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Explore Big Skyexplorebigsky.com1 Nov.1-14, 2013 header

Big SkyNov. 1-14, 2013

Volume 4 // Issue #22

Life and land from the heart of the Yellowstone Region

explorebigsky.com

The nonprofiT issue

Guide to givingBig Sky PBR winS

TouRing PRo DiviSion evenT of The yeaR

LPhS hoSTS veTeRanS Day aSSemBLy

BaCk 40: bird hunting

PowderBlast raises more than $25,000 for avalanche center

explorebigsky explorebigsky

Nov. 1-14, 2013volume 4, Issue No. 22

Owned and published in Big Sky, Montana

PuBlIsHeREric Ladd

edItoRIalMANAGING EDITOREmily Stifler Wolfe

SENIOR EDITORJoseph T. O’Connor

STAff WRITER/DISTRIBuTION DIRECTORTyler Allen

ASSOCIATE EDITORMaria Wyllie

cReatIveCREATIVE DIRECTORMike Martins

GRAPHIC DESIGNERKelsey Dzintars

VIDEO DIRECTORBrian Niles

VIDEO PRODuCERJoe Paulet

sales aNd oPeRatIoNsCOO Megan Paulson

OPERATIONS DIRECTORKatie Morrison

DIRECTOR Of BuSINESS DEVELOPMENT - YELLOWSTONE REGIONEJ Daws

coNtRIButoRsJamie Balke, Scott Bosse, Mike Coil, Stephen Halvorson, Soby Haarman, Kathy House, Jim Klug, Mona Lovely, Max Lowe, Dave McCune, Brandon Niles, Chloe Nostrant, Stephen Pruiett, Greg Ruff, Maria Munro-Schuster, Deborah Courson Smith, Natasha Wisniewska

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

letteRs to tHe edItoR Letters to the editor allow EBS readers to express views and share how they would like to effect change. These are not Thank You notes. Letters should be 250 words or less, respect-ful, ethical, accurate, and proofread for grammar and content. We reserve the right to edit letters. Include: full name, address, phone number and title. Submit to [email protected].

adveRtIsING deadlINe FoR Next Issue, Nov. 15Nov. 8, 2013

coRRectIoNsPlease report errors to [email protected].

outlaW PaRtNeRs & exPloRe BIG skyP.O. Box 160250, Big Sky, MT 59716(406) 995-2055 • [email protected]

© 2013 Explore Big Sky unauthorized reproduction prohibited

explore Big Sky regional distributionHundreds of drop points surrounding Yellowstone National Park

The season of giving begins The Yellowstone region has an abundance of nonprofit organizations that support environmental and community services. Often, one of the most difficult challenges these charities face is to educate the public on their mission.

As a way to give back to those who support us, Explore Big Sky asked our advertisers what nonprofits they believe in for this issue’s special section, “Nonprofits, a guide to giving.” The response was over-whelming.

Columbine Culberg, director of environmental and community affairs at Montana Import Group, noted how important it is for her business to support local organizations.

“Nonprofits that work to conserve and protect our region’s wildlife, ecosystem and communities are vital to sustaining our area’s growth,” Culberg said. Montana Import Group has been supporting the region’s overall economic health and well being since 2009, she added, through partnerships with nonprofits who work to protect the environment that in turn draws people here.

Various regional businesses nominated the groups featured in this special section in an effort to support the array of issues the nonprofits are involved with, that affect the people and environment around us. – Katie Morrison

on The CoveR: Big Sky Youth Empowerment students participated in a workshop on identity this October, making masks portraying how they present themselves to the world. Executive Director Pete MacFadyen said it opened discussions about how the different ‘masks’ may function and what it might be like to get rid of them, letting the world see us for who we are. PHOTO COURTESY BYEP

BELOW: Among Eagle Mount’s many programs, the nonprofit organization helps disabled people go skiing. PHOTO COURTESY EAGLE MOUNT

Learn more about Eagle Mount, BYEP and other regional nonprofits in section three.

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Build a home for future generations on large ranch parcels, only 20 minutes from Bozeman, and enjoy our world class equestrian center, blue ribbon trout fishing and miles of shared horseback riding trails.

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Upper Pass Ranch - 51 acres$199,000Incredible opportunity to own a large Gallatin River Ranch lot! Beautiful views of several Montana mountain ranges and private access to fly-fishing on the Gallatin River. Minutes away from the GRR’s World-Class Equestrian center. Year-round access on maintained roads. Thousands of acres to hike & ride. This specific lot’s topography is incredible! Rock outcroppings, beautiful canyons, 360 degree view of surrounding mountains and more. Call the GRR today to set up a tour.

Explore Big Sky Explore Big Skyexplorebigsky.com explorebigsky.com4 Nov.1-14, 2013 Nov.1-14, 2013 5LeTTeRSConTenTS

TaBLe of ConTenTS

Section 1: newsLetters................................................5Community..................................6Local News........................................8Regional.....................................9Montana....................................11Business.......................................14

Section 2: Life, Land & CultureOutlaw News...................................17Entertainment..................................19Calendar..........................................21Sports................................................22Classifieds.........................................26Fun....................................................27Column............................................29Back 40............................................30Bull Market.......................................32

Special Section:Nonprofits: Guide to giving...........33

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Big Sky Resort Tax Board electionThree of five seats are up for election on Big Sky’s Resort Tax Board this Novem-ber. Running for two of these seats are Ginna Hermann, Heather Budd, Robert “Bob” Shanks and Hans Williamson. Dr. Jeff Strickler is running for the final seat.

The Big Sky Chamber of Commerce recently surveyed each of the five candidates running for seats on the Big Sky Resort Tax Board. Here are their responses to the last of 10 questions posed in the survey. for complete survey questions and answers, please visit explorebigsky.com.

Ballots will be sent out Oct. 11, and elections are Nov. 5. for more information, visit the Gallatin County Election Office at gallatin.mt.gov, or call (406) 582-3060. – JTO

Re: David fowler’s letter

we have enough condos in Big SkyI was delighted to see Mr. fowler’s letter in the latest issue of EBS, as af-fordable housing, or the lack thereof, is often a topic of conversation among people I speak with in Big Sky.

I believe his letter and goals act as a challenge to the ski town status quo of catering housing to the vacation/second home class while providing minimal accommodations for those who live, work and breathe there. This is some-thing that has already happened to an extent in Big Sky, and it is up to us to see that it does not go further and get too out of hand.

There is a gap in housing in Big Sky, with one end being the many already-ex-isting condos and townhomes that are often of poor quality, and on the other end, the high-end, luxury homes often designed for non-residents. In the middle are a number of homes built for working families, but that number is small and their turnover low.

The past few years have had too many stories floating around of young couples coming to Big Sky with the intent of moving here and settling down, only to leave before the season even starts because they don’t want to start a family in a Hill Condo studio or sharing rent with a stranger in a firelight Condo.

There are plenty of condos in Big Sky already; we need more affordable hous-ing for families to live in for longer than a 6- or 12-month lease.

- Mark Davidson, Big Sky

The following letters are in response to local architect David Fowler’s letter published in the Oct. 18 issue of EBS, calling for more affordable housing units, specifically in the form of single family homes, to be built in Big Sky. Find Mr. Fowler’s letter at explorebigsky.com/letterdavidfowler.

Want to weigh in? Send letters to [email protected]. Letters should be fewer than 200 words and must be in good taste. Explore Big Sky reserves the right to edit letters for brevity and content.

Re: David fowler’s letter

Preserving the last best place for localsMr. fowler’s plan for affordable free standing homes would greatly benefit people in our community, whether you have a dog, a family or maybe you just need space to work. But the question here should not be “condo or free standing house?” Instead, it should be “home or second home?”

More and more, you hear of a friend being pushed out of their lease because someone from Texas, or wherever, bought the condo they lived in. These condos are being turned into vacation homes that might not be used even half of the year. for what? So someone far away can make a buck?

Let us keep the money in Big Sky. If properties get sold locally, then the fam-ily living in that house can better support local businesses.

This town has become a realtor’s free-for-all. Greed for land and real estate has already done harm here. Is it not a social responsibility to give the right people a chance to buy a home they will actually live in? Most of us here can only afford a down payment on one home, at best. Our local buyers are losing faith. Mr. fowler’s letter has given us some hope that our efforts are not lost.

We live in a rare place. Some call it The Last Best Place. But if we keep head-ing down the road of real estate greed, there might not be a Best Place at all.

- Michelle Clark-Conley, Big Sky

33LPHS School hosts Veterans Day assembly 7

PowderBlast raises more than $25,000 for avalanche center9

BaCk 40:BiRD HUNTiNG 30 Big Sky PBR wins Touring Pro

Division event of the year

17

Explore Big Sky Explore Big Skyexplorebigsky.com explorebigsky.com Nov.1-14, 2013 7CommuniTy6 Nov.1-14, 2013 CommuniTy

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SOBY HAARMANLphs sophomore

Soby Haarman’s column, “From my point of view,” alternates with BSSD Supt. Jerry House’s “School House News” for publication in EBS. Each column offers a unique point of view on education and the Big Sky School District.

This year, Lone Peak High School celebrated its second annual home-coming. If you asked anybody who attended both, they would likely tell you this year far surpassed last year. You could tell that the school, staff and even the community were happy to be a part of this growing tradition. from the sports games and other celebrations, to finally the big dance, this homecoming will be one of my most vivid memories of high school.

I think this year was so successful was because it had a great build-up to the final dance. Homecoming week was filled with events that everybody could be involved in, including Spirit Week, when each day had a new theme.

The week’s excitement brought with it another tradition: the coronation

of the 2013 Royal Homecoming Court. Then came the parade. Com-munity businesses and organiza-tions created floats and decorated their windows in Big Horn blue and white. Everybody showed his or her LPHS Spirit.

On friday, our Lady Big Horn vol-leyball team took on the Manhattan Christian Lady Eagles. After a well-fought match, the Eagles came out on top. We let them win this round, but we’ll crush them next time. In football news, the much-anticipated Battle of 191 took place on Satur-day, when our Bighorns hosted the West Yellowstone Wolverines. The game was cold and wet, but the cov-eted Battle of 191 trophy remained in Big Sky, its rightful home.

finally, Saturday night was the dance, themed The Great Gatsby. Students were decked out in their best 1920s outfits and set out to Rainbow Ranch for a night of danc-ing, laughter and fun.

Soby Haarman, a sophomore at LPHS, was crowned Sophomore Homecoming Princess this year.

from my Point of view

BY KATHY HOUSE foL annual meetingAt the friends of the Library annual meeting on Oct. 2, the group presented a progress report for the library’s fiscal year, and elected the fOL board for 2013/2014 calendar year. The new board members are: Kay Reeves, chairperson; Nancy Oshier, treasurer; Sally Moskol, secretary; and Roberta Adair, membership.

October/November is the annual fOL membership drive and the group is always looking for new members to support the library. find more on becoming member at bigskylibrary.org.

The next fOL meeting will be Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 10 a.m. in the library.

Scholastic Book fair and foL biannual used Book SaleThe fOL biannual used book sale and Ophir School’s Scholastic Book fair will be Nov. 6 and 7 in the gymnasium and will run 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 6, and 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Nov. 7. This is a great opportunity to get books for the winter season and holiday gifts for everyone. Come on down and support the library!

The setup for the fair is scheduled for Nov. 5 at 2 p.m. for information on helping with the fair, call the library at (406) 995-4281, ext.205.

