Explore Big Sky - February 25 to March 10, 2022

February 25 - March 10, 2022 Volume 13 // Issue #4

Big Sky’s first community center prepares for opening

Big Sky Ski Patrol, Big Sky Resort ratify union agreement Discovery Academy graduates two seniors Local groups incentivize carpooling Buzzer sounds on Big Horn basketball

TABLE OF CONTENTS

February 25 - March 10, 2022 Volume 13, Issue No. 4

OPINION ................................................................... 4 LOCAL NEWS BRIEFS .................................................6 LOCAL.........................................................................8 REGIONAL ...............................................................15 ENVIRONMENT & OUTDOORS...............................17 SPORTS .....................................................................25

HEALTH....................................................................26 BUSINESS ................................................................29 FINANCE .................................................................31 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT ......................................33 DINING .....................................................................36 FUN...........................................................................39

Owned and published in Big Sky, Montana

PUBLISHER Eric Ladd | eric@theoutlawpartners.com

EDITORIAL

8

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, VP MEDIA Joseph T. O’Connor | joe@theoutlawpartners.com MANAGING EDITOR Bella Butler | bella@theoutlawpartners.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Gabrielle Gasser | gabrielle@theoutlawpartners.com DIGITAL PRODUCER Tucker Harris | tucker@theoutlawpartners.com

SENIOR DESIGNER Trista Hillman | trista@theoutlawpartners.com

10 12

Discovery Academy graduates two seniors

17

Local groups incentivize carpooling

20

Buzzer sounds on Big Horn basketball

GRAPHIC DESIGNER ME Brown | maryelizabeth@theoutlawpartners.com

SALES AND OPERATIONS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Megan Paulson | megan@theoutlawpartners.com CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Treston Wold | treston@theoutlawpartners.com VP OF SALES EJ Daws | ej@theoutlawpartners.com VP OF EVENTS Ennion Williams | ennion@theoutlawpartners.com VP OF MARKETING Blythe Beaubien | blythe@theoutlawpartners.com MEDIA AND EVENTS DIRECTOR Ersin Ozer | ersin@theoutlawpartners.com MARKETING COORDINATOR Sophia Breyfogle | sophia@theoutlawpartners.com VIDEO DIRECTOR, CINEMATOGRAPHER Seth Dahl | seth@theoutlawpartners.com CONTENT MARKETING STRATEGIST Mira Brody | mira@theoutlawpartners.com SENIOR ACCOUNTANT Sara Sipe | sara@theoutlawpartners.com

After years of anticipation, BASE will open to the public on March 13, offering recreation, wellness programs and gathering space under the mission for which it’s named: Big Adventure, Safe Environment. The first of its kind in Big Sky, BASE seeks to foster connection.

Big Sky Ski Patrol, Big Sky Resort ratify union agreement

CREATIVE ART DIRECTOR Marisa Opheim | marisa@theoutlawpartners.com

Big Sky’s first community center prepares for opening

On Feb. 12, Big Sky Resort and labor union Communications Workers of America, which represents Big Sky Ski Patrol, ratified a new union contract. The agreement will make changes to working conditions for the patrol.

In a uniquely Big Sky celebration, Discovery Academy seniors Kyan Smit and Libby Flach skied into their graduation ceremony on Feb. 19 at the Summit Hotel. The celebration was marked by speeches from Smit and Discovery staff, all honoring the unique experience of growing up in Big Sky and attending the Montessori-based school.

A partnership between a local sustainability organization and a carpooling platform will offer incentives to commuters traveling from the Gallatin Valley to Big Sky who carpool during the month of March. Following a local greenhouse gas inventory that found onethird of Big Sky’s emissions are transportation related, the incentive program seeks to curb the community’s carbon footprint.

Defeat at the 12C District Tournament in Butte concluded the Big Horns 2021-22 basketball season in February. Defined by a mix of tough losses and heart-pounding wins, both the boys’ and girls’ seasons will also be remembered for the many school records set.

Opening Shot A skier at Big Sky Resort enters the white room after a late-February storm cycle brought 4-8 inches of powder to the mountain. PHOTO COURTESY OF BIG SKY RESORT

ACCOUNTING MANAGER Taylor Erickson | taylor@theoutlawpartners.com PROJECT MANAGER Eli Kretzmann | eli@theoutlawpartners.com COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR Meg Koenig | mk@theoutlawpartners.com EVENTS COORDINATOR, RETAIL MANAGER Connor Clemens | connor@theoutlawpartners.com DISTRIBUTION MANAGER, LOCAL SALES Patrick Mahoney | patrick@theoutlawpartners.com COPYWRITER Patrick Straub

CONTRIBUTORS Jen Bennett, Matthew Brown, Scott Brown, Kwame Dawes, Dan Egan, Dale Evans, Marco Delguidice, John McLaughlin, Scott Mechura, Shannon Steele, Pepper Trail, Kelsey Wellington, Todd Wilkinson, Cy Whitling, Emily Stifler Wolfe.

ON THE COVER: The Big Sky Community Organization staff gathers outside the BASE community center less than three weeks ahead of the March 13 opening. Read more on page 8.

PHOTO BY GABRIELLE GASSER

EDITORIAL POLICIES EDITORIAL POLICY Outlaw Partners, LLC is the sole owner of 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.

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4 February 25 - March 10, 2022

OPINION

Explore Big Sky

ILLUSTRATION BY CY WHITLING

10 Ways to Fit In in a Mountain Town

BY KELSEY WELLINGTON EBS CONTRIBUTOR

I first moved to a mountain town—Missoula, Montana—in the fall of 2016. A New Yorker for most of my 25 years, I had only my Subaru Outback and Birkenstock sandals to help me blend in. Everything else about me screamed East Coast, from my use of “wicked” in every other sentence, to my wardrobe of nightclub-specific dresses and heels. Even my beer preferences gave me away—Allagash Brewing and Dogfish Head were my staples. I had never met anyone who lived out of their vehicle, and I had never known backcountry skiing was a sport not only for the sponsored athlete but for the layperson, too.

Nearly six years later, I have lived in two mountain towns—Jackson, Wyoming, is where I call home today—and visited countless others, and I’ve gleaned a thing or two about life in these bizarre places that could help future newbies fit in. I’d hate for them to show up looking as awkward and out of place as I felt, so what follows are 10 tips to help anyone fit in in a mountain town.

1. Promise yourself this move is only temporary, you won’t stay long enough to get sucked in, you won’t eventually embody the stereotype of the mountain girl who says “rad” and “dope” and has wildflower tattoos.

2. Own a Subaru, particularly an Outback. Or, if you really want to commit to the lifestyle, own a Toyota Tacoma—specifically a gunmetal gray Tacoma with a cap on the truck bed. If you don’t own either of these cars, make sure it looks like you live out of your car for at least part of the year. Hang some battery-operated string lights, store some valuables—climbing or camping gear, usually—in one of those black and yellow HDX storage bins, and make sure to have a thin layer of dust on everything. You’ll get bonus points if your car has a rooftop box or a bike rack. Anything that screams, “I’m outdoorsy!”

3. Outfit your wardrobe with the following items: • A Patagonia fleece that will become pockmarked with holes from campfire embers, holes that will remind you of some of the best conversations you’ll ever have with strangers you’ll never see again.

• At least three flannel shirts, even though only one of them is your favorite and you’ve already patched four holes in it. Honestly, the other two are just taking up space in your car/home and you should probably just donate them to Goodwill.

• A Carhartt beanie because everyone has one, particularly in that tan color, and because mountain towns can promise you only one thing: It will be cold at any time of year.

• A pair of Chaco sandals, which you will wear every single day of spring, summer and fall, regardless of temperature, so you can eventually sport an incredible tan line that will be the envy of your less outdoorsy friends. Well, it would be, if you had less outdoorsy friends.

•

Twelve different jackets—four down jackets of varying insulation; a wind jacket that will become your most-used layer; a raincoat that you will constantly forget to pack; three lightweight water-resistant jackets, even though you will always choose the same one for every activity; two casual jackets that you will forget you own; and one ski jacket for the most coveted season in this town.

4. Pick up any (or all) of the following sports in an attempt to find your identity as an outdoorswoman and a community of like-minded barely passing adults, but make sure you pick the right sport(s) because some are superior to others, depending on who you talk to, and you’d hate to choose the wrong one(s): • Rock/ice climbing (one is superior) • Hiking/backpacking (nobody actually likes hiking) • Trail running (some would call you a sociopath) • Backcountry/downhill skiing (one is superior) • River sports, i.e., canoeing, rafting, kayaking, packrafting, river surfing (maybe stay away from these people) • Mountain/road biking (one is superior) • Fly fishing (no egos here) Then, amass a collection of gear for these sports that will be worth the down payment on a house in a far less expensive part of the country.

5. Complain constantly about the high cost of living in this town you swore you’d only stay in for a season, six years ago. Then, soothe your woes with retail therapy. There’s nothing that can’t be fixed by owning more gear.

6. Don’t even try dating. Or do, but don’t be surprised when you realize how limited your options are. You can choose from: people whose one true love is their chosen sport, people who have history with all of your friends, people who assume you can’t keep up, or people who are “not looking for anything serious.” It’s a shame about the noncommittal guy, though. You really liked his Tacoma.

7. Adopt a dog that will fill the void left by every ex-boyfriend and take them out on every adventure. Expect to be stopped on the trails by strangers who want to talk to you about how cute your dog is, which will eventually turn into a conversation about what kind of mountain bike you have and, hey, do you want to ride together sometime? Don’t be surprised when this stranger is added to your list of ex-boyfriends.

8. Start saying the following phrases ironically: • “That’s so sick/rad/dope, dude.”

• “I’m beyond stoked.”

• “Send it!” (Defined as, “do the thing,” whether that thing is summiting a peak, skiing a particularly steep route, or doing the dishes).

Then, forget to notice the moment when the above phrases become part of your regular vocabulary.

9. Replace your Outback with a Tacoma.

10. Get a tattoo of wildflowers.

BETTER TOGETHER A biweekly District bulletin

Project Spotlights Project: Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) Sponsor: Morningstar Learning Center For the 2021-2022 school year, Morningstar Learning Center launched a needs-based Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) with the support of generous funders including Big Sky Resort Area District, Spanish Peaks Community Foundation, Yellowstone Club Community Foundation, and individual donors. TAP’s goal was to make childcare accessible and affordable for all families in Big Sky by targeting funds to meet individual families’ needs. Approximately 50% of Morningstar families qualify for TAP, and the average award is a 78% discount off the daily tuition rate. These numbers alone show the depth of need in our community that TAP is able to meet, but an even stronger indicator of the success of this program is that weekly enrollment amongst these families has increased by one full day per week since the inception of this program, while weekly enrollment amongst non-TAP recipients has remained constant. TAP is enabling families to utilize Morningstar’s services and help Big Sky work Better Together.

Learn more @ MLCBigSky.org

Project: Big Sky Chamber Staffing & Operations Sponsor: Big Sky Chamber of Commerce When our businesses are equipped with the right tools and resources, they can offer services to make their customers and our visitors happy which in turn leads to a less strained workforce which helps our businesses. The Big Sky Chamber specifically focuses on supporting our businesses and workforce through a number of measures.

The Chamber looks to offer services at the business level as well as the workforce level to approach the “issue” holistically. On the business resources side of the equation, the Chamber offers tangible tools such as a jobs board, marketing support, and trainings. We have partnered with TogetHR Consulting and the Montana Racial Equity Project to offer expert trainings on topics that impact our businesses. In a less tangible avenue, we work hard to meet with our businesses either in direct one on ones or in listening sessions that spark conversations on innovative partnerships or solutions. When it comes to workforce, the Chamber is active in creating a portfolio of incentives aimed at recruiting new employees, as well as retaining the current ones. Chamber staff has worked on projects that speak to the workforce need, including access to childcare, health insurance, and recreational benefits. Additionally, the Chamber offers workforce development through the Leadership Big Sky program that aims to deepen a participant’s understanding of Big Sky as well as their professional network and leadership skills.

Learn more @ BigSkyChamber.com

Project: 3-Year District Interlocal Agreement Sponsor: Gallatin Canyon Water & Sewer The Gallatin Canyon County Water and Sewer District (GCCWSD), Big Sky County Water and Sewer District (BSCWSD), and Big Sky Resort Area District (BSRAD) are working toward a centralized sewer system in the Canyon Area. The project addresses fundamental community needs and environmental sustainability. Project implementation will conserve Gallatin River aquifer water by reducing well sourced irrigation and recharge the aquifer with high-quality treated effluent. It will progressively remove septic systems, reducing human health risks associated with septic sourced pathogens that contaminate drinking water and contribute to algal blooms in the Gallatin. This ‘co-solution’ project alleviates hurdles for the GCCWSD with respect to constructing and operating a new treatment plant, and provides cost effective, environmentally sound disposal for the BSCWSD. Learn more @ GallatinCanyonWSD.com All Meetings are open to the public and public comment is highly encouraged. Share comments by: • Emailing Info@ResortTax.org prior to meetings.

