt said, suggesting “completely new ways of thinking about artificial intelligence,” rethinking transportation with self-driving cars and better use of airspace in cities.

“The future of work is in fact going to be great for humans, and I think it starts with innovation. That’s what this conference is about.”

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Available foods will bring bears to lower elevations this fall YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

Unlike the last two years, which produced abundant crops of whitebark pine seeds, this year few cones were produced by the high elevation trees.

Due to this, park officials are expecting an increase in human-bear encounters in the backcountry this fall as bears seek alternative foods com-

mon at lower elevations. In early September, park and Forest Service officials observed a significant increase in bear activity at lower elevations near trails, roads, and developments where bears are foraging for berries, bison carcasses, digging anthills, and ripping open logs for ants.

Berry production has been especially good this year, as have apple trees. Because berry produc-

ing shrubs and apple trees are generally found at lower elevations more frequently inhabited by people, human-bear encounters are projected to be more common.

When hiking on National Park lands or hiking or hunting National Forest system lands, carry bear spray, hike in groups of three or more people, be alert for bears at all times, and make noise so you don’t surprise bears.

If you encounter a bear, do not run. Instead, slowly back away to put distance between you and the animal. This often diffuses the confrontation. If the bear charges, stand your ground and use your bear spray. In most cases the bear will break off the charge or veer away. If the bear makes contact, drop to the ground face down on your stomach with your hands clasped behind your neck, and lie still. Make sure the bear is gone before you move.

Park and Forest officials remind recreationalists to follow food storage guidelines intended to help keep both people and bears safe. When camping in the backcountry, hang all food and garbage from food storage poles or bear boxes, which are provided at every Yellowstone Park backcountry campsite and in some National Forest campsites.

Food should be hung at all times except during preparation and consumption.

Photo by Parker LuRay, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

If a bear approaches your campsite, yell and bang pots, pans, or other objects to discourage it from entering.

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montana

Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013 13

State takes control of grizzly bear loss compensation

By Deborah Courson Smith Big Sky Connection

Covered outdoor patio open

MISSOULA – Montana is taking control of the program to compensate ranchers for livestock losses from grizzly bears. A new state law directs the Montana Livestock Loss Board to issue reimbursements, which means Defenders of Wildlife will stop writing those checks after Sept. 30.

That organization will instead shift toward more investments in coexistence projects to keep grizzlies out of trouble, according to Defenders’ wildlife biologist Erin Edge. Its emphasis will be “less on paying compensation and more on preventing conflicts through projects like our electric fencing incentive program,” Edge said.

Defenders has given a $25,000 grant to the Livestock Loss Board for its Grizzly Bear Loss Prevention program, and the organization will continue its own grizzly projects including bear-resistant garbage bins and food storage lockers.

Defenders has paid nearly $400,000 to ranchers for livestock losses since the late 1990s, and spent more than a half million dollars on coexistence projects.

Taiwan flour millers visit Montana HELENA – Taiwanese flour millers and government officials visited Montana Sept. 13-14 as part of an agricultural goodwill mission.

Representatives from the Taiwan Flour Mills Association were among the delegation led by Wei-Chang Chang, manager of Thai Ho Milling Co. and executive director of the association.

Officials from U.S. Wheat Associates and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Seattle also accompanied the group.

U.S. Wheat Associates, the Montana Departments of Agriculture and Commerce, and the Montana Wheat & Barley Committee hosted the group, which also met with legislative leaders in Helena.

The Taiwan delegation signed a letter of intent in Washington, DC to purchase up to 62.5 million bushels of wheat from U.S. sources during the next two years. A large amount of that wheat comes from Montana. Gov. Steve Bullock and members of the delegation signed a joint communiqué during the visit.

“Since Taiwan demands the best wheat and everyone knows that Montana grows the best dark northern spring and hard red winter wheat, one can assume that a large portion of these purchases will come from Montana,” said Kim Falcon, executive vice president of the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee.

Wheat from several states is blended on the West Coast before it is shipped overseas, so it is difficult to quantify exports specifically from Montana, Falcon added.

Taiwan is the sixth largest buyer of U.S. wheat. Buyers from the country have purchased more than 520 million bushels, or 14.2 million metric tons, of U.S. wheat since 1998, according to U.S. Wheat Associates, which represents the industry.

Portions of the Taiwan delegation were also scheduled to visit Idaho, North Dakota and Oregon.

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14 Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013

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20tH anNIveRsARy 09.28.13 National Public Lands Day (NPLD) is the nation's largest, single-day volunteer effort for public lands. In celebration of its 20th anniversary, NPLD staff gathered these

20 unique features on public lands.

INFOGRAPHIC BY KELSEY DZINTARS

1

Largest known living single stem tree in the U.S.: General Sherman at Sequoia National Park (California)

2

52,500 cubic ft.

Tallest waterfall in North America: Yosemite Falls in Yosemite National Park (California)

5

4

2,425 ft.

Tallest mountain in North America: Denali/Mt. McKinley in Denali National Park (Alaska)

Earliest sunrise in U.S.:

20,320’

Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park (Maine)

300-million-year old stone arches at Arches National Park (Utah)

6 7

Breeding ground for nearly half the waterfowl in the U.S.:Audobon National Wildlife Refuge Complex (North Dakota)

Largest reservoir in the U.S.:

8

14,735 acres

Lake Mead at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area (Arizona and Nevada)

Annual migration of more than

130,000 caribou

of native prairie, planted grasslands and wetlands

in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (Alaska)

10

9 Highest point east of the Mississippi: Mount Mitchell, Mount Mitchell State Park (North Carolina)

11

Most extensive underground cave system on Earth: Mammoth Caves at Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)

6,684 ft.

Two-mile long

“sleeping giant” landscape at Sleeping Giant State Park (Connecticut)

12

14

15

Largest collection of blossoming cherry trees in the world at Branch Brook Park (New Jersey)

Highest point in Massachusetts at Mount Greylock State Reservation (Massachusetts)

Tallest lighthouse in the U.S.: Hatteras Lighthouse at Cape Hatteras National Seashore (North Carolina)

13 Haunted Hike:

187 ft.

Seven Bridges Trail in Milwaukee’s Grant Park (Wisconsin)

3,491 ft.

18

17

16 Easternmost point in the U.S. at Quoddy Point State Park (Maine)

Oldest public park in the U.S. is Boston Common (Massachusetts) Until 1830, cattle grazed the Common, and until 1817, public hangings took place here. British troops camped on Boston Common prior to the Revolution and left from here to face colonial resistance at Lexington and Concord in April, 1775.” -City of Boston

Deepest lake in the U.S. at Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)

2,148 ft. deep

20 Largest park in the U.S. is Adirondack Park (New York) – “Today the Park is the largest publicly protected area in the contiguous United States,

greater in size than Yellowstone, Everglades, Glacier, and Grand Canyon National Park combined.

19 Oldest continually operated state park is Indian Springs State Park (Georgia) – “Visitors can still sample the spring water flowing inside the stone Spring House built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression.”

-Georgia State Parks

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Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013 15

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Explore Big Sky community cleanse p. 29

Section 2:

business, Sports and health

bullock meets with top companies p. 21

bridger raptor count p. 31

experienced-based 'marketing p. 23

The cost of making hooch Willie’s Distillery defies the odds

By Joseph T. O’Connor

out first, the clear, flammable, simplest form of alcohol you don’t want to drink.

Explore Big Sky Senior Editor

ENNIS – The U.S. government closely regulates distilled spirit production, because making liquor can be dangerous.

Opening a distillery is an expensive proposition.

Likewise, distillers avoid the “tails,” the bitter-tasting fusel oils that often cause headaches, according to Willie.

“You want the ‘hearts,’” he said, referring to the part of spirit distillers keep to bottle or barrel. “It’s one of the bigger factors in the process – what are you calling the hearts?”

So, when Willie and Robin Blazer wanted to open a microdistillery in Ennis, Willie, 40, reverted to his previous training. Having served as a U.S. Army Ranger after high school, and later in the U.S. Special Forces, Willie returned to government contract work at age 36, spending three years in Afghanistan working for U.S. government organizations that provided security and antiterrorism details to the military.

For Willie’s Bighorn Bourbon, made from mostly corn, the hearts are then aged in handmade, hand-fired oak barrels for various amounts of time in large and small barrels before being blended with a more mature bourbon they source from an older distillery.

“We were assessing different bases, their threat vulnerability and basically gathering all that data and relaying it to the military,” he said, a smile poking from under his red moustache, its corners twisted with wax. “[Ultimately] it was a way to bring some money to the table.”

With some cash in hand, and with the help of friends, family, associates, grant organizations, a small business loan from Ruby Valley National Bank, and local economic development councils, the Blazers opened Willie’s Distillery.

They bottled their first batch of Montana Moonshine last December in the 3,500-square-foot building on Main Street in Ennis. Behind its large tasting room windows, the operation resembles Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, with hoses running from the 400-gallon mash tun to fermenters, and dials and gauges measuring pressure and temperature.

But Robin says the process is simpler than it looks. “It’s basic elementary chemistry and eighth grade algebra.”

Microdistilleries in Montana In 2005, Montana Legislators lowered excise and license tax rates for in-state companies manufacturing and distilling less than 20,000 proof gallons of liquor (20,000 gallons at 50 percent alcohol by volume, or 100 proof). This amended law opened the doors for small distilleries to begin slinging hooch.

Roughstock Distillery in Four Corners produced its first spirits in September 2009, becoming the first to make whiskey in Montana in more than 100 years and blazing a trail for Willie’s and seven others, with more on the way.

The results, so far, have yielded a strong sales margin. But Willie, Robin and their eight employees are their own harshest critics. They’re perfectionists, and they want return business.

“If someone buys our bottle because it looks good, we want them to re-buy that bottle because of the taste,” Robin said.

Popcorn’s mark Willie Blazer, co-owner of Willie's Distillery in Ennis, stands in front of the condenser and checks the hydrometer for alcohol content Photo by Joseph T. O'Connor

“It’s just progressively gotten better since 2005 – a lot friendlier business environment,” Robin said. “It’s been legal to distill since the end of Prohibition, but it’s just been really expensive to do.”

Wild Chokecherry Liqueur, pear and raspberry apple brandies, and distilled local microbrews, often referred to as “Hopschapps.” The process is different for each spirit, but it all begins with grain or fruit.

Growing up on a grain farm in Montana’s Crow Creek Valley, Robin knew barley and wheat, while Willie was raised in Canton, N.C., the heart of moonshine country.

The distilling process

Willie moved to Montana in 1997 to attend the University of Montana, and after stints in the military and fighting wildland fire as a hotshot and a smokejumper, he wanted a change. When they first looked into it in 2005, there were only a handful of microdistilleries in the country.

“Something just clicked with [Robin’s] background in grain and my understanding of moonshine and whiskey and brandy,” Willie said.

Willie’s Distillery now produces a variety of spirits, including Montana Moonshine, Montana Honey Moonshine, Bighorn Bourbon, Montana

Master masher Terry Barsness dumps 50-pound bags of Montana corn, barley, oats and wheat into the 400-gallon mash tun, which steam-cooks the mix.

This mash is then pumped into one of the distillery’s 410-gallon fermenters, where yeast and enzymes convert natural starches and sugars into alcohol.

The mixture is moved finally to the German copper pot still, heated to 172 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature at which alcohol boils. Fumes rise, are funneled through a condensing coil, and out flows the booze. But the process is far from over.

Head distiller Nick Yalon then separates the heads, hearts and tails.

These terms refer to the alcohol produced from the condensing coil: “heads” are the methanol that comes

An old, faded Maxim magazine article sits on the wooden table in the Willie’s Distillery Tasting Room. David Kushner’s story, “The Last Hillbilly Hero” depicts legendary moonshiner “Popcorn” Sutton, a major influence for Willie, who grew up hearing tales of the legendary North Carolina bootlegger, and even drinking some of his moonshine.

“He was quite the character – a little bitty old guy,” said Willie, who grew up in the same county as Sutton. He and Robin tracked Popcorn down in Maggie Valley, N.C., in 2006, and bought a VHS copy of The Last Dam Run of Likker I’ll Ever Make.”

The 2002 film – which won a Southeast Emmy Award – tells the story of the moonshiner who got his name from destroying a popcorn machine with a pool cue in the 1960s. Popcorn committed suicide at his home in 2009, after learning he faced federal prison for bootlegging.

Popcorn’s legend lives on at Willie’s Distillery, where the Blazers keep his spirit distilling with the drive to make traditional “likker.”

18 Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013

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Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013 19

Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013 19

East Slope Outdoors moves to Town Center East Slope Outdoors, one of Big Sky’s oldest independently-run fly fishing and ski shops, is moving from its location on Highway 191 to the Big Sky Town Center. The new space is currently under construction next to Ousel & Spur Pizza Co.

pick your pearls.

