by John Dowd
For the second year in a row, Montana Conservation Elders and First Hunt Foundation are coming together in the Bitterroot to raise money to send kids to camp across the state. Last year, the event was a huge hit, drawing people from all over the area. It was held in Stevensville at the St. Mary’s Family Center. However, this year the organizers have bigger plans, and have moved the event to the Ravalli County Fairgrounds.
According to Tracey Manning, with First Hunt Foundation and a major organizer of the banquet, when speaking about the location change, “We were so cramped.” This was a view shared by the rest of the organizers, who are excited to be able to stretch out and use the much expanded space. According to Tom Powers, with Montana Conservation Elders, they are able to spread things out, and even get trailers in there.
Powers expressed his excitement on how far their cooperation has come. From a humble start of one camp, the cooperation now sends kids to 22 different camps. According to another member of Montana Conservation Elders, Fred Upchurch, their first year they sent around 20 kids. Now, they are able to send over 200 kids to camp across the state, and their goal is to send even more kids this coming year.
They partner with over 40 different organizations to do this, and work with kids between the ages of seven and 18. Most of these camps are between two and five days long. “All those camps really add up to a lot of opportunities for those kids,” said Powers. One camp they are excited about is one hosted by Project ASCENT, an organization out of Thompson Falls that takes kids from across the state on week-long adventures, like backpacking and base camping. One of these Powers was most excited about was the group’s float camp, which takes adventurers on kayaks, carrying their supplies down river, and camping along the way. According to Powers, “We’ve never had a camp like that before!”
Due to efforts by the Montana Matters Youth Outdoor Experience cooperative, Project ASCENT is planning a camp to be hosted in the Bitterroot, said Powers. He said that shows how their efforts are helping other organizations grow and even to bring the efforts of those groups into the valley to give more opportunities and conservation education to local youth.
“That’s why we decided to do our own fundraiser,” said Manning, talking about all the opportunities they have provided for youth over the years. It all gets very expensive, and though some of these organizations host the camps for free to the youth, Like Project ASCENT, they still scramble every year for funding to equip and host the camps. Montana Matters has been fortunate to be able to help many camps like this continue to operate, but wants to do more. As Manning explained, the banquet they hold every year is huge in helping them continue this endeavor.
The banquet this year will take place Thursday, March 14 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Ravalli County Fairgrounds. The group hopes to see more than the 200 people they budgeted for last year, and, just like last year, they are excited to announce that the food will again be provided by Mission Bistro.
According to volunteers working on the banquet, people are going to want to get their tickets soon. “They want to call us and get their tickets early because this is going to be a really awesome thing,” said Manning. Last year the event sold out prior to the banquet date.
This year, Manning is even more excited because they will be providing even more prizes, featuring several hunts including two African hunts. They will also have over a dozen firearms, an electric mountain bike, cash back prizes and giveaways. The event will feature a silent auction, a general raffle and four or five different games with their own prizes.
Just like last year, many of their prizes and hunts are geared towards youth, and helping them explore the outdoors. Organizers encourage families to attend the banquet with their kids, and ask about the camps and opportunities available to youth, both in the area and throughout the state.
Tickets for the banquet will be the same as last year, $50 for a single person, meal provided, and $100 for a couple. There are also table options available with seating for eight, ranging from $500-$1200. These table packages include prizes just for getting a table.
All the funding from the event goes into scholarships and youth oriented outdoor experiences, both through First Hunt Foundation and the numerous camps and organizations that partner with Montana Matters Youth Experience. These adventures are loaded with a variety of activities like hunting, fishing, backcountry horsemanship, trapping, backpacking, shooting, conservation and much more.
There are still sponsor and donation options available. For more information on those before the event, interested parties can call Manning at (406) 214-1154. Tickets are available through the QR code on the event flyers and advertisements around the area. For reservations, interested parties can call (406) 273-7224.