The summer weekend days here in Montana are so packed with opportunities that I have a tough time trying to fit in all I want to do.
The weekend before last, on Friday, I attended the Annual Mission Valley Scholarship fundraiser Writer’s Night at the Mission Valley Country Club in Ronan, MT. A benefit golf tournament precedes the show. One of these years I hope to participate in the golf tournament. Tim Ryan (my cousin) never fails to have, as his guests, outstanding Nashville song writers.
On Saturday I made my way to Anaconda, MT. There was a full moon so I experimented with shooting Lost Creek Falls at night under the full moon. It was a learning experience. I didn’t get the results I wanted. I learned that a four minute exposure, under the light of the full moon, yields daylight colors & exposure! Well, if I wanted daylight colors, I’d shoot in daylight. The other problem with a four minute exposure of a scene that includes trees is the leaves will move if there is so much a as a breath of breeze and there will always be air movement at a waterfall. Live, experiment and learn…
On Sunday I attended Anaconda’s 29th(?) Annual Art in Washoe Park and the concert of Rob Quist and Great Northern. Rob Quist never fails to entertain and I look forward to opportunities to see him — whether he’s playing as part of the Mission Mountain Wood Band, as part of the Odyssey West show with Jack Gladstone, or with Great Northern. Art in Washoe Park is a perennial favorite event. I didn’t get to spend as much time as I’d like visiting the art booths this year. That’s probably a good thing. My husband and I made a rather major purchase there last year. Later that afternoon I took a drive up to Carp Ridge to see what wildflowers were in bloom. I saw beargrass, paintbrush, lupine, heartleaf arnica, elephant heads, yellow columbine, yarrow, sulphur buckwheat, sitka valerian, etc. I was hoping for mariposa lilies, but no luck. Maybe next trip…
Whew! Busy weekend!
Last weekend, I again traveled to Anaconda. On the way there, my weekend, my whole week to be honest, was made when I spotted a great gray owl. He was a cooperative model and I was able to capture quite a number of photos of him with which I am quite pleased. These two have been uploaded to Flickr. I’ll be adding more there as well as to the Photo Gallery as time goes on.
On Saturday some family and I attended Grant Kohr’s Days at the Grant Kohr’s Ranch in Deer Lodge, Montana. Fun, fun, fun!
I actually took it rather easy on Sunday. Rather a nice change…
On Saturday I attended, along with my family, the 79th Annual Folk Festival which was held in Butte, Montana this year, the first of three years Butte will host the Festival.
Folks, if you missed it this year, make hotel/motel reservations for your entire family now for next year. Those of you who made it, no doubt, don’t need any encouragement. This is truly an incredible family event with something to offer for everyone.
The entertainers and craftspeople were outstanding! The food was wonderful. Food and drink vendors were plentiful. What an event! Musical, dance and craft arts from cultures and traditions around the world were represented by high caliber performers of those arts.
All of this and cloudless blue skies, too. Way to go, Butte! Please arrange for the same weather next year.
As you can see from the image above, the UV factor was HIGH!
Just a couple minor suggestions for next year, Butte:
The shuttle transport idea was better in theory than in practice. Next year, improve the execution of this idea with more buses. I made the mistake of waiting for a bus twice before giving up on that idea entirely as full buses would stop just, it seemed, to tease us with the notice that they had no room for us.
Stage 6 - the black indoor/outdoor carpet. Really? BLACK shiny surface for July? The straw bales weren’t bad, but the black indoor/outdoor carpet was close to murderous.
Now some compliments:
“The Original” stage was great! The new, well watered sod seemed like an oasis coming from Stage 6. Great venue. I hope Butte stages other musical acts there.
Food and drink vendors were well spread and convenient, as were portable potties. The condition of some of the portable potties left something to be desired and left room for improvement (some were quite old and worn out) but I was pleasantly surprised by the availability.
I look forward to attending this great event again next year.
For more information about this wonderful annual event, see: http://www.nationalfolkfestival.com/
Oh, and when you go next year, don’t forget to make a drop in the bucket!
I think every pc owner in Missoula blogged the Mount Sentinel fire so there’s not much that needs to be said. However, for those who are subscribed to this blog, an update:
The cause of the fire was, as I surmised the night that it flared up, human activity. Specifically, two young brothers, aged 7 and 8 years old, were playing with cigarette lighters and phone book pages. They were, according to reports, lighting fires then smothering them with rocks to extinguish them. Inevitably…
I took this photo from across the valley today.
