BOZEMAN FILMMAKER DEBUTS ‘LOVE ON THE LIFT’ DATING SHOW
17 - April 30, 2025
and published in Big Sky, Montana
PUBLISHER
Eric Ladd | eric@theoutlawpartners.com
EDITORIAL
VP MEDIA
Mira Brody | mira@theoutlawpartners.com
SENIOR EDITOR
Jack Reaney | jack@theoutlawpartners.com
STAFF WRITER
Jen Clancey | jen@theoutlawpartners.com
EDITORIAL CONSULTANT
Leslie Kilgore | leslie@theoutlawpartners.com
DIGITAL MEDIA LEAD
Fischer Genau | fischer@theoutlawpartners.com
SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR
Carli Johnson | carli@theoutlawpartners.com
CREATIVE
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Griffin House | griffin@theoutlawpartners.com
SALES AND OPERATIONS
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Josh Timon | josh@theoutlawpartners.com
CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER
Megan Paulson | megan@theoutlawpartners.com
VP DESIGN & PRODUCTION
Hiller Higman | hiller@theoutlawpartners.com
DIRECTOR OF RELATIONSHIPS
Ersin Ozer | ersin@theoutlawpartners.com
MARKETING MANAGER
Tucker Harris | tucker@theoutlawpartners.com
CONTENT MARKETING LEAD
Taylor Owens | taylor.owens@theoutlawpartners.com
SENIOR ACCOUNTANT
Sara Sipe | sara@theoutlawpartners.com
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT LEAD
Patrick Mahoney | patrick@theoutlawpartners.com
ACCOUNT COORDINATOR
Ellie Boeschenstein | ellie@theoutlawpartners.com
CONTRIBUTORS
John Allen, Daniel Bierschwale, Rhonda Boyd, Abby Butler, Andrew Carpenter, Mario Carr, Brian Conklin, Mel Crichton, Matt Crossman, Katie Grice, Rachel Hergett, Kris Inman, Quinn Lowrey, Benjamin Alva Polley, Max Scheder-Bieschin, Mike Scholz, Justin Smith, Dustin Tetrault
TABLE OF CONTENTS
6 29 18 10 11
ON THE COVER:
Park opens some of its roads to cyclists. For a short window each spring, the road from West Yellowstone to Mammoth is free from the usual traffic and open to bikes offering a quieter way to experience the park before the summer crowds roll in.
PHOTO BY CARLI JOHNSON
COMMUNITY REMEMBERS JON LAMB
Community member Jon Lamb passed away in a tragic ski accident in early April, and family members reflected on his adventurous legacy in his obituary. A celebration of life was also held in Lamb’s memory on April 13.
LPHS SENIORS EARN $125K IN SCHOLARSHIPS
On March 31, 25 Lone Peak High School seniors received 55 scholarships totaling more than $125,000 through the nonprofit Friends of Big Sky Education to support further studies and pursuits after graduating this spring.
NEW LAW HELPS FUND WORKFORCE HOUSING
Senate Bill 172, which passed in early April, will allow communities to use revenues from “1% for infrastructure” resort tax for workforce housing projects. The bill quickly gained support of Big Sky leaders when an earlier—and nearly identical—Big-Sky-backed proposal, HB 162, stalled in senate committee in early February.
BIG SKY ELECTION GUIDE
As Big Sky voters prepare to vote in the May 6 mail-in election, Explore Big Sky spoke with community leaders about the ballot initiatives which they believe would have a long-term, lasting impact on the community if they pass. Read a series of Q&As and additional coverage of the upcoming election.
BOZEMAN FILMMAKER DEBUTS ‘LOVE ON THE LIFT’ DATING SHOW
Bozeman filmmaker Andreas Attai launched his YouTube dating show “Love on the Lift” this winter, where participants take chairlift rides and ski runs while deciding whether to go on a date. The show aims to emphasize authenticity, positivity and real connections in a fun and uplifting way.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
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.
EBS welcomes obituaries written by family members or from funeral homes. To place an obituary, please submit 500 words or less to media@theoutlawpartners.com.
Letters to the editor allow EBS readers to express views and share how they would like to effect change. These are not Thank You notes. Letters should be 250 words or less, respectful, ethical, accurate, and proofread for grammar and content. We reserve the right to edit letters and will not publish individual grievances about specific businesses or letters that are abusive, malicious or potentially libelous. Include: full name, address, phone number and title. Submit to media@outlaw.partners.
ADVERTISING DEADLINE For the May 1st issue: April 25th, 2025
As the sun rises on Easter Sunday, Big Sky Resort Ministries will host its annual on-mountain service. Starting at 7 a.m. atop Andesite Mountain, the celebration is free and open to the public, and lift tickets are not required.
PHOTO BY JUSTIN SMITH / BIG SKY RESORT MINISTRIES
4
NEWS IN BRIEF BRIEFS
‘A
NIGHT OF HOPE’ CONCERT IN BOZEMAN TO RAISE MONEY FOR MONTANA SUICIDE PREVENTION
EBS STAFF
On Saturday, May 3, Bozeman native country musician Stephanie Quayle will perform a concert to raise money and awareness for Montana’s chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
The concert, themed “A Night of Hope,” will take place at the Armory Music Hall in Bozeman. Tickets are available online for $25. Doors will open at 6 p.m. for the 7 p.m. show.
A press release from event organizers stated the concert will raise awareness about mental health by unifying the community and raising crucial funds to support the foundation’s mission, which includes suicide prevention research, education programs, advocacy, and support for survivors of suicide loss.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for Montanans aged 10 to 44, and that more than 49,000 Americans took their own lives in 2023, according to the release.
“Your presence at the show is a powerful statement in support of mental health, those who suffer, and suicide prevention in Montana and beyond,” Tracy Rassley, programs manager for the foundation’s Montana Chapter, stated in the release. “Together, we can raise awareness, spark conversations, and create a stronger, more compassionate community.”
The foundation is the largest private funder of suicide prevention research and does not receive federal funding or grant money, according to the release.
Quayle added a statement regarding her mental health activism, which includes her book, “Why Do We Stay,” exploring her personal struggles.
“I aspire to make Montana a beacon of hope in the conversation surrounding mental health, inspiring others to take action as well… I believe sharing my journey can offer hope to those struggling as I did. My road wasn’t an easy path, nothing worthwhile ever is, but I want to make this conversation more accessible to the community,” Quayle stated, adding that the upcoming concert is the beginning of a larger, ongoing effort to support Montanans.
“This isn’t a fleeting endeavor; it’s an integral part of my life’s work and purpose and I am honored to be involved,” Quayle stated.
MUSEUM OF THE ROCKIES ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF CAFÉ NAMING CONTEST
MSU NEWS SERVICE
Montana State University’s Museum of the Rockies has announced the winners of last fall’s community contest to name the museum’s new café. After receiving a range of creative submissions, the museum selected “Rocky Rex’s Roasts” as the official name for the café, which will open in June.
Community members of all ages participated, and the museum selected four individuals whose ideas helped shape the final name.
Cora Kamerman (up to age 12 category) won with “Rocky Rex’s Cafe.” Kamerman will receive a $100 gift card to the new café. The name captures the spirit of both the museum’s beloved T. rex mascot and the café’s coffee-focused atmosphere.
Cade Warren (up to age 12) and Colleen Conrad (age 65+) were selected as runners-up. Both will receive a $25 gift card to Rocky Rex’s Roasts.
Arison Caruana (age 13–17) received honorable mention. Caruana will receive exclusive Rocky Rex’s Roasts café merchandise.
FWP TAKING COMMENT ON PROPOSED SHOOTING RANGE NEAR LOGAN
EBS STAFF
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is conducting a public scoping effort on a proposal to build a shooting range on state trust lands near Logan in Gallatin County. Logan is an unincorporated community between Three Forks and Manhattan.
The proposed shooting range would include a rifle range with targets out to 600 yards and separate lanes for pistols, shotguns and shortrange shooting. The project would require an easement for land managed by the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, located along the I-90 corridor approximately two miles outside of Logan.
Public scoping provides an opportunity for the public to share concerns or questions while the project is still in the planning phase. These comments will help determine public interest, identify potential issues and illuminate options for the project moving forward.
The public can comment through April 23. Comments can be emailed to the shooting range development program manager Sam Hoggatt at Samuel.hoggatt@mt.gov, or be mailed to FWP c/o Logan Shooting Range Proposal, 1420 E. 6th Ave., Helena, MT 59601.
The entire public scoping notice can be found online.
YOUR COMMUNITY. YOUR BALLOT. YOUR VOICE.
On a ballot this May, voters will decide on initiatives that will help shape the future of Big Sky. Learn what's on the ballot and why it matters—then make your voice heard.
How to Vote in This Election
Big Sky Resort Area District elections are conducted through the Gallatin County Elections O ce, no matter which county you're registered in*. Ballots will be mailed to voters starting April 18. Completed ballots must be received by 8:00 PM on Election Day, May 6—postmarks do not count.
Mail your ballot by April 28 to ensure it arrives on time, or
Drop it o :
In Big Sky: Big Sky Water & Sewer District O ce, 561 Little Coyote Road In Bozeman: Gallatin County Elections O ce, 311 W Main St, Room 210
For questions, contact the Gallatin County Elections O ce Gallatin.Elections@gallatin.mt.gov or 406-582-3060
YOUR VOTE IS YOUR VOICE
*Madison County residents in Big Sky will also get a separate county ballot, which can be returned to the Madison County Elections O ce, 103 W Wallace St., Virginia City.
OBITUARY
JON LAMB
Jon Lamb was born Sept. 26, 1961 in Montreal, Canada. He would tell you that he was the product of one bad turn, because his father had broken both his legs skiing at Jay Peak and he convinced his then-girlfriend Lillian Ball to marry him, because she felt sorry for him. One bad turn on skis brought him to us and another bad turn on skis took him away.
As a young boy, Jon moved to Michigan with his family where he fell in love with gravity driven adventure. Jon became an adrenaline junkie early, skiing and biking on the tiny hills of Michigan. Jon got his varsity letter in skiing from Waterford Township High School. That jacket still hangs in his closet, because he was a packrat (you should see his rock—sorry, fossil—collection).
Testing the waters of college, he lasted two semesters before realizing he was destined for a life of outdoor adventure and headed to the big mountains of Vermont in 1979. Jon spent many years adventuring in the Green Mountains. Whether it was catching last chair on Ramshead to head out to Pins Only or crushing it to the top of Killington on the Tuesday night ride, when you were with Jon it was always full send. There he met his first wife Cindy and together they raised their daughters, Carli and Kelly.
On April 21, 2009, he met his second wife, Careen Little, on the Superstar lift line, and Jon loved to joke that they met “online—the lift line that is.” Skiing spring laps and giving advice, being his normal charismatic, enthusiastic self, Careen fell in love and they became the best adventure buddies
ever, even though she skied better than him. Just kidding, but not really. Their love was obvious and persistent and in 2017 they made the move across the country to Big Sky.
This move was the biggest adventure of their life. They found a place that both recognized and celebrated this enthusiastic couple. Their adventures took them from teaching skiing at Big Sky Resort, up to Whitefish, and back again. Jon continued to
share his passion and enthusiasm with everyone that crossed his path as an outdoor guide at Montage Big Sky. Jon’s enthusiasm was infectious and to know Jon was to remember Jon. Whether on a mountain bike, his quiver of skis, snowshoes, a fishing pole in hand, or hunting petrified wood to share, Jon carried himself in a way you couldn’t help but gravitate towards.
Careen and Jon created a lifestyle that was full of happiness, love, and adventure. Whether tearing up the mountain, or stalking trout in Yellowstone National Park camping in the teardrop camper, Jon had it dialed in. There is comfort knowing that Jon died at the top of his game, and in his boots, doing what he loved.
Jon is survived by his partner and darling wife of 16 years, Careen Little, his two daughters, Kelly Bittner and Carli Drexler, his two step-children, Cavan and Delaney Little, his beloved hound, Lucy Little-Lamb, his sister, Heidi Lamb, and three grandchildren, Cooper and Lydia Bittner and Rory Drexler. He is predeceased by his mother Lillian Ferguson, his father Graeme Lamb, and his brother, Stephen Lamb.
In the words of his sister, Heidi, Jon instilled a love for skiing, mountain biking, and the great outdoors in everyone who came into contact with him. Even as a kid, his passion for skiing shaped the lives of those around him. On hills of his childhood mountain, Alpine Valley, Jon began his illustrious career of sharing his love of skiing, shaping Heidi’s life as she continues to carry on his legacy as a Lamb ski instructor.
COURTESY OF DELANEY LITTLE
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Dear editor,
On a recent snowy Saturday evening in Big Sky, Dr. Sydney Desmarais opened her clinic doors to provide the compassionate care necessary to say goodbye to my beloved Golden Retriever, Watson.
For years, I found comfort in Watson’s unusual excitement walking in those clinic doors. It felt as if we were there often, with the oddest of ailments and I smile now of thinking how he would pull at the leash as we walked in the door. With a big golden grin, he would go directly to the scale to sit and wait for his treat, always a rule follower. Though I could fill in a novel of cherished memories, this letter isn’t about Watson.
This is a note to share my gratitude to Dr. Sydney Desmarais and the Lone Peak Veterinary team, and a call to action to help the new clinic plans across the finish line.
Lone Peak Veterinary Hospital has been an essential part of our community for years. As Big Sky has grown, so has the demand for these services—and it’s clear that the current clinic is no longer big enough to meet the needs of our family
SUPPORT THE FUTURE OF LONE PEAK VETERINARY HOSPITAL IT TAKES COURAGE TO USE YOUR VOICE; NOW IS THE TIME FOR COURAGE
Dear editor,
First, U.S. corporations caved to Trump’s drive away from any form of diversity, equity and inclusion framework. Then, U.S. corporations changed their language around climate change to not get caught by the bully pulpit. Most recently, many large law firms began setting their ethics aside.
The statement by Paul Weiss’ CEO that none of his law firm peers came to their side, reminds me of the quote from Martin Niemoeller, a prominent German priest who initially supported Nazism but then ended up spending seven years in a German concentration camp for voicing his opposition when he understood the true nature of the Nazi’s priorities:
“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist. Then they care for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me— and there was no one left to speak for me.”
We make a choice to act; stand up for our beliefs. We make the more challenging choice to use our voice to protect our beliefs.
Now is the time for all of us to act and to use our voices. There are more and more of us Independents and Republicans doing so. A great Montana example is Marc Racicot, our former governor, former head of the RNC and George W. Bush’s reelection campaign chairman; see the
members or the dedicated staff who care for them. The plans for a new facility would mean expanded services, more room for emergency care, and better resources to support the Big Sky Community who rely on them daily.
Pet owners understand the importance of local veterinary services for routine care and in an emergency. Imagine driving the canyon worried about precious time lost. More importantly, just talk to your friends living outside of Big Sky to understand how fortunate we are that Dr. Desmarais, and her team are available to answer
questions, texts, and calls during all hours of the night to provide above and beyond care. We are truly lucky to have them.
Now, they need us.
Please consider donating today on behalf of your current or future pets. For more information or to find out how you can help, visit buildthedoghouse.com
With gratitude and hope, Katie Grice Big Sky, Montana
Bozeman Daily Chronicle’s April 3 “I’m fearful” article.
Please reach out to our members of congress and our state legislators and ask them to not lose sight of what America has built and what it stands for.
