Contact The Star

Outdoors In Montana

Local/State Info

For more information on the plays and a complete tour schedule visit the company’s website http://www2.montana.edu/shakespeare/.

Kimarie Ann Kresan of Hamilton was named to the Dean's List at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia for the spring quarter 2010. Full-time undergraduate students who earn a grade point average of 3.5 or above for the quarter receive recognition on the dean's list. Kimarie Ann Kresan is an Interactive design and game development major and is seeking a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

Stevensville resident Brittany Lee Lipscomb graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) with a BS degree in Biology as a part of the summer 2010 class, which included 636 students from throughout the country and world.

Located just north of Oklahoma City in Edmond, Okla., the University of Central Oklahoma is the state’s largest metropolitan university, serving more than 16,000 students pursuing degrees in 114 undergraduate and 54 graduate major areas of study and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Buggies and Wagons:

1st and Grand Champion: Calamity Sara Jane (Snedigar Blacksmith & Welding)

2nd: Ned Larson and Kern Mattei (Creekhouse Chuckwagon)

3rd: Bill Janke (BJ’s Ads)

Mounted Groups:

1st: Faith Therapeutic Riding Service

Mounted Costume:

1st: Anna Baker and Moroni Jensen

Women’s Western Pleasure:

1st: Carol Swendsen

Walking Entries:

1st: Team Tyler

2nd: Benny’s BBQ (Liam & Tyce O’Connell

Youth Groups:

1st: Bitterroot Dragon Brigade

Organizations:

1st: Ravalli County Republicans

2nd: Ed Greef

3rd: Bitterroot Shrine Club Fire Engine Patrol

Miscellaneous:

1st: Paul Kamrath

2nd: Napa Auto Parts

3rd: Stevensville Class of 2000

Commercial:

1st: Leaps and Bounds Learning Center

2nd: Longhorn Trading Co.

3rd: Bitterroot Star

Floats:

1st: Mountain West Co-Op (Cenex)

2nd: The Stevensville Historical Museum

3rd: North Valley Public Library

The Bitterroot National Forest announced it will keep open several roads for the purpose of firewood cutting. The Forest temporarily opened the roads back in June in an experimental effort to provide more accessible firewood cutting opportunities. The experiment was a huge success.

“This project went over amazingly well,” said Chuck Oliver, Darby District Ranger. “We have heard from lots of people who want us to keep doing this so we are responding by keeping the roads open for several more weeks. Not only did we hear many positive comments from the public, we believe this effort helped us alleviate some of the resource damage issues we’ve been experiencing lately.”        

Those past problems have included illegal harvest of green trees and trees within protected streamside riparian zones. The two roads that will remain open until August 28th are located on the Sula and West Fork Ranger Districts. The Sula District is keeping road 5740 open. This road through the upper end of Tolan Creek is located 7 miles east of the Sula Country Store, and can be accessed off the East Fork Highway at Mink Creek road or the Meadow Creek road.

The West Fork Ranger District will keep road FS49 (Piquett Creek) open. This road is located about 11 miles south of Darby and is accessed off of the West Fork Highway. The roads will remain open through Saturday, August 28, the last weekend before bow hunting season begins.   

The public is reminded that these road openings are only for firewood cutting and only during daylight hours, no other motorized access purposes will be allowed. Due to the narrow and sometimes steep roads, vehicles should not be parked on the road as it will block access for other wood cutters. Use wide shoulders and turn-outs for parking.

As with wood cutting elsewhere on the forest, no trees are to be felled onto the roadway and all slash must be cleaned up. Law enforcement will be monitoring these roads. Firewood cutting permits are available at all Bitterroot National Forest offices. Cost is $7.00 per cord and there is a four cords ($28) minimum purchase.

The Canyon Lake Dam, located in the Darby Ranger District approximately 8 miles west of Hamilton is in need of emergency repairs, according to the Canyon Creek Irrigation District (CCID). The dam is located just inside the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness area at the head of Canyon Creek. Failure of the dam could cause loss of life and property. The Canyon Creek Irrigation District, which owns the dam, has consulted with and informed the Forest Service of its urgent need to complete repairs prior to the onset of winter and next spring’s snowmelt.

“The work is an emergency repair of a sinkhole that developed this year and the intent is to repair the root cause of the problem to prevent a reoccurrence,” said Brian R. Bachman, Commissioner, Canyon Creek Irrigation District. “The elevation of the dam requires that work be completed in early fall.”  

The sinkhole in the embankment of the dam was discovered on June 30th during a routine maintenance check. The Irrigation District was notified of the problem by Hydrometrics, Inc., a professional engineering firm that assists in the operation and maintenance of the dam. According to Hydrometrics, the sinkhole developed just north of the emergency spillway wall and has eroded away a significant amount of dam embankment.     

The Bitterroot National Forest is initiating an environmental analysis on the emergency repairs. The analysis will determine routes and modes of travel that will have the least-lasting impact on the wilderness while at the same time allowing CCID the access it needs to complete emergency repairs to make the dam safe and protect the National Forest.          

To complete repairs, the Irrigation District proposes to use helicopters to transport the needed equipment and supplies to the site, including a piece of motorized equipment. Repairs are estimated to take 3-4 days.

“It’s important that we address the problem this fall,” said Michael Oelrich, Civil Engineer, Hydrometrics. “The principal spillway at Canyon Lake Dam is prone to blockage by ice and snow, which can limit its capacity during a high run-off spring. If this emergency repair is delayed, we can give no guarantee that we can prevent the reservoir level from reaching the sinkhole elevation next spring.”      

