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I have been heard as saying that I do not have to defend life, you have to defend taking it, but CI128 has changed that. I feel obligated to defend it now. CI128, the abortion initiative as a constitutional right and the vagueness and simplicity of its wording leaves the door wide open for unimaginable harm and tragic attacks and loss to human life. Let me explain. Just recently, our Montana Supreme Court, yes yours and mine, was tasked with determining what Article ll Section 10 of our constitution, giving us the right to privacy, actually mea...
Most mornings, I only need a few minutes of “me” time before I’m at the computer and tackling what always seems to be a never-ending stream of emails. This morning, I was slower to get to my makeshift desk, a TV tray next to my recliner in the front room. A few weeks ago, I got a severe burn on my foot, and the healing process has been trying. Even something as mundane as sitting at a desk has hampered the process. So here I am in my living room, attempting to work while listening to the washing machine make a bunch of racket. I also wante...
Drive through downtown Bozeman any day of the week, and you're guaranteed to see some cowboy hats. Turn on the television and there's another Montana politician wearing the hat. On Instagram, it's billionaires with boots and buckles. Stetson even had a hat shortage from demand on the back of the success of "Yellowstone" and the Barbie movie. Meanwhile, the cowboy is dying. This is not a new observation. And it's not the fault of 99% of folks wearing the boots, buckles and hats that family farms...
While I was in elementary school, the end of summer always meant going school shopping, and this always meant searching for a new lunch box. Lunch boxes have certainly evolved over the years, but they pale in comparison to the novelty of those from my childhood. I remember being so excited to get a “Return of the Jedi” lunch box with a Thermos that I’m pretty sure I slept with it for about a week. As much as getting a lunch box was a rite of passage for a 1980s elementary school student, taking a lunch usually only lasted about a week. I would...
I have been heard as saying that I do not have to defend life, you have to defend taking it, but CI128 has changed that. I feel obligated to defend it now. CI128, the abortion initiative as a constitutional right and the vagueness and simplicity of its wording leaves the door wide open for unimaginable harm and tragic attacks and loss to human life. Let me explain. Just recently, our Montana Supreme Court, yes yours and mine, was tasked with determining what Article ll Section 10 of our constitution, giving us the right to privacy, actually mea...
It is no secret that Southwest Montana is rapidly changing. With more people in local communities and on the trails, it is imperative we work together to protect and steward our cherished public lands. The Greater Yellowstone Coalition has been at the forefront of taking action to protect this special place for more than 40 years, successfully adapting strategies to present-day social, political, and ecological realities. GYC brings together diverse interests, organizes communities, and ultimately develops widely supported projects that...
The other day, I had a good laugh when my sister sent me a dancing video about finding an onion ring mixed in with your fries at Burger King. I needed it too, I have been so stressed out trying to keep a business afloat and the non-stop political commercials terrorizing me, it was nice to enjoy something lighthearted. While I only eat at Burger King once every few years, I remember being younger and the joy of finding a tiny onion ring or two that had somehow made it into the fry carton. While I was driving from Three Forks to Helena to pick up...
The countdown is on for the 109th Montana Farmer’s Union Annual State Convention. Our convention will be held at the Grouse Mountain Lodge in Whitefish, MT on October 17th to 19th. I am particularly looking forward to this year’s convention policy debates and our keynote speaker, Zach Ducheneaux, Administrator for USDA’s Farm Service Agency. The event kicks off with a pre-convention tour on Thursday of area agriculture, then full programming on both Friday and Saturday. Members can easily network with their industry peers and fellow membe...
You can help prevent the spread of chronic wasting disease in Montana’s herds of elk, deer, and moose by getting your animal tested. By testing your animal for CWD, you are not only protecting our herds, but also the future of our hunting opportunities. Your test results help Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks gather data to evaluate the effectiveness of CWD management. FWP needs samples not only from hunting districts (HDs) where CWD is known to be, but also in HDs where it hasn’t yet been detected. If we don’t know where it is, we can’t stop th...
On an evening where the highlight should have been watching Montana native Sean O’Malley fight at UFC 306, it instead turned into an all-out battle between myself and a pork butt. Unfortunately, the pork won, and I’m still paying for it. While we watch a lot of sports at our house, the UFC pay-per-views are always a highlight. It’s an even bigger deal when one of our favorite fighters is on the main card, like at the recent event at the Sphere in Las Vegas. We always try to plan out something great to eat to go along with the fights, and about...
As volunteer election judges, we understand that few institutions are as precious as democracy. Despite all the differences in our state—whether political, cultural, or demographic—the ballot box is where we can unite to fight for the vision we see for our state—regardless of what that vision is. However, we have lost sight of this core principle somewhere along the way, and threats to our democracy have become all too common. Over the past four years, we have seen attacks on election officials, poll workers, and non-partisan volunteers like...
Biologist Diane K. Boyd has had a front-row seat to 40 years of wolf recovery in the West, but her new memoir reveals that entanglements with humans in Montana were often tougher than dealing with the four-legged predators. There's a proud literary canon of women telling their stories of studying wildlife in remote places-Mardy Murie in Alaska, Jane Goodall in Tanzania, Dian Fossey in Rwanda. Now, Boyd's memoir, A Woman Among Wolves-My Journey Through Forty Years of Wolf Recovery, runs in that...