You can reach them as follows:
Sen. Steve Daines can be emailed at steve@daines. senate.gov or called at (202) 224-2651
Sen. Tim Sheehy - sheehy.senate.gov/share-youropinion/ or (202) 224-2644
Rep. Ryan Zinke - zinke.house.gov/contact or (202) 225-5628
Any other member of congress via usa.gov/elected-officials/
Any member of Montana’s legislature vialegmt.gov
It’s super easy to do so. Let them hear from you. Our democracy can use the help. Thank you.
Max Scheder-Bieschin Big Sky, Montana
Rendering of the new LPVH clinic. COURTESY OF STEPHANIE DESMARAIS
ADOBE STOCK PHOTO
LOCAL
BIG SKY COMES TOGETHER FOR WINTER PRIDE DEBUT
A WEEK OF SNOW, SPARKLE AND SUPPORT BRINGS LOCALS TOGETHER ON AND OFF THE MOUNTAIN
BY CARLI JOHNSON
BIG SKY—From March 24 to 30, Big Sky was full of color, laughter and pride as the nonprofit Big Sky OUT hosted its first-ever Winter Pride Week. The weeklong event celebrated Big Sky’s LGBTQ+ community with ski parades, dance parties, learning opportunities and other activities.
Taylor McCaslin, a board member of Big Sky OUT, told Explore Big Sky the event went better than they imagined.
“We had our expectations, and the weekly turnout exceeded them all around,” McCaslin said. “We were surprised to see how hungry people have been for this kind of community-building event.”
The schedule included activities like Nordic ski lessons and educational trainings. McCaslin said the response from the community was very positive, and many more people have reached out to volunteer, donate or even join the board.
As a newer organization, McCaslin said it’s been hard to get the word out or find volunteers. But after Winter Pride Week, there has been a surge in interest.
On Saturday, March 29, Big Sky OUT brought the celebration to Big Sky Resort with two ski parades down Mr. K and Ambush. At 11 a.m., skiers and snowboarders—including a few instructors in uniform—dressed in glitter, rainbow flags and colorful outfits gathered near the Lone Peak Tram to ride down the mountain together.
Big Sky OUT founder Brit Diersch welcomed the group with a short speech.
“It’s really important visibility for us,” Diersch said. “We want people to know that they are welcome here and this is a safe space.”
The group carried a 35-by-40-foot pride flag down Mr. K. McCaslin skied alongside them, playing music by queer artists like Chappell Roan and Lady Gaga to keep the energy high.
Gillian Hayden, a Big Sky Resort employee and first-time attendee of a pride event, said the event made her excited and proud to be a community member in Big Sky.
“This is my first pride event here in Big Sky,” Hayden said. “What makes me excited about this is that it is a bunch of wonderful, beautiful human beings enjoying snow and coming together as one.”
People smiled, waved flags and celebrated inclusion as they skied together with Big Sky OUT.
The week concluded with a sold-out drag brunch at Tips Up. The line stretched out the door, with people watching from the windows. McCaslin said the turnout was exciting to see.
“The outpouring of support and engagement from the community has been amazing,” McCaslin said, reflecting on the week.
Big Sky OUT said they’re already planning more events with Tips Up and looking ahead to their summer pride celebrations.
Participants of the ski parade pose for a photo at the base of Mr. K at Big Sky Resort on March 29, 2025. PHOTO BY CARLI JOHNSON
Six people held the 35-by-40-foot pride flag as it made its debut down Mr. K. PHOTO BY CARLI JOHNSON
Sequins and smiles colored the slopes to celebrate Winter Pride Week. PHOTO BY CARLI JOHNSON
HOSPITAL, SCHOOL DISTRICT BOUNDARY BILL PASSES SENATE FLOOR
BY JEN CLANCEY
HELENA—Senate Bill 260 is headed to the Montana House after a successful third reading on the senate floor on Saturday, April 5. The district boundary bill, which addresses hospital district debates between the Madison Valley Hospital District and Big Sky residents within Madison County lines, narrowly passed with two votes, 25-23.
Sen. Greg Hertz (R–Polson) presented the bill on Friday, April 4, starting a discussion about the bill’s implications for the communities of Big Sky and Ennis. Big Sky is an unincorporated area, with a portion of its residents living in Madison County, and the majority in Gallatin County. The town of Ennis is separated from Big Sky by a privately operated road.
Madison County residents within Big Sky attempted to withdraw from the MVHD in 2024 and 2025, but were unable to leave due to unsuccessful public hearings with the Madison County Commission.
If the groups withdraw, they would consequently join a soon-to-be-formed Big Sky wellness district.
Withdrawal would pull Big Sky Madison County residents’ tax dollars from the MVHD and redirect them to the wellness district, and in an updated version of the bill, the withdrawal of tax dollars
would happen over the course of three years. Other amended portions of the bill include specific rules for the relationship between Ennis and Big Sky School Districts.
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FOBSE CELEBRATES $125K IN LONE PEAK SCHOLARSHIPS
BY JACK REANEY
BIG SKY—Twenty-five Lone Peak High School seniors received 55 scholarships totaling more than $125,000 through the nonprofit Friends of Big Sky Education to support further studies and pursuits after graduating this spring.
“This is my favorite time of year,” said Dr. Marlo Mitchem, Lone Peak High School principal, during the FOBSE scholarship awards ceremony on March 31. “… This ceremony is always a reminder of the incredible community we’re all a part of. A community that not only values education and individual pursuits, but also plays a crucial role in the success of our seniors.”
Melissa McKeithen, FOBSE board member and scholarship program coordinator, thanked donors for their generosity in providing a wide variety of scholarships. Emcees John Zirkle and John Hannahs presented each scholarship, recognizing students with a fun fact and a glimpse at their future plans.
Award highlights
The ceremony breezed through dozens of scholarships, some with significant financial awards. Twenty-one students received more than one award. Eva Mitchell won the Lee Poole Memorial Scholarship from the Moonlight Community Foundation, worth $7,000 in recognition of a student who demonstrates a love for the outdoors and the environment, and who has displayed leadership and integrity at LPHS.
Two students, Anna Masonic and Libby Coltea, earned $10,000 through the Loren Bough Legacy Scholarship for Community Service, recognizing a commitment to excellence in service and leadership through Big Sky-focused volunteerism.
Grady Towle earned a pair of awards: the $3,000 Richard “Dick” Allgood Memorial Scholarship, recognizing a student who embraces national security and civic engagement, and the $1,000 Agency Insurance Division Scholarship,
recognizing a student who will study in the trades and has volunteered in the community.
Frieda Fabozzi took home $5,000 from the Gallatin Canyon Women’s Club Scholarship for an academically strong female student with extracurricular involvement and volunteer work, plus $1,000 from the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center Scholarship recognizing a student passionate about live performance, with an understanding that creativity onstage is essential to an interesting life.
Jack Laxson won three: the $1,500 Big Sky Conoco Scholarship for a student demonstrating academic motivation and aptitude; the $3,000 Scott and Martha Johnson Scholarship for entrepreneurial spirit; and the $2,000 Samuels Family Scholarship for a student involved in at least two varsity sports and one club.
Addy Malinowski earned the $3,500 McGuire Family Scholarship, for a student who demonstrates academic excellence, academic achievement and community commitment. She also earned the $3,000 Yellowstone Club Community Foundation Scholarship for academic performance, community service, leadership and commitment to achievement, and the $1,000 Big Sky Thrift Scholarship for volunteerism centered around community or sustainability.
Tanner Slieff also earned three scholarships: the $3,000 Bough Family Scholarship for a varsity athlete who has overcome challenges with “a winning attitude” while remaining enrolled in the International Baccalaureate program; the $1,000 Roxy’s Market Scholarship for disciplined, hardworking student with a GPA over 3.0; and the $1,000 Big Sky Sotheby’s International Realty Scholarship for a highly motivated student.
Maddy Browne won the $2,500 Tina Barton Memorial Scholarship for a student who will continue their studies in the arts, education or culinary pursuits, and the $2,500 Big Sky Vacation Rentals Scholarship for a student interested in pursuing a path in hospitality or community
planning, with community involvement and leadership skills.
Many more scholarships were awarded to Walker Bagby, Joe Gale, Finn McRae, Maguire Brooke, Manny Leanos, Shea Reynolds, Arlo Hurlbut, Jose Chairez, Jillian Blakeley, Hazel Buotte, Haley Hodge, Garin Staudt, Cyrus Coleman, Kael Gilbert, Claire Hoadley and Aubrey Farr.
Multiple students are proud to be the first from their family to attend college.
At the end of the ceremony, Dr. Dustin Shipman, Big Sky School District superintendent, asked senior students and their parents to stand, followed by the scholarship sponsors, recognizing the components required for a strong scholarship program.
“The community is going to serve you well when you leave, and we’re always going to be here to support you,” Shipman said.
A first-year Big Sky student, Manny Leanos will be the first in his family to attend college when he enrolls at Montana State University. He won the Addicks Family Scholarship, the Exton-Brunnemann Family Scholarship, and the Glore Family Fund Scholarship, totaling $4,500. PHOTO BY JACK REANEY
Maddy Browne accepts her award. PHOTO BY JACK REANEY
BILL PASSES TO HELP RESORT TAX COMMUNITIES FUND WORKFORCE HOUSING
SENATE BILL 172 SIGNED INTO LAW BY GOV. GIANFORTE; LAW WILL IMPACT COLD SMOKE PROJECT IN BIG SKY
BY JACK REANEY
HELENA—Resort communities around Montana now have a new tool in their workforce housing toolbox.
Proposing to allow communities to use revenues from “1% for infrastructure” resort tax for housing projects, Senate Bill 172 quickly gained support of Big Sky leaders when an earlier Big-Sky-backed proposal, HB 162, stalled in senate committee in early February.
David O’Connor, executive director of the Big Sky Community Housing Trust, said SB 172 is “damn near identical” to HB 162, noting that both bills were drafted independently—it magnifies the housing challenge to see separate communities conceive the “exact same” idea without collaborating, O’Connor told EBS.
“The fact that we had two bills come from two different communities that wasn’t a coordinated effort, is just further evidence that the housing problem is not unique to Big Sky,” said John Zirkle, board member with the Big Sky Resort Area District, which administers Big Sky’s resort tax. BSRAD favored the flexibility offered by HB 162 and, consequently, SB 172.
Introduced on Jan. 17 by Sen. Dave Fern (D-Whitefish), SB 172 passed the senate on Feb. 12, and the house on March 21, according to the Montana Free Press Capitol Tracker. It was signed into law by Gov. Greg Gianforte on April 3.
Immediate impact to Cold Smoke project
In Big Sky, the bill will impact workforce housing projects long into the future but brings immediate implications for the Cold Smoke development as Big Sky voters prepare to decide on an up-to-$60 million resort tax bond to fund the 264-apartment,125-single-family-home development.
Under the Cold Smoke Bond, BSRAD would bond up to $45 million for the Big Sky Community Housing Trust to acquire the land, and O’Connor said one community concern is the potential impact of long-term public debt on other organizations that receive grants from Resort Tax.
But under SB 172, expensive housing projects like Cold Smoke can use funds from the 1% infrastructure revenues, taking pressure off the regular 3% resort tax collections, which fund most of BSRAD’s nonprofit and government service grants.
“It allows us to leverage resort tax to make a large investment in land without having any impact at all on annual grant collectors,” O’Connor said. “Because the 1% is completely separate from the 3%.”
Zirkle explained that before SB 172, it was an “either-or” proposition to fund large-scale housing projects as they competed for the same 3% collections pool.
O’Connor noted, “We don’t ever want… a choice between affordable housing and Music in the Mountains, or affordable housing or Morningstar [Learning Center] scholarships.”
The new law is a “big win,” Zirkle added, calling it the most important bill for Big Sky in the current legislative session.
“I think the main takeaway is that with the powers of the 1%, the 3% and bonding, what I am convinced of is that BSRAD can afford [Cold Smoke] without meaningfully or significantly altering momentum for other organizations around town,” Zirkle said. “… We have the maximum amount of tools to diversify our financing strategy to make it affordable in the long run for Big Sky.”
In resort tax communities across Montana, and other mountain towns across the West, Big Sky differs in that it hardly owns any of its own land, O’Connor explained. Typically, communities bring land to the table when considering an affordable housing project.
“Big Sky just has zero resources for that… As soon as we start talking about our affordable housing projects, we are, right away, very much behind the eight-ball,” O’Connor said.
In the example of Cold Smoke, the Big Sky community must invest tens of millions to acquire the land. The ability to draw resort tax revenues from a specific infrastructure reserve—Zirkle said the 1% tax collects roughly $5 million annually—allows Big Sky to chip away at its community land deficit.
“We hope that over decades, the housing trust will continue to leverage this resource,” O’Connor said.
Rep. Griffith stands up for home ownership
As SB 172 made its way through the House of Representatives, Rep. Bill Mercer (R-Billings) proposed an amendment to restrict the funds to
rental homes, excluding projects involving home ownership.
In Big Sky, projects like Cold Smoke or the existing MeadowView condominiums aim to provide home ownership opportunities for local workers.
Alanah Griffith (D-Big Sky) voiced her opposition on the house floor, arguing for the importance of home ownership and effectively killing the amendment, with help from many leaders from resort tax communities, she explained.
Griffith said SB 172 is a “wonderful” bill for resort tax communities like Big Sky and West Yellowstone, enabling communities to attract and retain teachers, firefighters, sheriff’s deputies and other “essential” workers.
“It’s fairly easy, in the scope of things, to get money for rental homes. It is another thing entirely to get money for homes that can be owned by the local community,” Griffith told EBS. “… The proposed amendment, basically, would have killed the Cold Smoke project entirely.”
Zirkle pointed out that Cold Smoke is only one step along Big Sky’s road to meeting its housing needs—based on Big Sky’s housing needs assessment, created in 2018 and updated in 2023 by the housing trust, the community needs roughly 1,300 additional housing units by 2028. Cold Smoke would account for nearly 400.
“When we talk about housing, we have to remember that Cold Smoke is not going to solve everything… So there’s going to be more community housing projects down the road,” Zirkle said.
“Setting up this lane… for funding community housing projects through the 1% and 3% enables us to actually get our arms around this problem.”
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TOWN CENTER PUBLIC RESTROOM PROJECT UNDERWAY
EBS STAFF
A project is finally under construction to build yearround, heated public restrooms in Big Sky’s Town Center.
The bathrooms will be located beside the Marty Pavelich Ice Rink and Len Hill Park, featuring four individual gender-neutral stalls, and exterior water fountains. Visit Big Sky led the multi-year process of raising public funds through the Big Sky Resort Area District.
BSRAD contributed $375,000 for the project across two allocation cycles in fiscal years 2024 and 2025, and the remainder is being funded by Lone Mountain Land Company. LMLC is also leading the construction efforts, contracting with Two Bear Construction for installation—the bathrooms are being constructed offsite by a Nevada company specializing in prefabricated public restrooms.
The bathrooms are expected to open for the summer 2025 season.
“Bathrooms might not be glamorous, but they’re essential—and people are passionate about them,” Daniel Bierschwale, BSRAD executive director, stated in an email to EBS.
He connected the funding of this public works project to the upcoming May 6 election, in which BSRAD is seeking to renew Big Sky’s 3% resort tax. Collections of the 3% tax is used to fund a
variety of local projects and organizations, including these public restrooms.
“It’s everyday investments like these that Resort Tax helps make possible,” Bierschwale stated. “I hope Big Sky recognizes the importance of renewing this vital funding source on the ballot in May.”
OUT-OF-BOUNDS ACCIDENT CLAIMS LIFE AT BIG SKY RESORT
EBS STAFF
On Wednesday, April 2, a Big Sky resident skiing at Big Sky Resort suffered a fatal accident while skiing backcountry terrain.
The Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the backcountry accident occurred in the Dakota Bowl, out of bounds but typically accessed via Lone Peak Tram. The skier, identified as 63-year-old Jon Lamb of Big Sky, was found unresponsive by ski patrol approximately 200 feet below the ridge at the bottom of a rock field, according to an April 4 press release from the sheriff’s office. The resort confirmed the “serious incident which took place in the backcountry accessed through Big Sky Resort” in an April 3 email to EBS.
“Big Sky Resort and Big Sky Ski Patrol extend our condolences to our guest’s family and friends during this difficult time,” stated Troy Nedved, resort president and COO, in the email to EBS.
Big Sky Ski Patrol initiated life-saving measures and transported the skier to the first aid room where he was pronounced dead, according to the GCSO release. Cause and manner of death are pending autopsy results.
“Sheriff [Dan] Springer wishes to express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Jon Lamb during this time,” the release stated.
Two Bear Construction broke ground in mid-March on a public restroom project.
PHOTO BY JACK REANEY
The prefabricated restrooms are under construction at Public Restroom Company in Nevada. COURTESY OF TWO BEAR CONSTRUCTION
PHOTO BY JACK REANEY
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT: THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
BY SARA SIPE EBS CONTRIBUTOR
The word “challenging” is often used to describe living in Big Sky. And that is true. For many, seasonal work, high cost of living, and lack of affordable long-term housing options are too hard to overcome. This has always been true of any resort town. And Big Sky is a resort town—it’s why the community of Big Sky exists.
But are the young people just leaving? Or not showing up at all? The resounding answer is “no!” There are plenty of people that were raised in Big Sky that still live and work here and in the surrounding community (we’ll cover that in a different Community Spotlight), and plenty of young people—25 to 35 years old, let’s say—are still moving here and are making it work.
Some, like Austin Larsen and Conner “Coco” Clemens, are not just making it work, they are thriving. They have plans and are actively building their lives in Big Sky. Their love of Big Sky and their desire to make it their permanent home were never on display more than when they recently became engaged on top of Lone Mountain.
Clemens, 29, and Larsen, 34, met just two weeks after her move to Big Sky from Pennsylvania in 2021. Larsen, raised in Ennis, has called Big Sky home since 2013.
“Once we went on our first date, something was just different. It was always him,” Clemens wrote in an email to EBS.
Larsen added, “From day one, Coco has always been a ‘yes’ person, which has made life so fun over these past four years. We are always trying to make an effort to do, see and go places we haven’t been, and to experience new things together.”
When asked about living and building a life in Big Sky, Larsen responded, “From the beginning I have felt the support from the Big Sky community. I think early on, getting involved was key. From community softball to curling, to supporting local organizations and athletics—they all play an
integral part of creating that sense of community that I think Big Sky thrives on.”
And it’s that same community spirit that helped Larsen pull off a surprise proposal.
What Clemens thought was just another snowy day at the top of the tram, was a well-choreographed and all-hands-on-deck effort from family and friends. According to Larsen, it only took a little bit of convincing to get Clemens to the top of the tram during whiteout conditions. Help arrived in the form of a photographer friend, Sean Mackinson who was also heading up the tram, under the guise of shooting footage for the resort. He asked if Clemens wanted to be one of his models for a few shots. And in typical fashion, it was an immediate and enthusiastic “yes” from Clemens.
“I knew I wanted to do something off the summit,” Larsen wrote. “It was a group effort for sure—and
a special shoutout to local photographer Sean Mackinson. He and I had planned out a few photo options the previous day. She was totally oblivious to what was coming.”
Clemens confirmed, “I had absolutely no idea. I thought I’d have at least some sort of clue, but I was completely surprised. Right before he proposed, I was just running around at the top of the tram, literally bumping into him on purpose, being goofy, trying to stay warm because it was a total whiteout.”
When Larsen got down on one knee, she thought at first he was joking. “I was in total shock. Austin pulled out the most beautiful ring and asked, ‘Will you marry me?’ I just started crying, completely overwhelmed, and gave him the biggest hug.”
Eventually, Clemens gave a verbal “yes,” and they headed down what Clemens now calls the best run of her life. And waiting for them at the base with congratulations and champagne? Their community. Family and friends that support the couple and help them to make their Big Sky dreams come true.
Larsen, a senior property manager for Lone Mountain Land Company, and Clemens, the director of retail and the Hey Bear brand manager for Outlaw Partners, the publisher of Explore Big Sky, plan to wed in 2026 and continue to make their home in Big Sky and with the community they cherish so much.
I would say the kids are alright.
If you would like to congratulate the Big Sky couple, you can find them on Instagram @cococlemens and @auzzielars. Photographs courtesy of @sean.mackinson or @in.our. nature.photo.
Big Sky Community Spotlight is a short column that is meant to shine a light on those in Big Sky doing important work. Whether it be a profession, hobby or volunteer work, Big Sky is home to interesting people that do interesting things and as our community grows, it is important to stay connected to our neighbors and local businesses. This is more easily done if we know more about one another. We hope you enjoy getting to know your neighbors!
PHOTO BY SEAN MACKINSON
Conner Clemens (left) and Austin Larsen recently became engaged in Big Sky. COURTESY OF CONNER CLEMENS
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Key Features:
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Open House Preview | April 17th-20th | 1-4PM
For inquiries contact Michael Pitcairn | (406) 539-6060 | michael@outlaw.realty
ELECTION
ELECTION Q&A: BIG SKY SCHOOL DISTRICT HOUSING LEVY
BY JACK REANEY
In the May 6 mail-in election, registered voters will decide on a proposed general fund levy for Big Sky School District to raise additional funds for teacher housing initiatives.
Unlike similar ballot initiatives under the Livable Big Sky campaign, the BSSD levy would raise property taxes—although Superintendent Dr. Dustin Shipman notes it’s a small increase. The additional $300,000 generated annually would be used to construct on-campus housing, and fund other housing initiatives for school district staff.
“It’s always a challenge for the trustees to make the decision to increase taxes,” he told EBS in a recent interview. “At the end of the day, it’s really minimal. And the housing, and housing stressors—housing stressors cause stress for the people that we depend on to execute the mission of the school… Anything the voters can do to help that, we appreciate that as a district.”
Shipman answered questions on a panel at an April 1 voter education event, Ballots and Brews with Explore Big Sky.
The full event, including presentations for each ballot initiative, can be viewed on YouTube.
Explore Big Sky: What are the biggest challenges you’re finding in educating voters for this upcoming local election?
Dustin Shipman: I mean, I think we’re probably at slightly less of a challenge than my colleagues here onstage. Ours is really straightforward, and most people understand how schools are funded, and how school levies work in communities. And the ballot language really outlines it. And we also have
direct access to all our parents, which is a big piece of the Big Sky community.
EBS: You showed us the cabins that you guys are proposing to build. I want to learn more about the existing on-campus housing... Can you tell us how that came together and what have the impacts been?
DS: Those have been in full occupancy either by individual teachers, families, or employees, or teachers living together. And that was a significant partnership with Habitat for Humanity, Big Sky Resort Area [District] and our local voters... The Big Sky voters approved, I think it was a $750,000 levy, and BSRAD gave Habitat for Humanity $750,000 for that project as well.
EBS: And overall, I think, they’ve been full occupancy since they opened, right? And what feedback do you hear from teachers?
DS: We hear really good feedback from teachers. I mean, it’s reasonably priced, it’s close to school, they’re nice units. And the trustees did a really good job, when we built those, of putting [rent] on a sliding scale, so everybody can afford to live there on what they earn.
EBS: We all know that housing is a challenge in Big Sky, could you share just a bit on how it specifically impacts education here?
DS: Well, I think, not just does [housing] give us the ability to recruit and retain teachers, but we see models all over the state of housing that communities have built for their teachers... We’ve always talked about those places—they have housing to make their community more attractable for educators. We really want to make the community more livable for our educators. And at the end of the day, the more livable, the more comfortable your teacher is, the better off
your students are gonna be. So, you know, I’ve had teachers sitting across my desk, [saying] that their condo is going up for sale and they don’t have any place to move, and they gotta be out in 30 days. That’s a stressful situation, and that’s certainly projected into everything you do in your life.
EBS (audience question): Where are the six cabins going to be located on the school, and why wasn’t the current school housing built double storied?
DS: I’ll take the second part of that first. That was the first foray that the district had ever had into the employee housing realm. And with such a valuable partner, as Habitat [for Humanity] that kind of drove the whole thing, they had a model and it just worked. If we could go back, we probably would do some things slightly differently.
But then the current housing is going to go on the other side of the tennis courts. Anybody who knows the campus, we have about thirty acres down there. So those are gonna go on the other side of the current tennis courts, kind of in the same region where the housing currently sits.
EBS: In addition to building infrastructure for housing, what are the other sorts of housingrelated initiatives that this general fund levy would help support?
DS: It will help support rental assistance, mortgage assistance, down payment assistance if, and when, needed. We’ll still have to structure all that out to see how that money flows through to the faculty and staff and to the employee.
But the key thing is, we have really, really strict reporting requirements. So that 6% above our general fund has to be allocated for housing, in some form.
ELECTION Q&A: RESORT TAX 3% RENEWAL
BY JACK REANEY
In the May 6 mail-in election, voters will decide whether to renew Big Sky’s 3% resort tax until 2065.
The 3% tax on luxury goods and services is currently set to expire in 2032, but the Big Sky Resort Area District aims to renew this year to improve long-term bonding capacity.
Part of the Livable Big Sky campaign, a BSRAD press release stated that renewal will not only preserve a “vital” funding source for essential services and infrastructure, but the extension will help BSRAD enact long-term financing tools such as bonding, which allows BSRAD to issue debt based on future resort tax collections.
“A longer-term commitment provides greater flexibility and stability to support Big Sky for years to come,” the release stated.
For months, BSRAD has emphasized that neither the 3% renewal nor voter-approved bonds will increase the tax rate or impose any new taxes on residents or visitors.
“Bold, underline, exclamation—this is not an increase in taxes... this is not an increase to the sales tax that you are paying today, of 4%,” said Daniel Bierschwale, BSRAD executive director, during an April 1 voter education event, Ballots and Brews with Explore Big Sky. Bierschwale answered questions on a panel during the event.
Ballots will be mailed to voters starting April 18 and if a voter does not receive a ballot, they are encouraged to contact their county’s elections office to file late registration.
The full Ballots and Brews event, including presentations for each ballot initiative, can be viewed on YouTube.
Explore Big Sky: Livable Big Sky had the goal of connecting with all of Big Sky’s 3,100 voters... How is that process going of connecting with all the voters here in Big Sky?
Daniel Bierschwale: Well, it certainly hasn’t been for a lack of trying to reach all of those folks. We’re probably around 500 or 600 people that have actually been engaged with ... We’ve got a long ways to go. And if you could just talk to your neighbors, friends, anyone you feel comfortable with. And if
you need any help doing that, like I said—don’t care which way you vote, we need more voters to turn out to the polls.
EBS: What are the biggest challenges you’re finding in educating voters for this upcoming local election.
DB: I’d say the biggest challenge is, it’s just a lot of stuff on the ballot. Like, holy smokes ... trying to understand them all, and so much information, that’s probably been the hardest thing.
EBS: It sounds like the 3% renewal won’t change resort tax, it just extends resort tax, right? … So why would anyone here not want to vote for the 3% renewal to help extend that?
DB: Well, you know, I would say there’s some people who just don’t like having a sales tax. Montana doesn’t have a statewide sales tax, taxes is a four-letter word to most people. I personally believe this is the best thing the State of Montana legislature has ever done for local communities. I was just up in Helena, and people were bickering all over the place about state dollars, county dollar— this resort tax is an extremely powerful tool.
... I will say this, it’s a pain in the ass to collect. For a collector, they do get a remittance, I think each business receives... 5% as an administrative check that is cut, or admin fee that is part of that process. So that’s a negative on that front.
And then, we’re all paying it a little bit. Even tonight, when we’re buying drinks here, you know, it’s intended to be passed along to the tourist so that the residents don’t shoulder that property tax burden, but—some people just don’t like tax, Jack, and I can respect that.
EBS: Just talk quickly about the impact of [Senate Bill 172].
Editor’s note: SB 172 allows resort tax communities to fund housing projects using collections of the 1% for infrastructure tax.
DB: It’s so important to this project... It’s going to allow us to utilize funding that doesn’t touch our grant cycle.
So, our grant cycle is out of that 3% pocket of money. And the 1% for infrastructure, now that it [allows] us to be able to take debt on and then pay that back using those 1% funds... [SB 172 is] mission critical.
Editor’s note: The following questions are audience submissions asked by EBS after the Ballots and Brews event.
EBS (audience question): Can you talk about how resort tax dollars go towards enhancing health care in Big Sky? Many families have to drive to Bozeman to get basic health care.
DB: The allocations from our annual grant cycle are on [resorttax.org/allocations/] … You can see our total commitment from last year, and the way that our impact areas are broken up, it’s “health and safety.” So you can see what went to Wellness In Action for the behavioral health program, the food bank, the fire district operations, which includes ambulance service, the sheriffs, and then the animal shelter. So that award last year was $2.1 million. You could probably argue some of those things aren’t necessarily perfectly aligned with this question, but that’s probably the best, best way to address it. And the fire department, most of that is ambulance service.
I guess I could use it also as a plug to say that is why… we are focusing and have focused our efforts on the formation of a wellness district at Big Sky.
EBS (audience question): Are there similar resort tax rates in other areas, or ones that are higher to support these kinds of projects?
DB: Every community is different in how it implements the resort tax. Some choose to do it seasonally. Some have chosen to implement up to the maximum amount of 3%, and some have chosen to add the additional 1% for infrastructure on top of the 3%.
Many of the communities throughout Montana have implemented the 1% for infrastructure and have … executed their authority to the maximum rate of 4%.
EBS (audience question): Are there any examples of areas that have higher resort tax rates to support these large projects?
DB: No. The maximum amount that can be taxed is 4% according to Montana code annotated.
Jen Clancey contributed reporting to this Q&A.
The Big Sky Resort Area District aims to renew its 3% resort tax through 2065. PHOTO BY JACK REANEY
ELECTION Q&A: COMMUNITY PARK BOND
BY JACK REANEY
In the May 6 mail-in election, registered Big Sky voters will decide whether to authorize Resort Tax to take on long-term debt to fund significant renovations to Big Sky Community Park.
Managed by the nonprofit Big Sky Community Organization, the park has undergone partial renovation in the past couple of years, but requires additional funding to complete BSCO’s master plan.
“By upgrading existing facilities and introducing new amenities, this initiative addresses the needs of our growing community while enhancing safety, accessibility, and quality for all users. These improvements aim to create a space that supports a healthy, thriving, and connected community,” a BSCO press release stated.
Part of the Livable Big Sky campaign, the Community Park Bond would fund park renovations up to $6.8 million.
Whitney Montgomery, former CEO and current director of special projects with BSCO, answered questions on a panel at an April 1 voter education event, Ballots and Brews with Explore Big Sky.
The full event, including presentations for each ballot initiative, can be viewed on YouTube.
Explore Big Sky: What are the biggest challenges you’re finding in educating voters for this upcoming local election?
Whitney Montgomery: The biggest piece that we’ve experienced is just the conversation around the synthetic fields—should it be synthetic or natural grass? It’s been great support for the Community Park Bond, because everybody loves [the park] and uses it. So we feel good about where we are, and hope we can get it over the finish line.