Big Sky Community Library news

Several new books are available in the library, including:

The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri Having left his family in Calcutta to pursue a career in science in the U.S., Subhash returns home to look into what happened to his brother, Udayan, and to try to rebuild his shattered family and help his brother’s wife.

The Aviator’s Wife by Melanie Benjamin. Fictional account of the relationship between famed pilot Charles Lindberg and his wife Anne

The Longest ride by Nicholas Sparks Presents the story of two couples whose parallel love stories intersect in profound and interesting ways

The Big sky Community Library is open sundays from 1-5 p.m.; mondays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 4-8 p.m.

new book releases and library hours

Want access to all 5,750 acres of Big Sky Resort, and looking to give back to those in need? You’re in luck. Turkey for a Ticket is back.

Now in its seventh year, this one-day food drive is set for Dec. 13 this year, and will benefit the Gallatin Valley food Bank, the Madison Valley food Bank and the Big Sky Community food Bank.

How it works: Donate a frozen turkey or 20 cans of food at one of three drop points, and receive free skiing in return (see details below). formerly a Moonlight Basin event, the drive last year collected just shy of 38,000 pounds of food, mak-ing it the largest one-day drive in the region. – E.W.

Turkey for a Ticket food drive expands

Donation locations for friday, Dec. 13: Mountain Village (8:30 a.m.-1p.m.)Madison Base Area (8:30 a.m.-1p.m.)Albertson’s Bozeman (7:30 a.m.-11a.m.)

Donation categories:1. individuals including Silver or Bronze Pass holders – Donate 20 cans of food or one frozen turkey and receive one direct-to-lift ticket that day only.

2. Big Sky Resort gold, Bronze, moonlight Basin or BSia season pass holders – Donate 20 cans of food or one frozen turkey and receive a voucher for a full-day adult lift ticket valid Dec 13- Jan 31, 2014 (blackout dates: Dec. 25 – Jan. 6, 2014 and Jan. 17-23, 2014)

3. Corporate/Business – Employees team up to make a donation on behalf of their business, with each 20 pounds of food (or each frozen turkey) worth a voucher for a full-day adult lift ticket (see #2 for dates valid). Minimum donation is 80 pounds (four tickets); maximum donation is 800 pounds (40 tickets).

Turkey for a Ticket: the details

Chief Bill Farhat (far right) swears in the Big Sky Fire Department’s five new hires on Oct. 23. From left to right: Mitch Hamel, Dennis Rush, Michael Bakke, Michael LeB-lanc, John Foster. PHOTO BY STEPHEN PRUiETT

BY EMiLY WOLFEexpLore Big sky mAnAging ediTor

BIG SKY – Lone Peak High School students will experience history in person during the school’s Veterans Day assembly, set for friday, Nov. 8.

Open to the public, this is the school’s second such assembly; the first was held last year and attended by around 20 veterans or active military. Big Sky School District Jerry House is expecting at least 40 this year, representing each of the five military branches.

“We wanted to have an assembly where our stu-dents can look at the veterans that have protected our countries [and] given us the rights and free-doms we enjoy today. We owe it to the veterans that have fought these wars,” said House, who served as an Army sergeant from 1966-69.

The theme this year is, “America, land of the free, home of the brave.” In attendance will be veterans of World War II, the Korean War, Viet-nam, Bosnea, Afghanistan and Pakistan, House said.

“The idea is to give our students the opportunity to respect the people that have fought for our country… more than just reading [a] chapter out of a history book. You’re giving them a live his-tory lesson.”

A committee including students from all of the high school grades organized the assembly, House said.

The assembly will include student speeches; an armed forces slide show; a veteran roll call;

performances of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” “The Armed forces Medley” and “America” by the school band; a reading of the poem “forget Me Not,” which honors POW’s, MIA’s and others who could not attend; and a presentation from Vice Admiral Rodney Rempt, who is retired from the u.S. Navy and lives in Big Sky.

All retired military personnel, active duty per-sonnel and their families are invited to attend the assembly. Members of the public are also welcome, including parents of students and visitors to Big Sky.

House is encouraging military guests to arrive at the Bough Dolan Sports Complex as early as 12:15 p.m., and public, parents and visitors to arrive as early as 12:30. There will be designated reserved seating areas for both.

The Big Sky Chapel is hosting an assembly on Sun-day in honor of Veterans Day, which is officially the following Monday, Nov. 11.

“It’s what the veterans and active military mem-bers can bring to show students why we do study history, why we do respect our military, and why our military is important,” House said. “It’s a dis-play of service rendered by the older generations.”

Questions? Contact Supt. Jerry House at (406) 995-4281.

LPhS hosts second veterans Day assemblyThemed ‘America, land of the free, home of the brave’

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A display table showcased local veterans at the LPHS 2012 Veterans Day Assembly. PHOTO BY TYLER ALLEN

Explore Big Sky Explore Big Skyexplorebigsky.com explorebigsky.com8 Nov.1-14, 2013 LoCaL newS Nov.1-14, 2013 9RegionaL

Rotary Club sponsors Christmas giving treeBIG SKY – The Rotary Club of Big Sky, with the help of the Big Sky community, is once again sponsoring the Christmas giving tree.

The program is confidential: All angels on the tree are numbered with no names, and a single Rotarian will know the names on the lists.

Santa letters and confidential envelopes are now available at American Bank, Big Sky Western Bank, first Security Bank, the food Bank and the Country Market.

Please return the forms in the self-ad-dressed stamped envelope no later than Nov. 15. Wrapped gifts and baskets will be delivered the evening of Dec. 18. The Rotary Club also provides each family with a Christmas dinner basket at the time of gift delivery.


The friends of the Gallatin Nation-al forest Avalanche Center packed the Emerson ballroom once again this year, for its 15th annual Pow-derBlast, the center’s largest annual fundraiser.

“This year’s PowderBlast had great energy,” said GNfAC Director Doug Chabot in an email. “Having snow in the mountains always helps people get excited to celebrate the coming winter.”

The Bozeman-based Holler N’ Pine played rousing indie folk and bluegrass at the Emerson Cultural Center in Bozeman, while Powder-Blast-goers sipped rocket-fueled beers from Lone Peak Brewery and threw down on raffle tickets and more than 100 silent auction items, including a pair of skis from Lib-erty, lift tickets, a steel fire pit with an MSu Bobcat theme, and outdoor gear galore.

The event this year raised in excess of $25,000, one of their best years.

Nearly half of the center’s funding – 45 percent – comes from sources outside the federal government, Chabot said, half from the friends and half from Montana fish, Wildlife and Parks.

The GNfAC puts out daily ava-lanche advisories from late Novem-ber through mid-April each year, its forecasts spanning from the Bridger Range to West Yellowstone and Cooke City.

It was closed during the recent gov-ernment shutdown since it wasn’t putting out these daily forecasts yet. If a shutdown were to occur mid-winter, Chabot said, it would likely be deemed essential services and its three forecasters would con-tinue putting out advisories.

The nonprofit friends of the Galla-tin National forest Avalanche Cen-ter has supported the center for 22 years, providing financial backing and community partnerships for the PowderBlast and other fundraisers like the King of the Ridge; as well as for its 70 avalanche education classes the GNfAC hosts around the region, reaching more than 3,500 people.

The team at the avalanche center is ramping up as snow continues fall-ing in the mountains of southwest Montana. And they still need your help.

With more than 6,000 square miles across five mountain ranges, the advisory area in the Gallatin Na-tional forest is a lot to cover. Last season the forecasters put out 136 advisories, had 98 field days, dug 129 snowpits, made 58 YouTube videos and rode 1,200 miles on each of their snowmobiles.

Although they have regular observ-ers in such far flung places at Cooke City, they still rely on observations from recreational backcountry us-ers.

“We want as many obs in as many forms as we can get,” said forecaster Mark Stables, referring to weather, snow and avalanche observations that come in most often from back-country skiers, snowboarders and snowmobilers.

“Anything is great from anybody… A few notes about weather and skiing quality can tell us a lot, and then anything avalanche-related is helpful. It can be as detailed or as simple as you like – just a two sentence email can be great some-times.”

Despite all the data they collect, there are always gaps and these observa-tions from the public help paint the forecasters the picture by layering it atop other information they already have.

“We can confirm an idea we have or confirm the way we think conditions are, or it can tip us off that something is changing,” Staples said.

But what if you want to keep your secret backcountry stash, well… a secret?

Say so. “You can be as vague or as spe-cific as you want,” Staples said. “Just give a general area or a mountain range, and tell us not to say where [your obs or photo] are from, and we’ll honor that.”

‘friends’ indeedAvalanche center fundraiser raises serious cash for snow safety

gnfaC has new app and blog

The avalanche center is launch-ing an app this year, available for both Apple and Android operating systems, as well as a blog, and an education pro-gram for new beacon users at Bridger Bowl.

“Our main goal is for folks to get our advisory, and we want to make that as easy as possible,” said forecaster Mark Staples about the app. “We want to get that information out in as many forms as we can.”

The forecasters are also active on Twitter and Facebook, and this year the website, mtava-lanche.com, will have a mobile-specific interface.

The blog will be a home for non-advisory avalanche issues like discussion about new beacon technology, avalanche acci-dent lessons from other states, and GNFAC avalanche articles. in addition, the Friends will be running beacon workshops at Bridger Bowl with the help of ski patrol to teach new users how to use them, and also to educate them (and their parents) on the dangers of skiing the sidecoun-try.

The GNFAC Advisory App will be available in Google Play by mid-November and in iTunes this December.

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BY JOSEPH T. O’CONNORexpLore Big sky senior ediTor

BIG SKY – The Big Sky Chamber of Commerce announced on Oct. 18 that the volunteer-based Big Sky housing committee had selected a consultant to perform a feasibility study for a local housing devel-opment plan.

Economic and Planning Systems, based in Colorado and California, was one of three companies that submitted proposals to the committee, headed by the chamber, which was granted $80,000 in resort tax last June for this specific study.

“The big thing that gave EPS a leg up was that they had quite a bit of experience working in resort-based econo-mies and they planned on coming [to Big Sky] three times,” said the chamber’s executive director Kitty Cle-mens, who has headed up the housing committee since it began meeting last february.

The organizations’ proposals were based on a scoring sys-tem, which included each company’s past experience with housing development plans, its approach to this particular project, and whether it could submit a proposal within the $80,000 budget.

Each proposal fell under the price cap, and EPS is charging $60,000 for the study, Clemens said. EPS’ plan combined with legal work and expenses for public engagement will allow for the project to stay on budget.

EPS has in the past worked with Teton County’s housing plan in Wyoming, in Telluride, Colo., and has ongoing projects in Aspen, Colo, she added.

According to its proposal, the land economics consulting firm has also worked in “Whitefish and Bozeman… on affordable housing issues, identifying market and affordable housing needs and gaps, structuring housing plans, strategies, and policies using a variety of best practices tailored to local and regional market forces and realities.”

Representatives from the company will be in Big Sky Nov. 12-13, during which time they will hold a project kickoff meeting, consult landowners, tour potential building sites and begin an eco-nomic analysis, Clemens said.

Daniel Guimond, Principal at EPS, says he’s look-ing forward to the opportunity to work in Big Sky.

“We have a reputation of doing sound, objective research,” said Guimond, who opened an EPS of-fice in Denver in 1999. “We’ll try to hone in on what segments of the housing market are in most need of assistance and will work with the Big Sky community and the Chamber of Commerce to identify the mechanisms or approaches that are needed to address these housing needs.”