We are fortunate that the fire was relatively low intensity, that no one was hurt, and that the winds of the following day didn’t kick it up and out of control.
Thanks to all of the firefighters who battled this human-caused blaze!
It appears fire season has begun in Western Montana. Two fires flared up today. One south of Sula, MT and the other on Missoula’s Mount Sentinel. From my back deck I’ve been watching the fire race up Mount Sentinel. It has marched quickly in the last couple hours.
One can only assume that the Mount Sentinel fire was human caused, though there is not yet an official determination.
While Mount Sentinel has historically burned regularly, it’s still disappointing to see the start of fires.
High winds are forecast for tomorrow.
Keep safe, firefighters, pilots, smokejumpers!
Photos courtesy of Flickr member Clockworks - Missoula resident Bill Hudson.
I spent the Fourth of July as a spectator/guest at the 110th Annual Arlee Celebration - the annual Fourth of July Powwow in Arlee, Montana. 
I was privileged to watch the Snake Dance (held only on the Fourth of July) which was traditionally held to begin a war dance. It is led by a chosen man who leads the dancers single file, weaving back and forth in the fashion of a snake while drummers and singers beat and sing the Snake Dance Song. All registered dancers (dance contest entrants) participate in full regalia.
Following the Snake Dance, a Veteran’s Memorial, honoring past and present Veterans of the US Armed Forces was held. All Veterans, of all Nations, American Indian or non-Indian, were invited to participate. They danced in a circle, led by the Veteran’s Warrior Society, then a microphone was passed around and 
each Veteran, or, in some cases family members representing service members currently deployed, introduced themselves and told what branch of service, years and conflicts they served in. War Dancing followed…
The colorful and intricately detailed regalia, the drumming, the singing and the dancing were all extremely beautiful,as was the w
arm, friendly and celebratory mood of the day
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Participants spanned the generations…
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…and a great time was had by all.
I took a drive up to Packer Meadows, which Captain Meriwether Lewis, seeing it blanketed with the blue blooms of camas, described as “a pretty little plain of about 50 acres plentifully stocked with quawmash” on Wednesday evening. I’d heard that the camas bloom was running a few weeks late but that other wildflowers were abundant. My source was correct. Most of the camas are still tight buds, though some roadside flowers have opened. The meadow is still spongy. There are still drifts of snow in shady areas. There was a brisk breeze blowing Wednesday evening. It looks like there will be an awesome display when they bloom.
Other wildflowers observed were glacier lilies, shooting stars, Western Trillium, nuttalls violet and a few yellow bells.
If you can make to Packer Meadows (at the top of Lolo Pass) around next weekend (Fourth of July Weekend), you should be in for a treat. Please, out of consideration for the flowers, the Nez Perce, history buffs and other wild flower lovers, DON’T TRAMPLE THE FLOWERS! If you get off the road or the one small trail, you will be trampling flowers - they are that dense. Don’t spoil the vista for the next guy…!
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On Friday, we marked two signifigant happenings in Big Sky Country. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services and the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) signed a new annual funding agreement for the National Bison Range, an occasion I’ve waited, wished, hoped and lobbied for, AND the first day of summer!
National Bison Range: CSKT, FWS sign pact
By VINCE DEVLIN of the Missoulian
Calling it a “historic opportunity,” James Steele Jr. pledged Thursday that the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes will make the most of a new funding agreement that will return some responsibilities at the National Bison Range to the tribes.
Steele, CSKT chairman, and H. Dale Hall, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, signed the agreement at a late-morning ceremony in Washington, D.C.
Among those in attendance were Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne and Montana Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester
“It is a day of great pride for my people,” Steele said at the signing, “because we will now be able to demonstrate that we can be effective and innovative partners with the Fish and Wildlife Service for the operation and management of the National Bison Range.”
Said Hall: “The Bison Range occupies a special place in the hearts of tribal members. I know the passion that they have for the land of their ancestors, and for the wildlife that sustained them. Fish and Wildlife Service employees also care passionately about the future of the Bison Range, and I strongly believe this agreement will serve to bring everyone together to accomplish great things for the refuge.”
The new agreement was signed 1 1/2 years after the FWS abruptly canceled a previous agreement and locked tribal employees out of the Bison Range as a bitter feud broke out between the two sides
more>>
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/06/20/news/local/news04.txt
I appreciate the years of dedicated service FWS employees have devoted to the Range and I respect and value both the FWS employees and the CSKT employees and sincerely hope that all parties will earnestly strive to make this new agreement work.