EBS: So Whitney, you’ve mentioned that if... this Community Park Bond for $6.8 million does pass, there will be an adjustment in the way that BSCO approaches the Resort Tax board with annual asks to fund certain things... How would this Community Park Bond improve BSCO’s longterm funding and planning, versus having to go every year asking for capital projects?
WM: The BSRAD board has asked the nonprofits over time to reduce asking for operational funding, meaning money for salaries, for example. And [instead] ask [for] money for capital projects and infrastructure. BSCO has done that the last number of years. We’ve not asked BSRAD for operational funding, just capital funding.
So, if this bond passes, instead of us going with the next three years asking for $2.2 million to finish the project, we’ll get it all done at once, and we will not ask for capital funding going forward.
I also will say though, that this is a very generous community. Philanthropy does a lot for each of us in this room. And we need to be thankful for those that do make those gifts. I mean, businesses like the Hungry Moose, Big Sky Landscaping, the Conoco, Lone Mountain Land Company, [Big Sky] Resort. They all make philanthropic gifts to support BSCO, and that allows us to operate the way we do, making everything accessible to the whole community, and [enabling] BSCO [to not ask] for three years’ capital funding.
EBS: OK, and then Danny [Bierschwale], how does that help Resort Tax to know that there’s going to be fewer asks from BSCO, as one example.
Editor’s note: Daniel Bierschwale is the executive director of Resort Tax, and joined Montgomery on the panel for Ballots and Brews.
Daniel Bierschwale: That’s one of the reasons that we started that capital improvement plan to begin with. We, on an annual basis, receive unknown
requests in the one-, two-, three-million dollars [range].
And despite the fact that it seems like we have all of the money to be able to accomplish all of these projects that are being requested through our community, we do not. And it’s a very difficult decision for board members, as they’re having to sort through, ‘how are we going to even consider a three million, or two million dollar request in the context of programming, and mission-critical type stuff?’
So what this allows us, and what the CIP allows us, is predictability. And that’s really important when you’re in financial planning.
EBS: It’s pretty obvious to see how housing contributes to livability, right? It’s the place that you live, it’s maybe the most important factor in making a place livable. But talk about how community park infrastructure really helps livability as well.
WM: I’ll have to tell a quick little story if I could. You know, the fundraising for the racket courts, I see Mike Scholz over there—Mike and a few others really led the effort to do the fundraising for the racket courts. One of the major donors for the racket courts decided to invest in those because he found community playing pickle ball after living here for a short time. He’s a full-time resident, and he said if it weren’t for pickleball, he may have left.
We’ve had people who go to BASE—new families that go to BASE, and say, same thing: ‘we moved here, we didn’t know anybody, BASE provided a safe place for my kids to play,’ a place for parents to meet others by going to fitness classes. And so, it adds a lot to livability.
There are also tons of youth and adults in this town that like recreational athletics. And most of those are done outdoors in the summer. And it gives them a place to be as well.
If the Community Park Bond passes, BSCO will have up to $6.8 million to complete park renovations. COURTESY OF BSCO
BIG SKY NEIGHBORHOOD TO VOTE AGAIN ON SEWER DISTRICT CREATION
BY JACK REANEY
BIG SKY—In the May 2024 election, residents in Big Sky’s Firelight Meadows subdivision voted unanimously to create a water and sewer district to rectify environmental issues due to outdated septic infrastructure.
Despite unanimous support, Firelight fell one vote short of the minimum quota, and the effort failed. In the upcoming May 6 mail-in election, leaders are giving it another shot.
The community will need 40% of its registered voters to vote “yes” for creation of the district. Last year, 39.9% of registered Firelight voters cast their ballots—all 107 in support.
The goal remains to connect to the Big Sky County Water and Sewer District, whose new Water Resource Recovery Facility treats wastewater to a substantially higher standard. Currently, proponents say Firelight’s septic infrastructure pollutes the Gallatin River ecosystem.
A press release from volunteer residents of Firelight stated that connecting to Big Sky’s primary water and sewer district would be a “critical step toward securing sustainable infrastructure for [our] neighborhood… addressing deficiencies in the community’s current septic system, which is
privately owned and cannot meet the Montana Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) updated treatment standards.”
After April 8, voters wanting to register must complete late registration in-person at the Gallatin County Elections Office during regular business hours through May 2, from 8 a.m. to noon on Monday, May 5, and from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, May 6.
For Firelight Meadows residents, non-resident property owners can apply for a landowner ballot until April 11 at 5 p.m..
Those who missed a recent election may be inactive, and will not receive a ballot.
Voters can check registration status online at votemt.gov.
Ballots will be mailed April 18, and are due back by May 6.
“Firelight residents are encouraged to participate in this vote, which will shape the future of their community’s water and sewer infrastructure. For more information on voter registration or the district formation process, please contact Becky Brockie,” the release stated.
The 216-door Firelight Meadows community faces an important election. PHOTO BY JACK REANEY
Eggs & Issues + Joint County Commissioners Meeting
Local Government Study Commissions in Gallatin & Madison Counties
Tuesday, May 14th | 8:30am - 11:00am | The Wilson
Join us for an informative session on the Local Government Study Commissions for Gallatin and Madison Counties. These voter-approved commissions are conducting a two-year review of local government structure and operations. This process is separate from the Local Governance efforts in Big Sky. These countywide commissions hold regular meetings and encourage public participation throughout their work At this event, you’ll learn about the similarities and differences between the two county processes, what the commissions can and cannot change, and how you can get involved The session will include a foundational presentation, updates from county representatives, and a Q&A to address community questions.
UPCOMING PROSPERA EVENTS
Business Hours in Big Sky | May 1st
THANK YOU to our April Member Meetup hosts and attendees
Attend in-person office hours in Big Sky for personalized support tailored to your business needs. Sales & Marketing | May 1st
Join us for an informative lunch and learn designed to help business owners in a competitive market like Big Sky, leverage the right marketing tools to reach your target audience and boost revenue
Business Hours in Big Sky | May 22nd
Attend in-person office hours in Big Sky for personalized support tailored to your business needs.
Register for all Prospera events here!
MAY 6 ELECTION: THREE CRITICAL VOTES ELECTION
BY MIKE SCHOLZ GUEST COLUMNIST
The upcoming May election is once again at a turning point for the Big Sky community on several levels.
With all elections, things can go up, down or sideways for the community depending on your point of view and the outcomes. Over the last 35 years, there has been over $100 million collected on the 3% goods and services tax paid largely by tourists. By law, these resort tax collections are spent to fund infrastructure facilities or projects, public transportation, tourism development, and other services and facilities within the Big Sky Resort Area District.
Over the last four years, there has been $25 million collected by the new 1% infrastructure tax, initially dedicated to the new wastewater treatment plant. The Montana Legislature grants these taxing authorities to only a select few qualifying resort tax communities, districts or areas. The beauty of the resort tax is that the collections and bond payments are in no way connected to property taxes.
There is no question that these expenditures, paid through annual allocations, have made Big Sky a much more enjoyable, safer and livable community since 1992. In many cases, resort tax has reduced the need for property tax increases.
For years, the annual number of nonprofit organizations receiving grants have been many. You can find the record of allocations on the Resort Tax website. The list will surprise you as to the extent these grants go to addressing vital needs of Big Sky residents beyond what non-resort tax communities can carry out.
Impact of the May 6 election
Enough about the history and operational aspects of the Resort Tax. Why are these three votes on May 6 a turning point for our community?
When voting on the 3% resort tax renewal, a “YES” vote should be clear. Would you not want to continue to fund the services we and visitors have become accustomed to having through taxes assessed on visitors? This will renew the taxing authority for an added 40 years.
Regarding the Cold Smoke workforce housing bond, to me, this opportunity is about deciding what type of community Big Sky wants to be.
Over the last 35 years, Big Sky has worked to amend the first resort tax law to obtain more self-governing powers, to have the same bonding authority that resort municipalities in the state have long had, and most recently, to expand the definition of infrastructure to include “workforce housing.”
With the extraordinary growth in the 1% collections dedicated to infrastructure, Big Sky is now able to commit to a long-term plan and land acquisition to truly have affordable workforce housing on a level equal with other destination ski resorts of western states.
I believe the reason for a “YES” vote for this Cold Smoke Bond goes well beyond the obvious: a local workforce is needed to keep businesses running. These individuals and their families, present and future, will become the vibrant and necessary members of our community, no different than earlier generations did from the start. Whenever positive economic conditions have existed allowing residents to plant a stake in the ground and call Big Sky home, it has happened. Those conditions do not exist today.
Over my 53 years in Big Sky, when given a fair chance—with determination and a little luck— some people have not only flourished in providing for their families, but have provided much of the backbone of our community. We need to keep that dream alive with a little help to sustain our community.
Finally, the Community Park Bond completes efforts already begun through generous charitable gifts and pledges to the “ALL OUT for Parks and Trails” campaign paying for 50% of the total work required. In past years, the Resort Tax board using the 3% funding has made annual allocations matching smaller amounts dragging out the projects as costs escalate and needs are not met in a timely manner. Stepping forward and voting “YES” to complete the park seems to be the wisest decision, especially with the commitment of BSCO not to come back for any request for capital improvement funds during the next three years of allocations if bonding is approved.
This community park serves our residents, seasonal workforce, and visitors of all ages.
Please keep in mind that when Resort Tax bonding was made possible by state law, conservative safeguards were put in place protecting against default or severe harm of annual allocations. Workforce affordable housing requirements have been designed along those of other resorts that have had years of experience.
I hope you will take the time to vote “YES” on all three ballot issues.
Since 1972, Mike Scholz has called Big Sky home. He was the owner, developer, and manager of Buck T-4 Lodge, founder of the Big Sky Chamber of Commerce, and served on numerous public boards in Big Sky.
ADOBE STOCK PHOTO
ELECTION Q&A: COLD SMOKE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
BY JACK REANEY
In the May 6 mail-in election, registered Big Sky voters will decide whether to authorize Resort Tax to take out long-term debt to fund the Cold Smoke neighborhood.
Cold Smoke, a proposed development led by the nonprofit Big Sky Community Housing Trust, is planned to include 264 apartments and 125 singlefamily homes, all deed-restricted with a mix of rent and ownership opportunities.
Cold Smoke would be “reserved exclusively for Big Sky’s workforce and their families, regardless of their employer,” according to a BSCHT press release associated with the Livable Big Sky campaign.
If voters approve, BSRAD will bond up to $60 million for the project—up to $15 million for horizontal infrastructure, and up to $45 million to acquire the near-100-acre project site from Lone Mountain Land Company. Recently, the passage of Senate Bill 172 added flexibility for resort tax communities by allowing “1% for infrastructure” collections to fund workforce housing projects such as Cold Smoke.
“[SB 172] allows us to leverage resort tax to make a large investment in land without having any impact at all on annual grant collectors,” David O’Connor, executive director of the housing trust, said in a previous interview with EBS. “Because the 1% is completely separate from the 3%.”
O’Connor believes Cold Smoke will be an important step toward addressing local housing needs. He answered questions on a panel at an April 1 voter education event, Ballots and Brews with Explore Big Sky.
The full event, including presentations for each ballot initiative, can be viewed on YouTube.
Explore Big Sky: What are the biggest challenges you’re finding in educating voters for this upcoming local election.
David O’Connor: I think first and foremost, the misperception that it will raise property taxes... [that] if they vote for it, they’ll have to decide, is that something their family budgets can handle.
I think, for the housing trust specifically, the acquisition of the land has been probably a bigger challenge. The value... it’s [potentially] the biggest single Resort Tax spend we’ve ever made. And I think that’s making people pause, as well it should. It’s a significant amount of money, and you should be concerned about that.
My best answer to that is, I didn’t value that myself. I went and asked folks with licences and that appraise within this community very regularly. So that’s where we came up with that number.
EBS: Can you tell us more about the missing middle? What does that term mean... I also want you to provide some color to why, in Big Sky, does the middle extend up to an income of more than $230,000 to be able to afford market rate housing?
DOC: Income levels are averages that are issued by county. So there’s a Gallatin County average income that’s issued every year, for every county in the country. 100% of area median income, for a household of two in Gallatin County for 2024, is about $87,000.
... If you think of a whole spectrum across all Big Sky paychecks, right, there’s a low end, a high end, and a middle. And the middle part is really where we don’t have a lot to offer... There’s this thing that you may be familiar with, we call ‘the Big Sky Boogie,’ it’s when you move seven times in two years. Some of us laugh, and some others say, ‘we live that. We live that every day.’ and that causes tremendous amounts of stress, and uncertainty, and all sorts of negative impacts that... kind of manifest throughout the community.
And really, this is the middle of our workforce. This is kind of the core. These are the folks that are here full-time, year-round, building our businesses, building our community... So that’s really what we think of as that ‘missing middle.’ In this community, at the beginning end of the income stream, [it’s] probably employer-attached housing, and that’s your dorms … and we recognize the importance of those... that’s not what we do... and at the other end, more power to you, if you’ve been so successful and you’re career is taking off and you’re able to buy a home or a condo, that’s great—system works.
It’s everybody in the middle, in between, for whom it’s not working, and I think we’re all paying the price for that.
EBS: Great. And one point of confusion that I think we’ve heard is regarding who will be eligible to live in Cold Smoke, whether that’s apartments or homes—I think some people maybe think it’s related to your employer... Can you just clarify what would make you eligible to live in Cold Smoke?
Editor’s note: The specific eligibility guidelines are visible on the housing trust website, stating that Cold Smoke is restricted to any “full-time member of Big Sky’s workforce, regardless of their employer,” while additional details vary between rent and ownership.
DOC: Sure. We don’t have a business license, or a city limits—as I think we’re all keenly aware—so we need to define, ‘what is a Big Sky business?’ ... so we use [Resort Tax registration] as a convenient definition of, ‘what is a Big Sky business?’
If you are drawing a full-time paycheck ... I think it’s 1,580 hours a year, that allows for full-time employment with two months layoff to allow for seasonality, that will define you as a fulltime employee.
If you have worked for a Big Sky business for a number of years, and it varies by project, and are now retired, you count as workforce.
EBS: One more thing I’m hearing in the community, and this one’s a point of tension... Roughly $45 million purchase from Lone Mountain Land Company certainly has people talking around town. How are you addressing that tension as you go and promote this bond?
DOC: Sure, and there’s a couple different things there. Certainly there’s trepidation with purchasing a very large asset from a company that we all perceive to be pretty well-heeled already.
And the other part of that, I think, is, what is the intrinsic value of that land? We are a community of real estate agents and developers, there’s certainly lots of familiarity with how land is valued... for me, as I sort of said, I try to sidestep that. I am not a real estate agent, or a developer, or a broker, or any
of those things. And I don’t have a strong sense of the intrinsic value of the land. But much as I would do with my own home, if I wanted to sell, or I wanted to go buy another one, I go to an appraiser, and lean really heavily on what that [appraisal] is. And that is not just a guy driving by, and going, ‘eh, I think it’s $45 million.’ There is a significant amount of pretty complex math it takes into account—comparable sales over previous times, and lots and lots of other data points that may factor into that.
In terms of the seller itself, I mean, the first thing I have to acknowledge is, Lone Mountain Land has been a fantastic partner of the housing trust. We purchased the land under RiverView from them at about a 12% discount off appraisal, and then we codeveloped that site together... They’ve been proven partners of ours. I certainly do recognize that there’s a lot of opinions about how development happens, and the pace that it happens... I’m kind of trying to stay out of that a little bit. Because to me, it’s all about the checklist, and the appraised value. And if the United Way owns it, great. If Montana State University owns it, great.