Big Sky committee selects consulting firm for housing feasibility study

Doug Chabot, Director of the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center, grins as he bellies up to the bar at the Powder-Blast, the center’s biggest annual fundraiser. This year’s event raised more than $25,000. PHOTO BY EMiLY WOLFE

Explore Big Sky Explore Big Skyexplorebigsky.com explorebigsky.com Nov.1-14, 2013 11monTana10 Nov.1-14, 2013 RegionaL

fish, WiLdLife And pArks

BOZEMAN – Sunny skies and mild temperatures marked the two days of the 2013 general deer and elk season opening weekend.

fWP biologists, staff and volunteers manned seven check stations to count hunter harvest rates in the southern Tobacco Roots and upper Ruby (Alder), the Madison (Cameron), Pioneers and upper Big Hole including fleecer and Mount Haggin (Divide and Mill Creek), the Gallatin, Park County (Livingston), and the Helena area (Silver City).

Elk harvest numbers at the Cameron check station doubled that of 2012, and are the highest seen since 2006 when the check station was open for longer hours. Over 15 percent of hunters who stopped at the station had successfully taken an animal (not including the seven antelope harvested).

Hunter success was also relatively strong at the Livingston check station (open only on Saturday and seeing 97 hunters), checking in four white-tailed deer, three mule deer and eight elk. The same appeared to be the case at the new Alder check station, which saw 454 hunters pass through, checking in 10 white-tailed deer, two mule deer and 44 elk. Divide and Mill Creek also saw a slight uptick overall.

The season got off to a slower start at the Silver City check station north of Helena, which typically sees the highest numbers of hunters pass through. By closing time on Sunday, 685 hunters had passed through, and less than 5 percent had harvested an animal. The Gallatin also saw more hunters than last year, but success there dropped to 2.2 percent.

general hunting season opens with high harvest numbers in madison and Park counties

2013 fwP Region 3 check station summary – weekend 1, oct. 26-27Hunters with or without game are required to stop at game check stations in Montana. The information gathered at check stations helps FWP with statistics, and also in determining future season setting and augmenting species population data. Here’s a look at this weekend’s data, with comparisons from the last fire years:

check station Hunters White-tailed deer mule deer elk

Hunters w/ Game

m F Juv tot. m F Juv tot. m F Juv tot. Alder 454 4 6 0 10 1 1 0 2 20 24 0 44 12.3%

Cameron 548 0 1 2 3 2 0 0 2 39 32 8 79 15.3%*

Divide 338 1 0 0 1 8 4 1 13 14 9 1 24 11.2%

Gallatin 274 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 6 2.2%**

Livingston*** 97 1 3 0 4 2 1 0 3 7 0 1 8 15.50%

Mill Creek*** 165 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 1 8 4.8%

Silver City 685 10 1 1 12 7 1 0 8 11 1 0 12 4.7%

totals 2561 16 11 3 30 20 7 1 28 104 66 11 181

*Cameron also checked in 7 antelope (3M, 4f). **Gallatin also checked in 1 mountain goat, 1 black bear, and 2 out-of-area mule deer. ***Open Satuday only

we are

A hunter descending a ridge in the northern Bridger Mountains on opening weekend. PHOTO BY EMiLY WOLFE

Explore Big Sky12 Oct. 18-31, 2013 RegionaL Nov. 1-14, 2013 13monTana

offiCe of puBLiC insTruCTion

HELENA – Twelve Montana communities will receive $50,000 in grants from the Graduation Matters Montana Student Assistance foundation Col-lege Readiness fund this year, with grants ranging from $2,000 – $5,000.

They are Anaconda, Bozeman, Browning, Columbia falls, Eureka, Great falls, Hardin, Hot Springs, Libby, Livingston, Missoula and Thompson falls.

“It is exciting to see Graduation Matters communities setting high goals to reach out to and engage students and families as they prepare for life after high school,” said Montana Supt. of Public Instruction Denise Juneau.

Schools are setting their sights on increasing the number of students in their schools who complete the free Application for federal Student Aid by participating in programs such as College Goal Montana. If schools success-fully meet their goals, Juneau estimates that students and their families will receive around $3.9 million in grant awards for college education.

The majority of grantee schools will also participate in College Application Week this November, an effort to increase the number of Montana students who apply for college.

Other activities that supported by the grant include promotion of dual credit courses, providing college and career exploration and mentoring opportuni-ties for middle school and high school students, and outreach to families to increase awareness of financial aid and college and certificate options.

oPi and Saf award $50,000 in grants for college

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yellowstone winter Rules finalized: 15 years in the makingBY DEBORAH COURSON SMiTHBig sky ConneCTion

MAMMOTH, Wyo. – A plan has been put in place to manage snowmobile and snowcoach use in Yellowstone National Park. The National Park Service final-ized the regulations on Oct. 22 – a process that took 15 years. under the new rule, there will be more vehicle traffic overall than current levels, said Tim Stevens, Northern Rockies regional director for the National Parks Conservation Association, but requirements to cut noise and carbon monoxide emissions will be stricter. “The Park Service has made the right decision and has struck the right balance be-tween protecting park resources and allowing a reasonable level of visitor access to the park in wintertime,” Stevens said. The regulations don’t count snow machines individually. Instead, the focus is on how many “transportation events” occur each day, and there’s flexibility to meet days of higher demand. There was some grumbling along the way as the rules were crafted, Stevens said – but also an understanding that the explosion of unregulated snowmobile traffic in the late 1980s and early ‘90s had to be addressed. “Everyone, including the snowmobile industry, agreed that we had a problem on our hands,” he said. “When you have a haze of blue smoke encircling the park entrances, it’s pretty clear we’ve got a problem.” The new regulations also set speed limits of 35 miles per hour for snowmobiles and 25 mph for snowcoaches.

Explore Big Sky Explore Big Skyexplorebigsky.com explorebigsky.com Nov.1-14, 2013 15BuSineSS14 Nov.1-14, 2013 BuSineSS

BY TYLER ALLENexpLore Big sky sTAff WriTer

BOZEMAN – Walking into Gallatin Valley furni-ture on North Seventh Avenue in Bozeman, one is struck by the sheer expanse of the 36,000-square-foot showroom floor. from buffalo hide couches to ornate dressers and modern, colorful Norwegian recliners, the showroom is a feast for the eyes.

Brian and Greg Cattin began working for their fam-ily business when the handles of the lawnmowers they pushed around the yard for $10 a day were still over their heads. The brothers now own Gallatin Valley furniture with their parents, continuing the tradition their grandfather Don DeCosse began on Main Street 67 years ago. In those days, the busi-ness used yardsticks to measure if a couch would fit a room and a customer only needed to dial ‘160’ to reach the store.

DeCosse moved the showroom to Seventh Avenue in 1976, to a space that was previously an indoor motorbike racetrack and repair garage. Shortly thereafter, he brought on his son Jim and son-in-law Dennis Cattin – Brian and Greg’s father – as part-ners.

The store now has 38 employees and an 18,000-square-foot warehouse north of the show-room building.

“We’ve been able to stay in business because we’ve found the right price point on products that don’t surpass people’s budget,” Brian says, noting that although they will customize any piece on the showroom floor, they’re more than just a high-end furniture store.

Brian, 34, has been working there for eight years and Greg, 29, came on board 2 ½ years ago – both officially became partners a year ago. The brothers graduated from the university of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn. – Brian with a degree in operations management and entrepreneurship, and Greg in entrepreneurship and marketing management.

A member of Carpet Once since 1992, Gallatin Val-ley furniture, has access to more lines and resources

than their competitors, according to the brothers, and sales are currently half furniture and half floor coverings. In addition to carpet, the store offers hardwood, laminate vinyl and luxury vinyl tile (LVT), as well as granite, limestone or marble slab.

“We’re a soup to nuts operation,” Brian said. “[We’re] practically a one-stop shop for someone looking to build, or rebuild, a home.”

“What makes them stand out is both their knowl-edge of their projects and attention to detail,” said Damon Rao, a partner in the Bozeman-based construction company, PRG Group. Gallatin Valley furniture provides finishes and flooring – primarily carpet, tile and hardwood – as a subcontractor for

PRG, which builds homes mainly in the Yellow-stone Club.

“They’ve helped us with some complicated and time-sensitive projects,” Rao said. “Their perfor-mance is what brings me back to them.”

from 1998-2006, Gallatin Valley furniture also had a store in the Big Sky Meadow Village, but shut-tered it due to the cost of rent, Brian said. A month ago they hired an interior designer, Susie Tetta, who works in Big Sky full time.

“I really enjoy putting together someone’s dream home or putting a final touch on it,” Greg said. “Whatever that dream home is to someone – $200,000 or $15 million.”

gallatin valley furniture continues long family tradition in Bozeman

BY MARiA MUNRO-SCHUSTERexpLore Big sky ConTriBuTor

BOZEMAN – In the basement of Sam Lowe-Anker’s home is an operation unlike any other. In fact, this Montana State university film student is likely the only person in Bozeman in his business.

Known as stop motion or claymation, Lowe-Anker practices a lost art that exists somewhere between cartoons and Pixar. It isn’t completely obsolete –Tim Burton’s work (Corpse Bride, The Nightmare Before Christmas) is proof. Lowe-Anker’s most recent project brought recognition, and a bit of humor, to one of the area’s most beloved haunts, Bridger Bowl.

Lowe-Anker, 21, is one of those people who’s actually doing what he wanted to do at age 14. And he has no apologies. His passion for telling stories with inanimate objects began with Legos, as it did for many in his generation; except this maverick wanted to film his Legos in action movies.

Today his models are far from the mono-expressive minifig heads. Lowe-Anker’s Plasticine (a clay that prevents melt-downs under the scorching film lights) models have a range of emotions as vast as, well, his own.

Pre-production work begins with acting out the scene in front of a mirror. He watches for the oft-overlooked intricacies of human emotion. What happens to the bags under someone’s eyes when they have been sitting at a monitor too long? Where do the pupils wander during a question? There, Lowe-Anker is a scientist on a quest for deeper comprehension into the human experience; in his studio, he’s an artist.

Long before it’s time to begin the tedious process of filming the model’s movements, he works with a flow chart, which ticks out the motions a character must perform in a given amount of time. The rule of thumb: The faster the action, the less movement a model has to make. A frustrated slap to the forehead takes fewer shots than a grandmother picking up her overweight feline.

The marketing team at Bridger Bowl approached Lowe-Anker two years ago after his successful avalanche education film, Stay Alive. The ski area had several radio ads that needed refreshing. With only the pre-recorded voices from the radio spot to work with, he began a four-month-long process to create a 30-second TV spot. Much of the time, he says, was spent on building the miniature 12-by-12 sets.

Even the finest craftsman would approve. Lowe-Anker lays his own miniature hardwood flooring. If his character needs jeans, he takes measurements and then hops over to the sewing machine. Mouse-sized kitchen whisks, tiny appliance cords and mini cork bulletin boards are all part of the package.

As obsessive as he is about the details, Lowe-Anker has learned over time how to increase his efficiency. He pops the jaw off of the ski lift operator and pulls out a tackle box full of jaws with different mouth positions. The eyeballs stay in the model’s head, but the pupils have holes in them so that the entire eye can be moved with a pin. Nothing is overlooked.

“I work to keep the characters from getting too creepy looking,” he says. “People don’t like something that looks too much like a marionette; I

want characters that are a bit more cartoony and relatable for an audience.”