• Attending Board meetings and making public comment in person or through Zoom.

• Comments on the Facebook WILL NOT be accepted as public comment.

Visit ResortTax.org for more information.

Upcoming Board Meetings

9

MARCH

March 9th, 2022 @ 9:00 am April 20th, 2022 @ 9:00 am

20 APRIL

Administered by the Big Sky Resort Area District, Resort Tax is a 4% tax on luxury goods & services.

OUR VISION: “Big Sky is BETTER TOGETHER as a result of wise investments, an engaged community, and the pursuit of excellence.”

Info@ResortTax.org | ResortTax.org | 406.995.3234 |

6 February 25 - March 10, 2022

LOCAL NEWS BRIEFS

Explore Big Sky

Bison Management Plan begins in Yellowstone

MSU sees second highest spring enrollment on record

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MSU NEWS SERVICE

MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, Wyo. – Bison operations began at the Stephens Creek administrative area in Yellowstone National Park in midFebruary. Bison capture and shipping operations start when bison migrate from the interior of the park into the Gardiner Basin and can continue through late March.

BOZEMAN – Montana State University reported its second highest spring headcount ever, as well as strong graduate student enrollment and retention, according to a Feb. 22 announcement.

Bison operations at Stephens Creek are part of the Interagency Bison Management Plan, whose partners include federal, state and Tribal groups.

The 2022 winter operations plan recommends removing between 600 and 900 animals from Yellowstone’s population of more than 5,000 bison.

The population will be reduced using three methods: public and Tribal hunting outside the park; capturing bison near the park boundary and then transferring them to Native American Tribes for processing and distribution of meat and hides; and the Bison Conservation Transfer Program that results in moving brucellosis-free bison to Tribal lands.

Located in the northern section of the park near Gardiner, the Stephens Creek administrative area includes park corral operations, equipment storage, a native plant nursery and the bison capture and quarantine facilities. The administrative area is closed to the public year round.

Visit nps.gov/yell/index.htm to learn more about why Yellowstone bison numbers are controlled.

Bozeman airport surpasses 2 million passengers in 12-month period BOZEMAN YELLOWSTONE INT’L AIPORT

BOZEMAN – Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport handled 2,020,628 passengers for the 12-month period ending Jan. 31, 2022. This is the first time a Montana airport has surpassed two million passengers in any 12 consecutive month period. In addition, January 2022 set the 10th consecutive monthly passenger record with 167,043 passengers passing through the terminal building, up 20.8 percent over the previous record set in January 2020.

“The Bozeman market continues to show its strength and resiliency despite the impacts of COVID, Brian Sprenger, airport director said. “BZN has seen an 82 percent increase in passengers over the past five years and is now ranked in the top 90 airports in the nation in terms of passengers (currently 86th). In an area of the country where air service is vital in connecting people to the world, this unparalleled access for a community our size is critical to our economy,”

The official headcount showed MSU has 15,608 total students, a 4 percent increase over spring 2021 and second only to spring 2019, when the university enrolled 15,694.

“Students continue to see Montana State as the place where their hard work will forge their futures,” said university President Waded Cruzado. “We’re grateful to them for choosing MSU and to our dedicated faculty and staff for continuing to provide our students the opportunity to find success.”

Graduate student enrollment at MSU is the highest in a spring term at 2,024, a 3 percent increase over last spring. Enrolling and graduating more degree-seeking graduate students is among the goals of MSU’s strategic plan, Choosing Promise.

MSU also saw increased retention of first-time students, with 88.5 percent continuing from the fall to attend spring classes—a 4 percent increase over spring 2021. Montana residents made up 54 percent of the student body.

Williams confirmed to lead US Fish and Wildlife Service THE ASOCIATED PRESS

HELENA – Martha Williams, the former director of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, has been confirmed to lead the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The U.S. Senate confirmed her nomination Thursday night via voice vote.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is part of the Department of Interior, is responsible for protecting species listed under the Endangered Species Act and oversees national conservation efforts, including fisheries, hatcheries, migratory birds, ecological services and federal wildlife refuges.

Williams has essentially served as acting director of the wildlife agency since Jan. 20, 2021, when she was named principal deputy director.

In an interview with the Helena Independent Record after her appointment as deputy, Williams identified climate change as the most challenging issue she expects to tackle, but pointed out that many conservation issues are interwoven with other societal issues.

Williams worked as an attorney for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks from 1998 to 2011, including on the state’s effort to take over management of wolves.

She spent two years as a solicitor at the Department of Interior before returning to teach at the University of Montana law school. Williams led Montana’s wildlife agency from 2017 through early 2021.

County real estate: rising prices, tight inventory continue EBS STAFF

GALLATIN COUNTY – Real estate in Gallatin County continues to see low inventory and high prices into 2022, according to a Gallatin Association of Realtors report.

Compared to January 2021, this January saw 20.2 percent fewer single family home listings, falling from 104 to 83, according to the report. Comparison to

last year, the report states that the median sales price of a single family home in January 2022 increased 45.1 percent, from $560,000 to $812,750. Inventory of single family homes for sale decreased by 34.6 percent, from 136 to 89 homes.

“Our real estate market has continued to experience historically low inventory and higher property values,” said Joanna Harper, GAR board president.

“Consistent with national trends, prices continue to climb with little indication of change in the near future.”

Bozeman

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8 February 25 - March 10, 2022

LOCAL

Explore Big Sky

BASE: ‘Investment by the community for the community’ First Big Sky community center prepares to open doors

BY BELLA BUTLER

Another standout recreational offering in BASE is its climbing and bouldering wall. At 25 feet with space for 15 routes and a bouldering-specific area, it’s the first of its kind in Big Sky.

BIG SKY – On a brisk February morning, sunlight pours through floor-to-ceiling windows in the new BASE community center in Big Sky Town Center.

Everything about the space is big, from the scope of recreation to the investment to the building itself.

And if you ask those invested in the monumental community project’s creation, they say the biggest component of BASE is the impact.

Feher said BASE partnered with Spire Climbing Center in Bozeman to set routes on the wall, and a BASE staff member will oversee the space. The wall and climbing programs will also be supported by a volunteer Climbing Task Force.

After years of anticipation, BASE will open to the public on March 13, offering recreation, wellness programs and gathering space under the mission for which its named: Big Adventure, Safe Environment.

Though decades old, the town of Big Sky has never had a formal community center that resembles BASE. According to Big Sky Community Organization CEO Whitney Montgomery, BASE will be an avenue of connection.

The main level of the new BASE center includes an area for younger children to come play. PHOTO BY GABRIELLE GASSER

Eileen Coil, a former physical therapist with Lone Peak Physical Therapy, started with BASE in January as its fitness and wellness manager. Coil’s position is also funded through the Behavioral Health Coalition grant and is intended to focus programming at BASE that will foster mind and body wellness, Feher said.

“Without a gathering space, the community will remain fragmented,” he said.

The hope for BASE is to provide connection; a physical space to fuse these fragments.

A BSCO undertaking, shovels broke ground on BASE in July 2019, though supply chain challenges and a fraught construction environment pushed the original opening date in December 2021 to the current March date. The need for a community center was initially identified in a 2017 survey conducted by BSCO, where Big Sky residents identified it as their No. 1 priority.

“She just has that mindset of ‘I want to make you better, and I want to help you get there, and I’ll give you the tools and let’s see where it takes us,’” Feher said of Coil, who will be teaching fitness classes in addition to developing programming.

Highlighting artistic adventure, BASE will also be the new home of the Arts Council of Big Sky. After being tucked away in the same location for 15 years, ACBS Executive Director Brian Hurlbut said the central location will provide the council more interface with the community.

After purchasing the land for the building and an adjacent park in 2018, BSCO launched a fundraising campaign that raked in nearly $20 million.

“It was a big investment by the community, for the community,” said BASE Director Madeleine Feher.

Now a vision realized, the modern structure is a focal point in Town Center, it’s façade boldly adorned with the word COMMUNITY.

The new climbing wall will offer 15 belay stations as well as a bouldering area. PHOTO BY GABRIELLE GASSER

Big Adventure The most visual component of BASE is recreation, a priority initiative in the Our Big Sky Vision and Strategy plan published by community partners in 2019. Montgomery said that while Big Sky offers year-round recreation largely in the form of outdoor sports like skiing, BASE will be a place to recreate in various other ways, even on frigid days like those seen in late February.

According to Feher, the recreational planning inside the building sought to mimic the scale of recreation in the landscape surrounding Big Sky.

Upstairs, a fully equipped workout facility faces Lone Mountain. This space will host many of BASE’s fitness classes, including yoga and strength and spin programs, among others. Feher said many of these programs are included in memberships and funded through a grant from the Behavioral Health Coalition, a local partnership founded to address behavioral health needs in the community, but specialty programs offered for limited time periods will cost extra.

“We’re going to have a lot more visibility with our staff within the community which is something that we’ve always wanted,” Hurlbut said.

The arts council will have both its office and an art classroom in BASE. The classroom will include six pottery wheels and a kiln for pottery classes, a feature Hurlbut said his team is “over the moon” about. The organization hopes to have other classes in the space, as well, overseen by a full-time studio manager and teacher.

Behind the adventure, Montgomery and Feher both said they envision BASE’s recreational opportunities as avenues for connection.

Looking at the climbing wall from the lounge area, Montgomery painted a picture of each of the 15 routes occupied by climbers, some who know each other, some who don’t.

Patrons of BASE can head upstairs to the spacious gym area which features treadmills with a prime view of Lone Mountain.

PHOTO BY GABRIELLE GASSER

“That big adventure is something that we’re used to in this environment,” she said, gesturing to the mountains in perfect view from the BASE windows. “We have a really big ski hill, and we live really big lives, right? And when you think of your community center, you have to go big.”

This was the intention, she said, behind some of BASE’s featured recreational spaces. A large portion of BASE’s ground floor is occupied by a gymnasium with six basketball hoops, pickle ball and volleyball courts, and equipment for other activities. Feher says this space will be bustling with pick-up and league games. The gym also includes a walking track around the space.

“You’re communicating, you’re creating a connection on the climbing wall,” he said.

Feher emphasized this opportunity.

“The ‘Big Adventure’ is not necessarily how high our wall is,” she said. “It’s what we’re able to provide in terms of scope for the community and a place that’s safe and impactful.”

Safe Environment The undertone of the building, according to Feher, is the Safe Environment component of BASE. At the forefront, safety is emphasized through features like what Feher describes as a “state of the art security system,” including a staff safety officer.

LOCAL

9 February 25 - March 10, 2022

Explore Big Sky

At the building’s east entrance, a vestibule will remain open beyond BASE’s operating hours to provide a warm, indoor space for bus riders to wait for their ride.

“The goal,” Feher said, “is to lay that groundwork so we have that right out of the gate as being trusted by parents … teachers and professionals to provide that quality experience in a safe manner.”

In another effort to make BASE a safe environment, BSCO brought in local partners. Shannon Steele, the behavioral health program officer with the Yellowstone Club Community Foundation, has worked with BASE on ways to integrate mental health support into the building Steele will take residency upstairs in the BASE building as a resource for community members seeking mental health resources. People looking to connect with Steele can either use the stairs or a discreet elevator.

The new gymnasium will accommodate a variety of activities including basketball, volleyball and pickleball. PHOTO BY GABRIELLE GASSER

Facility staff will also be trained as “wellness navigators” equipped to direct those in need of mental health support to appropriate resources.

“We see BASE as such a centralized hub and it’s such an opportunity to equip the workforce there and the volunteers to have the skillset to know what the resources are in the community … what can really support people’s health and wellness,” Steele said.

Not only reserved for youth, Feher said this space is ideal for gathering, something she and Montgomery emphasized as a crucial benefit of BASE.

Steele envisions growing the mental health services at BASE and will adjust as necessary.

“That’s just part of the mission, part of the drive,” Feher said, “to provide that alternative space where you can walk in and know that you’re not going to have to be confronted by something that maybe you’re uncomfortable with, and to have everybody on the same playing field.”

“We want to evolve with what we learn from the community once the door is open,” she said.

BASE is designed to be a safe environment for everyone, Feher said, including Big Sky’s youth.

“That time in life is so challenging, and so critical to who you become as an adult,” she said, adding that she hopes BASE can be a facility where young people can come for guidance, safety, activity and support.

SPark, or the Spanish Peaks Area for Recreation and Knowledge, is one of the first spaces you enter in BASE. The open lounge has comfortable seating, ping pong, air hockey and fusbol tables, and a TV.

With the exception of approved functions, BASE will be a substance-free space.

-BASE will host community days on March 11 and 12, where community members can tour the space, purchase membership passes and learn more about the center.

BASE membership passes go on sale on March 1. The purchase link will be available on bsco.org along with registration for programs and classes.

BSCO COMMUNITY CENTER

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IMAGE COURTESY OF BIG SKY COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION.