EBS: So $220 million, roughly, in total. Just $60 from Resort Tax—although I say ‘just 60 million’ as if it’s not a huge number—where does that remaining $160 million come from?
DOC: Sure, from that point again, we sort of follow a model that looks like any other construction project, we’re just trying to remove those first two layers—of the land, and the infrastructure—from that.
Once we get past that, the biggest part of the financing to go vertical would be commercial financing. We’ve got good partnerships with philanthropy... we anticipate pretty robust participation by philanthropy as well.
While there are not really government sources in the form of grants, or things like that, there are some low-interest loans that Montana has available, that we’ll be looking to avail as well. So, at that point, we’re really operating a lot more like a traditional construction project, and money costs money, so we’re looking for the least expensive [funding sources] as we can.
Banks will be, by far, the majority of that. Banks, plus phased construction, which allows you to use the proceeds from the sales of the initial units to then finance the construction to build subsequent units.
This Q&A was shortened for print. Scan the QR code to read the full story about Cold Smoke.
PUBLIC NOTICE
THE MADISON COUNTY LOCAL GOVERNMENT STUDY
The Madison County Local Government Study Commission has its study timeline available online at the study’s webpage. Commission leaders encourage Madison County residents to explore the timeline and more information by scanning the QR code below.
A&E
‘LOVE ON THE LIFT’: BLIND DATING SHOW DEBUTS IN BOZEMAN
BOZEMAN FILMMAKER ANDREAS ATTAI SETS COUPLES UP ON BLIND SKI DATES, AND RECORDS THE WHOLE THING.
BY MARIO CARR EBS CONTRIBUTOR
BOZEMAN—Bozeman filmmaker Andreas Attai first thought of a chairlift dating show a few years ago, and this winter, he finally tested the concept.
On Jan. 22 he put out his first casting call for his YouTube show “Love on the Lift,” and was able to start shooting just a couple weeks later when Attai accompanied participants to Bridger Bowl. The format is simple: two skiers or riders are equipped with 360-degree cameras, accompanied by Attai, and asked to take a few chairlift rides and subsequent runs down the mountain. By the end of the three runs, contestants must decide if they want to “send it” on a date off the mountain later that night. Attai documents the date from afar, and checks in frequently with the participants to ensure that everyone is having a good time.
“For the most part, our daters will be self-filming the experience, keeping the filmmaking raw and authentic,” Attai said in the trailer for the show.
As the show’s creator, host and matchmaker, Attai emphasized his desire to capture positive and authentic experiences during his interview with EBS. He believes that participants on his show have
the opportunity to bond over not just their love for skiing, but also their willingness to put themselves out there as part of this experiment.
“If you’re absolutely honest with yourself and with the world, you will always come out looking really good. It doesn’t even matter if people don’t agree with you… One advice I give to everyone appearing in front of the camera is, ‘Be yourself, and be honest and people will appreciate that,’” Attai said.
Attai released the first episode in late March, and plans to release two more in its debut season. As an enthusiastic and supportive “third-wheel,” Attai communicates directly with the daters before, during and after the date to help people through their experience on the show.
“If I wanted to make a really viral show, I’d make awful dates. But I would rather have people actually connect, because I think positivity in that sense is more special than sort of negative outcomes… I want the people involved in it, that are creating this with me, to have fun,” Attai said.
Attai has goals to take his dating show beyond his local ski hill, and possibly even into the backcountry.
“I want to go on dates with people everywhere… Wherever people can ski I would like to ski with them and go on dates with them there… It’s not about the resorts, it’s about the people and the cultures,” he said.
Attai is thankful for his wife Jennea who is his first resource when it comes to inspiration for his filmmaking. The two have watched many dating shows together such as “The Bachelor” and “Love is Blind,” and when it came down to creating his own show, Attai said his wife helps him stay true to his own unique style of filmmaking.
“She knows my character and myself as a filmmaker… It’s very easy to be influenced by other people’s work and lose your sense of perspective,” Attai said. He hopes the show will have a positive impact on the daters, and on the viewers as well.
“Let’s have fun, let’s show dates, let’s be entertained, let’s inspire other people to get out there too. Like take a chance and go on a random date with somebody, and don’t overthink it. When you’re set up, if you overthink it you might miss out on a really cool opportunity.”
Filmmaker Andreas Attai (middle) hit the slopes at Bridger Bowl to film the pilot episodes of a new dating show. COURTESY OF ANDREAS ATTAI
ROAD TRIP: THE BIG HOLE VALLEY DELIVERS POWDER SKIING, HOT SPRING SOAKING AND TRUE COWBOY CULTURE
BY LESLIE KILGORE
While the ski season is ending in Big Sky and most locals are planning spring and summer adventures, it’s never too soon to start thinking about future bucket list trips for the next winter season. My family started a tradition years ago where we make a list of the resorts within a day’s drive that we hope to visit next ski season.
Last April, my goal was to visit Montana’s Big Hole Valley region to ski Lost Trail Ski Area and Maverick Mountain while staying at Jackson Hot Springs and Elkhorn Hotsprings Resort. I made the trip in March and it was one of the most memorable that I’ve had in Montana during the winter or summer months.
Native Americans who frequented the Big Hole Valley called it the “land of big snows,” and in the early 1800s, western explorer William Clark called it Hot Springs Valley in some of his expedition notes.
Known mostly to out-of-state travelers for its legendary blue ribbon trout fishing on the Big Hole River, southwest Montana’s Big Hole region is still the real West with multi-generational ranches, watering holes where everyone knows your name— if you’re local that is—and sprawling landscapes sparsely populated for the past 200 years.
The Big Hole National Battlefield is worth visiting to learn more about the significance of the region in Montana’s ranching development and the history of the Nez Perce Native American tribe. The visitor center is open year-round, and the park maintains three hiking and snowshoeing trails that provide insights and historical details about the area.
Skiing and soaking
The first night we stayed at Jackson Hot Springs. It’s a beautiful three-hour drive from Big Sky that passes through Dillon, which has a good stop for coffee, sandwiches and baked goods at Sweetwater Coffee. Provisions and gas are also a good idea in Dillon before starting the 45-minute remote drive to Jackson, Montana.
We arrived at Jackson Hot Springs on a Wednesday night. When planning the trip, we thought it wasn’t ideal, since the pools are closed for cleaning and draining on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. But we wanted to stay for two nights while also taking advantage of what they call “Powder Thursdays” at Lost Trail, so we sacrificed an evening soak upon arrival to ski Lost Trail on a Thursday morning. This ended up being one of the best decisions of the trip, since we had the resort and the pools to ourselves when the lodge opens for breakfast and early soakers at 8 a.m.
After a morning soak, we headed to Lost Trail for their weekly Thursday morning opening. Lost Trail closes to the public on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and is known for its mid-winter storms, where the powder is plenty when they reopen on Thursdays. While the powder wasn’t plentiful the day we skied, the dusting of a few inches over an already impressive snowpack was just enough to make for a fun day of exploring the small yet mighty mountain. With five old-school lifts and 1,800 feet of vertical terrain on 69 trails, the mountain has a variety of skiing for all levels, along with backcountry access through the backside of Chair 4.
For those who appreciate the nostalgia and atmosphere of skiing culture’s past, Lost Trail is a true gem. No high-speed chairs, high-end après bars or slope-side lunch spots. Just an iconic lodge that centers around a big cozy fireplace and a few old wooden benches where families, locals and staff sit to warm their feet. The small cafeteria has handwritten, colorful chalkboards that list the comfort food made-to-order and the beers on tap. Lots of powder and fun terrain with no frills.
After skiing, we drove an hour back to Jackson Hot Springs and the lodge’s bar was full and rowdy with local ranchers stopping by for happy hour, skiers and hot spring soakers there for the evening, and late-night patrons closing the pools and staying at the resort. The lodge has games, a pool table, shuffleboard, a good sound system blaring country music, a small casino, and a large fireplace with big leather chairs where people played cards, cribbage and checkers. The atmosphere was lively yet cozy and intimate at the same time—true Montana.
The restaurant serves food late, and their prime rib special was recommended, which did not
disappoint. When we left the pool and bar at 11 p.m., there were still people hanging out until closing time. For Jackson being a small town with a population of about 40 people, Jackson Hot Springs provided an entertaining night.
The next day, we checked out early after another morning soak and headed to Maverick Mountain. With one riblet double chair, 2,000 feet of skiing and day passes for $49, Maverick is also a blast from skiing’s past, and another reminder of why supporting the small “mom-and-pop” ski areas around the state is so important for keeping that culture alive.
Also open Thursday through Sunday, Maverick doesn’t get as much powder as Lost Trail, but it does have 24 runs of fun terrain and fast, rolling groomers. A lively vibe of locals in the small lodge, cafeteria and bar made ski breaks and après even better. To say the lodge is retro is an understatement—just check out the shag carpet in the lower level of the lodge, including on the ceilings.
Down the road from Maverick is Elkhorn Hotsprings. While the lodge and hot springs are bare bones, the resort is relaxed, clean, and one-ofa-kind. Built in 1918, lunch and dinner are served in the main lodge. Like Jackson Hot Springs, overnight guests and soakers hang out at the bar while watching sports and dining with friends and family. Breakfast is also served and included with your stay.
The main pool at Elkhorn is rustic, and one of my favorite things about soaking there is that the resort is nestled in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest and along Hot Springs Creek. The surrounding trees and views make the experience even better.
When driving back to Big Sky, we joked that our four-day, three-night trip was the budget-friendly, Montana version of a bucket list ski trip to Japan. Powder, hot springs, nightlife, good food, historical landmarks, and interesting conversations with locals were all a part of the adventure. Sure, Japan is always on my family’s list for our future skiing and traveling goals, but I’ll take the Big Hole Valley any season for a true Montana skiing experience. I will certainly be returning in the winters to come.
PHOTO BY LESLIE KILGORE
PHOTO BY LESLIE KILGORE
COMMUNITY EVENTS CALENDAR
If your next event falls between May 1st - May 14th please submit it to explorebigsky.com/calendar-event-form by May 9th.
MUSIC IN THE MOUNTAINS LINEUP
RELEASE PARTY
SATURDAY, APRIL 19
THE WAYPOINT, 7 P.M.
The Arts Council of Big Sky will hold their 2025 Music in the Mountains lineup release party at The Waypoint on April 19. The event will have live music and give attendees the opportunity to preview the bands and musicians coming to Len Hill Park this summer for free Music in the Mountains concerts.
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ENVIRONMENT
WILDFIRE WIRE: WAKE UP, BIG SKY!
BY MEL CRICHTON EBS COLUMNIST
Maybe it’s March Madness, maybe few worry about wildfire with snow on the ground. But for a few dozen Big Sky residents, March 29 was their opportunity to learn how wildfire affects them and what they can do about it.
During an educational event at the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center, they heard from forester Jeff Cadry, local fireman Matty Kendziorski who served at the L.A. fires, Liz Davy, head of the Greater Yellowstone Fire Action Network, the Big Sky Fire Department’s new Division Chief of Wildland Fire Jon Trapp, and me, a volunteer with Fire Adapted Big Sky. The moderator for a panel discussion was Joseph T. O’Connor, managing editor of Mountain Journal. Three wildfire mitigation contractors showcased their services in the lobby.
Trapp explained that Big Sky is in the wildlandurban interface where settlement meets the forest; a forest full of flammables that should have burned years ago. But there are homes in the WUI, and a wildfire now would be disastrous. Of all the communities in the U.S., Big Sky is in the 96th percentile for wildfire risk. So it’s a matter of when, not if, we have a wildfire. Worried yet?
Panelists discussed that there’s a strong likelihood of a major wildfire in Big Sky, yet many here are complacent, confident that it won’t happen soon. Sorry, folks, but recent events show that wildfires can happen any time and almost anywhere. The time to defend against wildfire is now, before fire season.
Wildfires may start with lightning strikes, but most major wildfires start with human activity at lower
elevations, where they burn faster and wider. With a warming climate, forest fuels dry out quicker, and wildfires are getting bigger and more frequent.
Canopy fires spread from treetop to treetop in dense forest, I explained. A fire can travel on the ground until it can reach into the canopy and ignite the trees. But canopy fires and ground fires destroy homes just a small part of the time. Up to 90% of homes that burn during a wildland fire are ignited by embers (firebrands) blown far ahead of the fire, perhaps a mile or more. Even a home in Big Sky’s Meadow Village won’t be safe.
Basics of proactive site mitigation
Trapp explained that home fires can be mitigated, meaning the homeowner can take measures to deny the embers a place to settle and ignite.
The most significant measures include Class A roofing that won’t ignite, denying ember access into the home with fine metal vent screening, and maintaining a “no fire zone” with no flammables within 5 feet of the home and deck. In Big Sky, some residents keep firewood stacked under the deck or on the porch all summer. If embers lodge there, kiss the firewood—and the home—goodbye. During a wildfire, the firefighters may have to give up on a risky home like this and save another that is fire hardened and more likely to survive the blaze.
The presentation on site mitigation can be found at https://bit.ly/4ljHGQh.
Other measures to delay or stop wildfire include separating vegetation and trees around the home into small clusters, removing flammable vegetation and landscaping with plants and trees that are more fire resistant, and “limbing” trees so a ground fire can’t reach the lower branches. When trees are thinned, Cadry explained, it’s important to leave a variety of species in case a future kill wipes out one particular species.
Some mitigation work can be do-it-yourself, some may require a bonded mitigation contractor— don’t wait, because they could be overbooked and unavailable as fire season approaches.
Fire Adapted Big Sky and Alpenscapes are working together to get Big Sky ready. FABS has 16 volunteer neighborhood ambassadors versed in fire hardening and evacuation who work with neighbors to increase the odds of home and family survival— seven more signed up at the March 29 event. A benefit of home hardening could be increased insurability for the home, especially if the Montana legislature passes house bills 136 and 533 allowing premium discounts for hardening and requiring insurers to provide wildfire risk ratings to homeowners.
Homeowners should first get a fire department wildfire risk assessment before booking a contractor. The Big Sky Fire Department does it for free, but once summer comes, it may be too late to get on their schedule. Please act now.
On the Fire Adapted Big Sky Wildfire Hub are information links and the Big Sky Wildfire Action Guide that covers the basics of home hardening and evacuation preparation.
Before wildfire season arrives, we’ll have an interactive online site where residents can ask questions about wildfire. On June 23, we’ll hold another community forum on wildfire evacuation and dealing with smoke.
It’s our goal to minimize fire loss, but our bigger goal is to assure that everybody survives a Big Sky wildfire.
Mel Crichton acts as neighborhood ambassador coordinator for Fire Adapted Big Sky. He may be reached at kj9c@comcast.net.
A panel of fire experts discuss wildfire risk in Big Sky during a March 29 event. COURTESY OF MEL CRICHTON
ENVIRONMENT
BEAR NECESSITIES: THE END OF A LONG WINTER’S SLEEP
BY KRIS INMAN EBS CONTRIBUTOR
This article was originally published on April 9, 2019 and will be rerun as a bear aware series for spring and summer 2025.
It’s spring, and bears are beginning to emerge from their dens. About this time every year, like clockwork, you can expect to hear about the first spring bear sighting, as was recently the case in Yellowstone.
In fact, clockwork has a lot to do with it. It’s believed that photoperiod, or the lengthening of days, is a trigger for bears to begin to shake off their long winter’s sleep and emerge from their dens. But like everything in life, there are many other factors that influence a bear’s timing of emergence.