As with any good artist, his work is never finished. He’ll spend four hours at the computer tweaking a one-second shot to perfection. Time is of

no concern; this is where Sam Lowe-Anker wants to be. After film school he has his eyes on an internship at Laika, creators of Coraline, in Portland, Ore.

Maria Munro-Schuster grew up on the Fort Peck Reservation in northeastern Montana. She currently teaches middle school at Headwaters Academy in Bozeman.

Bringing Stop motion BackMSU film student revives lost art

BY GREG RUFFWhiTe spACe sTrATegy

Tourism is Montana’s second largest industry behind agriculture, and the southwest Montana businesses

that have grown around the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem are a major contributor. Although we seldom think of the GYE as a business enabler, it is the key to our continued economic success.

Just as we have to manage the precious Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem to minimize negative impacts, we must also consciously and proactively maintain the

surrounding businesses as an ecosystem. Cooperative, proactive, thoughtful and deliberate management of both ecosystems has the potential to increase our natural and financial wealth by orders of magnitude.

Dr. James f. Moore was the first to publicize the idea that business ecosystems are “economic communities supported by a foundation of interacting organizations and individuals,” and just like biological ecosystems, they must inter-operate in mutually beneficial ways. Moore, who earned a doctorate in human development from Harvard, asserted that these business ecosystems also have food chains, hierarchies of leaders, hunters and gatherers, and even predators and prey to maintain a balance.

When functioning in natural balance, the GYE’s bio-ecosystem provides us with an unequalled opportunity to maximize both the enjoyment and commercial opportunities it provides. Just like the bio-ecosystem, the business ecosystem can interoperate and provide mutual benefits for both the GYE and the Yellowstone-Big Sky-Bozeman Business Ecosystem, or YBBBE.

As in a naturally occurring bio-ecosystem, a business ecosystem operates around core resources. In the case of YBBBE, these are the rich wildlife habitat and natural wonders of Yellowstone National Park and the GYE; the majestic rise of Lone Mountain peak and the phenomenal skiing on its flanks; the rugged, accessible expanse of the Bridger Range

above charming downtown Bozeman; and the resources and business climate that have grown around Montana State university.

We have world class parks; natural, educational and cultural resources; and a wealth of activities available in the GYE. We have a foundation for what can become the most thriving, responsibly growing, bio-ecosystem-based tourism business model in the world. Our challenge is to take full advantage of the resources we’ve been given to become the natural ecosystem leaders we’re capable of being.

Greg Ruff has consulted Fortune 500 companies and startup businesses on management, market and growth strategies since 1987. He first visited Big Sky in 1983 and recently relocated here.

The other yellowstone ecosystemSouthwest Montana’s nature-enabled business ecosystem

This column explores the idea that just as natural resource based bio-ecosystems operate in a complex natural balance, business ecosystems require deliberate, conscious management and shepherding of their resources to thrive.

Brian and Greg Cattin of Gallatin Valley Furniture in their North Seventh Avenue showroom in Bozeman. PHOTO BY TYLER ALLEN

Above: MSU film student Sam Lowe-Anker builds a miniature 12-by-12 set for a stop motion TV commercial for Bridger Bowl. PHOTOS BY MAX LOWEBelow: Paying attention to the little details is a big part of Lowe-Anker’s work. This clay figure’s pupils have holes in them, so the entire eye can be moved with a pin.

Explore Big Sky Explore Big Skyexplorebigsky.com explorebigsky.com16 Nov.1-14, 2013 header Nov.1-14, 2013 17

section 2: Life, LanD & CuLTuRe LPhS voLLeyBaLL P. 22

D E B U T S E A S O N B E G I N S D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 3S E E Y O U O N S T A G E . W A R R E N M I L L E R P A C . O R G

wayPoinTS: fLy fiShing fiLm P. 19

hunTing BiRDS in The miDweST P. 30

BY TYLER ALLENexpLore Big sky sTAff WriTer

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Bull riding in Big Sky has hit the big stage.

A fledgling stop on the Professional Bull Riders circuit – in just its third year – Big Sky’s event was announced as the PBR Touring Pro Division Event of the Year at round two of the World finals in Las Vegas, Nev., on Oct. 24.

The top 35 riders in the world compete every year at the PBR Built ford Tough World finals in the Thomas & Mack Center, where J.B. Mauney captured his first world title this year. The five-day event culminates a years’ worth of work by the riders, bulls and event produc-ers.

“My first PBR event was over 10 years ago in Las Vegas,” said Eric Ladd, CEO of Outlaw Partners (and publisher of this newspaper) who co-produced the Big Sky PBR with freestone Produc-tions and Continental Construction. “I was so inspired after seeing the show and thought, ‘wow, I’d really like to bring this to Big Sky.’”

He did, and three years after the first bulls bucked under the shadow of Lone

Mountain, Ladd stood in the national spotlight.

“Eric was shaking and could hardly breathe, he was so excited,” said Jacey Watson of freestone Productions. She and her husband Andy Watson, along with Jim Murphy of Continental Con-struction, were on hand to accept the award voted on by the world’s top 35 riders.

PBR entertainer flint Rasmussen and announcer Brandon Bates, both of whom work the World finals and Big Sky show, were on the dusty floor of the Thomas & Mack Center pulling for the team.

Rasmussen, a Montana native, ran up on stage after the award ceremony, de-livering hugs and congratulations.

“To have the riders vote the Big Sky PBR as the Touring Pro Event of the Year is a great honor,” said PBR CEO Jim Haworth, who was on stage for the award presentation and witnessed the Big Sky production first-hand this summer. “It means that out of the 120 events on the tour, this event is quickly becoming the TPD to attend on every riders’ list.”

Bull riders vote Big Sky best in the nation

Team Big Sky PBR: Flint Rasmussen, Eric Ladd, Jim Murphy, Jacey Watson and Andy Watson accepting the award for Touring Pro Division Event of the Year at the PBR World Finals in Las Vegas, Nev. Oct. 24. PHOTO COURTESY OF FREESTONE PRODUCTiONS

PBR CEO Jim Haworth at the 2013 Big Sky PBR PHOTO BY TYLER BUSBYContinued on p. 18

Explore Big Sky Explore Big Skyexplorebigsky.com explorebigsky.com Nov.1-14, 2013 19header18 Nov.1-14, 2013 ouTLaw newS

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All information given is considered reliable, but because it has been supplied by third parties, we cannot represent that it is accurate or complete, and should not be relied upon as such. These offerings are subject to errors, omissions, and changes including price or withdrawal without notice. All rights reserved. Equal Housing Opportunity. ©2013 LK REAL ESTATE, llc. lkrealestate.com | *Membership is required

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The two-day event on July 31 and Aug. 1 brought nearly 5,000 fans to Big Sky Town Center for bull riding, mutton busting, pulled pork, Pabst Blue Ribbon and free concerts each night. The all-female AC/DC cover band Hell’s Belles tore the cover off the Cooper Tire stage on night one, and Bozeman-based outlaw country outfit The Dirty Shame treated revelers to a rocking show night two, complete with the natural pyrotechnics of a

mid-summer Montana light-ning storm.

The momen-tum for the Big Sky PBR to take top honors was building even before the first bulls crashed through the gates. A week before the event, PBR announced that

Big Sky would be the first ever Touring Pro Divi-sion stop shown live on pay-per-view, streaming the competition in real time to households around the world.

Chase Outlaw, Sean Willingham, Stetson Lawrence, former world champion Mike Lee, and 11 other bull riders used Big Sky as a springboard to the World fi-nals this year. The $40,000 added purse and the Built ford Tough Series’ new point system made it a particu-larly enticing destination, according to Watson.

Most TPD events only contribute 15-20 percent of the points to riders’ BfTS standings, but 50 percent of the points earned in Big Sky were available this year, putting it on par with only three or four other events in the country.

for the past 8-10 years, the Event of the Year honor has been dominated by the J.W. Hart PBR Chal-

lenge in Decatur, Texas, and the Ross Coleman Invitational in Molalla, Ore., so the win for Big Sky was nothing short of a coup.

“It was a pretty humbling moment to stand in front of that crowd in Las Vegas, up against some of the most seasoned events in country,” Ladd said. “Jim [Murphy] and I didn’t have nearly the caliber of belt buckles our competi-tion did.”

The allure of prize money and points brought bull riders to Big Sky, but it was likely the mountain culture and welcome they received that sealed the deal.

“I think the recreation played a big part [for the riders],” Watson said. “Sev-eral of the guys rented a condo and mountain bikes to go back and forth to the arena. It’s quite unheard of at any other event.”

“I think this is a proud moment for the town of Big Sky,” Murphy said. “Big Sky already has the best skiing in North America, now they also have the best PBR Touring Pro Event.”

Ladd was quick to point out all the individu-als and businesses that make Big Sky’s big-gest summer blow-out happen. “Thanks to a great partnership with freestone Productions

and our amazing sponsors, we’re able to bring to Big Sky a show of the same quality as seen in Madison Square Garden in New York City.”

The free concerts associated with the PBR have also brought to town bigger names like Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real and Morgan frazier, keeping the party going after the last bull has bucked, and drawing another set of fans.

Turns out, the PBR’s frenzied atmosphere is a treat for the artists, too.

“It’s very inspiring to be around all the cowboys,” said Adrian “Angus” Conner of Hell’s Belles, after their performance this summer. “All that testosterone is a huge turn on!”

Plans for next year’s event are already in the works, and the promoters won’t be resting on their laurels in the meantime, Ladd said.

“We’re excited to make it even better and attract the very best riders in the world.”

Continued from p. 17

The 2013 Big Sky PBR brought nearly 5,000 fans to Big Sky Town Center. PHOTOS BY TYLER BUSBY

“i think this is a proud moment for the town of Big Sky. Big Sky already has the best skiing in North America, now they also have the best PBR Tour-ing Pro Event.” -Jim Murphy

Hell's Belles kept the party going after the bull riding event in Big Sky this summer, draw-ing another set of fans.

Explore Big Sky Explore Big Skyexplorebigsky.com explorebigsky.com20 Nov.1-14, 2013 enTeRTainmenT Nov.1-14, 2013 21CaLenDaRPLanning an evenT? LeT uS know! emaiL [email protected], anD we’LL SPReaD The woRD.

friday, nov. 1 – Thursday, nov. 14

*if your event falls between Nov. 15 and Nov. 28, please submit it by Friday, Nov. 8.

Big SkySunDay, nov. 3Ballet Class w/Jennifer WatersSantosha Wellness Center, 10 a.m.

Pastry Perfection w/Chef LizTantalizing TartsRainbow Ranch, 3-4:30 p.m.

weDneSDay, nov. 6Friends of the Library Used Book SaleBig Sky Community Library, 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

ThuRSDay, nov. 7Friends of the Library Used Book SaleBig Sky Community Library, 8:30-11:30 a.m.

Chamber Educational Class on Health Care ReformFirst Security Bank Board Room, 8:30 a.m.

SunDay, nov. 10Veterans ServiceBig Sky Chapel, 9:30 a.m.

Ballet Class w/Jennifer WatersSantosha Wellness Center, 10 a.m.

Pastry Perfection w/Chef LizCupcake CreationRainbow Ranch, 3-4:30 p.m.

monDay, nov. 11Veterans Day

TueSDay, nov. 12Bingo NightGallatin Riverhouse, 6:30 p.m.

TueSDay, nov. 19Manure Management Workshop for Horse OwnersLone Mountain Ranch, 5-7 p.m.

BoZemanfRiDay, nov. 1Mummy DearestVerge Theatre, 8 p.m.

