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Bison Reintroduction Discussed

Officials from the Lewistown-based U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) held a public meeting in Bozeman on Thursday, answering questions and taking comments on the formation of a 15-year comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Montana’s treasured Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge (CMR), the second largest national refuge in the lower 48. The previous plan was written in 1986.

The 1.1 million acre refuge along the Missouri River and Fort Peck Reservoir in northeastern Montana is home to well over 200 species of birds and a host of mammals including bighorn sheep, elk, pronghorn antelope, swift fox and the endangered black-footed ferret. The CMR is also a major recreational use area for hunters and fishermen.

The FWS extended the public scoping comment deadline to February 29, 2008. There will be two more public comment periods after plan alternatives and a draft are formed. The FWS hopes to have a final plan finished by Fall 2011. [more]

Power to the People

Resort communities require a lot of kilowatts, and bustling Big Sky, Montana is no exception to this rule; between 1996 and 2005 there were 660 new residential units built in Big Sky – a dramatic 8.2 percent increase. And this does not include the Moonlight Basin and Yellowstone Club ski resorts.

In order to meet the energy needs of Big Sky, Northwestern Energy is planning to upgrade the existing 69-kV power line from Four Corners to Big Sky with a 161-kV line. Northwestern is also seeking to bypass state and public review through right-of-way agreements with private landowners to build the 35-mile, $20-$30 million line.

In order to serve a slightly larger growing population, the West Wide Energy Corridor federal plan is buzzing right along with a public comment period closing on Thursday, February 14, 2008. The corridor could affect nearly 3 million acres in 11 Western states. [more]

Western Biofuels Research

Sustainable Oils, a new joint venture between Seattle-based Targeted Growth and Houston-based Green Earth Fuels, will be expanding in Bozeman soon. The research and development center will provide genetically refined seeds to Montana camelina producers and will also purchase camelina crops produced from those seeds through contractual agreements. The harvest will then be refined to produce biodiesel – 100 million gallons worth by 2010, according to the company.

The European Camelina sativa plant is particularly suited for Montana’s cool, arid climate. Recent support for biofuel production of camelina from Governor Brian Schweitzer and Montana Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester is creating a friendlier environment for camelina producers in Montana; first-time camelina growers in the 32 counties covered by Montana's Agro Energy Plan can now recoup some of their seed costs.

“I believe Montana is going to be the poster child for developing a crop like this because of the great support from Helena and the industry at large,” Sustainable Oils President Donald Panter posits. [more]

Delisting the Gray Wolf

With the federal government inching toward removing the gray wolf from the Endangered Species List, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (MFWP) is allowing the public until February 13, 2008 to comment on the proposed wolf season.

According to MFWP, there were a minimum of 316 wolves in Montana at the end of 2006. There are approximately 1,500 wolves in the Northern Rockies.

Among the three Northern Rockies wolf states (Idaho, Montana and Wyoming), Montana is leading the way in an effort to manage the wolf as any other wildlife species. In 2001, a broad-based, citizen-led Wolf Management Advisory Council released a report followed by the MFWP’s draft Montana Wolf Conservation Management Planning Document in 2002. This process laid the framework for Montana's current management plan.

Montana’s process stands in contrast to Wyoming’s wolf management plan, which the federal government rejected in 2004. Federal delisting is currently stalled pending a lawsuit over the new Wyoming plan. [more]

Photos from Super Tuesday in Bozeman

The Mixers Club in Bozeman – typically a site for college dance parties – took on a much different atmosphere on Super Tuesday as Republicans from around the county came to participate in the first presidential Montana caucus in some 20 years.

In an effort to elevate Montana's voice in national politics, the Montana GOP recently moved their June primary to a February caucus. Though Ron Paul supporters seemed to be the most numerous and definitely the most vocal, Mitt Romney came out on top with 47 percent of the vote. Ron Paul took 28 percent; John McCain received 14 percent; Mike Huckabee finished fourth with 11 percent.