Males tend to be the first seen in the spring and, not surprisingly, females with cubs will stay in their dens longer, giving the cubs time to develop and get
ready to move. In rare cases, some male bears won’t even enter a den for the winter, or will only occupy one for a very brief time. This tends to happen in more southern climates, in low snow years when there is an abundance of food, such as in years with a good juniper-berry crop, or in worst-case scenarios when unsecured food like trash and pet foods are highly available.
While denning, a bear’s heart rate and respiration slow, their body temperature drops only by a few degrees, and metabolism decreases almost by half while the bear lives off of fat reserves. The fat is converted into protein so the bear can make it through the long winter months.
New technology has helped us gain more insights into a bear’s physiological changes and cycles. Subcutaneous heart-rate monitors in radio-collared black bears found heart rates follow a cycle. Heart rates are at the highest in summer with 70-90 beats per minute. As summer moves into fall, the rate begins a slow decline to approximately
40 bpm. During hibernation, heart rates are at their lowest—an average of 20 bpm—which incrementally rises to 30 to 45 bpm as bears emerge in the spring. A recent study in Alaska found it took two-to-three weeks for their metabolism to return to normal after den emergence.
So as our days grow longer and bears are awakening, it’s an excellent time to think about the chance of seeing bears again. Dust off your bear spray, check the expiration date and carry it while recreating. Be sure you have a bear-resistant trash can that is working correctly, and if it isn’t, call your trash company to have it fixed—this is often built into trash-service fees.
Do your part and be bear smart.
In 2019, Kris Inman was the community partnerships coordinator for the Wildlife Conservation Society and oversaw the Bear Smart Big Sky campaign. Inman is now the manager for strategic partnerships and engagement for the Wildlife Conservation Society.
PHOTO BY KIMBERLY SHIELDS / NPS
ENVIRONMENT
THRIVING LANDSCAPES: WHY INSECT HABITATS ARE VITAL FOR ECOSYSTEM HEALTH
BY ABBY BUTLER EBS COLUMNIST
Remember a time when taking a long road trip inevitably resulted in a windshield smeared with bug casualties? A dirty windshield signaled an abundance of insects, something easily taken for granted. Nowadays, while there might be a few casualties here and there, our windshields have never been freer of bugs—a reality much more dire than one might think.
Insects, an incredibly diverse group, do more than just pollinate our plants or make hiking near a lake an itchy experience. They’re the foundation of many essential processes on Earth.
Insects recycle nutrients in the soil, act as free pest control, help plants reproduce, and provide a direct food source for wildlife. David Wagner, a professor of entomology at the University of Connecticut, told Reuters about the importance of insects.
“They’re the fabric tethering together every freshwater and terrestrial ecosystem across the planet,” he said.
Their invaluable role cannot be understated, nor can the fact that their populations are facing serious losses. Globally, insect populations are declining at a rate up to 2% each year. This may seem like a small amount, but when insects make up 95% of the animal kingdom, that 2% no longer appears
inconsequential. With invertebrate populations declining worldwide, our role in combatting this rapid loss becomes even more apparent.
Promoting native plant species, being strategic about using pesticides and building a landscape that supports insects year-round are three small actions you can take to make a big impact on insect populations.
According to the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, the amount of native habitat has a direct influence on insect diversity and abundance. For example, native trees on average support 15 times more caterpillars than nonnative trees, and 90% of leaf-eating insects specialize on either one or a few native species. Simply stated, if specific native plants are not growing in their range, many insects have nothing to eat or nest in. By prioritizing planting native, you’re prioritizing habitat for insects.
Improper and excessive use of pesticides can impair an insect’s ability to feed or reproduce. This doesn’t mean you should give up managing your noxious weeds as their ability to outcompete essential native plants is a significant threat to insect populations. Managing noxious weeds responsibly is vital.
Two practices to start with are spraying early in the morning when pollinators are inactive and never spraying blooming flower heads. Luckily, there are public services and education opportunities available to residents. Consult your local Weed District’s website in Madison County or Gallatin County for in-depth guides on what to spray and how to do it right.
Wildlife habitat is more than just food and flowers. Insects need a water source and place to nest, especially in the winter. Adding small dishes with stones and a little water close to your garden provides insects with a reliable source of water. It’s also important to keep your garden a little “messy”. This means that as soon as the first frost hits, don’t trim and pull up your dead plants; instead, leave plants with hollow stems intact for insects to make homes in and consider leaving plants like native grasses and sedges as they provide overwintering sites. Lastly, leaving sections of bare ground promotes ground-nesting for native bees.
Visit growwildmt.org for resources on noxious weeds, native plants, and pollinator-friendly gardening. If you’re looking for garden inspiration, visit alpenscapes.org to learn how to create landscapes that are both beautiful and beneficial to the environment or stop by the Moose Pair Pollinator Garden located at the Ousel Falls trailhead in Big Sky to see in-person what your native, insect-friendly garden could look like.
Remembering David Wagner’s words above, insects tie every freshwater and terrestrial ecosystem together. That includes your blue-ribbon trout, the elk and moose that wander through your backyard, and the birds that have just started their spring singing. Caring for insects means caring for all living things on Earth, including yourself.
Abby Butler is the conservation program manager for Grow Wild, a 501c3 nonprofit organization that works to conserve native species in the Upper Gallatin Watershed through education, habitat restoration, and collaborative land stewardship.
Native garden in Big Sky following Alpenscapes principles. PHOTO COURTESY OF ALPENSCAPES
3,562
Deer and Elk were killed by vehicles in Gallatin County since 2008.
PRIORITIZE WILDLIFE CROSSING SOLUTIONS. SUPPORT AND DONATE TODAY. IT’S TIME TO PROTECT THE ELK AND DEER HERDS OF GALLATIN GATEWAY AND BIG SKY
SOLAR PANELS HAVE MORE THAN PROVEN THEMSELVES
BY ANDREW CARPENTER WRITERS ON THE RANGE
I’d never heard of “net metering” until my electric bill hit $600 last February. Desperate for a way to reduce utility costs that skyrocket in the winter because we use electric heaters, I started getting quotes for rooftop solar power.
That’s when I learned about a state law that requires Colorado utilities to credit homeowners who send power back to the grid at the same rate they would pay to buy power from the power company. This “net metering” policy made adding solar to my home a good investment. Even though we didn’t add batteries, which would have doubled our costs, our solar panels will offset a significant portion of our utility bills.
I’m a fan of net metering because it forces Xcel Energy, which enjoys a monopoly in my area, to discount our bill for any energy our solar panels produce. They do this even though it cuts into their profits. Net metering made the economics of solar power work in my instance, and we save money when the sun shines brightly and spring days stay cold.
But after watching hurricanes knock out power across large regions of the country, I have a brandnew perspective on net metering. Rather than viewing it as a policy that lets homeowners save on utility bills, I’m thinking of net metering as a way to make where I live more resilient to natural disasters.
My parents live in Asheville, North Carolina which was devastated by Hurricane Helene in September 2024. They were out of town visiting family when the storm struck, but water and power outages kept them from getting home for weeks.
Until 2023, North Carolina had used net metering requirements to encourage solar installation, contributing to its status as the fourth-largest solar power-producing state in the country. But in recent years, power companies successfully persuaded legislators in North Carolina, as well as California, Nevada and Arizona, to switch from net metering to “net billing.” That change and other policies now pay solar producers at significantly lower rates.
In those states, utilities argued that net metering hurts homeowners who don’t have solar by increasing costs for non-solar power. But analyses, notably those conducted by public power consultant Richard McCann of mcubedecon.com, show that increased solar production saves billions for nonsolar producers in California.
When states move away from net metering— despite the dubious arguments justifying the shift—the pace of solar installations slows dramatically. In California, new solar installations dropped by 56% from 2022 to 2024.
For those of us with solar panels, I think it’s time to think about adding storage batteries right from the start, using that extra electricity for battery charging. Batteries make any home more independent from the grid, but here’s the catch: The cost can be prohibitive. I’m saving up as solar batteries cost between $12,000 and $20,000 for a typical home according to solarreviews.com
The advantages to battery support, however, are significant. If homeowners use their net metering savings to add batteries to disconnect from the grid during outages, they could still pump water out of domestic wells, run refrigerators, or charge their phones until power is restored during natural disasters.
Normally, I wouldn’t advocate for state governments to step in and regulate businesses. But in the case of power companies, I support net metering because there usually isn’t a competitive free market for power.
Customers are at the mercy of electric companies that raised power prices 11% in 2022 and 2.5% in 2023, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s state electricity profiles. As the same companies were raising prices, they were also fighting to reduce the amount rebated to solarproducing homeowners.
Now that I’m aware of net metering and invested in providing solar power back to the grid, I’m keeping tabs on any proposal that would reduce net metering in my state.
It’s such a wonderful concept—thousands of homeowners selling power back to the electric company—while also reducing their vulnerability to natural disasters such as wildfire.
What’s even better: Residential solar power mimics a stand-alone power plant, one that need never be built.
Andrew Carpenter is a contributor to Writers on the Range, writersontherange.org, an independent nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively conversation about the West. He writes in Colorado.
View from Andrew Carpenter's roof. PHOTO COURTESY OF ANDREW CARPENTER
DISPATCHES FROM THE WILD: NOVEL SOLUTIONS TO SAVE THE FEDERALLY PROTECTED WHITEBARK PINE
BY BENJAMIN ALVA POLLEY EBS COLUMNIST
Whitebark pine, the five-needled trees that thrive in the harsh, rocky environments of highaltitude western North America, are precarious. Classified as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, they face continuing threats from white pine blister rust and mountain pine beetle infestations, which are exacerbated by climate change.
However, people are finding solutions to save them, recognizing their importance as a keystone species.
White pine blister rust, a non-native fungal disease, was once present only in localized areas of North America. The significance of the disease was realized in 1906 when the Ribes plantation in New York, Agricultural Experiment Station, became infected. It has spores spread through the wind and affects the five-needle white pine species, including limber, sugar, Western white pine, bristlecone pines and whitebark. Infected trees develop blisters, a sporulating stage of the ruse that first occurs about two to three years after infections, often killing them within 10 years.
Mountain pine beetles, while native and part of the ecosystem, kill only mature trees. They have caused extensive damage to forests, leading to significant mortality among mature trees and cone-bearing trees. The outbreak is considered one of North America’s most extensive insect infestations since European colonization, and it has devastated approximately 125 million acres in western states and southern Canada.
“Blister rust is an insidious disease that spreads… with the right climactic conditions—which have occurred frequently enough in Yellowstone to foster the spread of this disease,” said Diana Tomback, a professor of integrative biology at the University of Colorado Denver. She also serves on the board
of the Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation and the US Fish and Wildlife Service Whitebark Pine Recovery team.
“We’re seeing 25% or higher infection rates from white pine blister rust in the Greater Yellowstone area,” Tomback said. Now that the mountain pine beetle outbreak has ended, the majority of mortality is caused by blister rust.
However, mountain pine beetles are native to the West. They attack all pines, including five-needle white pines, especially lodgepole and ponderosa pines.
“Up to 80 to 90% of mature cone-bearing trees in some watersheds were killed by mountain pine beetles during peak outbreak,” Tomback said, referring to the early to mid-2000s. “Fortunately, there are now low levels of new mortality.”
Tomback and others are concerned that beetles might surge again, but there are tools to protect some trees. Verbenone pouches can be placed on some trees to inform mountain pine beetles that the tree is already infested and tell them to leave it alone. These natural pheromones can be chemically and artificially produced but aren’t practical for many trees.
Importance of whitebark pine
Whitebark pines are critical in their ecosystem, serving as a foundational keystone species.
“This keystone species is central to many interactions with plants and animals and promotes biodiversity,” Tomback said. “Due to its large, nutritious seeds, it attracts various small birds and mammals, from Clark’s nutcrackers, which are the primary seed dispersers, to grizzly and black bears.”
Bears rely on whitebark pine seeds for food before hibernation. In years of abundant whitebark pinecone production, grizzlies produce more cubs and avoid human-populated low-elevation areas, such as campgrounds, picnic areas and towns.
Michael Giesey, a former USFS silviculturist and current board member and chair of the Ski Area Partnership Committee of the Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation, notes that a single whitebark pine seed is very nutritious, primarily because of its large size.
“They are a treasure trove of nutrients for any creature out there.”
Various mammals, rodents and birds, including crossbills, nuthatches, chickadees, pine grosbeaks, blue grouse, Steller’s jays, and some woodpeckers, all consume whitebark pine seeds.
Whitebark pines also provide ecosystem services by offering habitat for various animals at the highest elevations, including nesting songbirds, raptors, elk and deer. They help prevent soil erosion, redirect snow—functioning like snow fences—to help capture and build snowpack, contribute to snow stability by preventing avalanches and enhancing downstream water flow, which is crucial in climate change.
Once these trees are gone, essential ecosystem functions will be lost.
Solutions
Established in 2001, the WPEF is crucial in advocating the preservation of whitebark pines. Its primary objective is facilitating collaboration between researchers and federal managers, ensuring that the most current research is accessible to managers. In turn, managers provide researchers with on-the-ground insights, guiding the direction of future studies. The foundation organizes annual conferences and monthly webinars during the academic year and publishes a biannual journal, fostering a community of shared knowledge and action.
One way to preserve whitebark is to identify and reproduce individuals genetically resistant to blister rust. Their resistance levels are low because whitebark and other related species didn’t co-evolve with the disease.
PHOTO BY QUINN LOWREY / WHITEBARK PINE ECOSYSTEM FOUNDATION
“Resistance has been estimated at 5% or lower per population, but there are a few pockets of higher resistance,” Tomback said.
Restoration is expensive, requiring managers to migrate to the subalpine several times a summer. First, they place mesh cages over cones to prevent animal and bird harvesting and return later to gather cones—mega cone crops occur every 10 years, with good crops every three years—and take them to one of two U.S. Forest Service facilities, where they routinely screen for resistance.
Seedlings are grown from seeds collected from healthy trees that could have resistance. They plant the candidate seedlings in a nursery and then expose them to blister rust spores to assess their resistance, which takes seven to 10 years. Surviving seedlings might be planted together in the wild, which exposes the trees to natural levels of blister rust.
Based on the seedlings that survive, the original whitebark pines that provided the seeds are considered to have genes for resistance to the disease. These trees and others with resistance can then provide seeds to grow thousands of seedlings for restoration projects. About half of the seedlings grown will have some level of resistance to the disease.
Another experimental method is direct seeding, where researchers mimic Clark’s nutcrackers, which cache thousands of seeds using their incredible spatial memory. The approach is to bury seeds from trees with genetic resistance in caches of one to three seeds in places that are likely suitable microsites for seed germination and survival.
ENVIRONMENT
“The bird’s hippocampus grows as they cache each seed and forms new connections,” Tomback said. “After about nine months, they start losing the ability to remember where they’ve cached seeds, preparing for the new caching season.”
Another strategy to help save whitebark involves clearing other faster-growing conifers to limit competition.
Ski resort certification
A significant portion of WPEF’s educational efforts involves working with western U.S. states and Canadian ski areas, as these are the locations where many people encounter this high-elevation tree. Ski resorts have excellent access to this highelevation species since about 90% of whitebark pines grow on federal land and ski resorts are generally leased on Forest Service lands with existing roads. To be certified as whitebark pinefriendly, a ski resort must educate its staff and the public and collaborate with researchers. Ski resorts must have plans to ensure whitebark pines are not accidentally damaged or cut during grooming and other management activities.
There are eight certified whitebark pine-friendly resorts throughout Canada and the U.S., with two to be certified soon and a handful of others working toward certification. In 2016, Whitefish Mountain Resort was the first resort to be certified.