Jazz Montana Festival PerformanceAlto Saxophonist Madaline DuranEllen Theatre, 8 p.m.

Live From the Divide w/Sera CahoonePeach Street Studios, 8 p.m.

Miller Creek ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ PartyFilling Station, 9 p.m.

Whitewater Ramble & The Lil’ SmokiesThe Zebra, 9:30 p.m.

SaTuRDay, nov. 2Silly Moose improvThe Verge, 2 p.m.

HamletEllen Theatre, 7:30 p.m.

Jazz Montana Festival PerformanceTenor Saxophonist Chelsea BaratzMSU Reynolds Recital Hall, 7:30 p.m.

Mummy DearestVerge Theatre, 8 p.m.

LatyrxThe Zebra, 8 p.m. SunDay, nov. 3Young FrankensteinEllen Theatre, 3 p.m.

monDay, nov. 4Bridger Creek BoysColonel Blacks, 6-9 p.m.

Live TriviaBacchus, 8 p.m.

Open MicHaufbrau, 10 p.m.

TueSDay, nov. 5Restorative YogaThe MAC, 5-6:30 p.m.

Foundations in FermentationFermenting Food Waste w/BokashiPrivate Residence (near MSU), 7-9 p.m.

Bozeman Tango PracticesThe MAC, 8 p.m.

weDneSDay, nov. 6Bokashi: A Fermenter’s Alternative to Traditional CompostingMSU, 12 p.m.

Snow GuardiansMSU Procrastinator Theatre, 7 p.m.

KaraokeBacchus, 9 p.m.

Wild West Wednesday Social DanceThe MAC, 8-10:30 p.m.

Live From the Divide w/Jay ShogrenPeach Street Studios, 8 p.m.

Casey Donahew BandMain Street Entertainment Complex, 8 p.m.

ThuRSDay, nov. 7intro to Lindy HopThe MAC, 6:30-7:30 p.m.

West African DanceThe MAC, 7:30 p.m.

fRiDay, nov. 8Handcrafts for the HolidaysGallatin Valley Mall, 10 a.m.

2nd Annual Barn Dance BenefitCopper Spring Ranch (w. of Four Corners), 5:30 p.m.

Lecture on Causes of CancerMuseum of the Rockies, 5:30 p.m.

World Premiere of Confluence Films’ WaypointsViP ScreeningEllen Theatre, 8 p.m.

Live From the Divide w/Jim AverittPeach Street Studios, 8 p.m.

SaTuRDay, nov. 9Handcrafts for the HolidaysGallatin Valley Mall, 10 a.m.

World Premiere of Confluence Films’ WaypointsEllen Theatre, 5 & 7:30 p.m.

Silly Moose improvThe Verge, 2 p.m.

Live From the Divide w/The Wench: John and Josh from the ClintonsPeach Street Studios, 8 p.m.

SunDay, nov. 10Handcrafts for the HolidaysGallatin Valley Mall, 11 a.m.

Jonathan RichmanFilling Station, 9 p.m.


Bridger Creek BoysColonel Blacks, 6-9 p.m.

improv on the VergeThe Verge, 7 p.m.

TrivaBacchus, 8 p.m.

Open MicHaufbrau, 10 p.m.

TUESDAY, NOV. 129th Pecha Kucha NightEllen Theatre, 7:20 p.m.

Bozeman Tango PracticesThe MAC, 8 p.m.

weDneSDay, nov. 139th Pecha Kucha NightEllen Theatre, 7:20 p.m.

KaraokeBacchus, 9 p.m.

Sizzling SalsaThe MAC, 8-10:30 p.m.

ThuRSDay, nov. 14BFF Presents: Blue JasmineEmerson Cultural Center, 7:30 p.m.

Thanks-4-giving Clothing giveaway Willson School Gymnasium

Saturday, Nov. 23: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 24: 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Donations of gently used clothing items, sorted and labeled according to size and gender, will be accepted at the Willson School Gym, Tuesday, Nov. 19-22 from 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.

weST yeLLowSTonemonDay, nov. 4Yellowstone’s west entrance closed to motorized travel

SaTuRDay, nov. 9National Parks Free Fee Days (thru Mon.)


LivingSTon & PaRaDiSe vaLLey

fRiDay, nov. 1Mystery of Edwin BroodThe Shane, 8 p.m.

Chico Halloween Party w/Big Caboose All StarsChico Saloon, 9 p.m.

Qwenby & The West of Wayland BandMurray Bar, 9:30 p.m.

SaTuRDay, nov. 2Big Timber Christmas Bazaar9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Mystery of Edwin BroodThe Shane, 8 p.m.

Big Caboose All StarsChico Saloon, 9 p.m.

Nathan NorthMurray Bar, 9:30 p.m.

SunDay, nov. 3Mystery of Edwin Brood MatineeThe Shane, 3 p.m.

weDneSDay, nov. 6Travis WardMurray Bar, 9 p.m.

ThuRSDay, nov. 7Harmony MarketBozeman Holiday Inn, 4-8 p.m.

Chamber Awards Banquet5:30 p.m.

StrangeWaysMurray Bar, 9:30 p.m.

fRiDay, nov. 811th Annual Beer and Wine FestivalDepot, 6-8 p.m.

Mystery of Edwin BroodThe Shane, 8 p.m.

Spend Thanksgiving skiing in westWEST YELLOWSTONE – Each year, an estimated 3,500 skiers from around the u.S. and Canada travel to the Yellowstone Ski festival to kick off the winter season.

Held at the Rendezvous Ski Trails in West Yellowstone during Thanksgiving week, this year’s event will be Nov. 26-30. The festival offers activities for a wide range of abilities, from novice to expert.

Participants can look forward to Nordic skiing clinics coached by former Olym-pic athletes, SuperTour and biathlon races, an on-snow gear demo, an indoor ski show, and various other presentations, clinics and classes.

find registration details and a complete schedule at yellowstoneskifestival.com.


The 100-foot boat lurched violently in the storm as Chris Patterson crawled from his bunk in the hull to the bridge, where the captain was at the wheelhouse.

“I just had to get out of bed,” said Patterson, “so I started walking, but I got slammed into the wall.”

The boat spent almost three days crossing the Indian Ocean between Mauritius and St. Brandons Atoll, all of it in the storm.

This was the first of first of five stops in nine months for Patterson and his partner at Confluence films, Jim Klug, co-owner of Yellow Dog fly fishing in Bozeman, all for the mak-ing of Waypoints, a fly fishing film focused on conservation and adven-ture.

“It was a pretty good-sized boat, but it felt like we were in a canoe. I was like ‘gosh, what the hell are we get-ting into here?’”

When they arrived in St. Brandons – a chain of uninhabited islands some 300 nautical miles from Mauritius – the crew headed for a sand flat off the coast where giant Trevally and Indo-Pacific Permit come to feed. Patterson, also a cinematographer for Warren Miller Entertainment, pulled out the extendable ladder that he’d bought in a Bozeman paint store and set it up on the flats to get a high angle shot unaffected by the waves.

“I turned around to Jim, who’s in a skiff we use to get to the shore, and two 12-foot sharks swim underneath the ladder.”

Conflence’s fourth film, Waypoints takes the crew next to southeast Alaska to fish for steelhead; then to the Venezuelan jungle to fish for the Payara, a toothy beast that lives in muddy class 4 rapids and is nick-named the ‘vampire fish’; on to Chil-ean Patagonia, where they helicopter from an expedition ship into remote valleys to raft and fish their back to the ocean; and finally to northern India, on the Nepal border, where

they float the Saryu and Mahakali rivers in search of the elusive Golden Mahseer.

The film will show at more than 30 locations across the country on Nov. 8, including at Lone Peak Cinema in Big Sky, the Ellen Theater in Boze-man, the Wilma Theater in Missoula and the Whitefish Moose Lodge, as well as theaters in South Africa, Sweden and Argentina.

A percentage of ticket prices go to regional nonprofits, Patterson said, noting that past films have donated a total of more than $250,000 to con-servation groups.

The title, Waypoints, refers not only to GPS waypoints, Patterson said, but also to metaphorical waypoints in a person’s life.

“You spend two minutes with a fish that you’ve spent your whole life [learning and working] to catch, you take a photo and then let it go... It’s a

memory, but it’s also a sort of waypoint, meaning you’ve come to this place and caught this fish that you’ve always want-ed to catch, and then you set your course for the next challenge, the next fish.”

Known for great cinematography and music, cool stories and fun characters, Confluence in 2010 was awarded Trout unlimited’s “National Conserva-tion Communications Award” for its conservation-based fundraising efforts.

As co-owner of Yellow Dog fly fish-ing, Klug, the producer, is also excel-lent at casting, Patterson says. That is, “casting the talented anglers we feature in the films, as well as researching the locations and finally, writing the nar-ration.”

Confluence’s films “try to showcase the soul of fly fishing,” Klug wrote in an email from Belize, where he was working.

“We really try to base our films on specific stories – the interesting species that can be caught on a fly, the exotic and beautiful places where those spe-cies live, and the amazing characters that seem to gravitate to the sport.”

It’s possible no one else has made films quite like this – yet.

“The multi-segment, exotic “travel-ogue” style that we focus on seems to be a Confluence exclusive,” Klug said. “We are definitely seeing a lot of people getting into the game, and a lot of projects that people are pumping out... In my opinion [that] is great for the fly fishing industry and for the sport.”

waypointsConfluence premieres fourth adventure fly fishing film

waypointsA fly fishing adventure film pro-duced by Confluence Films

Watch the trailer at confluencefilms.tv

Bozeman – The ellen TheatreNov. 8: 8 p.m. (ViP show)Nov. 9: 5 and 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are available at The river’s edge, The river’s edge north, fins & feathers, montana Troutfitters, Rockford Coffee, Yel-low Dog Flyfishing Adventures, or at the Ellen Theatre Box Office or theellentheatre.com.

Big Sky – Lone Peak CinemaNov. 8: 8 p.m. Tickets are available at grizzly Outfitters and Lone Peak Cinema.WWW.CONFLUENCEFILMS.COM

directed and edited by

produced andwritten by JIM KLUG CHRIS PATTERSONcinematography

by CHRIS PATTERSON and DENVER MILLER

music by TODD HANNIGAN LARRY KEEL & NATURAL BRIDGE ALEXI MURDOCH and THE BEAUTIFUL GIRLS

featuring OLIVER WHITE JEFF CURRIER GERHARD LAUBSCHER DAN “ROOSTER” LEAVENS GREG BRICKER BRET SENG WIL FLACK TRAVIS PETERSON TIM BABICH MISTY DHILLION

Fly fishing in St. Brandon's Atoll PHOTOS BY JiM KLUG

Explore Big Sky Explore Big Skyexplorebigsky.com explorebigsky.com22 Nov.1-14, 2013 SPoRTS

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CourTesy of Lone peAk high sChooL

WEST YELLOWSTONE – The stands were packed in the West Yel-lowstone gymnasium Saturday, Oct. 26 as Lone Peak High School faced the Wolverines for their last match in District 8C regular season play.

It was senior night for the Wolverines and they came ready to play, but the Big Horns jumped out to an early lead paced by the great net work of junior Gabrielle Gasser. She had four kills and three blocks in the first set, lead-ing the Big Horns to a 25-16 decision.