Though many attendees expressed dissatisfaction with the state of the country, the overall attitude seemed to be hopeful. "Anybody but Hillary" was the theme, and conservative hallmarks such as "Don't touch my guns" and "If they're not legal, send 'em home" bubbled up amid soundbites from CNN and Fox News. Republican Larry Wix seemed to sum up the uneasy feeling many Republicans have about the 2008 candidates: "You can't vote for who you want. You're voting for who can win. It makes me sick."

Click on the image or here to see a photo gallery and quotes from the big night. [more]

Documentary Looks at Wolf Reintroduction

No wildlife species is as iconic and controversial as the wolf. Canis Lupus is a symbol of wildness and healthy ecosystems to some, but to others it is a callous killer and an economic threat.

Loathed and loved, the American Gray Wolf has gone through a tumultuous history in the West. They were hunted as vermin to virtual extinction by the early 20th Century, reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in 1995, and now are around 1,500-strong across the Northern Rockies. Biologists say wolves are officially recovered in the West and should be removed from the Endangered Species List, but – true to form – disagreements over wolf management between pro-wolf and anti-wolf groups has delisting at a standstill.

In 1999, journalist William Campbell began a documentary film to tell the story of what wolf reintroduction meant for people living in wolf territory. The result, “Wolves in Paradise,” sheds invaluable light on this story, giving a face and a voice to the many people trying to live with this species. [more]

Saving Snow, Saving Lives

Sam Porter is on to something; if you want a skier’s attention, talk about snow. Porter (Porterhouse Productions) is about to take this attention-grabber to a whole new level.

Avalaunch – Porter’s latest “medium for change” through the arts and environment– begins this week at the Salt Lake City Outdoor Retailer Show at The Depot, January 24, 25 and 26. The hybrid event is the launching pad for what Porter hopes will be a nation-wide tour through 21 major North American ski communities bringing entertainment, education and sustainability together in an effort to save lives and snow.

“There are 200 million skiers all over the world,” Porter says. “I know skiers that almost love snow more than their kids. Snow reaches a demographic of this planet that is incredibly passionate about this world because they love it.”

The focus of Avalaunch is two-fold: raising avalanche awareness and reducing global warming contributions from the many, many people who rely on snow for fun and survival. [more]

Bozeman Events Roundup

The Equinox Theatre's One-Act Festival continues Friday and Saturday night this weekend. All shows are at 8 p.m. While the One-Acts are for mature audiences only, the kiddies can enjoy the Equinox Theatre Kids Classes on Saturday at 10 a.m.

San Francisco-based J Boogie brings the special groove sauce to the Zebra at 9 p.m. Boogie has spun his beats alongside such acts as Talib Kweli, Kruder and Dorfmeister, DJ Greyboy and the creme de la creme, Mix Master Mike.

In the spirit of the good Dr. King, a freedom and social justice march will begin at 12:30 p.m. Sunday at the Imperial Inn on Main Street, ending at a Bozeman Public Library with speakers and refreshments. [more]

All the World's a Stage

The Equinox Theatre presents the Fourth Annual Original One-Act Play Festival beginning tonight at the Equinox Theatre in Bozeman. The festival will continue on January 18, 19 and 24, 25 and 26. All shows begin at 8 p.m.

Equinox Artistic Associate Shayna Gibson says festival attendees can expect a raucous set of performances from local talent.

"You can expect everything from crazy wedding hijinks to an in-depth look at reality TV shows to the sexuality of art," Gibson says. "I think it will be the only place you can find Civil War soldiers and on-line dating couples unite in a performance together." [more]

"Upcycling"

As the Bozeman City Commission moves ahead with curbside recycling, curiously absent from the list of recyclables is glass. When the Department of Environmental Quality ruled that the Holcim cement plant could no longer use recycled glass as an aggregate in cement, the city began crushing glass and using it as a cover on the landfill – not exactly what Bozeman residents had in mind when they took the time to collect and drop off their glass.

Now, with the landfill closing, even the pseudo-recycling of glass is not an option. The city continues to stockpile glass but without a long-term recycling solution.

In light of all this, Jennifer Pearson got a bright idea: this past summer she bought herself an industrial glass kiln and began giving glass new life. Glass Roots, her new business, uses solar power to melt glass and turn it into an array of bathroom tiles and lighting fixtures. The result is beautiful and, best of all, true recycling. [more]

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