The Yellowstone Club also received certification in 2023. From 1995 to 2010, the Big Sky area experienced significant mortality from mountain pine beetles. While ski resorts still need to mow sections of their slopes, YC environmental
managers attempt to transplant young trees from ski runs to disturbed reclamation sites and private landowners in the area.
“I’ve delivered presentations that show light bulbs turn on when we discuss specific areas with dead trees and the more they understand the story, the more engaged they become,” said Jeff Cadry, the environmental manager for Lone Mountain Land Company, who oversees noxious weed management and wildlife outreach for the club and other Big Sky properties.
Cadry has worked closely with upper management at Big Sky Resort, providing tours to demonstrate the monitoring protocol for whitebark pines and sharing relevant data. “I discuss the management challenges we face because trees do not recognize the invisible boundaries we impose on maps.”
Whitefish Mountain Resort President Nick Polumbus added that whitebarks are a precious natural resource.
“It’s so important that we spread the word about the threats facing these trees and encourage their preservation,” Polumbus said. “We’re grateful for our partners at the U.S. Forest Service and the Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation, who have led the way in these efforts.”
Benjamin Alva Polley is a place-based storyteller. His words have been published in Audubon, Esquire, Field & Stream, The Guardian, Men’s Journal, Outside, Popular Science, Sierra, and other publications, and they are on his website.
DINING
A LA CARTE: A WORTHWHILE TRIP TO TRES TOROS TACOS & TEQUILA
BY RACHEL HERGETT EBS COLUMNIST
I had one thing on my mind as I headed to Tres Toros Tacos & Tequila in Big Sky’s Town Center this week: a birria taco.
The taco is nothing short of cravable, and each time my thoughts landed on it, I went full Pavlovian—mouth watering and stomach growling over the idea of the tender, spiced stewed beef, folded into a tortilla and crusted with crispy cheese.
Birria is a stew that was born out of necessity in the 16th century, when Spanish conquistadors brought goats to what is now the Mexican state of Jalisco. When the goats got out of control and other food became scarce, the indigenous people learned how to stew the meat with vinegar, garlic, spices and chilies to tenderize it and add flavor. Despite their efforts and the general deliciousness that ensued, the Spanish scoffed at the use of this meat. Goat was “birria,” a word used to describe something of low quality or little value. “Birria” was essentially “worthless.”
Now, most birria found in the U.S. is birria de res—stewed beef as popularized in Tijuana, rather than goat. And it’s certainly not worthless. In 2022, consumer research company Datassential reported that birria had found a place on 1.3% of U.S. restaurant menus, up 144% in four years. That number has only grown, especially as larger chains adopt birria for their menus. Qdoba introduced brisket birria to its menu in October 2022. Del Taco added a variety of birria-based options in November 2023, after Datassential named birria one of their emerging flavors of the year. Last year, Datassential reported that birria’s presence on
PHOTO BY RACHEL HERGETT
menus surged by 412% from 2020 to 2024. Some of this was spawned by creators on TikTok, who found creative ways to incorporate the stewed meat into other dishes like birra pizza or birria ramen. While some of the early social media hype has died down, birria has made an impact on U.S.based Mexican cuisine.
That was a whole lot of build up only for me to tell you that I did not order a birria taco at Tres Toros (gasp!).
As the mission was two-fold and about this column as well as my stomach, I polled the staff as I walked in as to their favorites on the menu. The bartender pointed me toward the flautas, which are essentially large, rolled taquitos with either chicken or steak and served with salsa roja and verde—both made in house and both fire in terms of flavor. If you want fire in terms of spice, Tres Toros has a hot sauce wall with a huge selection sourced from El Mercadito in Four Corners.
The bartender also recommended a couple tacos— the pork belly and mahi mahi—and I added a pork belly taco to my order. The crispy pork was wrapped inside one of the best tortillas of my life, one I’m told comes from a mom and pop operation in Los Angeles. The tortilla reminds me of the stories I’ve heard from when mom’s family lived in El Paso, Texas, and my Japanese grandmother learned to make tortillas from a neighbor. Much lard was involved, but most of the family swears they have never had better.
Tres Toros fills those tortillas in a variety of taco options that include dishes more adventurous to U.S. palates like mango habanero-spiced crispy crickets and huitlacoche, a fungus that grows on corn and is sometimes called corn smut—but is nicely referred to as “black corn mushroom” on the menu.
As a note, Tres Toros will be closed for the off season from April 21 to May 23. When it reopens, I’m told the watermelon jalapeño gazpacho will be back on the menu and I’m hoping they keep a table ready for me.
I appreciate the attention to the food here, the obvious quality and freshness to the ingredients and the commitment to bringing a variety of authentic Mexican flavors to Big Sky. Yes, I want my salsas made in house. Yes, I want pork shoulder and steak slow roasted for 16 hours. And yes, I want birria.
Because I was basing my order on trust in the staff, I did not get the taco, instead ordering a quesabirria off the quesadilla section of the menu. Quesabirria is very similar, though much larger than the taco that had been haunting me. The crispy Chihuahua cheese on the outside is complemented and contrasted by the gooey melted cheese on the inside. My only complaint is that I really want more of the consommé left over from the stewing process for dipping. One ramekin was not enough!
When Carly Hendrix, wife of owner and executive chef Brandon Blanchard, walked by, she confirmed my choices. These, she said, are also many of her go-to menu items. But above all, is the birria.
“I could eat it every day of my life,” Hendrix tells me, and if she ever finds herself on death row—not that such a scenario feels like a remote possibility— it would be what she would want as her final meal.
Rachel Hergett is a foodie and cook from Montana. She is arts editor emeritus at the Bozeman Daily Chronicle and has written for publications such as Food Network Magazine and Montana Quarterly. Rachel is also the host of the Magic Monday Show on KGLT-FM and teaches at Montana State University.
PHOTO BY RACHEL HERGETT
OPINION
THE BIG SKY WAY: ONWARD AND UPWARD
BY DANIEL BIERSCHWALE EBS COLUMNIST
In the words of Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” This quote has resonated with me over the past two years while writing this series of columns intended to encourage civic engagement. This will be our last Big Sky Way column for a little while, but the conversation is far from over. In fact, we’re in the thick of it.
We’re not just dreaming of a better Big Sky—we’re actively doing the hard work to get there. Our community has never waited for someone else to solve our challenges. Instead, we’ve broke our own trail with grit, resilience and collaboration. However, a community is only as strong as the people who make up its very DNA. It’s the actions, the voices and the commitment of each individual that shapes our character and potential.
Over the course of this column, we’ve explored many topics ranging from how property taxes work in Montana, ways Resort Tax provides property tax
relief by funding essential services, and how our Capital Improvement Plan prioritizes infrastructure before it becomes a crisis. We’ve talked about long-term thinking to simple nuts and bolts of how things work. We’ve asked tough questions about who’s responsible—and the answer, time and again, is: we are.
As we study local governance with open eyes, we explore what kind of local structure could best serve our unique community. We’re preparing in May to vote to potentially issue bonds for major capital projects—investments that will serve generations— and we work to ensure financial responsibility is matched with transparency. We’re working with partners across the state to shape legislation that better reflects today’s landscape and the realities of resort communities like ours. This isn’t abstract work. It’s boots-on-the-ground, policy-in-theweeds, future-focused action.
That sense of ownership, of community-driven action, is what makes Big Sky what it is. Because the truth is, no one is coming to do this work for us. Big Sky has always had to figure it out for ourselves. We’ve built a strong foundation of collaboration, but the next chapter needs more voices. It needs yours. You don’t need to be an expert to get involved. You just need to care. You can vote. You can show up to a meeting and provide public
comment. You can join a board, attend a workshop, talk to your neighbors. You can ask questions—and you should.
We’re entering a chapter in Big Sky’s story where the stakes are high and the opportunities are real. We’re not just reacting anymore—we’re planning, funding and shaping our future. But to get this right, it takes all of us leaning in.
I’ll still be here. And I’ll still write from time to time when there’s something important to share or a trail that needs grooming. But for now, I want to say thank you. Thank you for reading. Thank you for caring. And most of all, thank you for continuing to show up for your community, for your neighbors, and for the Big Sky where we all can belong and call home—a Livable Big Sky.
That’s the Big Sky Way.
Daniel Bierschwale is the Executive Director of the Big Sky Resort Area District (BSRAD). As a dedicated public servant, he is committed to increasing civic engagement and voter education. Many ballot issues impact government services and public funding including subsequent property tax impacts. BSRAD is the local government agency that administers Resort Tax, which offsets property taxes while also funding numerous community-wide nonprofit programs.
MADISON COUNTY LOCAL GOVERNMENT STUDY COMMISSION CONTINUES REVIEW PROCESS
BY DUSTIN TETRAULT, RHONDA BOYD AND BRIAN CONKLIN GUEST COLUMNISTS
Since December, the Madison County Local Government Review Study Commission has been making steady progress in understanding the scope of the study and the structure of the county’s current governance. Over the course of three meetings, the Commission has established its bylaws, elected officers, and set a timeline for the review process. The Commission is also working on establishing an informational website so community members can learn more about the process and stay updated on progress.
The Commission held its first public hearing on April 15 in the Madison County Administration Building’s Public Meeting Room. The Commission also plans to coordinate meetings with municipal study commissions within the county and neighboring county study commissions. A key focus of the group is educating the public on the various
forms of government and the powers granted under state law. Additionally, the Commission plans to evaluate the services provided throughout the county to ensure they meet residents’ needs.
The Commission meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. in the public meeting room of the County Administration Building. These meetings are open to the public, and community participation is strongly encouraged.
The Commission is pleased to share its review timeline and a QR code for county residents to take an informational survey. If you would like to reach out to the Commission, please email madisoncogovreview@gmail.com.
Stay tuned for updates as the study progresses!
Dustin Tetrault is commission chair, Rhonda Boyd is secretary, and Brian Conklin is treasurer of the Madison County Local Government Review Study Commission. All are citizens elected by Madison County voters to conduct the study.
Madison Valley near Cameron. ADOBE STOCK PHOTO
BY ELLIE BOESCHENSTEIN
The Big Sky Resort Area District is a special-purpose local government established to manage the resort tax in Big Sky. Funded by a tax on luxury goods and services, BSRAD allocates revenue to essential community needs, such as emergency services, transportation and infrastructure. Since its inception, the district has invested over $80 million into projects that support the growth and wellbeing of the Big Sky community.
Explore Big Sky got a chance to speak with Jenny Christensen, BSRAD’s deputy director, to learn more about her role and the organization’s involvement in the Big Sky community.
This series is part of a paid partnership with the Big Sky Chamber of Commerce. The following answers have been edited for brevity.
Explore Big Sky: Can you give a brief overview of the Big Sky Resort Area District and its primary mission?
Jenny Christensen: Big Sky Resort Area District is a special purpose district existing as a local government in Big Sky. The district is governed by a five-member, locally elected board of directors who serve four-year terms. The current board members are Board Chair Kevin Germain, Vice Chair Sarah Blectha, Secretary/ Treasurer Grace Young, and Michelle Kendziorski and John Zirkle. In addition to the board the district has a staff team of five.
The BSRAD mission is to fairly collect tax for strategic investments to ensure the wellbeing of the Big Sky community. The vision of the organization is Big Sky is BETTER TOGETHER as a result of wise investments, an engaged community and the pursuit of excellence.
EBS: What is your role at BSRAD?
JC: I am the deputy director and have been with the district for five and a half years. With a small but mighty staff team, we all have many duties and work collaboratively. As deputy director I have a heavy focus on operations and get to be involved in most of the projects and initiatives the district is working on. A few of my key focuses are administrative oversight of our grant cycle from applications to review, and followthrough after funds are awarded. My involvement in the grant cycle has created an opportunity for me to work closely and collaboratively with all our government and nonprofit partners.
EBS: What are the biggest priorities for BSRAD right now?
JC: BSRAD is working and has been working on several community initiatives including the Capital Improvement Plan, which is a blueprint for the thoughtful investment in Big Sky’s infrastructure and public amenities. We have been active in the 2025 legislative session where we introduced two bills; HB162 and SB260. Most immediately the May election is just a few weeks away and we are in the midst of the Livable Big Sky campaign.
Livable Big Sky is about fostering a shared vision for a place where we all belong. By investing in the places and spaces where we live, play and connect as neighbors, we help make Big Sky a place we can all call home. On a mail-in ballot due May 6, voters will decide on key initiatives: resort tax renewal, Cold Smoke Housing Bond, and Community Park Bond. These decisions will define Big Sky for generations to come. We encourage all Big Sky voters to learn more and vote in the upcoming election. Being a part of the Livable Big Sky campaign has been an exciting adventure because the campaign is much bigger and will live on beyond May. It is about creating a community where current and future generations can have the opportunity to live, work, and play. I am one of the lucky few who grew up here in Big Sky and have lived here most of my life and I see the Livable Big Sky initiatives as a way to create the opportunity for myself and others to call Big Sky home well into the future.
EBS: Can you speak to how the resort tax is collected and what portion stays in the local community?
JC: Resort tax is a 4% tax on luxury goods and services. The 4% tax is paid by customers, collected by businesses, administered by BSRAD, and reinvested in our community. One-hundred percent of the resort tax collected stays local. Resort tax provides property tax relief by funding essential services and improvements that would otherwise appear on property tax bills. It also funds local projects and programs that enrich and strengthen our community, which are provided by our government and nonprofit partners. Our annual Impact Report outlines how local resort tax is invested in Big Sky.
EBS: How does the district decide which projects or organizations receive funding?
JC: All budgeting and funding decisions are at the discretion of the locally elected Board Members. The budgeting process is an ongoing process that takes place throughout the entire year outlined in the graphic below. The part of the budgeting process that most community members are familiar with is our annual grant and allocation process in which there is an open call for grant applications from government and nonprofit organizations. The board reviews all applications received and makes funding decisions based on the application responses, project scores, public feedback, and other information. The board ultimately votes on how much funding each project will receive during a series of public meetings. As a government entity all our meetings, including application review meetings, are open to the public and we encourage everyone to engage and participate in decision-making throughout the whole year.
EBS: What are some recent projects or initiatives that you’re particularly proud of?
JC: When I first started with the district one of the first initiatives, I was involved in was improving and modernizing our grant process. Over the last five and a half years we have gone digital with our grant applications, integrated the grant cycle with CIP, and created budgets based on community need for grant funding. Since beginning my time with the district, I have been striving to have a grant process that is
reflective and adaptive to community needs. When we launched Impact Area budgets in FY25 (our most recent grant cycle) I felt like BSRAD had found a way to budget and align funding with community needs and was proud to have been involved. We were able to commit over $23,000,000 to a variety of community priorities in FY25. Seeing the impact of these commitments through the success of the projects funded and the difference these projects and programs make in the lives of my Big Sky friends and neighbors has been and continues to be the most rewarding part of my work with BSRAD.
EBS: How has the growth of Big Sky affected your operations and planning efforts?
JC: For over 20 years the district had no more than a part-time staff person. As Big Sky has grown, so have the demands on the district. The staff team has grown to the five-member team we have today. To adapt to the growth and to help with planning efforts we adopted the organization’s first strategic plan in 2020. More recently we commissioned and adopted the CIP and will continue to keep this document updated to plan for the future.
EBS: What are some of the challenges BSRAD faces as Big Sky continues to evolve?