Known for their local knowledge, East Slope will use the move to expand its retail and rental offerings. The new shop will open Sunday, Dec 1. Visit eastslopeoutdoors.com for more information.

Survey: Outdoors a ‘homefield advantage’ for Montana businesses Research indicates outdoor lifestyle a top factor in locating business in Montana BUSINESS FOR MONTANA’S OUTDOORS

BOZEMAN – New research is shedding light on how public lands benefit Montana’s businesses.

Business for Montana’s Outdoors recently commissioned the survey of 200 small Montana businesses. The survey, conducted by Public Opinion Strategies, polled owners, managers and senior decision makers from various businesses in every Montana county. Each business has been in operation for less than 30 years and has at least five employees.

Among the key findings: •

70 percent of business owners said “the Montana outdoor lifestyle” was a factor in deciding to locate or expand their business in Montana. Not far behind, at 53 percent, was the “presence of public lands like national forests, national parks and wildlife refuges, and access to rivers and trails.”

•

Young business owners and owners of growing businesses (those who are actively hiring new employees) were most likely to say that public lands were a factor in locating their businesses in the state.

•

73 percent of business owners said we can simultaneously protect land and water while maintaining a strong economy with good jobs.

•

89 percent said national parks, forests and wildlife areas are an essential part of Montana’s economy.

U.S. Senator Max Baucus, the organizer of the recent “Montana Solutions for Montana Jobs” summit in Butte, says Montana’s outdoors are an important factor for Montana businesses.

“Our outdoor way of life is a powerful homefield advantage when it comes to creating new jobs and bringing businesses to Montana,” Baucus said. “The Summit is an important opportunity for Montanans across the outdoor industry to roll up their sleeves and put their heads together to find even more ways to leverage our outdoor heritage into good-paying jobs.”

Business for Montana’s Outdoors is a nonprofit council of businesses that advocate for protected public lands as an economic boon to the state. The Public Opinion Strategies survey was completed Aug. 16 through Sept. 4 via telephone.

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Explore Big Sky

Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013 21

Bullock meets with top Montana companies

By Megan Paulson Outlaw Partners COO

HELENA - The companies featured in Outside magazine’s ‘Best Places to Work’ have a common thread: a love of the outdoors, having fun, and a casual, friendly workplace. One might not associate state government with these attributes, but for Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, nature is a core value and a source of inspiration.

Seven Montana companies made Outside’s top 100 list this year, and on Sept.

17, Bullock invited them all to the capitol in Helena.

“I’ve always loved the outdoors and am proud Montana is not only a great place to play, but an amazing place to work,” said Bullock, who started his day with a six-mile trail run prior to heading into the office that morning.

Clad in Arc’teryx pants and a casual button-up shirt, the governor led a round table discussion on doing business in Montana. The group included leaders from each of the companies: Outlaw Partners (publisher of this newspaper), Seeley Lake Elementary, ZaneRay Group, Adventure Life, Ecology Project International, Mercury CSC and River Design Group.

The group discussed the nuts and bolts of doing business in Montana, and what special characteristics set each of the recognized companies apart.

Later that afternoon, they hiked up Mount Helena together, and then capped the day off with a tour of Blackfoot River Brewing Company and sampling of their locally crafted beer.

Bullock said he hopes the businesses recognized by Outside can set an example for other entrepreneurs and serve as ambassadors to those thinking about locating their company in Montana.

The attendees agreed that providing a high quality of life for employees has been critical to their success and is a potential asset for other businesses in Montana.

“There’s one thing you can’t replicate or reproduce, and that’s quality of life,” Bullock said, He encouraged ongoing dialogue, and asked for input from the companies as the state evolves its economic development plan to create and retain jobs in

The Outlaw Partners' CEO and EBS publisher Eric Ladd and Governor Steve Bullock pictured during a tour of Blackfoot River Brewing in Helena, Montana. Outlaw was honored by the governor along with the six other Montana companies named to Outside Magazine's annual 100 Best Places to Work. photo by Dustin de Yong

Newspaper changes name, expands readership

By Joseph T. O’Connor Explore Big Sky Senior Editor

BIG SKY – On July 12, the Big Sky Weekly became Explore Big Sky, the newspaper. EBS publisher Eric Ladd, along with the editorial team, felt a re-brand was in order – one that started when his firm Outlaw Partners bought the paper in 2010.

“We wanted to stay true to our roots in Big Sky, yet still have regional appeal,” said Ladd, who purchased the 20-yearold paper from former publisher Faith Malpeli. Under his leadership, the first issue of the new Big Sky Weekly came off the presses on Oct. 29, 2010.

“When we bought the paper in 2010, we asked ourselves, ‘Does this thing still have a breath of life in it?’” Ladd said. “And the answer was yes.”

The newspaper went from weekly to biweekly, and the team launched explorebigsky.com in an effort to reach a broader audience, including people around the world who follow Big Sky and southwest Montana news.

“We found our readers appreciate more thoughtful stories,” Ladd said, em-

phasizing that while the EBS team can produce more in-depth reports, it also covers breaking news stories online.

“The name change broadens our reach.

It was a natural progression.”

But we also realize the value our readership has to our success, and looked into a 100-year-old business concept. We choose to provide strong content while you choose to read it.

Ponte said. “One week into our Kickstarter campaign, we reviewed our press coverage. Surprisingly, the post that earned us the most money was on a site most people have never heard of: good. is, the online property of GOOD magazine.

“We discovered that good.is was in some cases 10 times more valuable than other “We strive to represent a press because larger collection of news and the audience is lifestyle coverage that not relevant [and] only applies regionally, but the readership is ‘Big Sky’ country and the Yel- substantial …”

Enter the Pareto principle, aka the “80-20 rule.” In an article on his blog, investor and lowstone region as a whole.”

EBS articles author Tim Fercover local riss interviewed Mike Del Ponte, owner of a new water business and sports, school news, filter company, Soma. meetings, resort news from Big Sky Resort and Moonlight Basin, the Yellowstone Club, Lone Through the online creative funding platform Kickstarter, Del Mountain Ranch and the Club at Ponte raised $100,000 in nine days, Spanish Peaks, as well as news and pointing to the Pareto principle for lifestyle pieces from around our Soma’s success. region and state.

“The 80-20 rule teaches us that 20 percent of stories will yield 80 percent of your press results. This was absolutely the case for us,” Del

Content is king. We believe that if we provide our most relevant and substantial audience with powerful content, our readership will

increase and our company will continue to see success.

“Our reach begins here, but it goes beyond Big Sky,” said Outlaw Partners COO Megan Paulson. “We strive to represent a larger collection of news and lifestyle coverage that not only applies regionally, but ‘Big Sky’ country and the Yellowstone region as a whole.”

According to Paulson, EBS is the only newspaper with drop points in all four corners of Yellowstone National Park and Outlaw Partners’ media has a current following of more than two million spanning the globe.

With significant distribution in Bozeman, Belgrade, Livingston, Gardiner and West Yellowstone, the paper has more than 40,000 readers every two weeks. For the month of August, explorebigsky.com’s analytics indicate over 10,000 unique visitors from all 50 U.S. states and 79 countries.

We at EBS believe in you, our broad and relevant audience. That, and kick ass stories. We hope you enjoy.

22 Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013

sportS

LPHS and Ophir football

explorebigsky.com

Explore Big Sky

See p, 24 for results Photos by Jill Bough

Ophir Middle School: Austin Samuels’ footwork

Friday night lights prairie style: No. 75 Yasin Schultz and No. 80 Ben Michel look on

Young Bighorn fans watch their team congratulate the Lincoln Lynx

LPHS ready for kickoff

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Explore Big Sky

Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013 23

PruMT.com 406.995.4060 55 Lone Peak Drive | Big Sky Town Center

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20 +/- acres Triple Triangle Ranch cross country ski trails to lot desirable, private enclave contiguous 20 +/- acres also available

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4 bd, 3 ba, 2567 +/- sf, Ponderosa plan furnished Powder Ridge Condo, excellent rental ski-in, ski-out access detached 1 car garage

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$399,000 • #192186 • Call Stacy or Eric

2 bd, 3 bath, 2,049 +/- sf great LIVE-WORK opportunity w/lower area design own space, located in center of Town Center unlike anything being offered in Big Sky !

$680,000 • #187760 • Call Don

unit #120 4 bd, 4 ba, 2,742 +/- sf hickory flooring, steam shower custom coverings, and interior doors views of wide open space and Crail Ranch

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.60 +/- acres, backs to the Gallatin River 4 bd septic installed, 25 GPM well drilled between Bozeman and Big Sky call Dave Broome 580-4290

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4 bd, 2.5 ba, 1,700 +/- sf, 3 levels furnished, newer floors, lighting wood stove, sauna, 1 car attached garage complex has outdoor pool and hot tub

Don Pilotte, Broker, GRI, RRS, SFR, 406.580.0155 Eric Ossorio, Broker, 406.539.9553 Stacy Ossorio, Broker, 406.539.8553

2 parcels comprising 20 +/- acres both parcels can be further subdivided located between Meadow and Mountain close to Big Sky and Moonlight Resorts

$598,000 • #186619 • Call Marc

2 bd, 3 ba, 3,200 +/- sf loft, additional rooms rock fireplace, clerestory windows, large deck vaulted ceilings, wood floors, custom lighting .32 +/- acre lot, 2 car garage, Agent owned

$310,000 • #184925 • Call Don

2 bd, 2 ba, unit 1704, 1,604 +/- sf extensively remodeled rock fireplace, indoor hot tub furnished, lower level unit

$1,050,000 • #188095 • Call Stacy or Eric 3 bd, 4 ba, plus sleeping loft, 2220 +/- sf aka Mountain Home #11, Moonlight Basin ski-in/ski-out access from front door offered furnished, including artwork

LOST TRAILS, TRACT 8 • • • •

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20 +/- acres sunny, south-facing building sites between Mountain and Meadow Villages views of Yellowstone Mtn and Spanish Peaks community water system with fire flow

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$560,000 • #182257 • Call Leah

4.02 +/- acre lot bordering river front, National forest direct access to blue ribbon fishing call Leah Olson, 539-7665

37 BEAR TRAP LANE

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$267,500 • #192992 • Call Marc or Don

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ANTLER RIDGE LOT

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.45 +/- acre Antler Ridge Sub. lot sitting high on ridge w/expansive views homesite is adjacent to open space excellent building site on quiet street

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2 bd, 1 ba, 832 +/- sf, rustic cabin in Gallatin NF 18 SW facing windows w/mountain views located less than 1/4 mile from Gallatin River furnished, call Susan Hunter 599-0415

Toni Sales Associate, Associate, 406.570.3195 406.570.3195 Toni Delzer, Delzer, Sales Marc Lauermann, Sales Associate, 406.581.8242 Marc Lauermann, ABR, SFR, Sales Associate, 406.581.8242

24 Sept. 20-Oct. 4, 2013

sports

Explore Big Sky

LPHS football schedule Sept. 7

Away @Augusta

Sept. 13 Away @ Lincoln

W(LPHS 42, Augusta 0) L (Lincoln 64, LPHS 58, 2 OT)

Sept. 21 Away @ Camas County 1 p.m.

(Fairfield, Idaho) Sept. 28 Home Billings Christian - Honor- 1 p.m. ary Captain Day Oct. 4 Away @Alberton** 7 p.m.

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Oct . 12 Home West Yellowstone**-Home- 1 p.m. coming, Spirit Day Oct. 18 Away @ Hot Springs** 7 p.m.

Oct. 26 Nov. 2

Home Lima** - Senior Parent Day, 2 p.m.

Black Out TBD 1st Round State Playoffs TBA

Nov. 9

TBD

2nd Round State Playoffs

TBA

Nov. 16 TBD

Semi-Finals State Playoffs

TBA

Nov. 23 TBD

State Championship Game TBA

Dec. 4

WMPAC Football Awards Night

6:30 p.m.

**Western Conference Games

LPHS volleyball schedule Sept. 20 Away @Sheridan (Double Match) Varsity Only

5 and 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 21 Away @Whitehall Invitational

TBA/TBA

Sept. 28 Away @Belgrade JV/Frosh Tournament JV only

TBA

Oct. 4

Away @Ennis**

3/4:30 p.m.

Oct. 10

Away @Harrison/Willow Creek**

5/6:30 p.m.

Oct. 11

Home Manhattan Christian** Homecoming

2/3:30 p.m.

Oct. 16

Home West Yellowstone** Spirit Night

5/6:30 p.m.

Oct. 19

Home White Sulphur Springs** Senior Parent Day

5/6:30 p.m.

Oct. 26

Away @ West Yellowstone**

5/6:30 p.m.

Oct. 30- Away @ Manhattan Christian Nov. 2 District 8C Tournament

TBA

Nov. 7-9

Away @Butte MAC Western Divisional Tournament

TBA

Nov. 14-16

Away @ TBD - State Volleyball Championships

TBA

Dec. 3

WMPAC Volleyball Awards night

6:30 p.m.

