My Page: Kate Downen

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In the Flathead

A mountain lion has a rough ending to his day after being kicked out by his mom and killing a goat, Kalispell considers almost doubling its current sewer system during a time when everyone wants to hook up, and Montana's population goes up a little bit as Flathead County's goes way up. [more]

For Whitefish, Quainter is Better

Whitefish’s Big Mountain presented its new master plan to the Whitefish City-County Planning Board on April 20th, but decisions on the plan were postponed in order to sort out zoning issues. The new plan, which is intended to make the ski area’s village more people-friendly, includes three new lifts, dispersing development around a downsized village concept, and establishing an enlarged beginner skiing area away from the village.
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Uncommon In-Flight Kindness

Flying is no fun. It's a gamble. And if you're flying out of Montana, there's a good chance you'll be on one of those tiny little planes, the ones where your carry-ons don't carry on, the ones where, if you've got a window seat, your neck's at a 20 degree "I may look inquisitive, but I'm actually doing this to avoid the ceiling" angle. Yesterday on the way out of Kalispell, I flew on a cousin of one of those tiny planes, a slightly bigger, propellerless version. [more]

Baa baa Bighorn

In springtime, bighorn sheep and their young wander close to Montana highway 200, eating the sprouting vegetation. This year, since January, at least 25 bighorns have been hit and killed by cars passing by, according to a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks biologist in Thompson Falls. This number more than doubles the average. Officials say it's due to construction on the road and resulting 'sheep panic' when bighorns become confused about when to cross the road. [more]

Tourism on the Up

Glacier National Park raked in the largest number of non-resident dollars in 2005, topping Yellowstone National Park. Glacier, the Flathead Business Journal reports, was the largest state contributor of non-resident dollars. Even though Yellowstone sees more visitors (2.8 million in 2005 compared to Glacier’s 1.9 million), Glacier tourists stay longer and spend more money, suggesting that places like Glacier Park are in synch with Montana’s Tourism and Recreation 5-year Strategic Plan, which indicates the aspiration to focus on high-value visitors, or people with enough money to spend, spend, spend.

Good weather and no major forest fires made 2005 a big year for tourism in Montana, with 10 million people visiting (a 4% increase). Tourism also created about 36,000 jobs for Montana in 2005.

Norma Nickerson, director of University of Montana’s Institute for Tourism and Recreational Research, predicts a 2% increase in nonresident travel to Montana in 2006. We have yet to see how rising gas prices will affect the industry.
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Grokking on the Holiday

In holiday news, Opus Dei, the conservative Catholic group made infamous by Dan Brown’s ‘The Da Vinci Code,’ is asking Sony to show Jesus a little love. Sony will release a Tom Hanks-headlining movie next month based on the best-selling book. ‘The Da Vinci Code’ has enraged some conservative religious groups, especially Opus Dei, due to the book’s ‘this might not just be fiction’ story based around a Jesus + Mary Magdalene = kids cover up.

And since we can’t possibly hear enough about big box store and Starbucks invasions these days, historian Bryant Simon is here to tell us about the ‘comfort culture’ sold by the cup each day by the gigantic coffee chain.

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No ATVs, Please

We love them, we hike them. We bike them and camp in them. And they’ve always been there. But it’s time to stop taking our forests and natural playgrounds for granted. We need to keep them wild, sacred and motor-free. These were the ideas behind creation of the new website about Northwest Montana’s Swan Mountain Range, Swanrange.org.

I asked Ben Long, one of the website’s co-creators, whose brainchild the website was. “It was much more organic than that,” he told me. Look a little closer at the site and you’ll see what he means. The site, it turns out, was the result of a lot of collaboration between people who love the same wilderness. A page titled “People of the Swan” has pictures and testimonials from artists, business people, hikers and your basic outdoor-loving Montanans. Hell, even Miss Montana USA loves the Swan. [more]

The Soggy Side of Growth

Kalispell’s City Council meeting on Monday had a surprisingly high turnout, as southeast Kalispell residents came to discuss water and drainage issues plaguing their houses and yards. Frustrated and angry, homeowners told stories of burned out sump pumps, unintentional backyard ‘ponds’ and $30,000 home repairs due to water damage. [more]

In the Flathead

Land use issues are hot as ever in the Flathead, and residents have gravel pits on the brain. Seven months ago, Flathead County Commissioners approved a zoning text amendment that increased the number of zoning districts where gravel pits can be prohibited. [more]

Just Don't Call Me Crazy

It’s been ten years since the 81-day showdown in Jordan, Montana, between the FBI and a renegade militia group that called itself the Freemen. The standoff was the longest federal siege in United States history.

In Jordan, the Freemen are remembered for their two-year reign of bullying and aggression, their anti-government rhetoric and the bounty offers for people who crossed them. [more]

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