1. BASE Operations Office 2. Spanish Peaks Area for Recreation and Knowledge 3. Climbing Wall 4. The Hive Gymnasium 5. Park Storage

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Mechanical Room Gym Storage Zamboni Room Mechanical Room Locker Rooms Multipurpose Rooms

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Art Education Room (Arts Council) Arts Council Office Fitness Room Wellness Office Conference Room BSCO Office

10 February 25 - March 10, 2022

LOCAL

Explore Big Sky

Big Sky Resort, ski patrol ratify union contract

BY GABRIELLE GASSER

The contract’s terms establish performancebased wage increases, structured evaluations, an investment in ongoing training for patrollers, and job security, among other terms, according to the contract.

BIG SKY – Following months of bargaining, Big Sky Resort and the labor union representing Big Sky Ski Patrol formalized an agreement that will make changes to working conditions for the patrol.

A contract was ratified on Feb. 12 by the resort and labor union Communications Workers of America, which represents Big Sky Ski Patrol as well as six other North American ski patrols. In April 2021 Big Sky’s patrol voted 69-21 to unionize, and this agreement formalizes the relationship between the resort and the now-unionized patrol represented

by CWA.

After the deal was tentatively finalized, the Bargaining Committee returned the contract to ski patrol’s 110-person bargaining unit, or nonmanagement patrollers, which passed the agreement with a 96 percent majority.

After unionizing last year, patrol chose to be represented by the United Professional Ski Patrols of America, a labor union organized under CWA, to advocate for better working conditions along with more competitive wages and benefits, patrol representatives said in April 2021.

Patrollers work the bomb tram at Big Sky Resort. PHOTO COURTESY OF BIG SKY

An eight-person patrol Bargaining SKI PATROL Committee worked with a CWA representative to communicate with the resort to advocate for change and reach the new agreement. Big Sky patroller and Bargaining Committee member Tucker Cunningham described the process as “collaborative” and said it will bring positive change for patrollers and for the resort as a whole.

“Both sides invested significant time into the process, which helped to foster an improved understanding between employer and employee,” Cunningham said on behalf of the bargaining committee. “Throughout negotiations, it was clear that the ability to collectively bargain greatly advanced the interests of the ski patrol, and that the patrol’s requests were taken much more seriously than in previous attempts to increase wages and benefits.”

“It’s a big relief,” Cunningham said, speaking on behalf of the committee. “There was a lot of tension during the unionization process [and] it wasn’t something at the beginning the resort was very excited about … It feels really good to come together again.”

In a Feb. 12 statement, Big Sky Resort General Manager Troy Nedved said the contract was ratified with overwhelming support from all parties.

“It takes teamwork to come to an agreement swiftly, and we look forward to honoring our commitment to being the premier ski patrol team in the country,” Nedved said. “Our goal has always been to grow our professionalism and provide the best workplace possible through competitive wages and benefits for all of our teams across the resort.”

The new contract will be in effect through May 2023.

Big Sky Medical Center now offers general, OB/GYN, vascular, and basic fetal ultrasounds.

Call 406-995-6995 to schedule an appointment for your ultrasound needs.

334 Town Center Avenue, Big Sky, MT BigSkyMedicalCenter.com

11 February 25 - March 10, 2022

LOCAL

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Receiving no bids for TIGER grant work in Big Sky, county seeks round 3

Project stakeholders committed to completing full project

BY BELLA BUTLER BIG SKY – After receiving no bids for grant-funded roadwork on Big Sky’s main road early this month, Gallatin County will open a third round of construction bids for the project.

Since receiving funds in 2019 for what’s known as the TIGER grant, the project has faced hurdles in the bidding process including over-budget bids and most recently, no bids at all. Still, project stakeholders remain steadfast in their effort to complete the project in its entirety.

“We’ll keep trying until we get the bid we need,” said project manager and engineer Danielle Scharf in a Feb. 17 interview.

The Federal Highway Administration in 2019 awarded nearly $10.3 million for the TIGER, or Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, grant to Gallatin County to complete robust road improvements on Montana Highway 64. The project includes adding seven turn lanes, new pedestrian infrastructure and a new traffic signal, among other components. Some of the funding is also dedicated to growing Big Sky’s public transportation system.

After receiving just one bid in early 2021 that was $3 million over budget and zero bids from the county’s second solicitation, which opened Feb. 8, the county and the project’s engineering firm, Sanderson Stewart, made adjustments to address bidders’ concerns.

Contractors that Scharf had expected to bid in the second round had various reasons for not submitting proposals.

One contractor, Scharf said, was concerned about a labor shortage. The county in its latest bid advertisement offered the project on a three-season timeline rather than two seasons to address this concern.

Another hurdle the county faces in getting the project off the ground is adequate funding.

Since the grant was awarded, the construction climate has changed, and costs are climbing.

“We are expecting the bids to be over budget due to a fluctuating bid environment with

labor shortages and supply chain issues,” Scharf wrote in a statement to EBS, “as well as the fact that all materials have to be hauled to/from Bozeman or Belgrade.”

According to Scharf, the project’s stakeholders include the Big Sky Resort Area District, Lone Mountain Land Company, the Big Sky Chamber of Commerce; the Big Sky Community Organization; Gallatin County; the Montana Department of Transportation; and the Federal Highway Administration.

“All involved would prefer to come up with additional funding to see the full project get constructed, rather than eliminating any of the project components,” Scharf wrote. She added that cutting project components may be considered as a last resort if the funding gap can’t be closed.

In this case, she said, the stakeholders would evaluate each component’s priority based on a community survey conducted in 2021. Respondents indicated that the top two priorities are a left-turn lane at Huntley Drive near Roxy’s and a traffic signal and turn lanes into Meadow Village.

Last summer, Big Sky developer Lone Mountain Land Company privately funded turn lanes near Ace Hardware in order to advance its Powder Light workforce housing development. During that time, improvements to the traffic signal at the junction of U.S. Highway 191 and MT 64 were completed by MDT and funded through a federal program. Funded collectively to the tune of roughly $1.5 million, both projects were originally included in the full scope of the TIGER grant work.

As one of the project’s stakeholders, BSRAD is also in communication with both Gallatin and Madison counties on advancing transportation solutions in Big Sky, according to BSRAD Executive Director Daniel Bierschwale.

“We are interested in continuing to make sure that we’re supporting the active planning and safety concerns that are being generated related to traffic and transportation,” Bierschwale said.

Bierschwale added that it’s impossible to say what the funding gap will be without any bids currently on the table, but that resort tax dollars could be an option for partial funding.

The third round of bidding on the project opened Feb. 20 and closes March 7.

12 February 25 - March 10, 2022

LOCAL

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Big Sky Discovery Academy graduates two students from Class of 2022

BY TUCKER HARRIS BIG SKY – In a uniquely Big Sky celebration on Feb. 19, Big Sky Discovery Academy seniors Libby Flach and Kyan Smit skied in tandem down Lone Mountain in light pink graduation gowns. Beaming, the two students arrived to the Summit Hotel patio, where proud friends, peers and family awaited them for a graduation ceremony.

Both lifelong residents of Big Sky, skiing was an apt way for the students to conclude their time as students in the resort town. Two of three members of Discovery Academy’s Class of 2022, Smit and Flach celebrated their education with an intimate commencement.

The third member of the Class of 2022, Annel Garcia, will graduate in June.

“I just wanted to say thank you because you are model students of what Discovery students should be,” Poloff said in his opening speech. “On behalf of the board, the staff and your classmates—who are all hanging out in the back—thank you for coming.”

Flach transferred from Lone Peak High School to Discovery Academy her junior year. She will appear in the upcoming Big Sky Broadway high school musical, “Oklahoma” at WMPAC this spring.

Next fall, Flach will continue her education at Northern Arizona University studying studio art.

When not in the classroom, you can find Smit making turns on his home mountain, Big Sky Resort. Smit is on the Big Sky Ski Education Foundation Freeride Team.

Smit is still deciding between attending the University of Utah, Gonzaga University or Montana State University.

During the ceremony, Smit gave a speech of gratitude, thanking his family and the school for helping him succeed and live a life full of skiing in Big Sky. “...I want to thank the Board and Big Sky Discovery Academy for teaching me the importance of balancing my hobbies and my fun life with the work and the school aspect of life and just how to have a great time… I love you all,” Smit closed to a round of applause from his family and friends.

Beth Marlington, Big Sky Discovery Academy’s upper school director, followed Smit with reflections on her time spent with the two students. She spoke of the threshold they were about to pass through as they graduate from the small town of Big Sky and move onto adulthood and into the “big world.”

Marlington, who’s due to have a child of her own soon, expressed hopes for her child to grow up with qualities she sees in both Flach and Smit.

“I hope my little one will be like Libby: conscientious and confident,” Marlington said. “Libby, I know your strong will and your conviction will serve you well out there in the big world.”

“I also hope my little one will be like Kyan too: enthusiastic and curious.”

Marlington said. “Kyan, I hope that you continue to be determined and passionate and that you pursue your dreams.”

Both students welcomed Marlington into a warm hug after her speech.

The pair received handmade diplomas by Discovery’s Art Education teacher, Hannah Boyd, holding onto their caps as the wind threatened to pull them off.

Flach said the art education at Discovery Academy helped shape her future goals, including studying studio art at NAU next fall.

“Junior year, I was in an art class with Kate Riley and she really helped me realize how much I do really like creating,” Flach said. “I spent the whole year with her and made some of my favorite pieces and really grew as an artist.”

Smit’s plans between now and next fall are to ski the rest of the season and decide on where he will move on to for college.

“It’s just insane thinking about graduating and leaving this place,” Smit said after the ceremony. “I appreciate the opportunities [Discovery] has brought me and skiing, allowing me to only go to school three days a week, while skiing four days a week.”

As the intimate crowd of friends and family finished taking photos and sharing congratulations, the graduates and friends were ready to take advantage of the beautiful bluebird day on the mountain.

“Let’s go ski,” one of Smit’s friends called out.

Libby Flach and Kyan Smit hold up their diplomas to the intimate crowd of friends and family at their 2022 graduation ceremony. PHOTO BY TUCKER HARRIS

13 February 25 - March 10, 2022

OP NEWS

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15 February 25 - March 10, 2022

REGIONAL

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Investigation: Zinke misused position as Interior secretary

BY MATTHEW BROWN

The investigation into the land deal was one of numerous probes of Zinke that began when he was in Trump’s cabinet.

BILLINGS, Mont. – Former U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke misused his position to advance a development project in his Montana hometown and lied to an agency ethics official about his involvement, according to a report from federal investigators released Feb. 16.

In another case, investigators found that he violated a policy that prohibits non-government employees from riding in government cars after his wife traveled with him, but he said ethics officials approved it. Zinke was cleared of wrongdoing following a complaint that he redrew the boundaries of a national monument in Utah to benefit a state lawmaker and political ally.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

The investigation by the Interior Department’s inspector general found that Zinke continued working with a foundation on the commercial project in the community of Whitefish, Montana even after he committed upon taking office to breaking ties with the foundation.

The report also said that Zinke gave incorrect and incomplete information to an Interior Department ethics official who confronted him over his involvement and that Zinke directed his staff to assist him with the project in a misuse of his position.

The Great Northern Veterans Peace Park Foundation was established by Zinke and others in 2007. Zinke and his wife were in negotiations with private developers for the use of foundation land for a commercial development project that included a microbrewery.

Zinke is a candidate in the June Republican primary for an open Montana Congressional seat, a position he held prior to joining Trump’s cabinet.

Zinke’s campaign called the report “a political hit job” and said his family’s involvement in the foundation had led to the restoration of land that was made into a park where children can sled.

Investigators referred the matter to the Department of Justice for potential prosecution but it declined to pursue a criminal case, according to the report.

During almost two years overseeing the agency responsible for managing 781,000 square miles of public lands, Zinke’s broad rollbacks of restrictions on oil and gas drilling were cheered by the industry.

But they brought a scathing backlash from environmental groups and Democratic lawmakers who accused him of putting corporate profits ahead of preservation.

When he resigned, Zinke said it was because of politically motivated attacks that had created a distraction from his duties.

Zinke and his wife, Lola, declined interview requests from federal investigators who were looking into the land deal.

But emails and text messages from others who were involved show Zinke continued to communicate with developers even after resigning from the foundation in March 2017, when he was confirmed as secretary, according to investigators.

“The communications showed that Secretary Zinke repeatedly communicated with the developers of the 95 Karrow project and negotiated with them on behalf of the foundation by discussing the use of foundation property for the project, specific design aspects of the project, and the development of a microbrewery,” investigators wrote.