**Western Conference Games

Ophir Middle School football schedule Sept. 23 Home Lima

4 p.m.

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Away @ Twin Bridges

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explorebigsky.com

sports

Explore Big Sky

Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013 25

Cats roll over Colorado-Mesa, 26-0 Story and photos by Mike Coil Explore Big Sky Contributor

BOZEMAN – In their second home game of the season, the Montana State University Bobcats (2-1) clobbered the Mavericks of Colorado-Mesa, 26-0. The Bobcat squad bounced back this week from a one-point, last-second loss the prior weekend to Southern Methodist University, which also cost them their starting quarterback, DeNarius McGhee, to a separated shoulder.

Sophomore Jake Bleskin got his first start for the Cats and quickly showed he’s up to the task, passing for 305 yards with two touchdowns. His backfield added another 98 yards rushing for a total of 403 offensive yards.

The MSU defense also shined, holding the Mavericks to 168 yards of total offense. Brad Daly from his roving linebacker spot had four sacks and linebacker Alex Singleton had four tackles for losses while intercepting a pass he returned 23 yards for a touchdown.

Bobcat Stadium was again sold out as fans flocked to support their third ranked Bobcats after the disastrous loss the prior weekend. McGhee, a senior, is expected to be out for 4-6 weeks.

This was the first game where Bleskin was able to play with older brother and wide receiver Tanner Bleskin, a senior. The brothers connected 10 times for 96 yards.

The Bobcats travel to Texas Sept. 21 to play Stephen F. Austin (1-2). The following weekend they start league play with a game at North Dakota (1-2), and their next home game is Oct. 5 against Northern Arizona (1-1).

Wide receiver Brian Flotkoetter dives in for a score. A sophomore, Flotkeotter comes from Laurel, Montana. PHOTO BY MIKE COIL

Defensive end Brad Daly sacks the Colorado-Mesa quarterback. Daly, #41,

MSU Bobcat fans lovin' life

26 Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013

sports

explorebigsky.com

Explore Big Sky

The incessant whining of Jim Harbaugh teams in the league. Despite this success, Harbaugh always has something to complain about.

By Brandon Niles

Explore Big Sky Sports Columnist

I’ve been wondering for the past year or so why I can’t get on board with the San Francisco 49ers. They’re clearly a good team, making it to the NFC Championship game in 2012 and the Super Bowl this past February, before losing to the Baltimore Ravens.

They have exciting young players and loads of talent on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick looks like a legitimate star in the NFL, and linebacker Patrick Willis is one of my favorite football players.

When he was at Stanford, Harbaugh complained about everything from Michigan academic standards, to the officiating, to his rival and then-USC coach Pete Carroll. Since arriving in the NFL, he’s had a public spat with Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz, and he’s consistently complaining about referees, rules and just about everything else to do with the game.

Harbaugh’s officiating criticisms are so animated that in 2011 he drew a response from former NFL VP of Officiating Mike Pereira, who on Fox Sports referred to Harbaugh’s antics as “good drama.”

At the beginning of this season Harbaugh whined about the rules in regard to read-option quarterbacks, since he has one of the best in Kaepernick. Green Bay Packers All-Pro linebacker Clay Matthews stated on ESPN’s Mike and Mike that, “you want to put hits as early and often on the quarterback and make them uncomfortable” in reference to read-option quarterbacks.

Harbaugh sounded off to San Francisco reporters by questioning the “legality” of Matthews’ statement and saying it sounded like “targeting a specific player.”

San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh shouts

So, what about the 49ers bothers me? Why do I root against them and predict their downfall? After the first week of the 2013 NFL season, I figured it out: 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh is a whiner.

Harbaugh is a great coach whose success is undeniable. He worked wonders with the Stanford University football program, and he’s turned the 49ers from a “once proud and successful franchise,” into a legitimate Super Bowl contender and one of the best

In week one, the Packers played the 49ers, and Matthews was flagged for a late hit on Kaepernick. There was a small scuffle in the aftermath, and Harbaugh spent the next few days complaining about the hit, even resorting to childish jabs at Matthews’ masculinity.

from the sidelines in the first quarter of an NFL football He has been especially game against the New England Patriots in 2012. Photo whiney in 2013. After courtesy of salon.com Harbaugh has been the Super Bowl loss, he called passionate, fiery spent most of the postand a “savvy instigator,” who likes to stir the pot. I call game interview complaining about the referees. him a whiner. He has yet to win a Super Bowl, and if He complained about the calls for months, until he he does, I wonder if the complaining will stop. Until found his old friend Pete Carroll’s Seattle Seahawks that happens, I’m reminded of something a good friend getting in trouble for performance enhancing drugs. of mine likes to say.

Then Harbaugh publicly questioned whether the banned substance in question was actually Adderall, “You know who whines about officiating? Losers.” as had been reported.

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7-8am Yoga with Callie 9:30-10:45am Yoga with Hannah 6:30-8pm Yoga w/ Jill

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7-8am Yoga with Linda 9:30-10:45am Yoga with Callie

9-10:30am Yoga with Hannah 11-12pm Pre/PostNatal/Gental with Jill 5:30-7pm The Practice (1st, 3rd & 5th Fridays)

9:00-10:30am Yoga with alternating teachers

weather permitting* (pre-register)

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Explore Big Sky

Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013 27

TRY A BENNY FOR BREAKFAST

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explorebigsky.com

DEALER LOGO AREA Toyota of Bozeman 866-623-5535 Lease a new 2013 Prius Liftback (Two) for $229 a month for 36 months with $1,850 down and $2,729 due at signing. Due at signing costs include first month’s payment, $650 acquisition fee and $1,850 down payment. Example based on model #1223. Base Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price $24,200. Monthly payments of $229 total $8,244. Net Capitalized cost of $22,880 based on down payment and dealer participation, which may vary by dealer. Lease-end purchase option is $15,004.00. • Lease a New 2013 Camry LE (gas) for $209 a month for 36 months with $1,740 down, $2,599 due at signing plus $250 Subvention Cash. Due at signing costs include first month’s payment, $650 acquisition fee and $1,740 down payment. Lease includes $250 Subvention Cash. Example based on model #2532. Base Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price $22,680. Monthly payments of $209 total $7,524. Net capitalized cost of $21,220 based on down payment and dealer participation, which may vary by dealer. Lease end purchase option is $13,708.00. • Lease a New 2013 Corolla LE for $169 a month for 36 months with $1,000 Subvention Cash, $1,680 down and $1,499 due at signing. Due at signing costs include first month’s payment, $650 acquisition fee, $1,680 down payment and $1,000 TFS Lease Subvention Cash. Example based on model #1838.

Base Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price $18,180. Monthly payments of $169 total $6,084. Net capitalized cost of $16,800 based on down payment and dealer participation, which may vary by dealer. Lease-end purchase option is $10,726.20.• Lease a New 2013 Tundra Double Cab 4.6L V8 4X4 for $299 a month for 36 months with $2,050 down and $2,999 due at signing. Due at signing costs include first month’s payment, $650 acquisition fee and $2,050 down payment. Example based on model #8339. Base Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price $30,760. Monthly payments of $299 total $10,764. Net capitalized cost of $29,685 based on down payment and dealer participation, which may vary by dealer. Lease-end purchase option is $18,938.60 • Payment may vary depending on final transaction price. 2013 Camry LE (Gas) and 2013 Corolla LE Lease Subvention Cash from manufacturer, not applicable for cash back offers and must qualify for cash through Toyota Financial Services (TFS), does not include College or Military Rebates. Offers cannot be combined with any other offers, vary by region and are subject to availability. Security deposit waived. Closed-end lease. $350 disposition fee due at lease end unless customer purchases vehicle or decides to re-finance through TFS. Customer responsible for maintenance, excess wear and tear and $0.15 per mile over 12,000 miles per year. To qualified Tier I+ customers through TFS. Offers good in WA, OR, ID, and MT. For ID and MT state dealerships, a documentary service fee in an amount up to $350 may be added to vehicle price. For Washington state dealerships, a negotiable documentary service fee in an amount up to $150 may be added to sale price or capitalized cost. For Oregon state dealerships, a negotiable documentary service fee in an amount up to $100 may be added to vehicle price. Oregon state dealerships not using an electronic vehicle registration system may only apply fees up to $75 to vehicle price. Does not include taxes, license, title, processing fees, insurance and dealer charges. Subject to availability. See your local participating Toyota dealer for details. Must take retail delivery from dealer stock by 9/30/13.

© 2013 Graham Oleson

explorebigsky.com

health

Explore Big Sky

Fall community cleanse is Oct. 2-15

Staying active while aging Bozeman Deaconess promoting healthy lives for senior citizens

By Callie Stolz Santosha Wellness Center

BOZEMAN – Hillcrest Senior Living is sponsoring the second annual Active Aging Week in Bozeman from Sept. 23-27. The event, offered in association with Bozeman Deaconess Health Services and the International Council on Active Aging, helps those 65 and older stay active by engaging in all dimensions in life.

It’s that time of year again. The seasons are starting to change, and so are our bodies.

In summer, heat builds up in the tissues of our body and dries things out. As we move into cooler temperatures our bodies tend to produce excess mucous in order to fight that dryness. The mucous can become a breeding ground for bacteria and viruses.

New activities and exercises offered this year include bridge and yoga; museum tours; presentations on social media, smart phones, fraud protection, Medicare and heritage gardening; musical and theatrical entertainment; several lunches; and the Lend a Hand Fair, where seniors can learn about volunteer opportunities for local nonprofit organizations.

Utilizing the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda, Santosha’s community cleanse can set you up for a healthier winter season by flushing excess heat, mucous and toxins; helping to detoxify your body and reboot your digestive system.

This is not a time of starvation or deprivation. Instead, it is a systematic process that includes three (or four) meals a day and specific herbs to assist the process of releasing toxins. It begins with a four-day pre-cleanse to prepare your body, moves into the main cleanse for

Reboot body, mind, soul Callie Stolz, Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist and Pancha Karma (cleansing) Specialist, will lead an informational session at Santosha Wellness Center on Sept. 25 from 7:30-8:30 p.m. explaining the health benefits of cleansing as the season changes. Stolz will also teach some of the basics of Ayurveda and how it pertains to cleansing and tuning into individual needs during the cleansing process.

Find more information at santoshabigsky.com.

Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013 29

The week kicks off with an opportunity to meet Kevin Pitzer, the new CEO of BDHS, and a presentation by retired MSU Cooperative Extension Service faculty member Dr. Charles Rust of Big Sky Toastmasters, and winds down with a wine and cheese party, and closing ceremony.

Santosha will offer detox yoga classes during the community cleanse.

seven days, and then finishes with a three-day postcleanse that restores your body to return to eating a normal diet.

The community cleanse is designed to last two weeks, but it can be customized to the length of time that you are able to commit to. Going through the process with a community of others can make it much easier to get through it successfully. Santosha will also offer yoga detox classes to assist the process.

Activities will be held at Hillcrest, in BDHS’ conference rooms and at the Bozeman Public Library.

There is no charge to participate, but advance registration is requested.

For more information or to register, visit hillcrestlivingbozeman.com or call (406) 522-1644.

SEPTEMBER 23, 24 & 25 AT 6 P.M. IN THE BIG SKY COMMUNITY PARK TEAM REGISTRATION - $100 Contact 406-600-1039 or krista@bsccmt.org to sign up!

30 Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013

classifieds

for rent

help wanted

WESTFORK TOWNHOUSE FOR RENT. 3 bdrm, 2 /12 bath, garage, W/D, large deck. Excellent condition. Walk to everything! No smoking/no pets. $1300/month. Call 406-539-0555.

for sale

Electric Organ - GEM G5 PCM Musicoder. Some wear and tear, missing recording device, otherwise works great.

Pick up in Belgrade or will deliver for small fee. $100. Call 605-431-2178 Garage Sale The Donovans are downsizing.

Garage Sale- September 21 & 22, 10am- 2pm. Odds & ends, bits & pieces. Most priced, some best offer. 35 North Fork Road, Big Sky.

The Hungry Moose Market and Deli in Big Sky is Hiring Part-Time or Full Time Deli & Grocery positions.

Kitchen/baking skills preferred for Deli. Opening 2nd location summer 2013 at base of Big Sky Resort. Good pay/Benefits/Year round job security.

We look for a friendly smile, initiative, team player, strong work ethic. Application online: hungrymoose.com or at front counter 406-995-3045 Payroll processor/ Human Resource position in Big Sky. Two days a week.

Wage DOE. Send resume to bigskyjob@gmail.com HOUSEKEEPER WANTED Housekeeper wanted for Big Sky home. Cleaning, shopping, some cooking. Approximately 15 hours per week/3 days per week, Monday, Wednesday & Friday. Must live in Big Sky or surrounding area.

