Noted authors to speak at county museum

by Nathan Boddy

Chapter One Book Store of Hamilton is encouraging area residents to make their way to the Ravalli County Museum on Monday, March 31 at 7 p.m., to attend a conversation with Wall Street Journal contributor Amy Gamerman and Montana-based outdoor science journalist and author, Robert Chaney. 

Gamerman’s recent book, “The Crazies,” chronicles the conflict between a multi-generational Montana rancher whose efforts to develop the wind resources on his land were pitted against the adjacent billionaire who values mountain views over the specter of spinning turbines. 

In her review of Gamerman’s book, Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “The Sixth Extinction,” says, “A fascinating story about the new energy economy. If you want to understand why change does—or doesn’t—happen in America, read – ‘The Crazies.’”

Journalist Robert Chaney, who will lead the conversation with Gamerman, has built his own career reporting on the Rocky Mountain West, working with such outlets as the Missoulian, the Bozeman Daily Chronicle and the Montana Free Press. Chaney says that Gamerman’s book shines a light on a, “swirl of issues and personalities and policies that are going on in what’s also a very unique mountain range.” 

“It just geologically pops up out of the middle of nowhere,” he said of the Crazy Mountains north of Livingston, but added that they are just as likely to be the focal point of diverse interests such as environmental, cultural, recreational and economic, despite being concentrated in a relatively small geographic area. 

Similar to the mountain range, which serves as a microcosm for many land use issues in the American West, Chaney sees the journalistic efforts that Gamerman took to report on it as scalable and appropriate tools to inform a curious public.

“You’re taking an opportunity to step back and say not just what happened on this particular mountain range on this particular day, but what does that mean to your relationship with nature? What does that mean to your job and your goals for retirement?” He added that, “It’s looking at things with a much broader perspective, and when people like Amy take the time to find a really compelling subject like this and then search out those bigger issues – those bigger topics – that’s a real service to the public and the community at large.”

The benefits to that ‘community at large’ which are offered by journalists like Gamerman and Chaney can be like a back-stage pass to many important issues. Chaney, whose book, “Grizzlies in the Driveway,” was released in 2022, says that a journalist’s relationship with the topic they write about can vary in depth, but that the ultimate goal is to provide readers with accurate information, regardless of what the audience may choose to do with it. Some readers may internalize only small parts of a story, he says, while others choose to go deeper. 

As an example, Chaney referred to a recent story he’s written about changes within the National Environmental Policy Act, which could significantly weaken the reach of those environmental regulations. That story highlighted a complicated set of nested regulations which Chaney says are, “deeply obscure, opaque, legal stuff,” which nonetheless could have substantial impacts on the ground. 

“A certain part of the audience is going to see the alarm bell,” he said. “They’re not just going to see a red light at the dashboard, they’re going to see it’s the oil light and not the brake light.”

Whether the source of information is Gamerman’s narrative non-fiction book about land conflicts in the Crazy Mountains, or Chaney’s extensive writing about critical issues in the Rocky Mountain West, dedicated professionals who use their storytelling skills to inform the public play an important role informing the public.

“It’s like being a referee in a sports match,” said Chaney about his own work as a journalist. “I don’t particularly need to care about whose teams are playing. My job is to follow the First Amendment and keep the public informed about its opportunities, obligations and responsibilities as a part of American society.”

The conversation with Gamerman and Chaney will take place at the Ravalli County Museum, 205 Bedford Street in Hamilton, on Monday, March 31 at 7 p.m. The event is sponsored by Chapter One Books, and is sure to provide an in-depth look at important land-based topics, by individuals whose job it is to bring complex topics into focus. More information and a link to RSVP are available at: https://www.chapter1bookstore.com.