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17 February 25 - March 10, 202

ENVIRONMENT & OUTDOORS

Explore Big Sky

SECTION 2: ENVIRONMENT & OUTDOORS, SPORTS AND HEALTH

Wolf hunting, trapping ends in southwestern Montana pg. 18

In Ansel Adams’ photography, you can’t unsee wildness pg. 21

Buzzer sounds on Big Horn basketball season pg. 25

‘Strength in collective action’

Local organizations launch carpool incentive program

BY GABRIELLE GASSER BIG SKY – A local organization is partnering with a carpooling platform to launch a monthlong incentive program for commuters driving from the Gallatin Valley to Big Sky. The Big Sky Sustainability Network Organization is utilizing GoGallatin, a tool for individuals and groups to develop transportation solutions, to start the Big Sky One Less Car Program that will run during March. The program, funded by a Yellowstone Club Community Foundation grant awarded in February, offers $15 gift cards to commuters who carpool at least four times in March and log their trips on the GoGallatin platform or Commute Tracker app.

According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s OnTheMap resource, approximately 77 percent of Big Sky’s workforce lives outside of the area but is employed in Big Sky. Last year, Big Sky SNO released a Community Greenhouse Gas Inventory which found that about a third of Big Sky’s total emissions are transportation related. Lizzie Peyton, community engagement director with SNO, said that in identifying action items she met with Matthew Madsen, research associate at Montana State University’s Western Transportation Institute, to discuss sustainable transportation solutions.

Peyton and Madsen, who was also armed with data from a recent qualitative transportation study completed by an MSU graduate course, have been ironing out the details of the new incentive program over the past few months.

Interviewees in the qualitative study identified three main categories that are important to them: barriers to using sustainable transportation, incentives for using sustainable transportation and recommendations to incentivize use of sustainable transportation.

“I think any way to get more people taking less cars up there is beneficial,” Scott said, “…from a traffic standpoint, and also from an environmental standpoint, I think across the board it’s just better because it takes out the congestion that is quite obvious most mornings.”

According to Madsen, the goal of the March pilot project is to see how many people will sign up and gather data on how many trips are tracked.

“If there’s [a] positive response, we hope to expand the program for a yearlong program essentially, really trying to get single-occupancy vehicle transport down,” Peyton said.

Madsen emphasized that the other goal of the project is to bring together community partners to create community-based solutions for a communitybased problem.

“It’s not just on the employees driving the canyon, it’s on the employers who need those employees driving the canyon,” Madsen said. “It’s on the chamber, it’s on all the organizations that support and help and it’s trying to bring everybody together … to find some of those answers to that.”

Signups for the new incentive program went live on Feb. 15. Trips from March can be logged until April 7 and gift cards to the Coffee Pot Café and Bakery in Four Corners, the Big Sky Conoco, and the Hungry Moose Market and Deli in Big Sky will be mailed to participants in mid-April.

“The only way we’re going to have an impact is we get as many people on board as possible,” Peyton said. “The strength in our collective action is really where this lies.”

MSU students offered several recommendations based on the data including encouraging employers to offer financial incentives for the use of sustainable transportation and promoting independent carpooling systems and ride sharing.

“It’s not like the end all be all or [that it’s] going to solve everything,” Madsen said of the new program, “but it at least provides a tool for people who are interested and maybe want to get involved.”

Peyton said program benefits include a reduction in emissions, less traffic congestion, commuters saving money on gas and a sense of community created by time spent together in the car.

“One of the biggest takeaways from the qualitative data study in the fall was that, if carpooling or sustainable transport was incentivized, more people would look into it,” Peyton said.

One commuter, Kat Scott, has been living in Bozeman, working at the Yellowstone Club and carpooling almost every day for three months. She currently does not have a car and has been relying on friends and coworkers to make the hourplus drive, sometimes leaving her house at 5 a.m. to ensure a ride. “[It has been] a lot of communication with different people and making a lot of new friends who end up going up there often,” Scott said. “It’s been kind of a fun challenge.”

She plans to take advantage of the new Big Sky One Less Car Program and added that even when she gets another car, she’ll still carpool since she enjoys riding with others.

A line of traffic drives north on U.S. Highway 191 through the Gallatin Canyon. The new carpooling incentive from Big Sky SNO and GoGallatin aims to reduce congestion on this stretch of road. PHOTO BY TUCKER HARRIS

18 February 25 - March 10, 2022

ENVIRONMENT & OUTDOORS

On Feb. 17, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks announced the closure of wolf hunting and trapping season in Region 3 after 82 wolves were killed. PHOTO BY HKUCHERA/ADOBE STOCK

Wolf hunting, trapping ends in southwestern Montana ASSOCIATED PRESS

BILLINGS, Mont. – Wolf hunting and trapping has ended for the season in southwestern Montana after hunters killed 82 wolves in the region, the state Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks said Feb. 17.

Yellowstone National Park officials had asked the state in December to suspend wolf hunting and trapping in some areas along the park’s border, saying the number of wolves killed marked a significant setback for the long-term viability of Yellowstone’s wolf packs.

The Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission rejected calls to restore smaller quotas to limit the number of wolves killed along Yellowstone’s northern border, but it did set the 82-wolf limit for southwestern Montana at a meeting in late January.

The limit was reached Feb. 16 when a female wolf was shot in northern Park County, The Billings Gazette reported.

The closure means trappers in the region must remove their equipment as quickly as possible, state officials said.

The National Park Service said 24 wolves known to Yellowstone park managers have been killed this winter in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming.

Nineteen of them were killed in Montana.

The park service estimated nine wolves from the Phantom Lake pack were killed this season, effectively wiping out the group. Nine wolves that were collared for scientific study were among those that were killed.

A collared wolf was trapped and killed near the park last year by Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte.

Yellowstone officials estimate the park’s wolf population is down to 90 animals.

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19 February 25 - March 10, 202

ENVIRONMENT & OUTDOORS

Explore Big Sky

Coal plant closures help reduce pollutants that cause haze

BY JOHN MCLAUGHLIN DAILY INTER LAKE

KALISPELL, Mont. – Due in part to newly shuttered coal plants and modern industrial controls, state environmental officials expect significant reductions through 2028 in at least two major pollutants that haze up an otherwise clear Big Sky. Myriad regulations and benefits exist for quality air, generally. But the state Department of Environmental Quality is required by a federal rule specifically to reduce the state’s haziest conditions and protect still-clear skies for certain mandated federal lands through 2064.

The ultimate national goal—to achieve natural visibility conditions in these areas—is set by the federal Regional Haze Rule. The stated task since the early 2000s is to address hazy vistas across the country and now at 156 national parks, wilderness areas and national monuments. Northwest Montana contains five: Glacier National Park, Bob Marshall Wilderness, Scapegoat Wilderness, Mission Mountains Wilderness and Cabinet Mountains Wilderness.

Formal efforts to reduce haze in the areas come via 10-year plans. The DEQ has rolled out its public comment period for Montana’s newest Regional Haze Implementation Plan, which will be submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency for later comment and approval, the Daily Inter Lake reports.

The DEQ is now accepting public comment on the new plan through March 21, with a public hearing set for March 18 in Helena and online. Recent rule revisions allowed the state to postpone its second implementation plan, which was originally set to start in 2018. The new 323-page plan outlines how Montana aims to achieve clear skies diminished by emissions sources like industry, oil and gas works, wildfires, on- and offroad vehicles and other out-of-state and foreign sources.

Rhonda Payne, an air quality planner for the DEQ, said the state overall is projecting reductions through 2028 in nitrogen-oxide emissions by 40 percent and sulfur-dioxide emissions by 21 percent. Both are precursors to visibility-impairing particulates, and other air quality issues.

“We are on track to meet these goals in 2028,” Payne said generally of the state’s efforts.

“These goals are established every planning period, so it’s an incremental, sort of stepwise reduction that you would be trying to make to meet the ultimate goal in 2064.”

Overall, the state’s haze reduction plans through 2028 remain relatively simple and largely coincide with general state and federal efforts to reduce air pollution. Statewide, now-retired coal-fired electrical power plants play a major role in the planned reductions.

Several have closed, all in eastern Montana.

According to the DEQ plan, the closures include the 153-megawatt J.E. Corette steamelectric station in 2015 near Billings; Units 1 and 2 at the Colstrip steam-electric station, each producing 307 megawatts of electricity, that shut down in 2020, also near Billings; and the 50 megawatt Montana-Dakota Utilities Lewis & Clark station, which shut down last year near Sidney.

Otherwise, Payne said Montana’s new plan largely relies on enforcing existing federal and state air quality controls and programs. She said there are no new major state initiatives.

“It sounds as though we might not be doing anything for regional haze purposes, but there are so many other air pollution control programs that benefit regional haze,” she said.

Another avenue of reducing emissions statewide exists in a general updating of industrial facilities that are thereby held to stricter, more modern emissions standards than, for example, a quarter-century ago.

“So we know that as new equipment comes on, there’s already going to be operational standards for emissions reductions,” Payne said.

As required by the federal haze rule, the plan also identifies past progress in reducing emissions tracked by the state. Statewide from 2002 to 2017, nitrogen-oxide emissions decreased by 47 percent; sulfur-dioxide emissions declined by 62 percent; volatile organic compounds declined by 28 percent; and levels of particulate matter declined by 12 percent, according to the plan.

It overall addresses four main regulatory steps under the haze rule. The steps include determining current visibility conditions as compared to natural conditions; developing the state’s long-term plans for emissions that cause visibility impairments; establishing reasonable progress goals through 2028; and submitting a monitoring strategy.

The state’s full implementation plan is available on the Montana DEQ Air Quality Bureau’s website.

Public comment can be mailed to Rhonda Payne, Montana DEQ Air Quality Bureau, 1520 E. 6th Ave., Helena, MT 59620; or emailed to repayne@mt.gov.

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20 February 25 - March 10, 2022

ENVIRONMENT & OUTDOORS

Explore Big Sky

Spring is coming too soon

BY PEPPER TRAIL

WRITERS ON THE RANGE Ah, what a beautiful day! The air has that magical quality it sometimes gets in spring, a caressing softness on the skin.

The buds on the plum trees are swelling, and the robins have ascended to the tops of the trees, where they’re singing with abandon.

But… it is February. Today’s high temperature was 72 degrees, almost 20 degrees higher than normal and a new record.

At this time of year, the mountains surrounding my southern Oregon valley should be deep in snow. The high-country lakes should be full, but frozen. The sky should be gray and, ideally, snowing.

Winter weather is the price we pay—gladly—for the mountain wildflowers; the lakes full of trout; the water that irrigates our farms, orchards and gardens through the long hot summer; and for the lush, green forests that are not on fire.

But as the great naturalist Aldo Leopold remarked, “To be an ecologist is to live in a world of wounds.” These days, the same could be said for meteorologists, or for any of us trying to find uncomplicated pleasure in the beauty of a spring day in mid-winter.

For this too-warm day reveals that we are in another drought year. Almost all the precipitation in my region of southern Oregon falls from October through March, and we need as much of that as possible to be in the form of snow. Snow that piles up deep in the mountain forests and slowly melts through spring and early summer, soaking into the soil and filling the streams.

That hasn’t happened this year, or last year, or the year before that. Since Jan. 1, we have received just 0.61 inches of rain, 2.11 inches less than normal. For the “water year” that started Oct. 1, we are at 8.54 inches, most of which came in a near-blizzard in late December. That storm gave us a nice white Christmas and hope for a wet winter at last—but since then, nothing. Normal for this time of year would be about 12 inches.

And the long-term forecast doesn’t look good.

The snow has melted except at the highest elevations, and there is no precipitation in the extended forecast. According to the federal Drought Monitor map, we are on the border between Severe Drought and Extreme Drought. Just on the other side of the Cascades to the east, there is a huge dark blob of Exceptional Drought, the highest category. These catastrophic drought conditions are unfortunately shared by Nevada, Utah, Montana, Colorado and New Mexico.

Should we be surprised when scientists tell us the West is the driest it’s been in more than a thousand years?

On the Oregon-California border, the drought forced a complete shutdown of water deliveries to farmers in the Klamath Basin this year. The basin’s great national wildlife refuges—used by 80 percent of the migrating ducks, geese and swans on the Pacific Flyway—are almost completely dry, their lakes nothing but expanses of cracked mud.

The Klamath River, normally fed by mountain snowpack, is running low, and there are great fears of massive die-offs in salmon returning to spawn this summer.

Closer to home, the mountain lakes that feed our streams and supply our irrigation districts are all at less than 10 percent full, just sad little puddles.

Looming over all this bad news is perhaps the biggest fear of all: Fire. Without snowpack to keep the mountain forest hydrated into the summer, the risk of wildfire is extreme. My town is nestled against conifer forests that come within a few hundred yards of the city limits. Our recent summers have been plagued by weeks of eye-burning smoke, and in 2020 a wind-driven fire devastated the Oregon towns of Talent and Phoenix, even though they’re surrounded by orchards.

Back in the moment, I sit on my deck, sip my tea and enjoy this glorious day. Each year, I know, gives us just a few days like this, and when they come—whenever they come— they must be savored with gratitude. Yet this beautiful day carries the knowledge of what it may cost us in the months to come.