Please email resume to bigskyhousekeeper@gmail.com

Got Noxious Weeds?

explorebigsky.com Headwaters hot tub is hiring for the 2013/2014 season. Full or part time available. Off season work available with commitment to work though the winter season.

Good pay plus paid mileage. Must have clean driving record, proof of current auto insurance, and vehicle. Email resume to headwa-

Explore Big Sky

tershottubservice@yahoo.com or call 995-7319

free Outlaw Pallets: Pick up free pallets for all of your pinterest projects Call 995-2055

Home of tHe

Classifieds!

Email classifieds and/or advertising requests to: media@theoutlawpartners.com

(406) 995-2055

• short or long term luxury rental in Big sky •

We can help!

The Gallatin/Big Sky Noxious Weed Committee provides free onsite assistance, including identifying weeds on your property & recommending treatment methods.

We provide cost-share funding (monetary reimbursement) for landowners treating noxious weeds.

Program is funded by the Gallatin Conservation District.

For assistance, contact Jennifer Mohler at 406‐209‐0905 or bigskyweeds@gmail.com, and visit www.bigskyweeds.org.

4 bedroom, 4.5 bath in Spanish Peaks Call 406-995-2174 or visit vrbo.com/393008 for more details

Noxious Weed Spotlight: Yellow Toadflax

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Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013 31

Bridger raptor count tracks fall migration for 23rd year

By Tyler Allen Explore Big Sky Staff Writer

BOZEMAN – The Bridger Mountains every fall see one of the greatest Golden Eagle migrations in North America. In its 23rd season, the Bridger raptor count records the flight of these large birds of prey and 16 other raptor species on their way to southern wintering grounds.

Montana Audubon and HawkWatch International coordinate this effort with two observers perched on the helicopter pad at the top of Bridger Bowl ski area, armed with binoculars and sharp identification skills. The long-term data collected helps scientists learn more about raptor migration patterns as well as regional and continental population trends.

The Bridgers are located in a migration path called the Rocky mountain flyway and observers will count between 10 and 200 individual raptors – including Sharp-shinned Hawks, Cooper’s Hawks and Bald Eagles – each day, between Sept. 1 and Nov. 5. One of many observation sites scattered through the U.S., the Bridger site is unique because of the number of Golden Eagles spotted.

“The science is really important for measuring Golden Eagle populations,” said Steve Hoffman, Montana Audubon Executive Director and founder of HawkWatch International. “The Golden Eagles represent about half the total Bridger flight.” The Bridger data are especially important because declines in Golden Eagle populations across much of the West have been documented during the past decade.

The public is encouraged to hike to the top of the ridge and join the observers daily throughout the fall. They count from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and the best hours to see raptors are between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. when there is stronger lift with higher temperatures, brighter sunshine and more afternoon wind. It’s a strenuous 2.5-mile, 2,000-verticalfoot hike so participants should be in relatively good shape.

Now through the first week of October is the ideal time to see many different species of raptors and anytime in October is great for observing eagles, Hoffman said.

The Bridger Raptor Festival from Oct. 4-6 is the highlight of the counting season, and includes a keynote address by Hoffman at the Museum of the Rockies Friday night. At Bridger Bowl on Saturday and Sunday the program continues with hikes, displays, lectures, kids’ activities and live bird presentations.

Find out more information at mtaudubon.org, hawkwatch.org and bridgerraptorfest.org. Hoffman visits the site about once a week and encourages the public to email him at shoffman@mtaudubon.org if they’d like a hiking companion.

Above: An immature Golden Eagle. More Golden Eagles are counted over the Bridgers than at any other observing station in the U.S. Below: An immature Sharp-shinned Hawk, the smallest hawk species in North America.

PHOTOS BY ROBERT MARTINKA

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32 Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013

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Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013 33

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Section 3:

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creating art for skis p. 48 The Rut ultramarathon p. 40

Jeffrey Foucault’s roots music

By Brian D’Ambrosio explore big sky contributor

Jeffrey Foucault’s roots form his musical identity. They hold sway over the 39-year-old musician’s life, and they impact the style and mood of his harmony. His songs are his search for answers, solutions, and attempt at rectifying his conscience.

Foucault grew up in Whitewater, Wisc., which influences his work through language, imagery and sense of space.

“The place you’re raised stamps out the template for your perceptions, and ties them to language,” he said.

“When I think of a tree, I don’t think of anything but a Burr Oak like the one in my yard growing up, the ones that the farmers leave standing in the field to bring the deer in.”

Foucault’s music wades through old-style country, bluegrass and blues, on a course linking him with the southern Iowa crop-and-soil folksiness of Greg Brown. Add lyrical content inspired by Bob Dylan’s intellectualism, and you’ll hear the sweet clarity of intense words and frank melodies. These are the mechanics of a folksinger born and bred in a small college town in the center of America’s heartland.

Foucault released his first album, Miles From The Lightning, in 2001, a collection of narrative ballads, love songs and allegories told in plain verse. Many albums later, the fiber of his lyrics and verve are still rooted in the collective psyche of rural Americana.

In “Cross of Flowers,” a cut off the widely acclaimed 2004 Stripping Cane, Foucault sings: “There’s a cross of flowers at the roadside Where some fool bought it two years back There’s an orchard gone to hell Beside a burned out one room shack There’s a thousand sparrows falling In a thousand shades of black I’m coming home” He finds the drama of inspiration in rural places where fields and pasture merge together.

“The Midwestern landscape is stark and open, with a plainness that adds up to deep beauty in accumulated detail. But you have to take time to know it, and to look for it.”

It’s taken Foucault time to get here. At 17, he started playing his father’s beatup mail order guitar, belting out John Prine songs.

At 18, he discovered Texas songwriters Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark.

Upon completing high school in 1991, he enrolled at the University of Wisconsin, in Madison, but, after two years, realized he didn’t know how to “do anything useful.”

He quit school, moved home, worked as a farmhand and house carpenter, and began writing songs.

“Nice thing about being a farmhand is when it rains they send you home, so I had some time to write and play.” After two years, he ended up going back to the same college to complete his degree. “Carrying drywall up a ladder in the rain has a clarifying effect on the uses of education.”

Eventually, he earned a history degree, all while dividing his time between “the local tavern and whatever book I could lay my hands on.”

After college, Foucault moved to Fort Atkinson, Wisc., 10 miles from his hometown.

Jeffrey Foucault Photo courtesy of jeffreyfoucault.com

“The Café Carpe was there, and the folks on the circuit I wanted to travel with came through town to play,” he recalls of the move. “It is a sweet little bar, a dingy bohemian oasis in a fairly staid small town, and it became the hub of my universe, which it was, and is for a lot of people. I always wished I’d written a book about those characters.”

Now more than 10 years later, Foucault returns frequently to Fort Atkinson and Café Carpe. The reflective innocence of those early days jogs his most vivid memories, he says.

“I remember walking down the centerline of Main Street at 3 in the morning with my guitar in its case, crossing the river from the bar back to my little upstairs flat. No traffic, no noise, streetlights flashing yellow, and I’m coming down after a show.

A feeling of real happiness, and the sense I’d have to leave sometime…I was a bachelor, and I lived on coffee, beer, sandwiches and cigarettes.”

“you realize the reason they say you can’t go home again is not that home changes, but that you no longer exist.

It’s someone else coming back.”

He wrote songs and letters on an old typewriter, substitute taught at local high schools, and read a lot.

Since his first album, Foucault has built upon his ability to relate his state of comfort or discomfort through music, using a cohesive undercurrent that’s both positive and creative.

You can feel this time period in Foucault’s music, its attention focused on the feelings inside – inside himself, inside us all. Similar to a drive along Wisconsin’s rural roads, Foucault takes listeners on an introspective journey through the dusty paths of lingering emotion, halfway between sentiment and physical sensation.

And although his lyrics and outlook are inspired by his home state, the musician is now more rambling troubadour than anything.

“Once you leave home and find yourself really gone,” he reflects,

Mastering his own records, he’s only involved in the music industry to the extent he sees necessary. “I pay attention to the wider industry the way I might look at a wreck on the highway, not because I want to, but because it’s hard to look away.”

Missoula-based Brian D’Ambrosio works as a writer and marketing and media consultant. Musician Jeffrey Foucault will play at Bozeman’s Peach Street Studios on Sept. 25 and Missoula’s Crystal Theatre on Sept. 26.

34 Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013

entertainment

March Fourth Marching Band Sept. 13 at Pine Creek CafĂŠ Photos by Tyler busby

The Portland, Ore.-based March Forth Marching Band brought its stiltwalkers and high energy jazz and funk to the Pine Creek Cafe in Paradise Valley this September, packing the pines.

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Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013 35

Photo courtesy of Dark Star Orchestra

Raising The Dead

By Maria Wyllie

Explore Big Sky Associate Editor

BOZEMAN – Dark Star Orchestra isn’t your typical cover band. On Saturday, Sept. 28, Bozemanites will find out why.

The famed Grateful Dead tribute band is embarking on its fall Western tour this month with stops at the Pink Garter Theatre in Jackson, Wyo. on Sept. 27, the Emerson in Bozeman on Sept. 28 and the Wilma in Missoula on Sept. 29.

Rather than simply playing songs written by the Grateful Dead, DSO recreates the entire experience of attending a Dead show – something they like to call “raising the Dead.”

“In my opinion, if you’re interested in hearing the Dead, we’re playing it as close to the original form as possible,” said DSO drummer Rob Koritz in a phone interview. “Older Dead Heads like it for nostalgic reasons, and, for newer Dead Heads, we get to turn them on to music they never got to see.”

Because the music they’re covering is incredibly intimate, Koritz says roughly 90 percent of each song is improvised, which allows for creative expression while still emulating the Dead’s sound.

“What we’re doing is closer to performance art than a cover band,” he added. Kortiz has been playing with Dark Star since 1999, two years after the band was founded. And he isn’t bored yet.

DSO typically performs a show based on a specific set list from the Grateful Dead’s 30 years of extensive touring. At the end of each night, they announce the date and location of the original show.

“We offer a sort of a historical perspective at what it might have been like to go to a show in 1985, 1978 or whenever,” said rhythm guiatarist and vocalist Rob Eaton in a press release. “Even for Dead Heads who can say they’ve been to a hundred shows in the 90s, we offer something they never got to see live.”

But to keep things fresh, DSO members build their own set lists about 30 percent of the time. Koritz says this enables them to play songs that were rarely performed or to play songs from different decades next to each other, thus creating a whole new experience.

Through their accuracy of sound, DSO has even garnered the attention of original Grateful Dead band members Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay, Vince Welnick and Tom Constanten, who have all made guest performances.

“Playing with Dark Star Orchestra is something that feels just exactly like it felt when I was playing with the Grateful Dead,” said Grateful Dead vocalist Donna Jean Godchaux-McKay, according to a Vootie Productions press release.

Other notable guests have included Mike Gordon and Jon Fishman of Phish, Keller Williams, Warren Haynes, Steve Kimock, Peter Rowan and Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, among others.

Even if you don’t usually listen to cover bands, Koritz urges wary listeners to see what it’s all about.

“For Dead Heads who are skeptical, give it a chance,” he says. “If you come one time, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

Tickets to the Sept. 28 show can be purchased at Cactus Records in Bozeman or online at Ticketriver.com. Visit darkstarorchestra.net for more information.

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An independently owned and operated broker member of BRER Affiliates, Inc. Prudential, the Prudential logo and Rock symbol are service marks of Prudential Financial, Inc. and its related entities, registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. Used under license with no other affiliation of Prudential. Equal Housing Opportunity. All information contained herein is derived from sources deemed reliable; however, is not guaranteed by Prudential Montana Real Estate, Managing Broker, Agents or Sellers. Offering is subject to error, omissions, prior sales, price change or withdrawal without notice and approval of purchase by Seller. We urge independent verification of each and every item submitted, to the satisfaction of any prospective purchaser.

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Explore Big Sky

Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013 37

Summer of Lee wrap-up party

The Lee Metcalf Wilderness is about to turn 30, and ‘Summer of Lee’ is throwing a party in Big Sky on Oct. 4 to celebrate. The entire event is free and open to the public.

The first part of the event will honor and remember former Sen. Lee Metcalf’s contributions to Montana at the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center, Ophir School, at 5:30 p.m., featuring a keynote address by former Rep. Pat Williams. Afterwards the show will move to Buck’s T-4 for dinner, drinks and music by the Clumsy Lovers starting at 7 p.m.

15th annual Friends of GNFAC Powder Blast fundraiser is Oct. 25 Event raises money for avalanche education and outreach

BOZEMAN – Last winter was a fatality-free avalanche season in southwest Montana, thanks in part to the efforts of the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center.

Get the dogs out!

Dog Day of Summer rescheduled BIG SKY – Due to an outbreak of Bordetella earlier this summer, Camp Big Sky’s third annual Dog Day of Summer was rescheduled for Sunday, Sept. 29, at the Big Sky Community Park.