West played an inspired second set, keeping LPHS off balance and pulling out a 19-25 win. With the match tied up at one set apiece, both teams came out in the third hungry to win the pivotal set. LPHS captains Michelle Burger and Tehya Braun galvanized their team during the long, tense ral-lies that kept the crowd on the edge of their seats. With the lead switch-ing back and forth, the Big Horns finally sealed the win, 25-23.

The noise in the gymnasium was deafening and encouraged by the raucous fans from both schools, play heated up in the fourth set. The Wol-verines jumped out to a 3-point lead mid set, but the Big Horns fought to keep West from taking this match to

five sets. With great serving and play from setter Katie Reid, LPHS rallied back into the lead.

The crowd was on its feet with a 24-22 LPHS lead on the scoreboard. West won the serve and the Big Horns moved into serve receive, ready to play for the win. After a long and animated rally, Lone Peak fought to score the final point, taking the set 25-23, winning their final regular season match and improving to a 4-9 overall record.

The Big Horns notched 11 aces, 28 team digs, and a season-high 17 kills on the night. Gasser picked up seven of the team kills – along with a season-high six blocks – and Reid had 10 assists.

“Wow, what a game!” said Coach Sarah Griffiths after the match. “It is so great to have such an intense rivalry that brings out the best play in both teams. Big Horn volleyball is really starting to peak at the right time as we head into district play next week.”

The Big Horns faced Lima in the dis-trict playoffs on Thursday, Oct. 31 at Manhattan Christian School. Explore Big Sky went to press Oct. 30.

The junior varsity match will go down as the biggest comeback of the

season for LPHS JV volleyball. The Big Horns started off the first set neck and neck with the Wolverines, but West ultimately pulled it out, 23-25.

LPHS again played hard in the second, but dropped the set 17-25, and it looked like West was poised to win the match. But the Big Horns weren’t ready to be done with their season yet.

Capitalizing on an early Wolverine error in the third, freshman Bianca Godoy rattled off 12 straight serves – she had 10 aces on the night – to pace LPHS during a decisive 15-1 win. In the fourth, the momentum was in the Big Horns’ favor and

they won, 15-11. LPHS clinched the win in set five, rolling over the Wolverines, 15–5.

The Big Horns posted a season-high 16 kills and 17 aces, led by the stel-lar serving of Godoy who also had four kills. Every Big Horn player notched at least one kill in the match, and junior setter Janie Izzo had a great night with four aces, four kills and six assists.

“Our team played with tremen-dous heart and pulled off a fan-tastic win over West,” said Coach Erika frounfelker after the match. “I’m so proud of how they battled back from being down two sets, to end our season with a win.”

LPhS varsity volleyball rolls to exciting win over west yellowstoneJunior varsity pulls off huge comeback

Maria Lovely digging the ball during the Big Horns’ win over the Wolverines of West Yellowstone, Oct. 26. PHOTO BY MONA LOVELY

Explore Big Skyexplorebigsky.com Nov. 1-14, 2013 25heaLTh24 Nov.1-14, 2013 SPoRTS

BY BRANDON NiLESexpLore Big sky sporTs CoLumnisT

St. Louis Rams starting quarterback Sam Bradford suf-fered a season-ending ACL injury on Oct. 20, throw-ing the team’s season into disarray. The Rams were off to a 3-3 start behind Bradford and a promising young defense, and without Bradford the future looks dim for the Rams’ season.

After the injury, rumors immediately swirled about which quarterbacks Rams’ officials might look to in their time of need. The name mentioned the most was Tim Tebow. The 2007 Heisman Trophy winner for the university of florida Gators, and former Denver Broncos starter, hasn’t been on a roster since being cut from the New England Patriots in early September.

Despite the rampant Tebow rumors, St. Louis elected to sign veteran Brady Quinn and youngster Austin Da-vis. There has even been talk of the Rams reaching out to 44-year-old Brett favre, who retired after the 2010 season. Rams officials didn’t even consider Tebow.

St. Louis isn’t the only team to run into quarterback trouble this season. The Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans, Minnesota Vikings and Cleve-land Browns have all had injury or performance issues at the position and are look-ing for a new signal caller. Yet Tebow remains without a team.

Tebow has a large fan follow-ing, both in Gator country and around the nation. His persona as an earnest Chris-tian and his success at the college level has helped him amass tremendous public support. As a result, many football fans question why he hasn’t been able to find a team nearly halfway through the season.

Tebow’s career in the NfL has included both success and failure. While he has looked great in some games, he’s been horrible in others and has struggled to get on the field since the Broncos traded him to the New York Jets after the 2011 season. After being cut by both the Jets and the Patriots since then, Tebow’s future in the league has been shrouded in doubt. Many believe he

can be a great NfL quaterback, while others think his throwing technique will never allow him to be a viable starter.

After the Patriots cut him in September, rumors swirled about Canadian, Russian and arena football teams in-quiring about his services. Other reports suggest NfL teams have offered him a role if he’ll agree to a posi-tion change. If this is true, and Tebow turned down these offers, is it pride that’s hurting his career?

Staying off the field only means more time away from the game for Tebow, and that’s never a good way to get team officials to remember your name when they need a quarterback. There’s something to be said for maintaining the competitive fire by play-ing in a professional sports environment.

I hope he reconsiders his quarterback-or-bust at-titude, because no matter

what position he plays, or level of football he’s competing in, he’s a fun player to watch.

is pride hurting Tim Tebow?

Tim Tebow “Tebowing” at Sports Authority Field at Mile High (Denver Colorado) in January 2012. PHOTO BY ED CLEMENT PHOTOGRAPHY (CC)

PHOTO AND STORY BY MiKE COiLexpLore Big sky ConTriBuTor

On the most beautiful fall afternoon of the season, Oct. 26, the Lone Peak Big Horns routed the Lima Bears 46-20 to finish the regular season at 4-4.

The Bears (3-5) used a flea flicker option offense, which resulted in a steady air game with exciting pass and option plays. The Big Horn defense proved up to the task and swatted away passes throughout the afternoon and intercepted the Bears late in the game to seal the win.

freshman quarterback Eddie Starz again showed his athleticism as he mixed up passes and running plays to march his Big Horns up and down the field on several sustained drives. Lima was short handed with only eight players, and their fatigue was showing by the fourth quarter as most of their team played the entire game.

for the second year in a row the Big Horns have made the playoffs, which start on Nov. 2 (after press time), with a game in Hobson under the lights.

Big Horns finish season with win over Lima

Justin Mayse catches a touchdown pass

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BOZEMAN – Bozeman Deaconess Health Services has received the Health-grades Pulmonary Care Excellence Award for 2014, and was also recognized for clinical excellence in orthopedic, pulmonary and gastrointestinal care. Deaconess is currently the only hospital in Montana to receive the 2013 Healthgrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award.

BDHS was ranked among the top 15 percent in the nation for Outstanding Patient Experience in 2013 and ranked among the top 5 percent for Overall Pulmonary Services for 2014. BDHS was named a five-Star recipient for Total Knee Replacement for three years in a row (2012-2014), and was recognized for the first time as a five-Star recipient for treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Pneumonia and GI Bleed for 2014.

Healthgrades, a leading online resource that helps consumers search, com-pare and connect with physicians and hospitals, announced these results in “American Hospital Quality Outcomes 2014: Healthgrades Report to the Nation,” which evaluates hospital performance at more than 4,500 hospitals nationwide for 31 of the most common inpatient procedures and conditions.

BDHS was also honored for the second year in a row with an “A” Hospital Safety Score by The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits.

The Hospital Safety Score is calculated using publicly available data on patient injuries, medical and medication errors, and infections. Participating hospitals earn an A, B, C, D, or f. Announced Oct. 29, Deaconess was one of three hospitals in Montana to earn this highest grade.

Bozeman Deaconess recognized by healthgrades for clinical experienceNational report identifies BDHS among the top in orthopedic, pulmonary, gastrointestinal care

Explore Big Sky26 Nov. 1-18, 2013 CLaSSifieDS Nov. 1-14, 2013 27fun

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Find out what tunes we’re bumping! In “Powder Playlist,” Explore Big Sky staff and guests suggest a soundtrack for a day on the mountain, and guests have a chance to share what they listen to when they shred.

Some call the teaser months of fall the shoulder season; others call it hunting season; and then there are those who call it ski-movie season. For that last group, ski flicks are all that hold them over until they can get early morning powder turns.

The list of tracks below are all featured in 2013 ski films and are a good start to an early season playlist. Listen to these songs while you’re training in the gym to convince yourself you should stay a little longer if you want to ride big lines like those in the movies.

“A Tribe Called Red,” Electric Pow Wow Drum (Sherpa Cinemas’ into The mind)

“Hurdy Gurdy Man,” Donovan (Sweetgrass Productions’Valhalla)

“Hollow Talk,” Choir of Young (Powderwhore’s elevation)

“The Desert Won’t Save You,” U.S. Royalty (Red Bull Media House and Poor Boyz Productions’ Tracing skylines)

“Nearly Clearly,” Acefeh(4FRNT’s CrJ: The Chronicle of a freeskiing icon)

“The Prince is Coming,” ARAABMUZiK(Teton Gravity Research’s Way of Life)

“All The Days,” HAERTS(Chaoz Productions’ head straight)

“Birth,” Thirty Seconds to Mars(Warren Miller’s Ticket to ride)

“Dreams So Real,” Metric(Unicorn Picnic Productions’ pretty faces)

“Pain Killers,” Al’Tarba(Awone Films’ Je Vais Au reve)

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BY JAMiE BALKEexpLore Big sky CoLumnisT

I recently moved from my apartment into a house with two roommates. foolishly, I thought the move would be a jovial team effort, full of hijinks and humor. Instead, it was a two-week physical and emotional pit of despair full of cleaning and heavy lifting.

Now, as I uncurl myself from the mental fetal position, I’m reflect-ing upon some of the move’s lighter points.

The funniest thing that happened during this soul-crushing endeavor was my dad’s response to several flies that infiltrated the new house. He was, shall we say, displeased to find the winged insects in the kitchen. He went flyswatter shop-ping and returned with a barbaric looking piece of metal – none of this new fangled plastic nonsense.

My dad was, in fact, instrumental in helping us move and clean. But whenever there was a lull in the work – like when the rest of us sat around the table at mealtime with eyes glazed and muscles fatigued – he went on the offensive. The flies didn’t stand a chance.

One insect, possibly trying to be clev-er, landed on my boyfriend Aaron’s arm. Perhaps it reasoned that the man with the swatter would not attack a fellow human. How wrong that fly

was. undeterred, my dad instructed Aaron to stay very still, and went in for the kill with his unforgiving metal swatter. Aaron was slightly trauma-tized, but physically unscathed.

Also humorous were the attempts to shelve our massive book col-lection. The three of us are avid readers/book hoarders, ultimately forced to purchase three gigantic

bookshelves – in addition to the four we already had.

The new shelves are so large we anchored them to the wall, for fear for being crushed should they topple.

However, while demonstrating the shelving installation technique, my brother John pulled the anchor from the wall with a gentle tug, and then declared he always knew it would all end for him in a cascade of books. We explored alternate anchoring tools.

Although painful, so far it’s been worth the effort. The house itself is well suited to our needs, and is in a beautiful Bozeman neighborhood near several parks with mountain views. Although there have been a few tense moments – such as when we discovered we’d have a three-week gap in Internet at the same time the new season of The Walk-ing Dead was released on Netflix – it’s been great spending time with my roommates.

I was anxious about losing total control of my home, but living with two of my favorite people has been worth the compromise. Except for the day my brother stealthily ate the dessert I was saving for later. That day, I questioned my decision.