So, to whoever this prayer could be addressed, thank you for this day. Now, please, how about a few weeks of gray skies and wet snow?

Pepper Trail is a contributor to Writers on the Range, writersontherange.org, a nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively conversation about the West. He is an ecologist in Oregon.

ENVIRONMENT & OUTDOORS

21 February 25 - March 10, 202

Explore Big Sky

In Ansel Adams’ photography, you can’t unsee wildness

BY TODD WILKINSON

the mountains to survive or a moose in need of wetlands, would they be so enthusiastic about the expanding human footprint?

How many words is a picture worth?

Great art, if you spend enough time with it, taps in our humility: “Adams channeled his energies in ways that served his fellow citizens, personified in his lifelong effort to preserve the American wilderness,” Turnage observes. “Above all, Adams’s philosophy and optimism struck a chord in the national psyche.

More than any other influential American of his epoch, Adams believed in both the possibility and the probability of humankind living in harmony and balance with its environment.”

EBS COLUMNIST

While most of us are familiar with the canned answer, seldom do we reflect upon who invented the proverb. That honor goes to an advertising executive named Fred R. Barnard who, in 1921— a century ago—touted the phrase to promote book dust jackets. He said using photographs instead of written narratives were far more powerful in telling us what we need to know.

I’m thinking about this anecdote today, reflecting on the Feb. 20 birthday of Ansel Adams, who, were he still alive, would be 120 years old in 2022. Adams, of course, is long gone but his photos of natural beauty remain his legacy.

How many words are they worth?

Adams is best known for his association with the Sierra-Nevada mountains and, in particular, Yosemite National Park. Yet it was an image he took in Jackson Hole during the early part of America’s involvement in World War II that conveys the spirit of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and one of its crown jewels, Grand Teton National Park.

In 1942, he stood on a moody day, with his camera mounted on a tripod, and took “The Tetons and the Snake River.” The drama in the scene resonates at the gut level, conveying a sense of mystery capable of dwarfing any human-sized ego. That’s what timeless nature photography does.

If it ages, it’s only for the better and unlike a pricey bottle of wine it’s not meant to be consumed for ephemeral physical pleasure; rather it provides sustenance for self-reflection.

Adams would not be impressed with what we are thoughtlessly doing to Greater Yellowstone. Nor would he be a legend today were it not for the fact that generations of Americans have expressed their appreciation for unspoiled backcountry.

Are we losing that reverence amid the blinding sheen of abject materialism which proclaims that it’s more virtuous to stay in a guest lodge and spend thousands of dollars a night than to let the immersion of an extraordinary wild region like Greater Yellowstone sink in?

What does our preference for choosing to engage in self-indulgence and prize the making of money over maintenance of priceless things say about us? Maybe we need to spend more time standing in front of Adams’ black and white images which move us out of our superficial, knee-jerk way of thinking into more contemplative, meditative musings on the natural world.

Once you let wildness into your heart, you can never look the other way and feel good about its destruction again.

Todd Wilkinson is the founder of Bozeman-based Mountain Journal and a correspondent for National Geographic. He authored the book “Grizzlies of Pilgrim Creek,” featuring photography by famed wildlife photographer Thomas D. Mangelsen, about Grizzly Bear 399.

What you don’t find in the vast majority of Adams’ photos are people or structures. He was not anti-human, but he believed that humanity—our species—had already exacted its presence over the vast majority of the country and needed no mention nor celebration of conquest.

Adams’ biographer William Turnage writes: “Reviewers frequently characterize Adams as a photographer of an idealized wilderness that no longer exists. On the contrary, the places that Adams photographed are, with few exceptions, precisely those wilderness and park areas that have been preserved for all time. There is a vast amount of true and truly protected wilderness in America, much of it saved because of the efforts of Adams and his colleagues.”

And yet, Adams concluded that in the grand scheme of things there wasn’t very much “wilderness” at all because given the finite nature of untrammeled landscapes and that they continue to dwindle, that we ought to be extremely cautious with the way we continue to treat them as expendable.

It’s indeed ironic in Greater Yellowstone today that developers often disparage environmentalists, or artists like Adams, making up silly and sophomoric arguments that those trying to protect the wild character of places were or are anti-economy, anti-freedom, anti-progress. What they themselves often fail to disclose is their own self-interest in seeking to monetize, i.e., exploit nature be it on private or public lands. Their “success” comes at a cost to things that cannot be replaced.

Indeed, it isn’t rude to wonder: how often do they reflect upon the paradox that the wildlands they wish to constantly exploit are homes to animals whose presence enhances the allure of the region, and it is this very allure they are marketing to sell more real estate, trinkets or outdoor experiences? Were they the grizzly bear mother with cubs trying to keep her clan alive and out of conflict with people, or an elk relying on an ancient migration path through

The Tetons and the Snake River (1942), a photograph by Ansel Adams taken in Grand Teton National Park. IMAGE COURTESY OF NPS/NATIONAL ARCHIVES

22 February 25 - March 10, 2022

ENVIRONMENT & OUTDOORS

Explore Big Sky

Upper body position starts with pole planting

BY DAN EGAN EBS COLUMNIST

It is amazing to remember when I released my first book, “All Terrain Skiing” in 1996, as the world was very different in both technology and in ski technique.

As a matter of fact the original version of the book didn’t even address carving or shaped or powder skis. However, as the adage goes, “The more things change the more they stay the same” and for most of ski technique that has remained true.

Extreme skiing pioneer Dan Egan coaches and teaches at Big Sky Resort during the winter. His 2022 steeps camps at Big Sky Resort run Feb. 24-26, March 10-12 and March 17-19. His newest book, “Thirty Years in a White Haze,” was released in March 2021 and is available at White-Haze.com. Visit Dan-Egan.com to preorder "All Terrain Vol. II."

This is why I’m now releasing “All Terrain Skiing Vol II.” It is an integrated, self-contained program for beginner, intermediate and advanced skiers who want to ski better. The book is organized for progressive learning. There are 38 drills along with an app complete with videos for on-slope learning. At the heart of the program are the videos that illustrate each drill, for ready reference.

What I see in many of the skiers who take my camps and clinics is they are relying too much on the equipment to do the work and not enough on their body mechanics. This often reveals itself as fatigue, lack of balance in varying conditions and can make challenging terrain a struggle. As a result, I still teach many of the skills and drills found in “All Terrain Skiing” because they refocus the energy on movement rather than steering or skidding the ski.

When we focus on body mechanics, skiers adapt better when they encounter changes in speed, terrain, conditions and situations. If you keep these four principles in mind, you’ll soon be skiing better: • • • •

Good balance Powerful stance with shoulders square to the hill Eyes focused up or down the hill Proper hand position

Dan Egan pole plants which triggers his next turn down the mountain. PHOTO BY JEN BENNETT/ RUMBLE PRODUCTIONS

Let’s focus on the last one first, “Proper hand position” and pole planting from “All Terrain Skiing Vol II.” This drill is from the Upper Body Section and is called “Pole Point.” The goal is to develop a proper pole plant and hand position.

Start by holding your poles with both index fingers pointed straight out, perpendicular to the slope.

To practice proper hand, arm and upper body position, you can learn how to use the poles properly. The Pole Point drill is intended to do just that. Get yourself on a comfortable slope with your hands holding your poles out in front of your body in a relaxed position. Now, point your index fingers downhill, right at the place where you’re looking. Keep your head up and shoulders square to the hill.

Begin skiing the fall line. As you move forward, extend the tip of one pole by cocking your wrist so that your index finger points up. Plant the tip of the pole in the snow. As you do so, your index finger will level out. Ski by the tip of the pole so that your index finger is pointing down at the snow. When you’re ready to turn, repeat the motion with the other pole. You don’t need to swing your whole upper body, or stab at the snow. The important motion is the snap of the wrist. Keep your index fingers pointed to give you a reference for the proper motion.

As illustrated in the video on explorebigsky.com, develop a smooth, easy motion using your wrists—not your shoulders. Plant one pole tip, then move your arm forward to the extent of your reach. Point the opposite pole tip out in front of your body and repeat the motion. Chant this mantra: Point, plant, push.

Continue this smooth, rhythmic motion until you have a natural feeling of wrist movement. Notice how your shoulders stay square to the hill and do not rotate.

Notice how your arms stay bent in a relaxed way, moving forward and backward as your poles and index fingers point the way down the hill. Keep pointing until the motion becomes muscle memory. You can practice this motion on or off the snow. Mastering this drill will allow you to use your poles instinctively.

“Pole Point” further emphasizes the isolation and separation of body parts—in this case, the arms and wrists. Notice how, because of the previous drills where you did not use your poles, they have become a natural extension of your body.

Also note that when you didn’t use your poles, you held your hands out in front of your body. This drill reminds you to always keep your hands out in front where you can see and use them. You’ll now be skiing more naturally, and your body will have the confidence to relax and enjoy the ride.

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23 February 25 - March 10, 202

ENVIRONMENT & OUTDOORS

Explore Big Sky

The Way I Ski It: Finding Yourself in the Mountains

BY EMILY STIFLER WOLFE

E.S.W.: How did your military experience influence you and your photography?

D.E.: It truly made me who I am—the type of person that can go with the flow and figure it out when I get there.

EBS CONTRIBUTOR

Thirteen stunning photographs of area wildlife grace the downhill-facing side of the new Swift Current 6 chairlift seatbacks. The chairback photos are the biggest display yet of the ForeverProject, an initiative by Big Sky’s parent company, Boyne Resorts, committing all of its 13 properties to sustainable business practices, including reaching net zero emissions by 2030. Each of the three stories in this series focuses on one of the photographers—their work, their stories, and their passion for protecting the Greater Yellowstone.

E.S.W.: Have photography and nature helped you process the experiences you had in war?

D.E.: When I’m outdoors, it keeps me calm and in a good headspace. That’s why I wanted to pursue this type of career where I’m able to live in a beautiful place and do what I love every day.

Dale Evans was deployed to Iraq when he landed his first Wyoming elk hunting tag. Originally from Florida, Evans put in for the tag when he realized he’d miss hunting season back home in the states.

That fall, 2010, he spent more than two weeks in the backcountry outside of Dubois, Wyoming, shooting a bull elk on day 15. During that trip, he fell in love with the West.

In 2014, Evans left the military at age 29 after just over 10 years of service. A few months later, he wound up in Laramie, Wyoming, with his dog, outdoor gear, and the DSLR camera he’d bought the day before moving cross-country.

Dale Evans grew up hunting in Florida and Georgia and fell in love with the West on a hunting trip in Dubois, Wyoming. PHOTO COURTESY OF DALE EVANS

E.S.W.: What was it like taking that mountain lion photo?

D.E.: The lion knew I was there and was checking me out and keeping its distance. It knew it was the apex predator in the area, and it never looked at me as a threat. I tried to keep a low profile—just get my images and let it do its thing. When you get that opportunity, what I’ve learned is don’t overstay y our welcome.

“Being in the military at such a young age, I didn’t get to learn who I was as a person, so when I moved out West, it gave me that. Living on my own, without knowing really anyone, I would just load up my truck, put the dog in the back, and go out into the mountains. It was like, ‘this is what I want to do with my life and who I want to be. I want to be outdoors as much as I possibly can.’”

After earning a bachelor’s degree from the school of film and photography at Montana State University in 2019, Evans settled outside of Belgrade with his wife, Cara. Wildlife photography has taken him around the Western U.S. and Alaska as a contributor to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Wild Sheep Foundation, Field & Stream, Yeti, and other outdoor brands, and he now works full-time producing hunting, fishing, and conservation content for On Your Own Adventures.

“Every single day I wake up, I’m happy. It’s so crazy how just being out West was able to bring me back to center.”

Evans captured this coyote on a snowy January day in Yellowstone.

PHOTO BY DALE EVANS

E.S.W.: And the owl?

D.E.: I’ve always wanted to photograph a great gray owl, but that day I was chasing elk in September during the rut. I was walking through an aspen stand, going toward where I heard some bulls bugle, and up from the ground comes this great gray owl that was feeding on a mouse. I spent five minutes with it, taking these photos. It was such a cool experience to hang out with this animal and, like I said earlier, not overstay my welcome. I don’t want to alter this animal’s behavior. Rather than trying to get it to do something for you, let it be natural and document it, because that’s where you’ll get your best images.

E.S.W.: In your mind, why is it important to protect the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem?

D.E.: I can leave my house and be on the river in less than 10 minutes or be in the mountains in less than 20. Every single day of the year, I could go find animals to photograph, go fishing, or go on some fun adventure. We’re so lucky because there’s so much public land here, and that’s a big driving force for me.

Q&A WITH DALE EVANS Emily Stifler Wolfe: Why wildlife photography?

Dale Evans: I grew up hunting whitetail deer, hogs and turkeys in Florida and Georgia. My stepdad first took me hunting when I was 5, and I started hunting, myself, at 12. That’s why I love photographing wildlife. I get to spend so much time with animals and learn their behaviors and movements. My hunting background made me a better photographer, and being a photographer made me a better hunter.