I celebrated the new funding agreement and the official arrival of summer (for what it’s worth) with a trip to the National Bison Range on Sunday. It was a bright & beautiful sunny day, summer warm but not unbearably hot. I enjoyed the usual assortment of birds, as well as some that, while not uncommon at the Bison Range, were an uncommon pleasure for me to see including Bullock’s oriole and lazuli bunting. I also enjoyed watching a house wren at a nest box.
Wildflowers are running quite late — some species as much as five weeks! That was good for me - I didn’t miss the blooming of the bitterroot! Among the other wildflowers seen: yarrow, lupine, musk thistle, threaded phacelia, prairie smoke (most just emerging from bud), gaillardia, Wood’s rose, sticky geranium, thin leaved owl clover (not yet colorful), wild hyacinth (buds), meadow death camas, small flowered penstemmon, heartleaf arnica, and, as mentioned before, bitterroot — most still in bud.
I was less happy to see the proliferation of hounds tongue (just a few - but it’s a bad start), ox-eye daisy (down by Mission Creek, I hope it doesn’t spread) and, especially, yellow toadflax (known by some as “butter and eggs”), which is now even more widespread than last year — and it was bad enough last year.
I hope that with the increased funding and additional staffing that the new annual funding agreement with the CSKT contributes, that these noxious weed infections can be controlled.
Among the other wonderful sights: a youngish cinnamon black bear just off the High Point Trail, six rams, including the one with especially massive horns, just over the top of the hill, the main bison herd along the flats, and three big bull elk along Mission Creek.
I ended the trip, as I usually do, watching the light change on the Mission Mountains and the yellow-headed blackbirds catch mosquitos. A painted turtle nearby seemed to have the same idea. 
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I was pleased to read in the Missoulian of July 13, 2008:
Bison Range agreement set to be signed next week
By VINCE DEVLIN of the Missoulian
MOIESE - An annual funding agreement that will put Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribal employees back to work at the National Bison Range here will be signed in Washington, D.C., next week.
Lyle Laverty, assistant secretary in charge of fish, wildlife and parks at the U.S. Department of the Interior, told the Missoulian in a telephone interview Friday that the signing is scheduled for Thursday, June 19.
The agreement will then be submitted to Congress for a 90-day review period.
It’s been more than 1 1/2 years since the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service abruptly canceled a previous agreement and locked tribal employees out of the range after acrimony between tribal and federal employees festered for several months, then boiled over.
Interior officials quickly entered the fray, and a visit to the Flathead Indian Reservation by four high-level FWS and Interior administrators early last year brought assurances that tribal workers could be back on the job before January 2007 was over.
But nothing happened for almost a year after that.
That changed after Laverty was appointed to his position by President Bush last fall.
In virtual “Get ‘er done” language, one of the first moves Laverty made was to order the Fish and Wildlife Service to negotiate a new funding agreement with CSKT.
“Bring this issue to a closure!” he demanded in a memo to agency officials.
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Laverty suggested that the prolonged negotiations this time were an effort to avoid the pitfalls of the previous agreement.
“They had to figure out how to deal with things that occurred in the past,” he said.
Since 1994, the tribes have sought to manage, or be involved with the operation of, the Bison Range. Acts of Congress have given all Indian tribes the right to seek involvement in, and control over, many federal lands where they can show historical, cultural or geographic connections.
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes qualify on all counts. Not only does the Bison Range sit on the reservation, most of today’s herd of 350-400 animals descend from a handful of bison brought to the Mission Valley in the 1870s by a Salish Indian who feared the species would be hunted to extinction.
But tribal involvement has been opposed by many national groups, most especially Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, which has listed the Bison Range as one of America’s 10 most imperiled wildlife refuges because of what it terms the “paralyzing dispute” between the FWS and the tribes.
more>>
It is my most sincere hope that all parties will work diligently and honestly at making this annual funding agreement work for the benefit of all. Guess it’s time to update the National Bison Range page of my gallery site. ;^)
What a change from Memorial Day Weekend — Bright! Sunny!