Jamie Balke would like her brother to know that she will defend her future desserts with the fly swatter, if needed.

moving on: a follow-up

Flyswatter in hand, Balke prepares to defend her dessert. PHOTO COURTESY OF JAMiE BALKE

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BY DAVE MCCUNEexpLore Big sky ConTriBuTor

My dad isn’t much for hunting pheas-ants. I’ve always been curious why.

for me, nothing beats stomping around southwest Montana with my pup, Vadasz. I find a specific kind of peace when looking for birds, explor-ing new ranges, and hoping for a chance or two at an upland dinner.

Still, my dad isn’t much for hunting pheasants.

See, for years my father has admired pheasants from an aesthetic stand-point. He loves watching roosters peck and posture around the young Kansas wheat fields of his home state, and though he doesn’t particularly dislike the taste of the game bird, he doesn’t especially like it either. Now in his early 60s, the cold early morn-ing hunting weather hits his bones with callous disregard.

But I’ve always thought these were weak reasons, and that he was being a wuss. But none of that truly mat-ters to Dad. To him, the hunt itself is, well, skewed. Sitting in Eva’s, the community café in small-town Montezuma, Kan., I’m starting to understand why.

Let me catch you up…

During a recent opening weekend, my father and I spent the morning field-working my young pointer and chasing birds around the land my an-cestors homesteaded in southwest Kansas in the mid-1800s. That land is in our blood, and so, in a way, are the birds we chased that morning across frosted CRP ground, into musty cedar shelter belts, out of harvested corn rows, and around collapsed buildings.

We often got points from Vadasz, sometimes getting shots, and always getting chided. Me, my

dad, my dog, and my grandfather’s shotgun scared a few birds up and knocked a few down. Sitting in the café, having just ordered the county’s best chicken fried steak and egg breakfast, surrounded by the smell of coffee and country air, I felt content.

Over the next five minutes, Eva’s filled with throngs of new custom-ers from another hunting party. Like I said, the chicken fried plate is famous.

They surged through the door like the gravy flowing off my plate. Chairs rattled across the wooden floor, silverware clanked onto table-tops, and coffee poured into mugs like a gurgling stream. Patrons who moments ago were quietly chatting on full bellies hastily headed for the door – but it was not a polite exit, it was an escape. More than 30 hunters made their way into Eva’s, discussing the morning hunt.

“How’d you fellas do?” from across the room.“96 so far!” “Gonna try to get the rest of the limit after the feed!” “Shouldn’t take this group too long.”

It wasn’t even noon.

I looked at my father. until now, our morning had been perfect, filled with hunting, but also about some-thing more: time together, patience, stealth, the outdoors, challenge, camaraderie, nature, beauty. faintly, I saw something reflected in his eyes.

In his youth, my dad went on several rabbit drives. Back then, rabbits were deemed a nuisance (some would say a plague) and they were shown no mercy. Large groups would walk slowly through a field beating the brush with poles and clubs, rakes or brooms, driving the critters toward the opposite end.

There, behind a temporary snow fence, death silently waited. As the rabbits massed into the waiting nets, the clubs relented on the brush and turned their force on another target with swift and fierce efficiency. Rabbits, when mortally threatened, cry out. More like a small child than a cute little bunny, they wail.

When the deed was done and the last rabbit was killed, the remains were gathered. Pelts were harvest-ed, and the rest went to the mink farms to serve as feed for another type of slaughter. If this doesn’t sound much like a sporting field hunt… it wasn’t.

Neither was the other party’s morning pheasant hunt. The similarities are striking. Most of the party marches through a field, flushing all birds and shooting as many as possible. Those pheasants that do avoid the walking guns are left with no escape other than to fly directly into the waiting guns of the “blockers,” those who drove around to the end of the field to block any escape. No bird left be-hind. Well, no male bird anyway. Clear a field, move on to the next one.

What makes rabbit drives of the ‘50s different from many pheasant hunts

in the Midwest today? Not much for Dad.

I’m not condoning or condemning this style of hunting. I’m not saying

my morning hunt was any more fair or pure; in fact, some would argue that my dog gave me an unfair advan-tage. This is just how it is done in the heartland.

As the other hunters devour their breakfasts, Dad and I walk back outside to the warming sunshine. On our way, we shake hands and offer good luck. Dad has grown up with some of these men, and most have known me all my life. We don’t begrudge them, and secretly, we may even wish we had a few more birds in our bags. Not 96, but maybe my limit of four.

We ride back to the farmhouse to clean the roosters for dinner, soft country music playing on the radio and dust settling on winter wheat behind us. I’m already looking forward to my return to Big Sky and an upcoming trip to eastern Montana.

I glance at my dad. He seems con-tent, and the front seat is peaceful. Suddenly, a rooster stands up in the ditch and blusters. Dad antago-nizes the bird with the car’s horn, and then smiles as he watches it take flight across the country through the rearview mirror.

I’m no great hunter. I learn more and more with each passing season. But I do know this:

I will never again ask Dad why he isn’t much for hunting pheasants.

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Driving birdsHunting pheasants in the Midwest

The author and Vadasz set for an evening hunt in eastern Montana. PHOTO BY NATASHA WISNIEWSKA

Vadasz displays a good morning’s work. PHOTO BY DAVE MCCUNE

Explore Big Skyexplorebigsky.com32 Nov.1-14, 2013 header

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Explore Big Sky Explore Big Skyexplorebigsky.com explorebigsky.com34 Nov.1-14, 2013 header Nov.1-14, 2013 35nonPRofiTS

Andy Dreisbach was coaching a youth soccer game after work in mid-October, when he got the call. A woman had fallen off her horse on Porcupine Creek trail and had shat-tered her shoulder.

A four-year member of Big Sky’s Search and Rescue team, Dreisbach met seven members of the SAR team at their building in the community park, gathered equipment and rode four-wheelers the 2 ½ miles to the scene. They gave the injured woman warm bullion, water and blankets to keep her comfortable, treated the injury and immobilized her for transport to the ambulance waiting at the trail-head.

Big Sky SAR is a nonprofit agency whose 33 volunteer members must be ready for rescues at a moment’s notice and in any conditions. Often, they’re searching for vic-tims at night. When they aren’t at their day jobs or with their families, these highly trained community members are working scenarios or continuing their education at one of the many training courses they attend.

“It’s a way to keep the skills honed and give back to the community,” Dreisbach says.

The team of EMTs and Wilderness first Responders works closely with local law enforcement, fire depart-ments, medevac helicopters and ski patrols on everything from high alpine rescue to snowmobile accidents, to climbing falls, lost hikers and whitewater rescue.

Big Sky SAR is notified through the Gallatin County 911 Dispatch Center and operates under an incident com-mander, usually a Gallatin County sheriff’s deputy. Their primary response area consists of the Gallatin and Madi-son ranges in southwest Montana, and they collaborate with 10 other specialty rescue groups in the region.

In the past 10 years, these groups have responded to an average of more than 90 incidents each year, according to the Gallatin County website.

Big Sky Search and Rescue is supported by L & K Real Estate. For volunteer opportunities, to donate or learn more, visit bssar.org.

Big Sky Search and Rescue

BYEP uses the outdoor opportuni-ties of southwest Montana to make a difference in the lives of at-risk Gallatin Valley youth. founded by Pete Macfadyen in 2001, the group mentoring program provides kids with life skills, com-munication tools and professional development.

Macfadyen ran a private men-tal health counseling practice in Bozeman after earning his graduate degree from Montana State univer-sity, but after two years, decided there was a better way.

“I got really frustrated,” Macfady-en said. “It’s not a good modality to make change with teenagers by say-ing, ‘come sit with me once a week and talk about your problems.’”

The majority of teenagers working with counselors are there because parents or probation officers force them to, Macfadyen said; plus, he

knew many of his clients would benefit from being outdoors.

He started the nonprofit with $750 in initial financial backing from his parents; in the 12 years since,

nearly 700 kids have come through the program. Youth apply to BYEP voluntarily, and those who suc-cessfully complete their first winter trimester get to keep the outdoor gear – like skis, snowboards and

outerwear – provided by its corpo-rate sponsors.

Megan Keenan began volunteering as a mentor with BYEP in winter 2011.

“The skiing was the initial draw, because I love it,” said Keenan, an adjunct art education instructor at Montana State university. “When I was younger, I couldn’t afford it…so I never had those opportunities.” She soon realized that the program offered participants much more.

“[BYEP] gives kids an opportunity to have a supportive relationship with adults and express themselves in dif-ferent ways,” she said.

This winter 96 kids are enrolled; by winter 2016, BYEP expects 120.

Big Sky Youth Empowerment is supported by VIA/Studio AV and Santosha Wellness Center. Find more at byep.org.

Big Sky youth empowerment Program

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Andy Dreisbach hangs with a rescue litter above Ousel Falls during a highline training exercise on Sept. 29. PHOTO BY STEPHEN HALVORSON

Program manager Alyson Spery and a BYEP youth participant high five during a day hike atop Drinking Horse Mountain in Bozeman, as part of a weekend adventure. PHOTO COURTESY OF BYEP


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A 40-acre acquisition secures public access to 18,000 acres of National forest land for hunters and others to enjoy. That, in a nutshell, sums up the work of the Rocky Mountain Elk foundation. It also sums up the nonprofit’s latest, greatest Montana project.

Acting on a tip from a RMEf member and hunter, the organization bought the small tract of land that has 30 feet in common with a corner piece of the Lewis and Clark National forest, for $190,000. RMEf will sell the land – located about 20 miles south of Lewistown in central Montana – to

Montana fish, Wildlife and Parks for $50,000, effectively donating the remaining $140,000 to the agency.

The transaction allows hunters ac-cess to a portion of the Big Snowy Mountains that was extremely difficult to reach beforehand, and

where the elk population is over the fWP management objective.

A national conservation leader, RMEf’s core programs are perma-nent land protection, habitat stew-ardship, elk restoration and sup-porting hunting heritage programs. Its mission: to ensure the future of elk and other wildlife, their habitat and our hunting heritage.

founded by four Montana elk hunt-ers in 1984, the organization has effectively conserved about one square mile of elk country every day since. That track record adds up to more than 6.3 million acres of habitat enhanced or protected, while also opening or securing ac-cess to more than 667,000 acres of land across elk country.

At RMEf, hunting is conservation. Hunters generate $1.6 billion annu-ally for the conservation of Ameri-ca’s wildlife and landscapes.

The RMEf membership is current-ly 200,000-strong, with 10,000-plus volunteers.

RMEF is supported by ticketprinting.com. Join in the effort to conserve elk country at rmef.org.

Rocky mountain elk foundation

PHOTO COURTESY OF RMEF

Explore Big Skyexplorebigsky.com Oct. 18-31, 2013 3938 Nov.1-14, 2013 nonPRofiTS nonPRofiTS

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The Gallatin County Court Appointed Special Advocates/Guardian as Litems (CASA/GAL) program is a private, non-profit corporation dedicated to guiding abused and neglected children through the juvenile court system to safe, permanent homes. It’s one of over 950 programs under the umbrella of the National CASA Association in Seattle, Wash., which was formed in 1977.

The program serves children whose emotional and/or physical health has been jeopardized by someone who is supposed to nurture and protect them. for these children, the path to

healthy development often lays at the discretion of a court system, which may have little personal knowledge of them.

CASA/GAL volunteers advocate to ensure that no child’s individual story goes unheard, and that there is someone committed solely to their wellbeing. Nationally, the program has approximately 50,000 volunteers.