More frequent wildfires in the West can turn hiking through beautiful, high-elevation country into a dangerous game for hikers. In July, seven friends from Idaho, Colorado, Washington and Montana took off for a week of backpacking in southwestern Montana. Everything went off without a hitch their first night. A rainstorm passed through but it wasn't a big deal. But when they woke up, they saw a plume of smoke rising into the sky. Darren Wilson had anticipated something like this, even before the...
As you drive over bridges this time of year, take a moment to look down at the streams and rivers and appreciate just how much water is flowing down there. I know: Late summer is when water levels in streams and rivers are at their lowest. By now, crops have been irrigated for several months, snowpack is gone, and it seems like a long time since we last saw a decent rain. But Montana’s water flows could be a lot worse. Here at FWP, we talk a lot about the contributions that agriculture makes to wildlife habitat—rotational grazing that kee...
For more than 50 years, generations of passionate, persistent citizens worked hard to ensure the Gallatin and Madison Ranges continue providing vital wildlife habitat, clean water and wild places for people to find adventure and solace. Today’s debate about the future of these mountains stands on this legacy, and for that we are deeply grateful. These mountains are among the wildest places left in the lower 48. As veterans of earlier efforts to protect the Gallatin and Madison Ranges, we support the Greater Yellowstone Conservation and R...
Whenever our household budget has gotten tight over the near decade of living in Montana, one topic that always seems to come up is getting rid of our satellite service and finding a different and cheaper way to watch television. Our bill would keep growing, and we would call them to say we’d like to cancel. They’d end up giving us a discount for a few months, only to have the high prices return after it ended. It was a never-ending cycle. I still think I’m still trying to recover financially from the year we thought it would be a good idea to...
For many Montanans, our state’s attraction is its abundance of outdoor recreational opportunities, especially hunting and fishing. These resources have traditionally been managed according to the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, which holds that wildlife is a public resource held in trust by the state, should be allocated democratically, and should not be commercially exploited. These principles have allowed Montanans of ordinary means to enjoy our outdoors. Now the scales have started to tip in favor of wealthy out of state inter...
The summer before my sixth-grade year, I would grab my football and make the short walk from my house to Yellowstone School. Sometimes, enough kids would gather, and we would have an impromptu game. We would have some of the best days trying to emulate the Air Force Academy wishbone offense. One time I managed to get a rare touchdown and ran right into a teether ball poll and it knocked me out cold. I still get teased about it to this day. When nobody was around, I would spend an hour or two practicing punting. I was not blessed with much athle...
In a few months, we will celebrate the sixth anniversary of the Three Forks Voice. It has been a wonderful journey, and we would like to thank all the people who pick up a paper around town or have a subscription. We appreciate all of you so much. We also want to give a huge thanks to our amazing advertisers, many of whom have been with us since the beginning. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts; without you, we wouldn’t have a paper. The same thank you can be said for all those who read and advertise in our sister paper, the Lewis and C...
Even before I met a cat, my mom told me I was allergic. While I had plenty of dogs growing up, I didn't know much about cats, and whenever I saw one, it freaked me out because I just didn't understand them. Years later, while living on a Reservation in Washington state, I noticed a little kitten wandering outside my house. I instantly started to worry about the kitten. Nervousness about a cat or being allergic was not part of my thought process; I just wanted to give the kitten a safe place to...
Over the years, one of the most asked questions I get from entrepreneurs is what grants are available for new businesses and how do I get a business loan. Securing business capital can be frustrating and defeating for many individuals that have had the dream of turning their unique idea into a new small business. Grants are mostly non-existent for most startups unless your local community organizations or government agencies offer financial incentives. To help reduce barriers for startups, the...
While I was growing up in a modest-sized, hard-working city in Wyoming, my dad happened to live about a two—or three-minute walk from a cemetery. Whenever I was staying with my dad, I would join the neighborhood kids at night as we would make the short walk to go and explore. As a kid, it would always freak me out, and I wanted nothing to do with it, but sometimes, I just wanted to feel like I was part of the group and begrudgingly joined in on the mischief. It was also the first place my dad took me when I was around 14 to try and teach me t...
We call Montana "The Last Best Place" for good reason. Millions of visitors come to share in our state's breathtaking landscapes and vibrant communities each year, supporting nearly 50,000 Montana jobs and bringing at least $5 billion to our state annually, according to a study by the University of Montana. This revenue fueled our post-pandemic recovery, providing a lifeline to our hotels, local restaurants, and countless small businesses. I know how crucial these visitors are to our state's eco...
I’m the type of person who can’t entirely function appropriately without a to-do list. The lists come in very handy for work. I usually have a list of things I need to complete for the upcoming edition of the newspaper and a master story list that constantly evolves as the year goes by. I also utilize lists in my personal life. My “personal” list recently needed some updating, with getting in much better shape skyrocketing to the top of the list. Sometimes, it gets a bit out of hand when I start making lists of lists that I need to make. While... Full story
As Montanans face more economic challenges due to inflation, it can weigh heavily on our most vulnerable populations, including senior citizens. Housing costs are soaring across the nation, thanks in part due to a lack of supply keeping up with demand. While many Montana seniors own their own homes and have little or no remaining mortgage debt, they struggle to make ends meet on fixed incomes. Montana’s seniors deserve to age with dignity and to live safely and independently at home throughout their golden years. Through the Montana Board of H...