E.S.W.: What was your job in the military?

D.E.: I was a JTAC ( Joint Terminal Attack Controller), so I was on the ground with Army units, Marines, and Navy Seals controlling fixed wing and rotary wing air strikes on enemy targets.

My shortest deployment was six months and my longest was a little over nine. I got to see many different parts of the world and a lot of the Middle East.

E.S.W.: Let’s talk about your photos. Tell me about the coyote.

D.E.: That was down in Yellowstone on a snowy day in January. It was probably negative 10 [degrees], and there weren’t many people around. I stopped to take some bison photos, and I saw this lone coyote slipping through the sagebrush. I was out of my vehicle and made a loop out in front of it, then kneeled down. It came up to about 50 yards. I think it picked up that I was there, and it sat down for a second and was looking at me. Then it lays down in this fresh blanket of snow with a whiteout around it. It was right place, right time.

Find more of Dale Evans’ work at restlesssoulphotography.zenfolio.com. Read more about the ForeverProject and the photographers involved in the Swift Current 6 chairlift chairbacks at blog.bigskyresort.com/the-greater-yellowstoneecosystem-a-rare-place-indeed/.

Emily Stifler Wolfe is a writer and business consultant based in Bozeman, Montana. Find her at emilystiflerwolfe.com.

While out chasing elk during the rut Evans happened upon a great gray owl, an animal he had always wanted to photograph. PHOTO BY DALE EVANS

This article originally appeared on Big Sky Resort’s blog: The Way I Ski It on Dec. 6, 2021. For more stories, visit blog.bigskyresort.com.

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BE BEAR AWARE: Take a class with Recsafe with Wildlife and learn how to avoid bear encounters and how to protect yourself within the outdoors.

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Share the resources of Hey Bear with your friends and family to create a larger bear smart community.

ATTEND WILDLIFE ORGANIZATION’S EVENTS: Support your local non-profit organizations and get involved.

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Get your kids involved! Hey Bear will share ways on how to teach your children about safety and what bears do for our environment.

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25 February 25 - March 10, 202

SPORTS

Explore Big Sky

Buzzer sounds on Big Horn basketball

Boys, girls set school records in action-packed season

BY GABRIELLE GASSER

Late in the season, the team switched its focus, according to Bough, and the girls worked on improving their defense and reducing fouls. The girls ended their regular season play with a fourgame winning streak, triumphing over the Class B Townsend Lady Bulldogs, the Lady Bears, the Sheridan Lady Panthers and the Lady Wolverines.

BIG SKY – Defeat at the 12C District Basketball Tournament in Butte ended the Big Horns 202122 basketball seasons in February. Though the boys and girls varsity teams left the tournament without hardware, both teams celebrated setting a number of school records and tracking improvement throughout the season.

“The LPHS Lady Big Horns accomplished a number of pre-season goals—averaging 50 points per game, a new motion offense, a proven ability to shoot 3-pointers and fewer than 12 turnovers per game and a new look on press and press break,” Bough wrote in an email to EBS.

Three months, 15 games and hundreds of hours of practice put in by these young athletes made for a turbulent season with some tough losses and heartpounding wins. The varsity boys finished their season with a 3-16 overall record and the girls wrapped with a 10-11 overall record.

Both teams’ conference records set them up for play-in games at districts before they could enter the main bracket.

The Big Horn student section celebrates a 3-pointer made by junior Max Romney in a Jan. 18 game against the Ennis Mustangs. PHOTO BY GABRIELLE GASSER

The boys entered tournament play as the No. 10 seed and faced off against No. 7 seed White Sulphur Springs Hornets on Feb. 16. The boys stayed competitive with the Hornets in the first half, trailing by just one point at halftime. As the clock wound down, the Big Horns were forced to foul and the Hornets made nearly all of their free throws, putting victory out of reach for the Big Horns. A 71-60 score concluded the boys’ season.

The Lady Big Horns played three games at districts, one play-in game and two bracket games. They entered the tournament as the No. 7 seed and played the No. 10 seed Lima Lady Bears first on Feb. 16, winning 54-39 to move into regular tournament play.

On Feb. 17 the Lady Big Horns faced the Shields Valley Lady Rebels in a low-scoring game where they fell 33-24, dropping them into the single-elimination consolation bracket.

The boys had a tough losing season and several tight games in a strong district. Despite the challenges, Head Coach John Hannahs said they did a lot of good things during the season. With each game, the Big Horns improved and near the end of the season the boys played some close games that came down to free throws in the final seconds including a Jan. 28 matchup against the Gardiner Bruins that went into overtime.

The Big Horns worked on putting forth a more consistent offensive effort in games and several lead scorers stood out over the season. In their Jan. 18 game against the Ennis Mustangs, junior Gus Hammond scored 34 points, becoming just the fourth player in Big Horn history to score over 30 points in a game.

Junior Max Romney is currently ranked fourth for most free throws made in a season and was just 13 points shy of 300 points for the season. Hammond and Romney became the eighth and ninth Big Horns respectively to score over 200 points in a season, the first players to do so since the 2014-15 season.

Big Horn athletes and fans celebrate a Lady Big Horn 3-pointer at West Yellowstone on Feb. 12. PHOTO BY GABRIELLE GASSER

On Feb. 18, the Lady Big Horns faced their rival the West Yellowstone Lady Wolverines, who they split games with during the regular season. The matchup was close from the start and the score was tied at 24 at halftime. The game came down to the last 45 seconds, when the Lady Wolverines triumphed by four points, 53-49.

Junior Maddie Cone scored 31 points against West, the second highest of all time in a game for a Lady Big Horn, according to former boys Head Coach Al Malinowski based on past statistics.

The Lady Big Horns improved steadily throughout the season after spending the first three quarters of it focusing on their offense, which relied on quick passes and 3-point shooting. Their hard work paid off, illustrated by the girls setting two school records in their Feb. 8 game against Lima, according to Head Coach Loren Bough. During that game, they scored nine 3-pointers in the first half and 13 total 3-pointers in the entire game.

Junior Ben Saad became the 40th Big Horn to score 100 points in a season and senior John Chadwell was just eight points shy of 100 for the season.

“…I had the time of my life coaching these young men, and I think that they had fun as well even if the win column was sparse,” wrote Hannahs in an email to EBS. “Everybody improved, and these guys left it all out on the floor every single game. To show that kind of heart was really inspirational. I think the next step is to find an identity that we can hang onto and incorporate that into the off season, and next year. This team has a bright future.”

Both Big Horns teams showed improvement and grit over the 2021-22 season. The boys are graduating three seniors and the girls are graduating just one senior, setting both teams up for strong rosters of experienced players next year.

Five LPHS seniors stand with their families on the court for Senior Night on Feb. 11. PHOTO BY GABRIELLE GASSER

26 February 25 - March 10, 2022

HEALTH

Explore Big Sky

Choosing sobriety in a mountain town

BY SHANNON STEELE EBS COLUMNIST

How do you live sober in a mountain town when drinking is often celebrated in most outdoor sports and normalized in a resort town where the party never ends?

Though Big Sky has the fastest lifts in America, Swifty is long enough to enjoy chairlift beers between runs. Beers are packed for the end of a big mountain bike ride, summit beers are hauled for hikes, and giant coolers full of seltzers and hoppy libations are stashed in the raft. Choose your favorite aprés spot for your sport—the options are endless with over 30 liquor licenses saturating Big Sky’s 120 square mile boundary.

Around here, it can seem that every occasion is an occasion to drink.

But it doesn’t have to be that way—just ask Big Sky resident Shaun McManus, who found sobriety after realizing what he wanted from life couldn’t be found in a beer can.

“From the summer of 2010 to 2012 I lived in Big Sky, bartended at [the Yellowstone Club], snowboarded six days a week in the winter, and played hard in the summer…I lived the lifestyle,” McManus shared his story on Feb. 15. “In April of 2016, I was at pond skim, blacked out, got a DUI and woke up on suicide watch in Bozeman Deaconess with my dad sitting in the corner. That was the worst day of my life.”

According to a recent Community Health Assessment conducted by Gallatin County and other partners, excessive drinking in Big Sky increased from 27.3 percent in 2017 to 33.9 percent in 2020—much higher rates than in Montana and the U.S. In Big Sky, 48.5 percent of people report their life has been negatively affected by their own or someone else’s substance abuse. COVID-19 has made things worse.

It may seem like everyone in Big Sky is drinking. That’s just not true.

It took five months after his crisis for McManus to put down his drink. He is now sober, volunteers as a community Wellness Navigator and is founder of Coffee and Conversation, a space for those in recovery from substance use to gather, heal and grow.

Wellness Navigators are part of a new Community Support Network linking those in Big Sky with resources to address mental and behavioral health challenges, including alcoholism and addiction. Resources may include healthcare services, community wellness programs, healthful activities or social support services.

Another Wellness Navigator, Suzy Sensbach, recounts: “I moved to Big Sky already sober and found a thriving sober community. There are many people here who embrace all the fun and adventure of Big Sky living without booze and are much better for it.

“I stay sober by doing the work that is required for me to live life without needing to self-medicate,” adds Sensbach. “I stay sober by talking to other sober people and using healthy tools to cope when life gets challenging. And I stay sober by skiing, rafting, hiking, going to concerts, dinners and events all without a drink!”

Sensbach found sobriety through a 12-step program recommended by a friend.

To maintain sobriety, McManus invested in himself and accessed available resources and support: “Four years of therapy almost weekly, men’s groups and workshops, meditation, plant medicine, a support group of friends and family that will listen to me vent or spill my heart, and nights alone in reflection learning to deal with the darkness,” he said.

“The work never stops, but it changes,” McManus reflected. “You go from a place of trying to hold on, to finding a place of calm. You get to even, and then you start to find some places of growth.

“Big Sky is a beautiful place to live and has so much to offer; life is beautiful and has so much to offer,” McManus stressed. “It is completely possible to live a fulfilling and happy sober life here.”

You are not alone and the resources are growing.

Shannon Steele is the behavioral health program officer at the Yellowstone Club Community Foundation, and values a collaborative and community-centered approach to mental/ behavioral health and wellness. She has a background in mind-body wellness and community health, and is also a certified yoga instructor and active volunteer. Community, wellness and the outdoors have always been pillars in Shannon’s life.

REIMAGINING THE APRÉS Check out these local activities and resources

COFFEE & CONVERSATION Coffee & Conversation meets at Acre, Wednesdays at 5:30PM. Contact smcmanus.inc@gmail.com BASE COMMUNITY CENTER The substance-free community center opens March 13 with a full schedule, including pick-up sports, climbing, and yoga | bsco.org Beginning April 18, the Arts Council of Big Sky will offer community art classes | bigskyarts.org VOLUNTEER BIG SKY Find a community volunteer opportunity | volunteerbigsky.galaxydigital.com ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS Meetings in Big Sky | aa-montana.org BIG SKY MEDICAL CENTER Behavioral health resources include: Licensed Therapist; Child, Adolescent & Adult Psychiatrist; Psychiatric Advanced Practice Nurse; Licensed Clinical Social Worker | (406) 995-6995

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29 February 25 - March 10, 2022

BUSINESS

Explore Big Sky

SECTION 3: BUSINESS , ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, DINING AND FUN

MIIBS: All Saints in Big Sky pg. 30

MIIBS: First Security Bank pg. 33

The fall of food, part V pg. 36

Big Sky local opens cleansing center in Bozeman

BY TUCKER HARRIS BOZEMAN – A Big Sky local recently turned her lifetime interest in wellness into a service for the greater Bozeman community.

Candace VonBuren purchased Big Sky Cleansing Center in December 2021 and now offers detox services from colonics to footbaths with her clients Wednesdays through Saturdays.

Having lived in Big Sky for the past seven years, VonBuren is passionate about sharing her love for detox with her community. From teaching hot yoga classes as Santosha Wellness Center, to working alongside Dr. Andrea Wick, she has embedded herself into the local wellness network.

“It’s really imperative, I believe, for people to start really adding detoxification to their life,” VonBuren said.

Big Sky Cleansing Center specializes in two detox treatments: ionic foot spas and colon hydrotherapy.

For the ionic foot spas, VonBuren negatively charges water so that it pulls the positively charged toxins down from the body to the feet, VonBuren said. The water will change to various colors of orange, dark green, yellow or black by the end of one’s 40-minute session, created by the toxins that have been released.

“So basically, it looks really gross afterwards, but clients have reported that they feel really good,” VonBuren said. “Clients have reported that they feel clear and that they sleep very soundly [after the treatment],” she added.

Colon hydrotherapy, explained VonBuren, is the practice of putting a filtered, temperature-controlled water stream flow up the rectum to clean out the 5- to 7-foot colon.

VonBuren said her clients have reported the colon hydrotherapy has helped with skin issues, constipation, bloating, weight loss, fatigue, joint aches and hydration.