CASA/GAL is supported by Open Range restaurant in Bozeman, which will host the second annual CASA/GAL fundraiser on March 3, 2014. Find more information at gallatincountycasagal.org.

CaSa/gaL supports abused, neglected children The Payden

Memorial founda-tion is named for Payden Polsak, who died in No-vember 2001 at age 6, as a result of a brain tumor (me-dulloblastoma). His parents Max and Janette estab-lished the founda-tion after realizing the vast array of needs present for Montana children and their families living with cancer.

Based in Livings-ton, the founda-tion is a continu-ation of Payden’s spirit, according to Janette, and raises much of its money through Blazing Saddles, an annual bike race held each July. This year, the race raised ap-proximately $40,000, some of which PMf will donate around the holi-days to curesearch.org, in the names of Montana families battling cancer.

The foundation also sends these families money to help pay for

expenses associated with caring for a child with cancer. “We send them money to use for travel expenses, food, clothing, mortgage – whatever they need it for,” Janette said.

The Padyen Memorial Foundation is supported by Ressler Motors. Find more information at payden.org.

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BOZEMAN – The Yellowstone Park foundation recently launched Gate-way Businesses for the Park, a program offering tools to help area companies grow, as well as an organized way to give back to the park.

YPf memberships help provide fund-ing to protect and preserve Yellow-stone in six areas of focus: visitor experience; wild-life, wonders and wilderness; cultural treasures; ranger heritage; tomor-row’s stewards; and greenest park.

Based in Bozeman, YPf has been the official fundraising partner of

Yellowstone National Park since 1996. The foundation’s mission is to fund projects and programs that protect, preserve and enhance the natural and cultural resources and the visitor experience in the park. To date, the foundation has raised more than $75 million for 250-plus projects.

To join or learn more about the Gateway Busi-nesses program, visit forthepark.org. YPF is

supported by Big Horn Radio. Find more at ypf.org.

yellowstone Park foundation

Payden memorial foundationWomen in Action was founded by a group of Big Sky women in 2005 on the basis of wanting to bring health and educational services to families in Big Sky who weren’t getting them due to the rural nature of the area.

Executive Director Rachel Thesing, former board president who found-ed the nonprofit, says the idea came to her after volunteering in the community and realizing that many children were missing out on health and educational opportunities.

“WIA has worked to help bridge that gap through a broad scope of social programs in the past eight years,” she said.

One of the organization’s mainstays is its camp scholarship program. Since its inception, 252 youth have received summer and winter camp scholarships with an annual aver-age of 80 scholarships awarded to youth ages 3-15.

The nonprofit is currently ac-cepting applications for ski school scholarships at Big Sky Resort, which is running the Moonlight Ba-sin ski school as well. Applications are due Dec. 10 and are available at wiabigsky.org, the Ophir School, and Morningstar Learning Center.

Other programs offered include funding of the Parent Liaison posi-tion at the Ophir School, a commu-nity-counseling program through a partnership with Montana State university’s human development clinic, and a new drug and alcohol-counseling program in partnership with Gallatin County drug and alcohol services.

This summer, Women in Action held its 8th annual croquet fund-raiser, where they raised $20,000 to benefit health and education programs. The next community event is a “ladies ski and après” scheduled to take place at Lone Mountain Ranch in March. Instead of a fundraiser, Thesing calls the event a “friendraiser,” as the event was created to build awareness about WIA and to celebrate donors while building community.

Women in Action is sponsored by Pure West Properties in Big Sky. To learn more about programs offered by WIA or how to get involved, visit wiabigsky.org.

women in action

PHOTO COURTESY OF CASA/GAL

PHOTO COURTESY OF PMF

Explore Big Sky Explore Big Skyexplorebigsky.com explorebigsky.com40 Nov.1-14, 2013 nonPRofiTS Nov.1-14, 2013 41nonPRofiTS

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John Zirkle wants to saturate the après-ski scene with performance arts this winter.

The Warren Miller Performing Arts Center artistic director has lined up nine major acts in collaboration with the Arts Council of Big Sky for the center’s debut season, including comedy, theater, live music and dance.

“We’re hoping to diversify the notion and understanding of performance art, and what it means –specifically to show that it’s more than just music by focus-ing on a triptych of communicative media – movement, speech and play,” Zirkle said.

By bringing “cool, quirky acts” to town, and focus-ing on classical elements in new ways, he hopes to show the interconnection of performing arts throughout time and place. “We need to remind ourselves that there is no Hendrix without Bach, no Miley Cyrus without Pavarotti, and conversely no Shakespeare without Saturday Night Live,” Zirkle said.

In one example, WMPAC will host a young ukrai-nian pianist who Zirkle says approaches the piano with “fire, enthusiasm and vigor that makes it

incredibly exciting. He enables us to speak with the actual composers in a new way.”

In another, Zirkle has commissioned a new compos-er to think through contemporary Montana themes, and ask what they look like in music. The resulting piece will premiere at the center with a performance by a violin, cello and piano trio.

The Warren Miller Performing Arts Center is a collabora-tive initiative of the Big Sky School District, the friends of Big Sky Education, and the Big Sky community. Its primary mission is to establish and maintain a clear and stable artistic infrastructure to grow a community of confident performers and inspired audiences. The debut season performances will be announced before Thanks-giving.

The Warren Miller Performing Arts Center is supported by Creighton Block Gallery. Find more at warrenmillerpac.org.

Right: Cory Goel of the James Sewell Ballet PHOTO COURTESY OF JAMES SEWELL BALLET

A small cadre of river advocates in Denver founded American Rivers 40 years ago, based on their concern that the nation’s dam-building binge in the 1960s and ‘70s would leave no free-flowing rivers in

the West. The nonprofit organization has since be-come the nation’s largest conservation organization dedicated solely to protecting and restoring rivers.

American Rivers’ original mission was to prevent new river damming by adding as many waterways as possible to the newly created National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Today, its mission has broad-ened and now includes restoring rivers by removing obsolete dams; helping communities meet their water supply needs through innovative, environ-mentally friendly solutions; and partnering with communities to enhance recreational opportunities and promote river stewardship through the estab-lishment of Blue Trails – community waterways that help people discover their rivers and provide family-friendly recreation.

The organization is perhaps best known for its annu-al America’s Most Endangered Rivers report, which for 27 years has shined a national spotlight on 10 rivers facing imminent threats from dams and other harmful projects.

To date, American Rivers has helped protect and restore 150,000 miles of rivers nationwide, from Washington’s Olympic Peninsula – where it played a key role in the world’s largest dam removal project – to blackwater rivers along the southeast coast.

The group’s Northern Rockies office in Bozeman is currently spearheading a campaign to bring new protections to dozens of rivers in western Montana, including the Gallatin.

American Rivers is sponsored by Sara Pfaff, who generously donated an ad for the nonprofit in this is-sue of Explore Big Sky. Find more information about American Rivers at americanrivers.org.

american Rivers: watching over the nation’s rivers

American Rivers played a key role in the removal of two dams on the Elwha River that will restore 400,000 salmon to this western Washington river. PHOTO BY SCOTT BOSSE


Eagle Mount is celebrating its 30th year providing therapeutic recre-ation opportunities for people with disabilities and young people with cancer. Through its many adventure programs, Eagle Mount focuses on people’s abilities, while volunteers attentively support their disabili-ties.

The program began with weekly alpine and Nordic skiing adventures to support people with disabilities such as cerebral palsy, visual and hearing impairments, developmen-tal disabilities, amputations and spinal cord injuries. In addition to skiing, Eagle Mount has since expanded to challenge participants

with ice skating, horseback riding, swimming, camping, rock climbing, kayaking, cycling and fishing.

Eagle Mount accepts all partici-pants, even if they cannot pay, and does not accept government fund-ing. Last year’s programs enrolled 1,785 participants, assisted by 1,800 volunteers.

“We couldn’t do anything that we do without the support of this gen-erous community,” said Executive Director Mary Peterson.

Eagle Mount is supported by the Inn on the Gallatin. Find more information at eaglemount.org.

eagle mount

Proud to serve Wyoming’s Big Horn Basin with the finest radio stations, and proud to support the

Yellowstone Park Foundation.

In 49 years of conducting research for conservation efforts, the nonprofit Craighead Institute has helped direct wildlife policy and management, supported grassroots campaigns and scientific foundations, and been a leader for responsible development in the northern Rockies and parts of western Canada.

founded by pioneering grizzly bear researcher Dr. frank C. Craighead in 1964, the organization is now focused on development of conservation plans at multiple scales, particularly as it relates to habitat for large carnivores like grizzly bears and wolverines, according to executive director Lance Craighead, frank’s son.

In the last decade, it has also researched alpine ecosys-tems in Mon-tana and pika populations, which are an indicator spe-cies for climate change.

The institute also works to develop wildlife habitat suitability and connec-tivity models, and has been involved in large-scale conservation area designs for regions in the u.S., Canada and Tibet.

Its work over the last five decades resulted in a book co-edited by Lance and published in 2013, by Esri Press, Conservation Planning – Shaping the Future. With 30 different contribu-tors, it outlines the current best science for conservation planning for use by students, managers and planners.

The Craighead Institute is supported by The Montana Import Group. Find more at craigheadresearch.org.

The Craighead institute

PHOTO COURTESY OF EAGLE MOUNT

A historic bear research photo. PHOTO COURETSY OF THE CRAiGHEAD iNSTiTUTE

Explore Big Skyexplorebigsky.com44 Nov.1-14, 2013 nonPRofiTS

Big Sky Skating and hockey associationBSSHA is a nonprofit organization in Big Sky, Mont., dedicated to bringing hockey, ice skating and programs to the Big Sky community. The Big Sky ice rink is located outdoors in the Town Center. bssha.org

Big Sky Community CorporationBSCC is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit entity created in 1998 to promote, acquire, preserve and maintain lands, parks, trails and easements for the use of the people of the Big Sky Community and the general public. bsccmt.org

gallant Chance RanchGCR is a 501(c)(3) organization established to help youth become a success rather than a statistic. Our mission is to inspire teens to D.R.E.A.M. – Develop Responsible, Enthusiastic and Ambitious Mindsets. gallantchanceranch.org

Red feather Development groupfounded in 1995, Red feather Development Group is a nonprofit that partners with American Indian nations to develop and implement sustainable solu-tions to the housing needs within their communi-ties. redfeather.org

heart of the valley animal ShelterOur mission is to compassionately shelter the lost and surrendered pets of Gallatin and Madison Val-leys, and to enhance the lives of people and com-panion animals through pet adoption and education. heartofthevalleyshelter.org

Jack Creek PreserveDedicated to giving people a deep appreciation for the importance of con-serving wildlife and their habitat by providing a wide array of educational opportunities focused on the positive values of wildlife management, land

stewardship, and hunter conservationists. jack-creekpreserve.org

havenHAVEN is committed to reducing the incidence and minimizing the impact of domestic abuse on fami-lies and communities. The group provides emer-gency shelter, crisis intervention, on-going support, referrals, and education. HAVEN’s services include a 24-hour crisis line, legal advocacy, counseling, support group and emergency shelter. havenmt.org

friends of the gallatin national forest avalanche CenterThe friends of the Gallatin National forest Avalanche Center helps support the GNfAC through fundraising and education efforts. mtavalanche.com

Blue water Task forceTo promote public stewardship of aquatic resources in the Gallatin River watershed through commu-nity education, water quality monitoring and data collection. bluewatertaskforce.org

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