New West Network

My Page: Alaina Abbott

From The New West Blog

A group of seven cyclists pushed off on a 2,000-mile trip from the Yukon Territory to Yellowstone National Park Saturday to raise awareness about the importance of wildlife corridors and in particular the Yellowstone to Yukon Initiative.

The trip, called Ride for the Wild, began in Watson Lake in the Yukon Territory, just north of British Columbia border. The riders will average 50 miles per day until October 6, when they will end the ride at the Boiling River in Yellowstone Park. [more]

pulling together

The goal was to find invasive weeds. The location was the Gospel Hump Wilderness in Idaho. The terrain was steep. The trails were littered with fallen trees. The task required climbing over rough trunks and ducking under creaking, suspended logs.

Despite the adversity, the backpackers in the final Volunteer for Wilderness trip of the summer successfully mapped patches of St. Johnswort, bull thistle and Canada thistle in the northwest corner of the wilderness.

“The goal is to walk on all the trail miles in the Wilderness,” said Mark Thompson, project leader, invasive weed specialist, monitor and educator with the University of Montana's Wilderness Institute. “That’s kind of the mission -- to have a complete map.” [more]

wildfire

A year ago in Missoula, it was another 90-plus degree day during a July that saw 30 of them, and the weather turned Western Montana into a tinderbox. Today, it's raining and a refreshing 68 degrees.

And so there's not much fire activity around the state to report on, save a few that have popped up here and there.

The Cactus Fire, nine miles west of Whitehall, is mapped at 518 acres and 65 percent contained. A Monday evening thunder cell brought strong downdraft winds on the fire and created a half-acre spot, said Terina Mullen of the Bureau of Land Management. [more]

city club missoula

The U.S. Army is collaborating with honeybees, via Scott Debnam and other researchers working on the University of Montana Bee Project.

Known as the "bee whisperer," Debnam spoke Monday at City Club Missoula forum at the Doubletree Hotel, enthusiastically conveying his love for bees and researchers' growing understanding of them -- even how they can assist the army in locating land mines and detecting poisons. [more]

missoula's indie festival diversifies

Total Fest VII bands and fans will be flocking in from the Seattle and Portland areas to give this year’s festival in Missoula -- August 14-16 -- a Northwestern flavor and a greater turnout.

“I think this year is going to be our most diverse year,” said Josh Vanek, one of the festival's organizers, with music ranging from country to punk.

A do-it-yourself independent music festival, Total Fest VII will feature 42 bands over three nights at the Badlander and the Palace.
[more]

Update

Update - 6:00 p.m.
The fire that blackened the west slope of Missoula's Mount Sentinel after flaring up at its base Wednesday night is now mapped at 390 acres, down from the estimate of 450, said Cindy Super of the DNRC early this evening.

She said the fire is now between 90 and 95 percent contained with only a few hotspots remaining. It should be wrapped up tonight.

The fire will be monitored overnight and, Super said, "We'll just have to see what tomorrow looks like. We want to make sure everyone stays safe and stays away from the crews working on it." [more]

lynx habitat cited

The U.S. Forest Service turned down the Bitterroot Resort’s third request for a special-use permit to use national forest lands for Nordic and alpine skiing and mountain biking, Perry Backus of the Ravalli Republic reports.

Resort officials said Wednesday they are reworking their request and will likely resubmit it within a few weeks.

The new federal conservation regulations for Canadian Lynx put into place this spring made Lolo Forest’s lynx habitat the number one concern for the Forest Service during the reviewing process. Also, ski trail maintenance could disturb elk wintering habitat, and clearing trees for alpine skiing in the Bitterroot Forest could ruin the view from the Maple Creek area, Bitterroot National Forest Supervisor Dave Bull told Backus. [more]

From The New West Blog

As suburbanites pay $4 a gallon for gas to make their long commutes to work, they are realizing how much it adds up and migrating back into the cities to cut costs.

Peter S. Goodman of The New York Times has a story about how this trend is playing out in Denver.

"Before it was ‘we spend too much time driving.’ Now, it’s ‘we spend too much time and money driving,’” says one man reconsidering his aversion to city life. [more]

Best in Show

Her white-blonde hair shines in the sun as she browses the collars and leashes. She turns, and a breeze ruffles her locks as her eyes find me, suddenly a new friend.

“She’s very friendly,” says Judy Ransom, the owner of this 7-month-old golden retriever. The Ransoms traveled from Spokane, Wash., for the 54th annual Five Valley Kennel Club Dog Show at the Western Montana Fairgrounds in Missoula, Mont., which took place June 22-24.

The show is open to the public for entries as long as the dog is American Kennel Club registered, said Maxine Lane, the 2008 show chair. Almost 1,600 dogs competed this year in the three categories of Conformation, Obedience and Rally-O. The competition stays the same every day but the judges rotate. Ultimately, the dogs get three chances to win throughout the show. [more]

dakota greens boulevard restoration project

Two blocks of abandoned boulevard on Missoula's Dakota Street, a former wasteland, have been nurtured back to life by none other than waste -- dirt, fill, sod, urbanite, millings and chopped up trees.

The Dakota Greens Boulevard Restoration, a project completed last week and marked by a Thursday celebration, was headed up by Steven Loken, owner of neighboring Loken Builders, an environmentally conscious construction company.

"It's interesting what's considered waste material," Loken said. "It's only waste if you have no use for it. Once there is a use, it becomes a resource." [more]