Local wilderness advocate and organizer Stewart “Brandy” Brandborg was the introductory speaker at last week’s St. Paddy’s Day Wilderness Celebration that drew a packed house at the Bedford Building in Hamilton. Keynote speaker Verena Gruber, from the European Wilderness Society, spoke about wilderness in Europe and compared it to what it means in the United […]
Big Creek area gravel pit permit applications deemed deficient
After an extended review, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has issued letters of deficiency to two Victor area landowners relating to their applications for Open Cut Mining permits for proposed gravel pits near Big Creek. The permit applications, submitted separately by Todd Townsend and Wade Moody, are in close proximity to each other near […]
Bitterroot preschool educators honored
A team of special educators at the Bitterroot Valley Education Cooperative has received the Paraeducator/Teacher Team of the Year award for Region V of the Western Montana Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (WM-CSPD). BVEC licensed Special Education teacher Candace Briggs and classroom paraeducators Charlee Kellough and Kayla Portlock were honored at the Montana Council for […]
Lifting WSA designations in Bitterroot – what it means
Glenn Casamassa, associate deputy chief of the National Forest System, testified before the Senate Natural Resource and Energy committee members that the agency supports the goals of Senator Steve Daines’ (R-Montana) proposed legislation that would lift Wilderness Study Area designations in five Montana WSAs, including the Sapphire and Blue Joint WSAs on the Bitterroot Forest. […]
Bitterroot heeds call for help
A series of storms this winter has pounded the Blackfoot Reservation. According to Hungry Horse News reporter Chris Peterson in an article published on March 2, blizzards have blocked roads leaving remote reaches of the reservation like Heart Butte difficult to access. He notes some regions of the reservation have seen snow drifts 20-plus feet […]
County fair manager resigns
Ravalli County Fairgrounds Manager Cryss Anderson has submitted her resignation to the Ravalli County Fair Board. She gave two weeks’ notice and the effective date of her resignation is March 15. “It was just time to move on,” said Anderson about her reason for leaving. “I am proud of my accomplishments at the Fairgrounds, but […]
Girl Scouts ask for smoking ban in Stevensville park
Two ten-year-old Girl Scouts from Troop #3696, Meline Gardner-Wavrant and Ara Masar, have taken on a community improvement project in Stevensville and have asked the Town Council to prohibit smoking in Lewis and Clark Park. It is not only a good civics lesson for the girls, but could also benefit all the people in the […]
Valley schools respond to threats
Following the recent mass shooting at a school in Florida, a number of schools throughout Montana have received threats of violence and Bitterroot Valley schools were no exception. Threats against students and school staff at Darby schools on February 17 and later at Stevensville on the 23rd drew a swift response from school officials and […]
Daines dashes through Bitterroot, pro-wilderness folks frustrated
Senator Steve Daines got a little bit ahead of schedule last week and exited the back door of Al’s Cycle in Hamilton at about 1:15 p.m., the publicized time of his arrival. He arrived at around 12:15 p.m. and did make some remarks and conduct a short question and answer session with some of the […]
Hamilton Urban Renewal District in the works
The City of Hamilton took another step forward on the path to establishment of an Urban Renewal District on the north end of town. State law allows municipalities to form such tax increment financing districts in order to help facilitate the rehabilitation and renewal of areas that have been identified as “blighted,” including areas which […]
State parks board endorses exploring options for Fort Owen State Park
The Montana State Parks and Recreation Board met last Tuesday, February 20, at Travelers’ Rest State Park in Lolo, and formally endorsed State Parks Regional Manager Chet Crowser’s recommendation that Fish, Wildlife and Parks work with the new landowner surrounding Fort Owen State Park “to explore opportunities, up to and including acquisition of additional state […]
Prepping for the season – Loyal to Local Bitterroot and Community Supported Agriculture
If you are growing or producing food products in the Bitterroot and want to expand your customer base, you might want to contact the Loyal to Local Community Agricultural Cooperative and join in a cooperative effort at marketing and distributing your products. If you like eating good, wholesome, locally grown, locally produced food, then you […]