The annual Powder Blast fundraiser on Oct. 25 at Bozeman’s Emerson Cultural Center will raise money for the GNFAC to continue its education and awareness efforts this coming season. The Powder Blast event includes catered food by Bountiful Table, beer, wine, a silent auction, raffle and live music by Holler N’ Pine.

Kicking off this year’s event at 10:30 a.m. are Charlee Sue and Tucker Dreisbach, winners of last year’s costume parade, who will serve as Grand Marshalls leading many well-dressed canines around the park.

The Friends of GNFAC is a nonprofit organization that provides 55 percent of the avalanche center’s funding. Last season the GNFAC taught 67 avalanche classes that reached 3,473 people, and its daily avalanche advisories reached an average of 4,491 people a day. New for this season will be an app for smartphone users to quickly access the advisories. - T.A.

Weather in September can be unpredictable, but Big Sky Fitness Fusion owner Jolene Budeski Callahan will have you and your dog warmed up

in no time with a 30-minute total body workout followed by a twomile trail run.

After you break a sweat, show off what your dog can do at the pet tricks and dock diving competitions.

Proceeds from the event will go towards underwriting tuition costs for the growing number of kids in Camp Big Sky, according to Camp Big Sky Director Katie Coleman.

For more information, contact Coleman at camp@bsccmt.org or call (406) 209-1643. – M.W.

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Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013 39

Planning an event? Let us know! Email maria@theoutlawpartners.com, and we’ll spread the word.

Oct. 4 and Oct. 17, please submit it by Friday, Sept. 27.

Thursday, Sept. 20- Thursday Oct. 3

BIG SKY FRIDAY, SEPT. 20

Bike Movie Double Feature Lone Peak Cinema, 8 p.m.

Live Music Ousel & Spur Pizza Co., 9 p.m.

One Leaf Clover Gallatin River House Grill, 9:30 p.m.

bozeman FRIDAY, SEPT. 20

Gallatin Gateway Gun Show Auction Barn, 2 p.m.

Monica Bill Barnes & Co. The Ellen, 8 p.m. (and Sat.) 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche The Verge, 8 p.m.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 21

Upper Gallatin River Cleanup Big Sky Community Park Pavilion, 9:30 a.m.

Level 1's Partly Cloudy and The Wallisch Project The Emerson, 8 p.m. Shawn Mullins w/Chuck Cannon Filling Station, 9 p.m.

Fly Fishing 101 LMR Outdoors Shop, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Brass Flask The Eagle’s Club, 9:30 p.m. (and Sat.)

DJ Night Broken Spoke, 10 p.m.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 21

SUNDAY, SEPT. 22

Canyon Cup Big Sky Golf Course, 10 a.m.

MONDAY, SEPT. 23

Montana Science and Engineering Festival Bobcat Stadium, 10 a.m.

Red vs The Wolf The Verge, 2 p.m.

Born Villains & Beautiful Beasts Art Exhibit

Red vs The Wolf The Verge, 2 p.m.

Holiday Inn & Union Pacific Dining Lodge, 7:30 a.m. (thru Sept. 28)

Oktoberfest Run Bozeman, 5:30 p.m.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 26

An Evening with Peter Yarrow The Ellen, 7 p.m.

Bozeman Symphony Willson Auditorium, 7:30 p.m.

Dark Star Orchestra The Emerson, 8 p.m.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 29

Bozeman Symphony Willson Auditorium, 2:30 p.m.

HATCH Fest Bozeman, (thru Oct. 5)

Birds of Chicago Peach Street Studios, 8 p.m.

GYC’s 30th Anniversary Celebration & Annual Meeting Union Pacific Dining Hall, 4-6 p.m.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 21

Open Mic Night

By Word of Mouth, 10 p.m.

Worth Filling Station, 9 p.m.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 24

SUNDAY, SEPT. 22

Fall Cooking Series: Wine Sauces Gourmet Gals, 6-8 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 25

Date Night Lone Mountain Ranch, 5:30-9 p.m.

Bluebird Sky LMR Saloon, 8-9:30 p.m.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 26 Rising Lion El Patron, 9:30 p.m.

Throwback Thursday Lone Peak Cinema

FRIDAY, SEPT. 27

Adult Improv Class The Verge, 4-5:30 p.m.

Montana Cattle Crawl Starky’s, 5 p.m.

MONDAY, SEPT. 23

2nd Annual Active Aging Week Hillcrest Senior Living, Bozeman Deaconess Health Services & Bozeman Public Library (thru Fri.) Improv on The Verge The Verge, 7-8 p.m.

A Place At The Table The Emerson, 7:30 p.m.

Live Music Ousel & Spur Pizza Co., 9-11 p.m.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 24

Shane Maloney Medical Benefit Party w/DJ Rampage Raffle & Silent Auction Broken Spoke, 10 p.m.

Book Club Country Bookshelf, 7-9 p.m.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 29

Community BBQ w/Little Jane & The Pistolwhips Lone Mountain Ranch, 4:30-6:30 p.m.

MONDAY, SEPT. 30

Bogert Farmers Market Bogert Park, 5-8 p.m.

One Leaf Clover The Haufbrau, 10 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 25

TGR’s Way of Life Movie Premiere The Emerson, 6:30 & 9 p.m.

Date Night Lone Mountain Ranch, 5:30-9 p.m.

Jeffrey Foucault Peach Street Studios, 8 p.m.

Montana Tapas & Beer Pairing 320 Guest Ranch, 6 p.m.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 26

Open Mic Night

By Word of Mouth, 10 p.m.

TUESDAY, OCT. 1

Fall Cooking Series: Classic Butter Sauces Gourmet Gals, 6-8 p.m.

Open Range LMR Saloon or Veranda, 6:30-8 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 2 Big Sky Resort closes

Lobster Feast Lone Peak Brewery, 6 p.m.

Silly Moose Improv The Verge, 2-4 p.m.

The Flannel Attractions & guests Filling Station, 9 p.m.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 27

Quick Draws Cocktails The Emerson, 7 p.m. – 12 a.m.

5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche The Verge, 8 p.m.

The Duhks Peach Street Studios, 8 p.m.

Beatles Tribute Weekend Filling Station, 9 p.m. (and Sat.)

SATURDAY, SEPT. 28 THURSDAY, OCT. 3 Throwback Thursday Lone Peak Cinema

National Alpaca Farm Days Bozeman Alpaca Traders Open House 285 Bates Road, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. (and Sun.)

SUNDAY, SEPT. 29

Summer Trail Work Day Rendezvous Trailhead Building, 9 a.m.

THURSDAY, OCT. 3

LIVINGSTON & PARADISE VALLEY

FRIDAY, SEPT. 20

Molly O’Brien & Rich Moore Peach Street Studios, 8 p.m.

Pine Needle Stampede Rendezvous Ski Trails, 9 a.m.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 2

West yellowstone

Live Music w/John Foster & Lindsay Newton LMR Saloon, 7-9 p.m.

National Parks Free Fee Day Yellowstone National Park, all day

Knit Night Send It Home, 7-9 p.m.

Fall Harvest Bonus Market Bogert Park, 5-7 p.m.

Harmony Market Bozeman Holiday Inn, 4-8 p.m.

Muir String Quartet Reynolds Recital Hall, 7:30 p.m.

and Party Main St. Arts and Entertainment Complex, 7 p.m.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 28

TUESDAY, OCT. 1

THURSDAY, OCT. 3

Date Night Lone Mountain Ranch, 5:30-9 p.m.

Knit Night Send It Home, 7-9 p.m.

GYC’s 30th Anniversary Celebration & Annual Meeting Union Pacific Dining Hall, 7:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.

Old Faithful Cycle Tour Yellowstone National Park

TUESDAY, SEPT. 24

2013 International Fly Fishing Fair

livingston & paradise valley

FRIDAY, SEPT. 20 Two Bit Franks Pine Creek Café, 7 p.m.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 21 Big Bear Stampede Gardiner Rodeo Grounds, 7 a.m.

Thanksgiving Turkey Shoot Buffalo Ranch, 10:30 a.m.

Jawbone Railroad Pine Creek Café, 7 p.m.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 22 Out of Darkness Walk for Suicide Prevention Sacajawea Park Gazebo, WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 25 Farmers Market w/Sally Newsome Miles Park, 4:30-9 p.m.

Where the Yellowstone Goes Shane Center, 6:30 p.m.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 26 Network Live First Interstate Bank, 5:30-7 p.m.

40 Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013

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Se pte m be r 1 4 a t B i g S ky Resor t

Racers in the inaugural Rut 50K mountain race climb Alto Ridge, a demanding 2,300-foot rocky and sometimes technical ridge above the Swift Current chairlift at Big Sky Resort. Alto was 18 miles into the demanding 31-mile race, which included more than 8,000 feet of elevation gain and loss. PHOTO BY EMILY WOLFE

12K runners rally the trails on Andesite Mountain. PHOTO BY ERIK MORRISON

Big Sky local Twila Moon looking good in the 50K. PHOTO BY EMILY WOLFE

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Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013 41

From left, 12K participants Christy and Dave Stergar, Paul Mannelin, Hannah Frantz and Brandon Bang. PHOTO BY ERIK MORRISON

Big Sky locals Chad Zeigler and Jamie Mathis crushing Alto Ridge.

PHOTO BY EMILY WOLFE

Men’s 12K podium: Bozeman resident (center) Joshua Pummel won 1st place, and the father-son duo of Duncan (age 13) and Ryan Hamilton made 2nd and 3rd. PHOTO BY ERIK MORRISON

Paul Hamilton of Colorado Springs, Colo. won the 50k with a time of 5:13:08.4 Photo by Erik morrison

42 Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013

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Bridger Bowl installs two new lifts for 2013-2014 season

Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013 43

Program shows common ground shared by hunters and landowners MONTANA FISH, WILDLIFE AND PARKS

More than 30,000 hunters and landowners have shown interest in the Hunter-Landowner Stewardship Project, a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks’ information program aimed at promoting responsible hunter behavior and good hunterlandowner relations.

Bring on the Blues!

BOZEMAN – Bridger Bowl is nearing completion of a $4.1 million dollar multi-lift construction project to be completed for the 2013-14 season.

Two Skytrac triple chair lifts, which are made in the U.S., will replace the 46-year-old Alpine lift, a 1967 Riblet double chair. This marks four new lifts in the past five seasons for Bridger.

Laid out in a “V” shape pattern, both new lifts will have base terminals adjacent to the old Alpine chair location.

The new Powder Park lift will veer south and terminate near the top of Powder Park run and serve other great upper-intermediate runs in that area. The new

Alpine Lift will veer north and terminate at the top of Montagne Meadow, providing easy access to some of the mountain’s best lower intermediate and intermediate terrain. The lift previously named Powder Park will now be known as Sunnyside.

The two new lifts will triple the capacity from 1,100 per hour to 3,300 on the north side of the mountain. Both chairs will have ChairKid loading carpets, bringing the number up to five total at the area – the most of any ski area in North America.

This area of the mountain has a lower-angle bowl, long and gentle cruising runs, glades and a community events race course.

“The Hunter-Landowner Stewardship Project is designed to help hunters and landowners build relationships based upon mutual respect and understanding of each other’s perspectives,” said Alan Charles, FWP coordinator of landowner/sportsman relations.

Those who complete the voluntary and free course earn a lifetime certification from the Hunter-Landowner Stewardship Project and may request a free cap and bumper sticker bearing the program’s logo.

Some landowners are using the program as a tool to promote responsible hunter behavior. Many hunters who have completed the course have indicated that information provided through the program has helped them be more aware of the many issues associated with private land and public access.

For more information, visit fwp.mt.gov.

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column: wanderer at rest

Explore Big Sky

Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013 45

Moving on

By Jamie Balke

entering into what my dad would call a “characterbuilding” experience.

Explore Big Sky Columnist

There was a time in my life, not too long ago, when I could fit everything I needed in my sedan. To be fair, that was when I drove it to already-furnished living quarters provided by the Park Service. These days, I think I would be hard pressed to fit the contents of my bookshelves into my SUV. In fact, the last time I moved, there were professionals and a flatbed truck involved.

My future roommates fall on the opposite end of the tidiness spectrum from myself, meaning we’ll all be tasked with the challenge of creating a bal-

One of my soon-to-be flatmates, on the other hand, once allowed bathroom mold to grow so elaborately, we feared it might be sentient and considered naming it. My other future roommate ignored the Thanksgiving turkey leftovers in the fridge for several months until it defied description.

This dynamic two-man cleaning team currently resides together, and we’re all moving to a new and neutral place.

One time, when they tried to vacuum their current house, the machine started smoking and died.

For a person who thought she would spend her life searching for meaning through movement, terrified to stand still, I’ve surprised myself by choosing to make a home in Bozeman. This sometimes throws me for a loop since I once thought this ability to run allowed me freedom. At least I’m moving to a place in the same town.