JC: The district is continually evolving and adapting to the changes and challenges facing our community. In 2020 we faced the challenge of COVID-19, BSRAD came together with our partners at Moonlight Community Foundation, Spanish Peaks Community Foundation, and Yellowstone Club Community Foundation to launch Big Sky Relief. This effort helped provide the community with free COVID tests and several grant opportunities for individuals and businesses alike. Also in 2020, the community approved the 1% for infrastructure to fund growing water and sewer infrastructure needs. The current Livable Big Sky initiatives the community will see on the May ballot are in response to growing large-scale community capital needs. To meet them the district is looking to expand our financing tools via the ability to bond. A bond is a financial tool that allows a government entity to borrow money for large-scale projects, repaying it over time with interest. If approved, bonding will allow the district to fund the Cold Smoke land and horizontal infrastructure and renovations at the Community Park over time. Big Sky voters should keep their eyes peeled for ballots, they will need to be returned to the elections office by May 6.
EBS: Is there anything else you would like to share?
JC: As a local government entity, all district meetings are open to the public, and as an organization, we strive to do everything collaboratively and transparently. We encourage community members to participate and engage with us however they are able. Either by attending board meetings (virtually or in-person), watching our meeting recordings, signing up for our newsletter, following us on social media, or connecting with board and staff members. Visit our website for more information on how to engage.
LET’S TALK ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH: THE UPHILL BATTLE AGAINST SUBSTANCE ABUSE IN BIG SKY HEALTH
BY JOHN ALLEN GUEST COLUMNIST
My recovery journey began in February 1998. With my wife’s support, I realized that continuing to drink would mean losing my marriage and relationship with our children. I could no longer deny or justify my problem with alcohol.
It was a terrifying moment, knowing that if I kept drinking, I would lose the three most important people in my life forever. That same day, I broke down in my doctor’s office in Park City, Utah, admitting I couldn’t stop drinking. This marked the start of my long path to sobriety.
Shortly after, a therapist sent me to a 12-step recovery meeting, urging me to accept that I was an alcoholic. Though scared and desperate, I attended my first meeting, recognizing many faces but unsure of what to expect. I heard stories similar to mine from people who seemed happy and content without alcohol.
Despite not understanding much, I felt a strong connection and hope from others battling the same addiction.
That meeting was the beginning of my sobriety. For the past 27 years, I’ve consistently attended 12-step meetings and engaged in various activities to maintain my sobriety, including therapy, medication, exercise, journaling, meditation, helping newcomers, reading, eating well, staying hydrated and getting enough sleep. These combined efforts have helped me stay sober.
Sobriety hasn’t eliminated life’s challenges. I’ve faced depression, which I’ve managed through therapy, medication and understanding how early traumas contributed to my addiction. In return, I’ve enjoyed a 39-year marriage, raised two wonderful children, broken the cycle of generational addiction, regained self-respect, and built a substance-free life beyond my wildest dreams.
The battle cry, “first chair, last call!” was heard just as much in the early ‘80s, when I got my first ski area job in Utah along the Wasatch Front, as it is today. The culture of, “ski and ride hard but party harder” was the order of the day. It’s almost quaint to think back on those times with just alcohol and weed as being the predominant substances of choice. PBR and Mexican weed were the old standbys.
Living and working in a resort mountain town community was a place where I fit in with the ski, ride, hike, climb and raft outdoor lifestyle. The adventures were epic and so was the party that always followed. A job was really only a means to finance one’s lifestyle and nobody was too concerned about climbing the corporate ladder. I didn’t need conventional society, I found connection through a shared love of risk-taking and pushing my limits with friends just like me.
Contrary to my resort party days, today’s alcohol choices and huge array of super potent chemical compounds including ketamine, MDMA, opioids, cocaine, meth, fentanyl and nitazenes are all very powerful, highly addictive and deadly.
Today’s drinking and drug use culture comes with significant risk of overdose and death. The statistics are alarming: 48.5% of Big Sky residents report being personally impacted by substance abuse, compared to 35.8% of the U.S. population; 33.9% of Big Sky residents report engaging in excessive drinking behaviors, compared to 20% in Montana and 27% in the greater U.S.; Montana is also consistently in the top three states in the nation for suicide, with drug and alcohol use going hand in hand for people choosing to take their own life.
Ski resort towns are hard to resist. The fun vibes, endless outdoor adventure, stunning natural beauty, and the ease of landing a job—often with housing included—make them especially appealing to young people seeking a fresh start, seasonal escape or a dreamy lifestyle. The reality of living in a resort town often contrasts sharply with the dream. The party culture in resort towns across the West directly fuels the ongoing alcohol and drug problem, with Big Sky being no different. New staff arrive, and the cycle starts as the winter sets in. Many find that one job doesn’t seem to make ends meet. The short daylight hours and long nights, coupled with the cold environment that many are not used to, contribute to the problem. The employee housing and general living situation may not turn out to be so great. Isolation, loss of connection with others, remote small-town living, and lack of social opportunities—all these are contributing factors.
Soon, drinking and using is a nightly occurrence, with regular hangouts being established. Drugs also become part of the mix as the frequency and intensity of use ramp up as the season progresses. For some, drinking and using become the go-to coping mechanism to handle mountain town life. If people stay for multiple seasons, the behavior can become entrenched, and people may find themselves in active addiction to their substance of choice. Mountain town culture often supports this because so many are doing the same thing.
Drinking and drug use become normalized. Alcohol is the oldest known drug that people have used for thousands of years. In 2024, the United States spent $408.8 billion on alcohol. In Montana, from fiscal years 2020 to 2024, the state has seen an increase in overall gross liquor sales jump by nearly $50 million. Total sales in 2020 were $163.8 million, but in 2024, those numbers rose to $211.7 million. The Big Sky community is definitely impacted and included in these numbers. Drinking is a common part of the resort town experience for both residents and visitors, with little signs of that changing.
For most, drinking is an enjoyable part of the resort town experience that doesn’t have negative consequences. For others, alcohol and drug use can easily blossom into habituation and fullblown addiction.
One thing helping the community is awareness of mental health issues and the willingness to talk about and recognize that there are systemic problems that need to be addressed. The stigma of reaching out for help for our mental health is diminishing, and that is in part due to local resources such as Be Well Big Sky and Wellness in Action.
I hope that you come away after reading this knowing that it is okay to ask for help. Others have gone through this journey and can walk alongside you. That’s why sharing stories matters. I got help, and I’ve been sober for 27 years. If you’re struggling, you’re not alone. Help is here—and it could change your life, just like it changed mine.
There is no stigma or shame in seeking treatment for substance use or any other mental health issues. Help is available and waiting on you to make the decision to ask—it could be the most important choice you make for yourself.
John Allen worked in Big Sky in hospitality for the last 20 years. Now retired, he is a Wellness Navigator with Be Well Big Sky.
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BACK 40
LEGACY AND LAND: NORTH DAKOTA’S GOVERNOR IS PRESERVING THEODORE ROOSEVELT’S NAME IN A BIG WAY
BY MATT CROSSMAN
This article was originally published in the winter 2023 issue of Mountain Outlaw. Read more from this publication at mtoutlaw.com.
The boy in the photo crouches down, his left hand touching the North Dakota dirt, his face radiating joy and amazement. His eyes zoom in on a small hole. In that hole sits a prairie dog, its furry brown hair and exuberant yip-yip-yip barks the source of the boy’s joy and amazement.
Behind the boy, brown grass recedes to giant gray knolls distinctive of North Dakota’s badlands. The photo, taken in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, captures the essence of the place: unchanged and unchanging, a reflection of the conservation beliefs of the man it’s named after. Only the boy’s clothes—corduroys, work boots and an untucked button up shirt—give any hint as to when the photo was snapped, which is to say decades ago. Nobody else is in the photo, nor is there any evidence of human existence; no roads, cars or buildings. It’s just vast, wide-open space, from one horizon to the next and from the hard-packed dirt to the heavens above.
Like many boys in North Dakota, that boy dreamed about being a rancher, imagining for himself Theodore Roosevelt’s famed strenuous life marked by a pounding heart, dirty hands and a sweaty back. But that boy’s life took a different path. Now grown up and known as North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, he remains fascinated by Roosevelt and how that unchanging land changed him, and how Roosevelt as our 26th president changed the country as a result.
As governor, Burgum helped lead the push to get approval for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, which will open near the entrance to the national park, which is already the No. 1 tourist attraction in the state; the library will greatly enhance that. With world-class designers, deep-pocketed supporters and a treasure trove of Roosevelt material, Burgum hopes it will be “best in class” among presidential libraries and as bold and audacious as the man it celebrates.
“Dare greatly—that’s how he lived his life,” Burgum said. “We want to keep challenging ourselves to strive for something. I think it’s important for our country to remember, not just North Dakotans, that we can aspire to do great things with great imagination and makeit happen.”
Make it happen. Easy to say, hard to do, in politics, in life, in presidential libraries. Ed O’Keefe, CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation, hears the same two questions repeatedly: “Wait, Theodore Roosevelt doesn’t have a presidential library? And why North Dakota?”
The answers to both questions are intertwined. The fact that Theodore Roosevelt, the president who wrote more books than any other, doesn’t have a library might be surprising, but presidential libraries are a relatively modern invention. According to the national archives, these libraries are meant to bring “together the documents and artifacts of a President and his administration and presenting them to the public for study and discussion without regard for political considerations or affiliations.”. Every president since Herbert Hoover has one (or has one in the works in the cases of Barack Obama and
Donald Trump). But nobody before Hoover, who began his term in 1929, has one.
In Roosevelt’s case, the lack of a library is not from a lack of effort. “When he died he was one of the most known people on the planet,” Burgum said. “And there was all kinds of talk about preserving his legacy.”
Sagamore Hill, the home where Roosevelt lived from 1885 until his death in 1919, is a national historic site run by the National Park Service. So is his birth site. Both are in New York and are mustvisits for any Roosevelt fan.
The idea of a library in North Dakota bounced around for years. “It had been kicked around by a number of people before I got into office,” Burgum said. “And then when I heard about it, I just said, ‘Wow, this is really an exceptional idea, and we should put together a team of people to take this from an idea to try to drive it into action.’”
Critics scoffed at the price tag—a $50 million endowment and $100 million raised from private sources. “I think there was some legislators that voted for it because they said, ‘Sure, I can vote for that because they’ll never raise $100 million,’” Burgum said. But the fundraising crossed that threshold, and now the library has an opening date of July 4, 2026, to coincide with our nation’s 250th birthday.
Still, none of that answers the second question: why North Dakota?
That answer comes in an abridged retelling of a pivotal part of Roosevelt’s life. In September, 1883, he visited what is now North Dakota to hunt bison.
For Explore Big Sky, the Back 40 is a resource: a place where we can delve into subjects and ask experts to share their knowledge. Here, we highlight stories from our flagship sister publication Mountain Outlaw magazine.
Noun: wild or rough terrain adjacent to a developed area Origin: shortened form of “back 40 acres”
A young Theodore Roosevelt with his horse. HARVARD UNIVERSITY, HOUGHTON LIBRARY, W437051_1 THEODORE ROOSEVELT COLLECTION
While there, he invested $14,000 in cattle and a ranch. Five months later, his wife died in childbirth, and his mother died that same day in the same house. A diarist his whole life, Roosevelt wrote a chilling entry on the most painful day of it. He carved a giant X, under which he jotted, “The light has gone out of my life.”
Fleeing from his personal darkness, he returned to North Dakota and threw himself into what he called “the strenuous life.” As a boy he was sickly and brilliant. His father, a towering presence in his life, encouraged him to work his body as hard as he worked his mind. In North Dakota, he did just that.
Living at Elkhorn Ranch—a few miles from Medora, the future home of the library—he turned himself into the man who would eventually lead the charge up San Juan Hill, become the youngest president in history, push for the creation of the Panama Canal, save the NCAA, explore an uncharted stretch of the Amazon and much, much more.
“He transformed himself here,” Burgum said. It’s as if he made himself miserable physically on purpose to take his mind off his emotional misery. Enduring both made him stronger. He left North Dakota a changed man, stronger because under life’s weight he had bent, but he did not break. He built resilience that defined, illuminated, even made possible, the rest of his life. The answer, then, as to why Roosevelt’s library is going to be built in North Dakota, is this: Without North Dakota, the Theodore Roosevelt known to history would never have existed.
“I have always said I would not have been president had it not been for my experience in North Dakota,” Roosevelt said. “It was here that the romance of my life began.”
The library will focus on the three themes that dominated Roosevelt’s life: citizenship, leadership and conservation. It’s the way in which those themes will be presented that organizers hope will make the library unique. Dickinson State University has digitized 75,000 Roosevelt documents, so the library will be a far cry from the standard “document under glass” displays. There will be immersive and interactive story-telling employing state of the art technology.
The fact a high-tech library will be built in a rustic
BACK 40
setting is appropriate considering the seeming contradictions that marked Roosevelt’s life. He was a high-brow intellectual and dirty-fingernailed cowboy; a politician who could be stubbornly dogmatic and a consummate dealmaker; a man who carried a knife made by famed New York City jeweler Tiffany and Co. Even the entrance of the library will carry faint whiffs of Roosevelt’s life; it will sit along the 150-mile Maah Daah Hey trail, which will allow visitors to hike, bike or ride horses to it.
The library will also be “one of the most sustainable buildings ever built,” Burgum said, which puts it in line with Roosevelt’s passion for conservation and North Dakota’s goal to be the first carbon neutral state by 2030, which Burgum says will be done without mandates or new regulations.
Long before he ever thought about running for office, Burgum placed on the wall in his office an excerpt from “The Man in The Arena,” a section of a Roosevelt speech titled “Citizenship in a Republic.” As governor, Burgum peppers his comments with Roosevelt quotes. Like Roosevelt, Burgum pivoted from a life of privilege to a life of public service. Like Roosevelt, Burgum is passionate about conservation and enjoys adventure (Roosevelt famously spent more than a week chasing boat thieves. During the pandemic, Burgum took an epic
sailing trip from South Dakota to Montana). And like Roosevelt, he was shaped by North Dakota’s vast public spaces.
While the creation of the Roosevelt library will become part of Burgum’s legacy, he deflects questions about that and about what he and Roosevelt have in common. Burgum spreads credit for the library instead of taking it, which is positively un-Rooseveltian. Humble, TR was not. An oft-repeated line about Roosevelt says he wanted to be the baby at every baptism, the bride at every wedding and the corpse at every funeral. He was voluble, bombastic, a larger-than-life figure who you could love one minute and hate the next but never, ever ignore.
The library will try to embody his ethos—dare greatly, think boldly, live passionately and care deeply—all of which is captured in that quote Burgum loved enough to hang on his office wall: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood … and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
From that little boy in the photo, Burgum grew up to become a giant in the software industry, and eventually the executive leader of his home state. The boy in the photo changed, but his love for that land remains, and now, as governor, he wants others to see what he saw on his trips there.
“One hundred years from now, there’s going to be a lot of stuff in North Dakota that may not be here,” Burgum said. “But the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library is still going to be here 100 years from now, and so is the national park. And 100 years from now you’re going to walk out and you’re going see the same view that TR saw the day that he got off that train the first time he got here. That connection with the preserved landscape is going to be a powerful, powerful part of his legacy.”
Out of that preserved landscape Roosevelt crafted a life of unparalleled agony and adventure, service and success, toil and triumph. And it’s out of that preserved landscape that his legacy will live on.
Matt Crossman is a St. Louis based travel and adventure writer and Theodore Roosevelt fanboy. Sign up for his newsletter mattcrossman.substack.com.
A young Doug Burgum in his element in North Dakota. PHOTO COURTESY OF DOUG BURGUM
Painted Canyon in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. PHOTO BY KEN LUND
$10 from each item purchased goes directly to the Center for Large Landscape Conservation and their Hwy 191 Wildlife Crossings Project.