“We live in a place where it’s really, really dry,” VonBuren said. “I don’t think we can get enough water here in Montana, and this treatment is really hydrating.”

VonBuren works with Big Sky Natural Health in Big Sky. The two businesses share clients and patients and work together to help people live healthier lives, Vonburen said.

VonBuren estimates 50 percent of her clientele comes from Big Sky at the moment, and her goal is to open an additional Big Sky Cleansing Center in Big Sky. “I love living in Big Sky more than anything,” VonBuren said. “I’ve lived all over the world and I feel like it’s my home.”

Overall, VonBuren hopes to expose her clientele and more Montanans to the benefits of detoxification through her practice.

“I’m grateful that I finally have something that I can bring to the table that’s a part of the community and that really helps the community,” she said.

Candace VonBuren purchased Big Sky Cleansing Center in December 2021 and now offers detox services from colonics to footbaths with her clients Wednesdays through Saturdays. OUTLAW PARTNERS PHOTO

BUSINESS

30 February 25 - March 10, 2022

Explore Big Sky

Making it in Big Sky: All Saints in Big Sky

BY MIRA BRODY BIG SKY – All Saints in Big Sky strives to be a place for everyone—all ages, ethnicities, economic backgrounds and belief systems—to find their spiritual home. The church’s roots date back to the 1990s when a group of Episcopalians began meeting in Big Sky for Morning Prayer. It has since evolved into a shared ministry and today All Saints is a traditional liturgical church with a progressive stance, welcoming all.

Explore Big Sky spoke with the Rev. Miriam Schmidt who arrived in Big Sky to fill a pastor position in 2016 after working abroad for many years. Today she and her family are happy to call the community their home.

This series is part of a paid partnership with the Big Sky Chamber of Commerce. The following answers have been edited for brevity.

“

people come to our services, and they give their time, talents and treasure to keep All Saints going. Children serve as acolytes and take part in “Small Saints” with Ms. Domi on Sundays. Youth read the scripture. Adult members help usher, serve Communion, and take part in Bible and book studies. We all sing old and new songs together, helped by wonderful instrumentalists and cantors.

We try to live out our mission—to celebrate God’s grace and share the love of Christ throughout the Big Sky community and beyond.

All Saints in Big Sky is a congregation full of remarkable human beings: Human beings with complicated histories, great flaws, and profound gifts. It is an incredible honor to get to work with them in mutual ministry.

”

–The Rev. Miriam Schmidt, All Saints in Big Sky

EBS: Tell me about the different services you offer the community?

M.S.: Besides weekly Eucharist (Holy Communion services) on Sunday, we offer a free bi-monthly afterschool program called Godly Play to children aged 5 to 10. For 6th-8th graders, there’s Journey in Faith where youth explore Christian faith and scripture. For adults, we offer a variety of study and discussion opportunities via Zoom and in person. When possible, we welcome folks to sing in a small choir on Sunday mornings.

We have an active Outreach Committee that gives away money to local, national and international organizations throughout the year, and gets involved in local projects. We’ve joined the Gallatin River Task Force clean up, and tidy the Recycling Center one month of the year. Just last week, we collected items for Refugee Welcome Kits in collaboration with Soft Landings in Missoula and Gallatin Refugee Connections in Bozeman.

Explore Big Sky: Let’s start with a little background information on you, how did you get to be in Big Sky? Rev. Miriam Schmidt: I’m now in my fourteenth year as an ordained Lutheran pastor. Between 2008 and 2015, I served two different congregations: First Lutheran Church in Plains, MT, and Bratislava International Church in Bratislava, Slovakia. While we were living abroad, my spouse, Jeremy Blyth, suffered a freak playground (not ski!) accident. We had to return early to the states for medical care, and at that time the Bishop of EBS: What is the most fulfilling aspect of the Montana Synod let me know that All Saints Pastor Miriam and the children lighting the Advent Wreath in December your work? in Big Sky was looking for a pastor. I sent in my 2021. PHOTO BY MARCO DELGUIDICE M.S.: I believe in the power of communal paperwork and interviews began. I was happy to worship, and leading worship is my high point of accept the call to become the Pastor/Priest of All every week.

I believe the Spirit really does “show up” when a community gathers Saints in Big Sky at the beginning of 2016. My family has now called Big Sky to pray and sing together. It is a privilege to preach and to serve the bread and home for six years. wine of Communion. There’s nothing like seeing a little child smile as I put “the bread of heaven” in their cupped hands. I also get the privilege of being EBS: Tell me a little about the history of All Saints in Big Sky. How did it begin? a listener and companion to members of my congregation and community in How and when did you become involved? times of great joy and deep grief. As the on-call Chaplain at Big Sky Medical M.S.: All Saints in Big Sky is a shared ministry of the Episcopal and Center, I walk beside people in times of trauma and try my best to support the Lutheran churches, which means we have a formal connection to two different amazing medical staff there.

Protestant denominations. We have an informal connection to many others because we have members with all kinds of faith backgrounds: Methodist, EBS: What is the best business (or any type) of advice you have ever received?

Presbyterian, United Church of Christ, Moravian, Roman Catholic, nonM.S.: When I was in seminary, getting ready to go to Guyana, South America denominational, spiritual and not-so-sure-about-religion. All Saints has its for a year-long pastoral internship, one of my professors—a black preacher in roots in St. Christopher’s, a group of Episcopalians who began meeting in Big Philadelphia—told me this: “Just love the people, Miriam, just love the people.”

Sky for Morning Prayer back in the 1990’s. After remarkable, hard work on Later when I headed off to my “first call” in Plains, MT, he told me again, the part of some Episcopal and Lutheran participants at St. Christopher’s, an “just love the people.” That is what the church tries to be about: Loving our official shared ministry was born at the close of 2007. All Saints is a traditional neighbors in Jesus’ name. Sometimes we fail big time, but we keep trying. liturgical church with a progressive stance in many social issues. We are single, married, divorced, sick, healthy, Republican, Democrat, retired, working, rich EBS: Anything else you would like to add? and struggling to make ends meet. Bottom line, our vision is this: Led by M.S.: All Saints in Big Sky is a congregation full of remarkable human beings: the Spirit, we strive to welcome all people by engaging and embracing our Human beings with complicated histories, great flaws and profound gifts. It community, offering a vibrant, prayerful and spiritual home. is an incredible honor to get to work with them in mutual ministry. All Saints is also thoroughly blessed by getting to use the ecumenical Big Sky Chapel as EBS: How have you grown or changed with the community over the years? our sanctuary. Because we do not bear the burden of owning a building, we [are M.S.: While we have many seasonal members, we also have full-time residents involved in the life of All Saints. Increasingly in our culture, it is a strange thing free] to use our resources in many other ways to positively affect our community and the larger world. to make church a central (or even peripheral) part of one’s spiritual life. Yet,

FINANCE

31 February 25 - March 10, 2022

Explore Big Sky

Enjoying the Ride: Don’t sell yourself short!

BY SCOTT BROWN MANAGING PRINCIPLE SPONSORED CONTENT

In honor of the shortest month of the year I figured we take a quick dive into short selling.

There are many ways to make a profit in the capital markets.

You can do this by selecting specific securities like stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETF’s, commodities etc. and holding these as “long” positions. Being long means you are betting the asset price will rise and if the value goes higher you will make a profit. However, you can also make money when these securities lose value by going “short.”

The opinions expressed here reflect the judgment of the author as of the date of the report and are subject to change without notice. The material has been prepared or is distributed solely for information purposes and is not a solicitation or an offer to buy any security or instrument or to participate in any trading strategy. Additional information is available upon request.

All investing involves some degree of risk, whether it is associated with market volatility, purchasing power or a specific security, including the possible loss of principal. Stocks offer long-term growth potential but may fluctuate more and provide less current income than other investments. Investment products and services are offered through Wells Fargo Advisors

Financial Network, LLC (WFAFN), Member SIPC. Shore to Summit Wealth Management is a separate entity from WFAFN.

Short selling is an investment or trading strategy that speculates on the decline in a stock or other security’s price. It is an advanced strategy that should only be undertaken by investors who understand the trade and associated risk.

Traders may use short selling as speculation and investors or portfolio managers may use it as a hedge against the downside risk or loss of a long position in the same security, or a related one. Speculative trades like short selling carry the possibility of substantial risk and are considered an advanced trading method. Hedging is a more common transaction involving placing an offsetting position to reduce risk exposure.

In short selling, a position is opened by borrowing shares of a stock or other asset that the investor believes will decrease in value. The investor then sells these borrowed shares to buyers willing to pay the market price. Before the borrowed shares must be returned, the trader is betting that the price will continue to decline and they can purchase them at a lower cost. The risk of loss on a short sale is theoretically unlimited since the price of any asset can climb to infinity. (Information sourced from Investopedia) It is important to note that there are no set rules regarding how long a short sale can last before being closed out. The lender of the shorted shares can request that the shares be returned by the investor at any time, with minimal notice, but this rarely happens in practice so long as the short seller keeps paying their margin interest.

CREATIVITY

NOW – MAY 1, 2022

REALISM AND HYPERREALISM IN CONTEMPORARY AUTOMOBILE AND MOTORCYCLE PAINTING LUSTER: Realism and Hyperrealism in Contemporary Automobile and Motorcycle Painting features a selection of dazzling paintings of vehicles from the birth of the automobile and motorcycle to the present. LUSTER is a celebration of automotive design and style, and contemporary, artist virtuosity.

Presented by David J. Wagner, Ph.D., Curator/Tour Director David J. Wagner, L.L.C.

Learn about the technology that extends the human body’s abilities and compelling stories about technology that helps people carry out their day-to-day routines and realize their lifelong dreams.

Created by the New York Hall of Science in partnership with OMSI and the Quality of Life Technology Center with funding from the National Science Foundation.

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ALL INFORMATION PROVIDED IS DEEMED RELIABLE BUT IS NOT GUARANTEED AND SHOULD BE INDEPENDENTLY VERIFIED. INFORMATION AND DEPICTIONS ARE SUBJECT TO ERRORS, OMISSIONS, PRIOR SALES, PRICE CHANGES OR WITHDRAWAL WITHOUT NOTICE. NO GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY HAS JUDGED THE MERITS OR VALUE, IF ANY, OF THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS ADVERTISEMENT OR ANY REAL ESTATE DESCRIBED OR DEPICTED HEREIN. THIS MATERIAL SHALL NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL IN ANY STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE PRIOR REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED OR WHERE SUCH AN OFFER WOULD BE PROHIBITED, AND THIS SHALL NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION IF YOU ARE WORKING WITH ANOTHER REAL ESTATE AGENT. NOTHING HEREIN SHALL BE CONSTRUED AS LEGAL, TAX, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL ADVICE.

33 February 25 - March 10, 2022

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Explore Big Sky

The Arts Council of Big Sky presents two star-studded events for WMPAC’s winter lineup EBS STAFF

The Arts Council of Big Sky is presenting two events at Warren Miller Performing Arts Center this winter.

International Guitar Night returns on Sunday, Feb. 27 and the award-winning, genre-bending supergroup The Fretless takes the stage on March 9. Both performances will take place at 7:30 p.m.

International Guitar Night will feature a new lineup featuring acoustic rock sensation Luca Stricagnoli of Italy; progressive classical guitarist Thu Le of Vietnam; slack key master Jim “Kimo” West of Hawaii; and Latin swing pioneer Lulo Reinhardt of Germany.

In his third time touring as a member of International Guitar Night, Stricagnoli “has been hailed as a phenomenon and a guitar prodigy,” according to a Feb. 15 press release from the Arts Council. Stricagnoli has played on selfinvented instruments in over 20 countries and has even garnered attention from bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Metallica.

A supergroup of celebrated solo artists, The Fretless has been creating a singular and signature sound that dares to expand the idea of what a string music quartet can be. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ARTS COUNCIL OF BIG SKY.

Le began playing guitar at the young age of four under the mentorship of her grandfather. Le “has graced stages around the world, performing as a soloist and hosting a series of successful master classes” around the globe, states the Feb. 15 press release. Le is an international and award-winning classical guitarist and will be making her IGN debut.

West keeps Hawaii’s iconic guitar style, “ki ho’alu” or “Slack Key guitar” tradition alive. With millions of streams on Spotify and Pandora, West won a 2021 Grammy for his CD “More Guitar Stories” and is a three-time Na Hõkū Hanohano (Hawaiian Grammy) nominee and winner. This is West’s second time touring with International Guitar Night.

The Fretless takes a new approach to Folk music using several classic folk instruments: two fiddles, a viola and a cello.

“A [The] Fretless show is infectious, dynamic, and impressively relentless,” stated the Feb. 15 press release.

Visit warrenmillerpac.org to purchase tickets to both star-studded performances.

Last but not least, Lulo Reinhardt will be bringing his Latin rhythms with a style he refers to as Latin Swing. “Known for his strong percussive playing and lightning solos, [Reinhardt] is the most revered member of IGN, having appeared with four previous lineups in addition to hosting this year’s edition,” the press release said.