Stacy, Ziggy (her dog) and I in one car, Mom, Dad, Bridger, all the gear and food in another…On Saturday, the first sighting that I made note of was a bachelor group of bull elk, 7 strong, traversing a hill. A beautiful sight.Next, Stacy and I saw a black bear near the Blacktail Rd. outlet.Our next stop was a treat: there was a small crowd gathered at Confluence and a most handy parking spot. We stood there less than five minutes and saw several cow elk with calves standing in the river, 2 coyotes on the bank, a browsing cow moose, the brownish-black Druid heading east and a ferruginous hawk soaring over all. We moved east promptly as we anticipated that the Druid would cross the road between Confluence and Hitching Post and we wanted a legal vantage point. We proceeded to Hitching Post and weren’t disappointed. While waiting, a gold eagle flew by us at eye level only about 25 yard away. Wow!
Mom, Dad and Bridger caught up with us there. While we had turned East at Roosevelt, they had taken a trip up to Tower for bear. No luck. While there at Hitching Post a lady in line for the vault complained to me about a Ranger up the road that wouldn’t let her family stop on the road where that was a bear “nice and close” on a carcass so they could get one good photo.
We proceeded east till about Pebble Creek then turned around. On the way there we saw the Ranger she referred to. Other than the pull-out he was parked in there was really no where for parking. While at Pebble Creek while out of the cars grabbing snacks we heard a shot. When we got back to where the Ranger was parked we could see the bear on the other side of the road, but no Ranger. I guessed that perhaps he had fired a hazing shot to move the bear off the carcass and was dragging the carcass away from the road. We drove by slowly but didn’t stop. The bear was quite close to the road — maybe 25 yards.
Continuing west we saw two griz across the valley from Soda Butte and about 10-15 tourons climbed up on the Soda Butte cone using it as a vantage point. Stacy reported that to the next disbelieving and dismayed Ranger we encountered.
Next we made our first trip over Dunraven of the year. There’s just a little bit of snow up on top.
We journeyed as far south as Lake Butte Overlook hoping for griz. In that, we were disappointed but it was a beautiful drive.
On our way back, Stacy and I saw two second year cubs coming down from Dunraven, where the open slopes meet timber. They were close seeming oblivious to the observers on the road. We also were pleased to meet DesnaePhoto there.
One of the two:
Back at Tower we were joyed to see Rosie and the cinnamon cub. Rosie was moving about, apparently relaxed and browsing on spring greens while “Chaco” was running about. Here he seemed to be running just to stretch his legs. He ran to the tree line then turned back.
Bridger was adamant at first that that bear couldn’t be Rosie because Rosie has TWO cubs — a cinnamon AND a black. He even argued with people. I had made the mistake of not telling him that one of the cubs had died. Mom had to tell him at that point.
(for backstory, check the Insider’s Forum at www.yellowstone.net/forums)
Next we stopped to check on the osprey nest. We we privileged to watch the male deliver a fish and the family all dined together. Mom & Dad had a few bites, then Mom fed the three chicks. After dinner, Mom took off to stretch her wings while Dad babysat. He is not as relaxed on the nest with the chicks as the female is. He did a little house keeping, adjusting a twig here and there, while being very careful and deliberate about his foot placement. He heard his mate’s approach and took off a few seconds before she arrived back home as evening fell.
On Sunday we saw a moose at elk creek (didn’t stop or really even slow down to look, but I’d guess one of the two bulls that’s been hanging out in that area).
We saw two griz from the west end of the Lamar Bridge.
We watched another osprey family meal on Sunday under brighter light.
There is a great crop of wildflowers — many still visible a few weeks later than usual.
Wildflowers observed:
- larkspur - everywherearrowleaf balsamroot - everywhere
- dandelion - everywhere
- oregon grape - around boulders at end of Slough Creek Rd.
- pussy toes - on slopes around ponds off Slough Creek Rd.
- shooting stars - everywhere
- sticky geranium - only saw one flowered and that was at Petrified Tree
- prairie smoke buds - the area around Petrified Tree/Elk Creek should be blanketed with open flowers soon
- prairie forget-me-nots
- pasqueflower - just a few left at Petrified Tree - maybe more higher
- sugar bowls - Petrified Tree
- small-flowered penstemmon - all over but especially around Slough Creek
- cut leaved daisy - trail along Tower Creek
- cushion phlox - all over
- snowball saxiphrage - Lamar Valley
- yellow bells - Dunraven
- glacier lily - Dunraven, Storm Point
- heartleaf arnica - trail along Tower Creek
- few-flowered lomatium - Slough Creek
- spring beauty - Yellowstone Lake pullout (probably at picnic area at West Thumb, too)
- nuttalls violet - lower Dunraven - north end
Winter storm warnings, heavy snow advisories on the radio this am…
Snow in the air now.
Springtime in the Rockies!
Anyone up for a snowball fight?
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