If all goes well, I should be installed in a new Bozeman house by the end of this month. Practical horrors aside, such as cleaning the seedy underbelly of the stovetop in my current rental apartment, this move will be complicated.

Countering these fears are my hopes that this move will result in deeper friendships, and the possibility that the pleasant buzzing of a happy home will distract me from unimportant, slightly-out-of-place-objects.

Balke is looking forward to the new house, but she’s not excited for the move.

Photo by John Balke

For the first time since I moved to Bozeman four years ago, I’ll be sharing my living space with others. Although these others are two of my best friends, as a massive control/neat freak, I’ll be

anced home where we’ll be comfortable and happy.

As a person who notices when something has been moved slightly out of place and feels compelled toward immediate corrective action, I’m nervous.

But I’m determined to make it work.

The pressure is on, and the stakes are high. My future roommates will have to dramatically increase their cleaning efforts, and I’ll have to let go of excessive neatness in equal proportion. It will also require confronting my tendency toward flight in the face of stability.

Jamie Balke will soon have to re-learn basic lessons such as sharing, and not stealthily stress-cleaning her roommates’ space.

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WHERE BIG SKY COMES TOGETHER

CULTURAL TREASURES: Visit the Galleries of Town Center this summer for exhibits and events.

Creighton Block, Charsam Room, and Gallatin River Gallery host a variety of pieces by Local and Regional artists.

46 Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013

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fun

Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013 47

Big Sky Beats

By Maria Wyllie

Explore Big Sky associate editor

Find out what tunes we’re bumping! In “Big Sky Beats,” Explore Big Sky's staff and guests talk soundtracks for summer activities in the Rockies – anything from training for a marathon to floating down the river with friends.

Songs of summer Summer’s over, folks. School busses are running, outdoors shops are swapping out bikes for new skis, and the gym has gone from empty to full.

There’s a lot to look forwardckto as we transition to winter, but when remi.com enSto niscing of sunny days, ectorOpthere are a few songs that will surely take you back. .V w w w Some are actually worthy of being listened to again, but most will simply be remembered because they were so overplayed (or maybe because they had a jaw-dropping music video that had you hitting replay to see if that really just happened).

These songs weren’t necessarily released this summer, but that’s when they gained the most traction.

“Blurred Lines,” Robin Thicke “Get Lucky,” Daft Punk (feat. Pharrell Williams) “Holy Grail,” Jay-Z (feat. Justin Timberlake) “We Can’t Stop,” Miley Cyrus “Wake Me Up,” Avicii “Can’t Hold Us,” Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (feat. Ray Dalton) “Royals,” Lorde “Started From The Bottom,” Drake “Mirrors,” Justin Timberlake “Cruise,” Florida Georgia Line (feat. Nelly) For the next issue, we’ll look at artists who didn’t get much attention this summer but should have.

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For Explore Big Sky, the Back 40 is a resource: a place where we can delve into subjects and ask experts to share their knowledge. Topics include regional history, profiles of local artists and musicians, snow and avalanche education, how-to pieces for traditional or outdoor skills, and science.

Noun: wild or rough terrain adjacent to a developed area Origin: shortened form of “back 40 acres”

Creating art for skis and seeking inspiration, or nighttime painting sessions fueled by mugs of coffee with a cool soundtrack playing.

It’s not at all like that. For me, the process is more comparable to the transition of Dr. Bruce Banner morphing into the Incredible Hulk. It’s painful. As the artwork manifests, so do the challenges. Having an idea is one thing, composing it into colors and forms is another – it’s a bit like trying to wring out your brain.

In my work pattern, a few days of creativity in the studio are followed by one or two days of inactivity.

These inactive days used to scare me, as I felt I should be producing some physical evidence each day. But I now know them as important contemplation times, when my brain can conjure up the next stage of the work. In the days that follow, my paintbrush catches up.

I communicated with Tony throughout the design process, and he acted as an anchor for my ideas, which tend to grow like wild. Together we cultivated what worked for the ski design without losing the spirit of my work.

Kay Leggot sits in front of her Supertonic painting. Photo courtesy of Kay Leggot

By Kay Leggott

Explore Big Sky Contributor

It’s a curious business, making art.

Ideas rotate around my head daily, not unlike the scene from the Wizard of Oz where all the cattle, houses, trees and such get sucked up in the whirling tornado. When someone requests a specific project, I have to catch those ideas and organize them into something practical.

Swiss-based ski company Faction asked me this year to create three pieces of art for topsheet graphics on the 2013/14 women’s freeride and freestyle skis, the Ambit, the Heroine and the Supertonic.

To make sense of all the information vying for attention in my mind, I keep scrapbooks. By looking at these with Faction’s design director Tony McWilliam, I focused my ideas into the styles and techniques that will represent the brand.

We settled on three themes chosen for a combination of their aesthetics

and back-stories. Faction is a collective of people from all over the world, so themes like travel, environment and culture resonate with the team. Expressing awareness for the positive and negative events within the countries where we ski is also important to us.

For the Ambit ski, I did an illustration based on the trauma that occurred after the 2011 tsunami that occurred near Japan. Thousands of birds were killed on the Midway atoll, a wildlife refuge halfway between North America and Asia, and I wanted to show the extent of chaos and debris left by that catastrophe through the style of the illustration.

The graphic for the Heroine is a mixed media piece inspired by my travels in Bali. The Supertonic is a large-scale painting narrating the natural and manmade forms we find in the environment.

You might imagine that creating art has some romantic nostalgia: time spent walking and musing over ideas

The painting pictured here is the Supertonic artwork. The forms represent patterns in leaves, seed cases and other plants forms, set against the shapes of discarded manmade waste I found on the forest floor in my local woods.

When a piece is finished, I typically ship it from my studio in South Yorkshire, UK, to the Faction offices in Verbier. In the case of the Supertonic painting, however, I dismantled it, rolled it into my ski bag and booked it on a flight along with myself.

Once there, Tony skillfully manipulated the art to fit the shape of the ski.

Fast-forward to winter: The next time I pulled the Supertonic from my ski bag, it was no longer a painting, but a pair of skis!

I gave them their first run at Snowbird in February 2013. Sitting on the chairlift, I felt lucky to have this as my job. I love creating art, and being part of the team at Faction is as rewarding as the skiing itself.

Artist Kay Leggot has returned to her roots in Yorkshire, England, after living in Switzerland for five years. Based in Verbier, Switzerland, and Breckenridge, Colorado, Faction builds and designs world-class skis with a commitment to environmental sustainability.

Find more on both Faction and Leggott at factionskis.com.

Faction Supertonic skis

Image courtesy of Faction skis

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Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013 49

Explore Big Sky

a reel design p. 50

Special Section:

fishing

Family day on the Taylor Fork

Contemplating why fish have not been caught in the first 100 feet of river.

upper missouri waterkeeper p. 54

casting 4 a cure p. 51

Photos by Ryan Day Thompson

The stuff of which family days (and dreams) are made

Learning how a reel works.

"Can I throw rocks?” No. “Please!?” You’ll scare the fish away. “...Mama!" SHHHHHH!

Cedric: “Did you catch a fish!?” Ryan: Nope. No fish. Cedric: Screeching: “WHERE ARE THE FISH, PAPA?!”

We finally caught a fish. Cedric was ecstatic.

50 Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013

fishing

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A reel design “We’ve got a good relationship with a bunch of the best guides around,” said McCune, who earned an engineering degree from Montana State University in 1996. “We have beer with them, pizza with them, and get feedback.”

McCune, who also owns the Bozeman machining company Autopilot, now co-owns Bozeman Reel Company with Dan Rice and Ed Tompkins.

At BRC, McCune says, “We’ve developed a product that fits well with us – we like to fish, machining and design. This seemed like the perfect outlet.”

The result is a bombproof, easy-to-use design that I plan to fish with for decades.

My old reel now serves as a handy paperweight on my desk, reminding me of fishing the Big Thompson near Estes Park, Colo. The new one is perfect for fall cutthroat on the Gallatin, and I look forward to bringing it back to the Madison as well.

By Joseph T. O’Connor Explore Big Sky Senior Editor

I’ve fly fished with some hot reels in the past 10 years, but never owned one other than the $25 plastic rig I bought as an editorial intern at Skiing magazine in Boulder, Colo. I used that cheap reel until Sept. 12, when I tried Bozeman Reel’s new 325, part of its RS (River/Stream) series.

Company founder Matt McCune began researching, testing and designing reels alongside fishing guides in 2008. He says that’s what sets Bozeman Reel apart from other reel manufacturers.

Bozeman Reel Company has a full product line, with reels to handle fly-line weights from 3-7… oh, and they’ll customize your RS reel by engraving your company or personal logo on the foot.

The company designs, tests and builds its reels in Montana.

Out on the Madison River at dusk, I hooked into a nice rainbow and the 325 did the rest. The fish ran and the titanium reel’s RDX system kicked in with a smooth, consistent drag that gave just enough line when I needed it.

The reel’s fully sealed system is composed of stainless steel and Rulon, a material used to eliminate what reel manufacturers call “startup inertia” – essentially, stickiness. The 325 has an interchangeable spool, which is quickly and easily switched from right- to left-handed retrieve.

At 4.6 ounces, the 325 handles line weights between 3-5 and holds 110 yards of 20-pound-test backing.

Photos courtesy of Bozeman Reel

Fall fishing in West Yellowstone

By Maria Wyllie

Explore Big Sky Associate Editor

WEST YELLOWSTONE – The International Federation of Fly Fishers is holding this year’s fly fishing festival in West Yellowstone, Sept. 24-28.

Numerous displays, workshops and social events will give fishing enthusiasts a chance to learn from the pros and then spend many hours practicing their craft on Hebgen Lake and the Madison, Firehole, Lamar and Upper Yellowstone Rivers.

Workshops in the classroom and on the water will explore the ins and outs of casting and tying flies, including tips on how to enhance and build flies with glue; increase distance, smoothness and loop control; and even learn to film and analyze casting with your smartphone.

A special women’s program will take place Sept.

27-28 at the Bar-N-Ranch. A group of female instructors, who work as professional guides, fly tiers, writers and certified casting instructors, will be teaching both new and experienced anglers.

Many of the clinics are geared towards anglers looking to improve upon how they coach their clients, with certification tests offered as well. However, workshops for beginners and even non-angling activities will be offered, such as dying hand painted yarn, cooking in a Dutch oven, and going on a guided hiking or kayaking trip.

For a complete schedule and information on registration, visit fedflyfishers.org or call (406) 2229369. Note that you must have the appropriate state or park license prior to participating in on-stream workshops.

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Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013 51

Fly fishing donates to research for rare neurological disorder total, it has contributed more than $300,000 to RTT research, helping fund two clinical studies to find a cure and RTT family support.

Farnum, who has worked with Nike for 18 years as a sales director, says colleagues and other Nike guests have shown enormous support for C4C. More than 200 people attended the C4C event in Victor, Idaho, this August, including corporate sponsors like Patagonia, Sage and Howler Bros.

Unlocking the door The quest to find a cure for Rett Syndrome has taken enormous strides since 1999, the year Dr. Huda Zoghbi of Baylor University zeroed in on MPCE2, the exact gene where the mutation takes place. In a landmark 2007 study, scientists in Scotland were able to successfully reverse the symptoms of RTT in a genetic mouse model.

Above: C4C Executive Director Bill Farnum lays a cast near White Sulphur Springs.

Right: Ella Farnum’s smile is as big as Montana. She suffers from a rare neurological disorder called Rett Syndrome, which C4C events support. Photos courtesy of Casting 4 A Cure

By E.J. Daws

Explore Big Sky Staff Writer

Bill Farnum may never hear his daughter say “I love you.” He may never get the chance to walk her down the aisle, or see her leave home for college. These are some of the many reasons he stands knee deep in a remote Montana river, fly fishing for 24-inch brown trout near the Bar Z Riverside Ranch outside of White Sulphur Springs.

Ella Farnum, Bill’s 9-year-old daughter, has beautiful brown eyes, and a smile that warms the heart. She suffers from Rett Syndrome (RTT), a disruption of brain development, motor skills and communication that affects 1 in 20,000 young girls. She has difficulty sitting still, controlling her hands, sleeping through the night, and she cannot speak.

RTT is a rare developmental disorder that affects almost exclusively girls due to a mutation in the X chromosome. The syndrome develops rapidly after normal development during the first 12-18 months of life. Almost overnight, parents see their child lose most of what she’s gained, crumbling in their arms.

The disease strips away normal development, causing difficulty or complete absence of motor skills, speech, cognitive functioning, sensory perception and basic communication.

“It’s kind of like fishing” Farnum says about Ella’s daily routine. “When you wake up in the morning, you never know what the water is going to be like.”