Public comments on this proposal are invited and encouraged. No decision has been made yet. Comments should be mailed to Chuck Oliver, District Ranger, Darby Ranger District, Bitterroot National Forest, 712 Main, Darby MT 59829, phone 821-3913, or fax 821-4264. Comments or expression of interest for this proposed project must be postmarked or received within 30 days.

The Darby Ranger District office is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday for those who wish to submit hand-delivered comments. Electronic comments may be sent to HYPERLINK "mailto:comments-northern-bitterroot-darby@fs.fed.us" comments-northern-bitterroot-darby@fs.fed.us. Comments should include: 1) name, address, phone number, and organization represented, if any; 2) title of project on which the comments are being submitted; and 3) specific facts and supporting information for the responsible official, the Forest Supervisor, to consider.

The names and addresses of people submitting comments will be included as part of the public record. If you would like to be put on the mailing list, or would like more information, call Elizabeth Ballard, Team Leader, at the Stevensville Ranger District at 777-5461. For information on past, similar projects concerning maintenance of dams in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness area, visit HYPERLINK "http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/bitterroot/projects/dam_monitoring_backup.shtml" http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/bitterroot/projects/dam_monitoring_backup.shtml

By Randi Burdette

Agriculture has always been a large part of the community in the Bitterroot Valley and now it has come to Darby High School in the form of a new Agricultural Education Program. The program will focus on general sciences as well as animal sciences and crop sciences.

Sabrina Lamb will serve as the new Agricultural Education teacher at the high school. Sabrina hopes to make a new chapter of FFA (Future Farmers of America) in Darby. The first year teacher also hopes to use the program as a way of getting the school involved with the community.

FFA is an organization that encourages students to involve themselves in a wide array of classes leading to over 300 career opportunities. The students involved with the FFA chapter will be able to compete in local, state and national competitions for money for their school, cash prizes, trips and ribbons. In October of each year a national convention is held for the students. The students will participate in “general sessions, competitive events, educational tours, leadership workshops, a career show and expo, volunteer activities and much more.” FFA has chapters in all fifty states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

“One of the things I’m interested in, is using the full potential of existing equipment such as the green house, solar panels, collaboration with the science teachers and developing lifelong learning potential [for the students],” says Darby High principal Jennifer Burdette.

“The project began last spring when the superintendent of the county schools presented the idea,” said Tim Bronk, superintendent of Darby High School. “The legislature signed a bill for $7,500 for a start up program for the schools.”

The program will mostly focus on agriculture mechanics and livestock productions. Lamb hopes to “use a couple of the older buildings to turn them into barns for small animals for livestock production and the greenhouse for farming use,” says Bronk. “I’m hoping that since we have a female teacher we will draw more non-traditional type students that don’t see themselves as agriculturally bound.”

The university systems in Montana and Wyoming, specifically, have made an effort to produce more Vo-Ag teachers for this program. The teachers will incorporate a lot of the same things from the traditional tech program such as woodworking, CAD, and small engines. The program will consist of five classes, including a junior high exploratory class.

Both principal and superintendent are excited for this new program to begin.

“I think it’s going to be a positive change for the school,” says Bronk. “I think that there will be a lot of benefit and lifelong training to this program.”

Due to recent cooler temperatures and more moisture to the area, the Ravalli County Commissioners have rescinded the Open Burning Restrictions. Burning will be allowed on a day-to-day basis until November 30 by calling 1-800-225-6779 for approval. All fires must be attended and a water source for fire suppression must be present and available at the fire site.

Shawn D. Wanderaas, Doctor of Chiropractic, has opened Bitterroot Valley Spinal Care in Florence. After growing up in Harlowton, MT, Wanderaas earned a bachelors degree in pre-professional biology from Rocky Mountain College in Billings. He then attended the prestigious Logan College of Chiropractic in St. Louis, MO, one of the leading chiropractic institutions in the world, where he earned a Doctor of Chiropractic degree after an intensive 10-trimester program. He is board certified by the National Board of Chiropractic examiners and is a member of the International Chiropractors Association.

Dr. Wanderaas said that, as a student, he gained exposure to a variety of courses in one of the most comprehensive chiropractic programs in the nation, completing nearly 1,000 credit hours of basic science, chiropractic science, and clinical science. As a chiropractic intern, he worked directly with practicing chiropractors to deliver the highest quality of patient care. He also worked as an intern group leader in the Logan Health Centers in St. Louis. Along with his clinic duties, he volunteered at the St. Patrick Center and Adult Rehabilitation Center, both located in downtown St. Louis. These locations were set up as free clinics for homeless individuals and recovering addicts, providing chiropractic care to individuals that had no other access.

Most recently Dr. Wanderaas has completed extensive training in upper cervical chiropractic care. Upper cervical is a branch of chiropractic that focuses on locating and removing interference to the nervous system that may be the cause of numerous health conditions.

“My experience has given me a great opportunity to learn and care for a wide variety of ailments,” says Dr. Wanderaas. “My mission is to restore and maintain whole body health through natural chiropractic care, allowing patients to live their lives to the fullest. My drive and passion for chiropractic,as well as my prayerful longing for Montana community has led me to Florence. I couldn't be more excited to be home and able to serve the great people of Montana.”

Bitterroot Valley Spinal Care is located at 289 Rodeo Drive, Suite 3, in Florence. The phone number is 273-4640.

John "J. T." Parker

Corvallis – John "J. T." Parker, musician and poet, made his final journey home Saturday, August 14, 2010. His family would like to express their appreciation to Aspen Hospice for their outstanding care during his final days. Friends are invited to participate in a Celebration of Life for John on Saturday, August 21st, 2 p.m. at Corvallis Methodist Church./p>