Following the beloved Arts Council International Guitar Night, Canadian folk music group The Fretless will play on March, 9 at Warren Miller.

“A supergroup of celebrated solo artists, The Fretless has been creating a singular and signature sound that dares to expand the idea of what a string music quartet can be—transforming fiddle tunes and folk melodies into intricate, beautiful, high-energy arrangements that have quickly gained a dedicated following and accolades from around the world,” wrote the Arts Council of Big Sky.

Open 6:30am to 8pm • 406.995.4636 • Located in the Meadow Village Center next to Lone Peak Brewery • Delivery Service • Pre-arrival Fridge & Cupboard stocking International Guitar Night will feature acoustic rock sensation Luca Stricagnoli of Italy; progressive classical guitarist Thu Le of Vietnam; slack key master Jim “Kimo” West of Hawaii; and Latin swing pioneer Lulo Reinhardt of Germany. PHOTO COURTESY OF ARTS COUNCIL OF BIG SKY

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©2022 BHH Affiliates, LLC. An independently owned and operated franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of Columbia Insurance Company, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate. Equal Housing Opportunity.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

35 February 25 - March 10, 2022

Explore Big Sky

BIG SKY EVENTS CALENDAR Friday, Feb. 25 – Thursday, March 10

If your event falls between March 11 and March 24 please submit it by March 2 by emailing media@outlaw.partners.

Friday, Feb. 25

Thursday, March 3

Wednesday, March 9

Craig Hall Trio Jazz Night

Big Sky Serenity Seekers Al-Anon meeting

Trivia Night

Live Music: Willie Waldman

Film: “E.T.”

The Fretless

Saturday, Feb. 26

Live Music: Peter King

Live Music: Kent Johnson

Big Sky Resort, Feb. 26-March 2

Friday, March 4

Thursday, March 10

10th annual Auction for the Arts

The Independent, 8 p.m.

The Independent, 8 p.m.

All Saints Chapel, 4 p.m.

Tips Up, 9 p.m.

The Independent, 7 p.m.

The National Conference on Wilderness Medicine

Tips Up, 9 p.m.

Craig Hall Trio Jazz Night

Montage Big Sky Grand Ballroom 6 p.m.

Live Music: Abby Webster

Live Music: KC 'n Bo Tips Up, 9 p.m.

The Independent, 8 p.m.

Saturday, March 5

Live Music: MOTH

Gua Sha Facial Contouring

Sunday, Feb. 27

Nobuntu A Cappella from Zimbabwe

Santosha Wellness Center, 1:15 p.m.

Tips Up, 9 p.m.

Live Music: Cole Thorne

The Standard: Cocktails and Desserts, 7 p.m.

International Guitar Night

Warren Miller Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Feb. 28 Film: “Purple Rain”

Warren Miller Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m.

Music: Amanda Stuart

The Independent, 8 p.m.

Live Music: Scavenger Tips Up, 9 p.m.

The Independent, 7 p.m.

Sunday, March 6

Tuesday, March 1

The Emerson, 7 p.m.

Open Mic Night Tips Up, 9 p.m.

Wednesday, March 2

Women’s Adventure Film Tour

Live Music: Cole Thorne The Standard, 7 p.m.

Coffee and Conversations Meetup

Yellowstone National Park closes for season

Trivia Night

Monday, March 7

ACRE Kitchen, 5:30 p.m.

The Independent, 7 p.m.

Live Music: Tom Marino Tips Up, 9 p.m.

Yellowstone National Park, 9 p.m.

Live Music: The Damn Duo Montana Jack, 4 p.m.

The Independent, 7 p.m.

Warren Miller Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m.

Tips Up, 9 p.m.

Big Sky Serenity Seekers Al-Anon meeting All Saints Chapel at 4 p.m.

Film: “Mad Max: Fury Road” The Independent, 7 p.m.

Live Music: The Damn Duo Tips Up, 9 p.m.

Featured Event: 10th annual Auction for the Arts, Montage Grand ballroom, Feb. 26 Celebrate the arts in our community with the Arts Council of Big Sky at the 10th annual Auction for the Arts fundraising event. The event will take place at Montage Big Sky in the Grand Ballroom on Saturday, Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. Benefitting both working local artists and the Arts Council of Big Sky, the silent auction will feature nearly 100 items. New this year, the auction will include exclusive travel and experience items including several Montage vacation packages, a Museum of the Rockies private tour and two VIP Foo Fighters tickets paired with a live concert photo of Dave Grohl by professional rock photographer Nick Pickles.

Tickets for the live auction gala event include valet parking, a welcome cocktail, one drink ticket, hors d’oeuvres, dessert final silent auction viewing and live auction participation.

Visit bigskyarts.org to register to bid and for more information.

Tuesday, March 8 Vancouver International Film Festival The Independent, 7 p.m.

Open Mic Night Tips Up, 9 p.m.

Do You or Someone You Know Need Help Getting Sober?

Contact A.A. - We’re alcoholics helping other alcoholics stay sober.

Call 1-833-800-8553 to talk to an A.A. member or Get the Meeting Guide app or Go to aa-montana.org for virtual and face-to-face meeting times and locations

36 Feb. 25 - March 10, 2022

DINING

Explore Big Sky

AMUSE-BOUCHE Amuse-bouche refers to an appetizer, and by French translation means, “to entertain the mouth.” It offers a glimpse into what you should expect from a meal. Also it’s free, compliments of the chef.

The experience, accreditation, industry-wide recognition and integrity that Southwest Montana deserves.

The fall of food, part V

BY SCOTT MECHURA EBS COLUMNIST

To wrap up this series on the decline of food in the U.S., I’ll explore how McCarthyism, in just a few short years, had a lasting impact on how Americans, and then the rest of the world, changed how to eat.

#11 SCOTT BROWN Scott and his team manage roughly $300,000,000 in private client assets.

Scott Brown CFP®, CIMA®, CRPC® recognized as Barron’s Top 1000 Advisor’s in 2011, 2012, and 2013.* *The rankings are based on data provided by thousands of advisors. Factors included in the rankings were assets under management, revenue produced for the firm, regulatory record and client retention.

Investment products and services are offered through Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, LLC (WFAFN), Member SIPC. Shore to Summit Wealth Management, LLC is a separate entity from (WFAFN).

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The U.S. was fresh off victory in a war that changed the world forever. The idea that only a few years later, a domestic communist party was not only real, but was gaining traction and momentum, was alarming to many Americans.

While today many Americans dream of wine cellars in their homes, the McCarthyism era had many Americans giving serious consideration to building bomb shelters.

Tensions were high with the Soviet Union and the last thing the U.S. wanted was a return military trip to Europe.

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Named for Sen. Joseph McCarthy, who represented Wisconsin from 1947 to 1957, McCarthyism was a post-World War II movement from 1950 to 1954 in which numerous investigations were launched, hearings were called and reputations were on the line and sometimes ruined as the country sought to uncover and expose members of the American Communist Party.

(406) 219-2900 shoretosummitwm.com

What do McCarthyism, bomb shelters and the fear of a Soviet invasion have to do with how we eat?

Everything.

The metal can as a method for preserving food was invented in France in 1795 when Napoleon saw the need for preserving food for his army.

Cans became a reliable method of safe food storage from then on. However, with the threat of invasions, atomic bombs and potentially living under your home in a concrete box for an unknown period of time, having fruits, vegetables, meats and soups in a safe, unrefrigerated state was suddenly en vogue.

And so, in tandem with high fructose corn syrup, canned food set in motion a way to eat entirely different from previous generations.

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At its core, preserving food in cans is perfectly harmless and for any number of reasons is sensible and practical. Even though food sealed in cans was invented for the battlefield, it was the safest way to preserve food for long journeys or long storage.

It’s more about the direction that the U.S. took after McCarthyism that should be of concern.

In keeping with the theme of food in metal, we saw the invention of the “TV dinner” from Swanson’s food company in 1954. This not only put a food item in front of us that wasn’t cooked from scratch in the home, but experts believe that we tend to eat more when we eat in front of the TV. Though I have no hard data, it doesn’t surprise me.

Decades later, 1986 saw another confluence of products and innovation, all in the name of ease, flavor and convenience. Campbell Soup Company eliminated the aluminum tray in TV dinners and replaced it with plastic. Why? So it could be heated easily in the microwave of course.

Microwaves opened up an entirely new world of factory processed food: sugar laden but “sugar free”, salty but “sodium free”, fatty but “fat free”, all natural, no artificial additive, etc., etc. … And several more I’m forgetting.

No wonder Americans have simultaneously become so obsessed with fitness.

It doesn’t need to be this way though. If we took the time and paid more attention to what and how we eat, we would begin to feel healthier from the inside out, where it all begins.

Through diving deep into our country’s history, we’ve covered a lot in recent weeks with this series. There is so much more I could delve into I could probably write a book, and probably should.

©2022 BHH Affiliates, LLC. An independently owned and operated franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of Columbia Insurance Company, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate. Equal Housing Opportunity.

Scott Mechura has spent a life in the hospitality industry. He is an executive chef, former certified beer judge and currently the executive chef for Lone Mountain Ranch.

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Energy’s solar projects throughout the state of Montana provide clean energy to the power grid – and they’re shaping the future of renewable energy, too. We’re working with local universities to better understand where solar energy belongs alongside a balanced energy mix.

And that research is helping us build a brighter future for the next generation of Montanans. · 1 bdrm | 2 bath | 1,059± SF | Underground parking · Enjoy some of the best ski access in Big Sky with Ramcharger 8 and Swift Current 6 right outside your door · Building amenities include: valet and concierge services, room service, several restaurants, bar, & fitness center SANDY REVISKY | 406.539.6316

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88 Ousel Falls Road, Suite B | The Exchange (formerly the Mountain Mall)

406.995.4009 | www.bigskypurewest.com View more of the story at NorthWesternEnergy.com/BrightFuture

All information contained herein is derived from sources deemed reliable, however, is not guaranteed by Pure West Real Estate, LLC., 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.

STACY OSSORIO Broker, Private Office Advisor 406-539-8553 stacyossorio.evrealestate.com stacy.ossorio@evrealestate.com

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39 February 25 - March 10, 2022

FUN

Explore Big Sky

American Life in Poetry

BY KWAME DAWES There is in Jericho Brown’s vast poetic mythology, a series of touchstone terms that are rich with resonance. The word crossing refers, in part, to the grand crossing of the Atlantic in the “Middle Passage,” to the many rivers crossed by those fleeing enslavement, and finally to the great crossing from this mortal territory to the other unknown territory that we must all make. And in this poem, “Crossing,” he reminds us that above everything else, confidence, faith (“more than a conqueror”), courage and wreckless optimism (“I am the one who leaps”) are good companions on this journey.

Crossing

BY JERICHO BROWN The water is one thing, and one thing for miles.

The water is one thing, making this bridge Built over the water another. Walk it Early, walk it back when the day goes dim, everyone Rising just to find a way toward rest again.

We work, start on one side of the day Like a planet’s only sun, our eyes straight Until the flame sinks. The flame sinks. Thank God I’m different. I’ve figured and counted. I’m not crossing To cross back. I’m set On something vast. It reaches Long as the sea. I’m more than a conqueror, bigger Than bravery. I don’t march. I’m the one who leaps.

Corner Quote

BIG SKY

BEATS

Snowstorms and Sunshine

BY TUCKER HARRIS

“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.”

– Charles Dickens, “Great Expectations”

Montanans often like to crack the joke, “If you don’t like the weather, just wait five minutes.” March weather in particular can be temperamental: One day its 50 degrees and sunny, the next it’s below freezing and (hopefully) dropping fresh snow onto Lone Mountain for us to play in.

Whether you’re ready for spring skiing or are still praying to the snow gods for more snow, March will likely have you covered in every kind of climate. Explore Big Sky brings you a playlist of mountain songs to listen to whether you’re soaking in the vitamin D or bundling up for a spring adventure.

1. “Seasons” by Whitacre 2. “The Wolves & The Ravens” by Rogue Valley 3. “Mountain Sound” by Of Monsters and Men 4. “After the Storm” by Mumford & Sons 5. “Saturday Sun” by Vance Joy 6. “Agape” by Bear’s Den 7. “The Mtn. Song” by Rayland Baxter 8. “Changes” by Langhorne Slim and The Law 9. “Road Song” by Zane Christopher 10. “Open Season” by High Highs 11. “Bloom – Bonus Track” by The Paper Kites 12. “Turntable” by Dead Horses

A life at Wildlands is a life well lived.

600 N Wallace, Bozeman, Montana

Unit #2 | $1,625,000 1,527 ± Sq. Ft. 2 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms

Unit #5 | $1,995,000 2,012 ± Sq. Ft. 2 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms

Unit #9 | $$2,750,000 2,240 ± Sq. Ft. 3 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms

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