Casting 4 A Cure After Ella was diagnosed with RTT in 2008, Farnum, who lives outside of Portland, co-founded Casting 4 A Cure to build momentum toward finding a cure for the debilitating disease. He held the first C4C event that same year, bringing together a group of friends for a fishing trip in Steamboat, Colo.

The nonprofit organization combines his passions – friends, fly fishing and fundraising for RTT research, and growing public awareness about the disease.

Casting 4 A Cure’s Ed Kammerer poses with a nice Smith River Brownie Photo by Dave Hanson

Four years later, C4C holds three events annually at locations that have included the Smith River in Montana, Steamboat Springs, Colo., Victor, Idaho, and the Saltwater Flats in The Bahamas. In

Since then, Dr. Steve Kaminsky, a C4C attendee and Chief Science Officer for the International Rett Syndrome Foundation, has seen the rise of two clinical tests – one at Boston’s Children’s Hospital, and one at Baylor – that he says could yield results within the next six weeks.

“Imagine the clinical trials as a long hallway, with 30-40 doors unopened,” Kaminsky said in a presentation at the Smith River event at the Bar Z Ranch this September. “We currently have opened two of the doors so far.”

Also that evening at the Bar Z, Farnum presented a $25,000 check to Dr. Kaminsky – the cost for a drug compound clinical trial.

“If we unlock these doors, we can unlock these little girls,” Kaminsky told the group.

The development of a cure for Rett Syndrome would be groundbreaking for the entire field of neuroscience, with implications for other synapse disabilities including autism and schizophrenia.

A cure may not be far off, considering scientists have located the gene mutation, and events like C4C are bringing together passionate anglers with the chance to donate the dollar that may find the cure.

For more information or to support C4C, visit casting4acure.com.

52 Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013

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"Those eyes" photo by Art G.

Fishing Rock Creek Stalemate with a cougar

By Kevin Devaney Explore Big Sky Contributor I smiled as I drove past the Rock Creek Lodge, knowing I was retreating further from Missoula, paying rent and writing history papers. I was headed along Rock Creek, upstream from the confluence of the Clark Fork River and Highway 90, on a small road with pavement like fishnet stockings surrounding suspension-eating bomb holes.

I parked my rusted Toyota 4Runner just before the pavement ended, not a half-mile from the lodge – the same spot I’d fished the day before.

The sun was high when I stepped out of the car, but I could still see my breath, especially after a sip of coffee.

My hands struggled to maneuver the frosty clips of my waders, and drops of water fell from the cottonwoods above me.

The mist gave way to the weak October sun, showing the foliage of mountain maples, aspens and cottonwoods, most of it wet and underfoot by that time of year. The squirrels made a racket as they gathered food for the coming winter, but the innumerable deer I saw yesterday were gone. Perhaps the rut was coming to an end, I thought. Perhaps they got spooked.

The path was soft and wet with the blanket of fallen leaves. My feet fell silently. The river sounded the same, like a light treetop breeze. I headed straight for my break spot, a fallen spruce perched atop a dried up knoll looking over a slow, quiet stretch of water.

I sat waiting, smoking, watching. Things hadn’t changed from the day before. An October caddis, orange as the aspen leaves, fluttered about the water as if saying, “hello.” I tied my favorite imitation on and before long was hooking browns, cutthroats and rainbows. Around me, dew glistened off the roof of the shady, dark undergrowth. I never had to change flies.

After a few fish out of two holes – that’s how fishermen track time: fish and holes – I hooked my fly to my rod and crossed the creek to try my favorite spot, where the main channel meets a small slough. The water there is deep, slow and shaded by alder. After crossing the river, I followed a path to my honey hole, my footsteps silent in the grass.

smoothing his mustache, contemplating the next move.

Check.

I’d been instructed by friends and teachers to be aggressive during cougar encounters – cats don’t like to fight. Like a sniper, they want you dead before you hear the gunshot. I caught my breath and began stomping on the ground, barking, snarling like a dog, and yelling in my lowest, manliest voice.

The terror and despair faded.

The cat, in his own way, surrendered by standing.

Then he turned broadside finally revealing his long, muscular body – perhaps 170 pounds.

Stalemate.

Whether it was a noise or a feeling that made me turn, I’m not sure. The grass was tall, brown and shaded, slumped slightly from the dampness. I didn’t see him at first, because he blended in with the shades of tan.

I almost turned to cast again, but then realized I was staring into a set of black eyes. I froze.

Our misty exhales were simultaneous. Mountain lion.

Not 75 feet away, he crouched low to the ground, tail flat, eyes locked, ready to pounce. The black eyes glimmered like a faded coin in a fountain.

Only his long whiskers moved, twitching with each breath, like an old man at a chess table

As he walked away with his tail high, the end bobbing, mocking me with each step, I could think only of my parents’ cat, elegant and snobby.

Suddenly, I wanted to get started on that history paper. I walked backwards halfway to the 4Runner.

That was the loneliest moment of my life. Years later, I still dwell on several indelible details: Those twitching whiskers; my feeling of helplessness, an emotion worse than fear; and the fact that the cat may have watched me for perhaps an hour-and-ahalf that morning. Watched and waited, waited, waited... and finally, I shudder thinking how I nearly turned back around and began casting again.

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Explore Big Sky

Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013 53

Southwest Montana fishing report The Gallatin River below Taylor Fork will likely run mud the next few days. When it clears, it will fish great during BWO emergences on overcast days. When clear and warm temperatures rule fall is the time for attractors like Royal Wulff and Trude Cripples.

Drake Macks may come off on the upper river too.

The Madison River between the lakes may run off-color for a few days downstream of Cabin Creek confluence, but it will fish well. Fall Baetis can emerge heavily on the right days, cool and wet are always best. This stretch also holds good populations of October Caddis.

Those in the know will try big dry flies in the heaviest flows. While you will never see a concentrated emergence of this, the largest caddis in the area, you can bring some big fish up to an imitation. A salmon fly like Nick’s Sunken Stone can be deadly now too.

Nate Hamill with his first brown trout caught on a Blue Ribbon Flies bee pattern Photo by Nick Hamill

By Craig Mathews

fingers are still numb, cold and stiff from the cold temps.

The rains have been coming down here in Yellowstone country lately, and as of Sept. 19, river and stream flows had dramatically increased over the previous 72 hours. That’s good news for fall anglers wanting to fish big run-up browns and rainbows in rivers like the Snake, Yellowstone and Madison.

The fishing:

Blue Ribbon Flies

Weeks ago, I wrote about how spiraea, huckleberry and other bushes were changing colors early. These, along with snowberries, are still in color, the snowberry bushes are full with their white fruit now too. It feels like fall, and according to the calendar, the season does officially arrive on Sept. 23.

Late season brown trout are really moving with the cooler water from recent rains. The flows in the Madison’s Yellowstone Park section jumped from 365 to 535 cfs in a matter of hours, which bodes well for fall run fish waiting in the Madison Arm for a spate to bring them upriver.

If you have waited till now to come fish our fall season, you should begin your trip to Yellowstone immediately!

Yellowstone’s elk are in full bugling mode now, too. As I write this, I can see the first snow of the season on Finger Mountain, The Wedge and 3 Sisters, peaks of the southern Madison Range.

It’s still raining, 45 degrees and just after noon, so you’ll have to excuse me while I head down to the river to check for Baetis mayflies and trout rising to them …

I’m back after a couple hours on the river. While the little olive mayflies were not widespread in their emergence, there were enough to get the big fish up in select spots along the river above the West Fork, and I took a few very nice browns and rainbows on Baetis Foam Emergers and sparkle duns, #20’s. My

The Madison in the park should really turn on now. With the cool, wet weather, the fall run should intensify this week, and more big Hebgen Lake fish will move into the system. Big fall soft hackles like Shakey Beeleys and September Songs can be counted on to score the run-up browns and rainbows. It seems the big browns prefer the traditional orange Beeleys while rainbows like the purple. If it’s bright and sunny, you can trail a smaller soft hackle behind such as our peacock or PT patterns.

The Henry’s Fork should be fished now. The only drawback might be the weedy conditions, but when the fish are up you can fool them with Baetis and Mahogany Sparkle Duns and emergers. While you will land very few fish hooked you can at least get a good run and jump out of most of these big rainbows before they become unbuckled!

The river below Earthquake Lake is fishing during Baetis times as we discussed above.

Craig Mathews is owner of Blue Ribbon Flies with his wife Jackie. This fishing report was adapted from his Sept. 19 newsletter.

Be looking for Baetis emergences on overcast afternoons to bring the run up fish as well as resident fish to the surface. Best areas for this activity include Grasshopper Bend as well as Elk Meadows and near 7 Mile Bridge.

Have BWO Foam Emergers and sparkle duns #20.

During the eves you will have white miller caddis near Madison Junction.

The lower Gibbon and Firehole Rivers will both fill with run-up fish now too, so give them a try below their falls using the same flies as above along with a #4-6 Prince Nymph.

The Firehole’s famous Fall Baetis hatches are in full-force now all along the river upstream of The Broads during cool-damp afternoons. If sunshine prevails, use soft hackles, partridge and orange and peacock and herl, as well as white miller patterns.

With all the recent rains the Lamar River and Soda Butte Creek will be out for the next few days due to muddy water.

The Gardner River and Slough Creek are options, but check in with a guide shop regarding their water conditions before making the drive.

YOU CAME TO CATCH FISH, BUT IF INSTEAD YOU CATCH A COLD, WE’RE HERE. You’ve come a long way to get away from it all. Maybe hoping to reel in the big one. But when that turns out to be a cold, you need relief. That’s why Bozeman Deaconess Pharmacy at Big Sky offers everyday remedies. Like over-the-counter cold medicine. Or an allergy presciption.

Stop by for all that and then some. We’re right here in the neighborhood across from Big Sky Chapel. And easier to find than one of those fabled lunkers.

Hours: M–F 10 am–6 pm (406) 993-9390 :: Meadow Village Center bozemandeaconess.org/pharmacy

54 Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013

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Q+A: Upper Missouri Waterkeeper Protecting water and preventing pollution

By Emily Wolfe

Explore Big Sky Managing Editor

As the eyes and ears of a watershed, a waterkeeper is an independent public advocate for a watershed. As of July, southwest Montana has one watching over the 25,000 square-mile Upper Missouri River Basin.

A nonprofit organization, Upper Missouri Waterkeeper’s domain includes the Gallatin, Madison and Jefferson/Big Hole watersheds, as well as the Sun, Smith and Missouri drainages to the north.

These primary waterways total more than 1,527 miles, according to UMW founder Guy Alsentzer; the basin has hundreds of other smaller waterways, as well – ones he’ll likely get to know well in the coming years.

Alsentzer, 29, worked the last three years with a riverkeeper group on the Lower Susquehanna, in the mid-Atlantic. Prior to that, he was a law clerk at the Gallatin County Attorney’s office in Bozeman and at Western Environmental Law Center’s Northern Rockies Office in Helena.

Those experiences gave him a sense for southwest Montana’s complex water quality issues.

ate and Masters of Environmental Law and Policy from Vermont Law School, Alsentzer has a B.A. in political science and social justice from Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif., and is a kayaker and fisherman.

In UMW’s first year, Alsentzer aims to learn more about pollution throughout the basin, he says, as well as efforts underway to mitigate it.

“One of the larger issues confronting communities and waterways here is, ‘how are we going to balance protecting our natural environment and our way of life, and at the same time allow for reasonable growth and a healthy economy?’”

The organization is a member of the international Waterkeeper Alliance, a movement founded by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to empower individuals in protecting and improving their local watersheds. UMW is the only grassroots-based nonprofit exclusively focused on water quality issues affecting this region, according to Alsentzer.

The Upper Missouri Waterkeeper’s domain includes the Gallatin, Madison and Jefferson/ Big Hole watersheds, as well as the Sun, Smith and Missouri drainages – a total of 25,000 square miles.

Q&A Explore Big Sky: What did you learn about the Upper Missouri Watershed while working at the Gallatin County Attorney’s office?

Guy Alsentzer: Gallatin County actually has some of the most progressive pollution laws in the state, in regards to riparian buffers.

These vegetated sections abut or are adjacent to waterways, and they’re critical in providing natural filtration, shade and habitat for wildlife and aquatic species. They’re the most cost effective ways to reduce pollution in our waterways.

EBS: What has UMW done, so far?

GA: I’m working to get a grasp on the pollution issues here, researching the Montana Department of Environmental Quality laws and programs, and reaching out to watershed groups, decision makers and environmental conservation groups in the basin.

In addition to environmental advocacy and education, UMW conducts “pollution patrols,” which local and state environmental agencies often don’t have the time, staff or money to perform. On-the-ground investigation has the tangible benefit of discovering pollution that might have otherwise gone unnoticed. PHOTOS COURTESY UMW Tooaddition much of to sediment (typically nitrogen or phosphorus) from human sources In earningoranutrients Juris Doctor-

EBS: Any that stick out in your mind?

GA: In the Big Hole, there is a “Total Maximum Daily Load,” which is a calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant a water body can receive and still safely meet water quality standards. The Big Hole River is affected by nutrient pollution and sediment. Some of that

occurs naturally, while the rest comes from land use processes, wastewater treatment and agricultural operations.

EBS: Are those TMDL’s effective?

GA: The [TMDLs] regulate ‘point sources’ – any type of defined, discrete conveyance by which water or effluent can be let into a waterway.

There are also ‘nonpoint sources’ of pollution, which are not as definite – they’re not coming out of a pipe, so they’re not as easily ascertained. For those, states typically rely on best management practices.

EBS: Agricultural or ski resort run off, for example?

GA: Yes. One of the critical issues in Montana is whether we’re effectively addressing nonpoint source pollution.

EBS: Tell me about an experience you have working with a farmer.

The farmer next door to my family farm in York, Penn., used to dump his chicken manure next to the banks of a tributary of the Susquehanna River… Those manure stockpiles would flush down the stream during heavy rainfall – [a form of] nonpoint source pollution. I explained to him the impact of manure polluting water on his property and on the greater watershed.

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EBS: Did he move his manure pile?

GA: With his frontend loader the next day.

EBS: Will you interact with the Montana legislature?

GA: Because we’re a small state population-wise, we have good access to our decision makers, and they want to hear from citizens. I see UMW as a conduit for the public, being able to talk on technical pollution issues to our decision makers.

EBS: What laws are you looking at now?

GA: What the Montana legislature has codified in terms of regulations and statutes pursuant to the federal Clean Water Act. More important is UMW’s goal of encouraging the state… to use strong pollution rules that best serve local communities and waterways. In other words, a federal baseline is not always appropriate for what’s going on at the state or local level.

EBS: How do nutrient and sediment pollution affect fisheries?

GA: Sediment – too much dirt in the water – alters the makeup of insect communities from the salmon fly hatches all the way down to midges. This in turn reduces fish spawning.

Nutrients also affect the insect population. Excess nitrogen, such as in the form of dissolved ammonia, which comes from our wastewater, can be toxic to fish and insects. Too much of either [sediment or

fishing

Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013 55

nutrients] from human sources can cause excess algae, which depletes the supply of dissolved oxygen, killing fish and other types of aquatic life, [and even sometimes livestock].

Healthy streams strike a balance between organic and inorganic nutrients from natural sources... That balance relies on organisms that consume excess nutrients, as well as on the cycling of biologically fixed nitrogen and phosphorous into higher levels in the food chain.

EBS: What role do municipalities, communities and agencies play in protecting waterways?

GA: The municipalities in the Upper Missouri River Basin [are obligated to address] different sources of human pollution. The City of Bozeman, for example, put a lot of money into a new wastewater treatment facility. Now it [needs to] work on storm water runoff. This means using BMPs to stop erosion and sedimentation, keeping dirt out of storm drains in city limits, educating stakeholders and the public.

EBS? Why does this work matter to you personally?

GA: This is what makes me tick. Protecting waterways and communities is something I believe in as a Christian man, and also because I recreate outdoors on a weekly if not daily basis. I want to spend the rest of my life here. I want to make sure the environment is not just healthy for me, but for future generations.

TH E W E S T MAY BE WILD,

but it’s not uncivilized

can cause excess algae, which depletes the supply of dissolved oxygen, killing fish and other types of aquatic life, and even sometimes livestock.Here, the Beaverhead River shows high algal production this August.

A collection of

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56 Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013

fishing

Fishing restrictions lifted on most southwest Montana rivers

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Crews remove nonnative fish from Beehive drainage

By Emily Wolfe

Explore Big Sky Managing Editor

Grayling restoration successful on Ruby

BIG SKY – Cooperation is the name of the game, if the native westslope cutthroat trout are to see a successful restoration in one local waterway.

BOZEMAN – Fish, Wildlife and Parks had reopened nearly all of its waterways in Region 3 to fishing as of press time, Sept.

18.

Crews have been working on a project in the Beehive drainage this summer, removing nonnative Yellowstone cutthroat trout from an alpine lake and from parts of the creek that drains from it.

The only sections to remain closed were on the Big Hole River from the headwaters to the mouth of the North Fork, and from Notch Bottom Fishing Access Site to the mouth, due to low flows.

The effort was part of joint project between the Forest Service and the Fish, Wildlife and Parks to restore native westslope cutthroat after Forest biologists found them living there in 2009.

According to the river’s drought management plan, “either the flows have to improve to a certain threshold and stay there for seven days, or it just comes off Oct. 31,” said FWP Region 3 Fisheries Manager. The furthest upstream and furthest downstream sections of the river, neither is highly used.

FWP has been sampling for grayling on the Big Hole and Ruby rivers, and crews found natural recruitment on the Ruby for the fifth year running, something Horton was excited about. “We reintroduced grayling in the early 2000s, and we quit putting fish in there in 2008.”

- E.W.

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Westslope cutthroat trout – or WCT for short – once populated 1,030 miles of river in the Gallatin River Basin, but today inhabit only 10 percent due to habitat degradation, hybridization with rainbow and Yellowstone cutthroat trout, and competition and predation by brown and brook trout.

The Beehive westslope population was inadvertently protected by an incorrectly installed culvert near the Forest Service boundary that prevented most other fish from passing upstream. The WCT there are hybridized with rainbows, but at less than 1 percent they warranted protection.

“Anytime we find genetically pure or slightly hybridized westslope cutthroat trout in the Gallatin Drainage, that’s a big thing,” said Bruce Roberts, District Fisheries Biologist for the Gallatin National Forest, who was there during the initial discovery.

Late this summer, joint FWP/F.S. crews worked in upper Beehive Basin Creek above Highway 64, and in the lake colloquially known as Egg Lake, in Beehive Basin, removing the non-natives. In the creek, they used electrofishing to remove brook and rainbow, Roberts said, returning the WCT to the creek. In the lake, they used gill nets to remove the Yellowstone cutthroat previously stocked there.

“We didn’t get, nor did we intend to get, all of them this year,” Roberts said. “But we did reduce them substantially.” The project will likely take 2-4 years, he said, and extends to several other drainages in the greater Gallatin River Basin.

Eventually, Roberts said, the plan is to stock the lake with WCT from downstream and from non-hybridized sources in the Gallatin drainage, boosting the genetic diversity of the population.

“In order to have this population exist, it needs to stay in isolation,” Roberts said. “We were hoping the highway culvert was indeed a barrier that closed the system – and it has, mostly – but [this summer] we found that some fish are negotiating that culvert…We have to figure out a way to close the system.”

The highlight of the project for Roberts has been coordinating with local landowners – something he’s been working on for two years.

“To pull this off, we had to coordinate with 14 different landowners because the heart and soul of this westslope cutthroat population is on private land. Those landowners have been incredible.”

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Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013 57

Excerpt from Everything You Always Wanted to Learn About Fly Fishing* *But Were Afraid to Ask

An angler casts a tight loop, the sign of a good casting stroke, and an effective way to beat the wind. Photo by Kenton Rowe Photography.

By Patrick Straub

Explore Big Sky Fishing Columnist

What piece of my gear should I improve immediately?

Clients often ask me: What piece of gear should I improve on before all others? A good rod is essential, and a good line on a serviceable reel is important as well, but my answer may be surprising: get a better pair of waders. If you get an excellent, top-of-the-line pair of Gore-Tex breathable waders, you’ll be more comfortable wherever and whenever you fish, no matter the conditions (some of the absolute best trout fishing occurs in the gnarliest months, such as late October and early March); if you’re more comfortable in all conditions, you’ll go fishing more often; if you go fishing more often, you’ll get better quicker; and the better you get, the more you’ll enjoy yourself.

How do get the best drift with a dry fly?

A good pair of waders also allows the angler to wade boldly, and to better position himself or herself for a good cast and drift. Much of what helps us attain a good drift with a dry fly, or a nymph for that matter, isn’t the distance or even the accuracy of the cast, but rather, its angle in relation to the river’s currents. Time and time again while wade-guiding on the waters in Yellowstone National Park, I’ve watched very competent casters (but lazy waders) put themselves in poor position (with too many conflicting currents between themselves and the fly) and thus achieve dragging drifts. The angler willing to wade a bit farther will nearly always put herself in less-frequentlyfished water, in better position to cast, manage line, and set the hook.

Why is my backcast so important?

As Norman Maclean wrote decades ago, “Until man is redeemed, he will always take the rod too far back on his backcast.” Much has changed in the fishing world since Maclean wrote – we have

blogs, online fly shops, chat rooms and hatch reports these days – but Maclean’s statement still holds true. The backcast is much like a back swing in the world of golf: No matter how good your forward swing, you can’t overcome a bad back swing. Taking the rod too far back on the backcast causes myriad problems: It throws the line into the water behind the angler instead of into the air, impeding the forward cast; it opens the casting loop, decreasing accuracy; and it just plain looks bad.

What’s the number one casting mistake and how do I solve it?

While guiding, I use many analogies to help beginning casters grasp this concept. I might say, for instance: Pretend you are in a phone booth, and you are trying to hammer your way out of both sides of the booth. Or perhaps: Pretend you have stuck a potato on a fork, and you are trying to flick the potato at someone behind you, then, with the fork reloaded, flick a second potato at someone you’re facing.

You’ll notice that both of these imaginary actions force the angler to concentrate on stopping, and more precisely, an acceleration to a stop. In the cast itself, the acceleration serves to generate line speed, which is essential to powering line, leader and tippet through the inevitable wind.

Why did my line pile in front of me?

If you’re wondering why your line lands in a pile out in front of you instead of shooting out like a laser, it’s probably because you’re taking your backcast too far back. In Maclean’s days, when most anglers fished with slower bamboo rods, the adage “make the cast between 10 and 2” was adhered to, meaning that if high noon were indicated by the rod held straight up, directly overhead, then the backcast stopped at 10 o’clock, and the forward cast stopped at 2. These days, however, with the advent of faster graphite rods, the cast can more accurately be said to occur between 11 and 1 o’clock.

How do I beat this wind?

Another reason the line might be landing in a pile at your feet is because the wind is blowing in your face. Wind is a relative term. The same expert who easily throws a 100-foot cast into a 40-mile Bahamian headwind at a tailing bonefish will have trouble punching a 15-foot leader tapered to 7x on a spring creek while tossing a 3-weight to rising cutthroat on DePuy’s Spring Creek. To a beginning caster, a 5 mile-per-hour breeze might thwart the cast; whereas an experienced caster can put a fly on a pie plate at 75 feet despite a 30-mile-per-hour easterly blowing straight up Paradise Valley. The difference: line speed and size of casting loop. The more line speed one can generate (think: condense the casting motion, use more energy in a smaller space), the tighter one can keep the casting loop, and the tighter the loop, the more readily the line cuts through wind.

What is a reach cast?

Line speed and tight casting loops also allow anglers to more easily make casts that are essential to good fly presentation, such as the roll cast (for use in tight situations), side-arm cast (which helps cut through wind), and the all-important reach cast. Because it allows the angler to place the fly downstream from the fly line and ensures the fly itself floats drag free, the reach cast is the most important arrow in the trout angler’s quiver.

A standard cast coupled with an upstream mend will fool trout fairly consistently, but the reach cast (often called a reach mend) is needed if the angler wishes to regularly fool large selective trout, especially on spring creeks and great hatch rivers such as the Bitterroot, where long downstream drifts with light tippets are paramount.

Everything You Always Wanted to Learn About Fly Fishing* *But Were Afraid to Ask is Straub’s sixth book and is set to publish Oct. 1. In addition to Straub’s writing, the book includes interviews with some of the region’s most well known guides and outfitters. He and his wife own Gallatin River Guides in Big Sky.

58 Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013

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cklist Your Summer Fly Fishing Che fly C at ch a cu tt hr oa t on a dr y of ou r Ta ke yo ur ki d fis hi ng on on e po nd fa mi ly tr ips or in ou r pr iva te

R ive r D rif t bo at flo at th e M ad is on in a S ta lk a mo ns te r br ow n tr ou t se cr et cr ee k P er fe ct yo ur do ub le -h au l

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montanaflyfishing.com • 406-995-2290 Since ’84. Fine Purveyors of Fly Fishing Awesome-ness.

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Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013 59

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Fishing Montana

Photos by Chloe Nostrant

“How big was it?”

Ian showing us how to lay out some line A bad weather day of fishing beats a good weather day anywhere else.

A trophy catch on the Gallatin

Great success on a chubby

Rainy and cold weather is no problem for an angler

60 Sept. 20-Oct. 3, 2013

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D E B U T S E A S O N B E G I N S D E C E M B E R 2 013 SEE YOU ON STAGE. WARRENMILLERPAC.ORG

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