Center for Large Landscape Conservation's Deb Davidson talks to Hoary Marmot's Joe Borden about the possibility of a wildlife crossing along U.S. Highway 191, including one priority site in particular – at the mouth of of Gallatin Canyon – which sees the highest mortality rates of animals and highest rate of vehicle collisions.
Watch the full episode, in which Borden also speaks with American Rivers' Scott Bosse, about the important conservation work they're doing along the region's waterways: https://youtu.be/wg308p9PQBE?si=LwXgdhXebEWzGlHz
Are you registered to vote in the upcoming May 6 election? Local leaders hope so, with multiple initiatives that could impact Big Sky’s future.
🎥: Joe Borden and Jack Reaney
Winter keeps wintering. But get ready for a warm work week.
🎥: Jack Reaney and Leslie Kilgore
A snowmobile accident Wednesday afternoon required quick response from Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue’s Big Sky volunteers.
Read about the rescue at the link in our bio, or at explorebigsky.com.
🎥: Eric Ladd
Butte has a reputation for gathering crowds in the tens of thousands on March 17, many traveling from around the state for a raucous celebration that includes a legendary parade and bleeds into uptown’s many Irish-themed bars until the wee hours of tomorrow. For many of the town’s residents, it’s a day to stoke the fire of their heritage. It’s an unrivaled celebration, but above all, it’s an expression of pride.
Read “Pride is a shade of green” as EBS contributor Bella Butler takes to Butte’s streets this St. Patrick’s Day to see what their renowned celebration is all about.
https://www.explorebigsky.com/pride-is-a-shade-of-green/67304
Happy St. Patrick's Day! This week, Hoary Marmot podcast with EBS took a trip to Butte, known to be the most Irish city in the U.S. Joe and Michelle chated with the mining town’s Historic Preservation Officer Kate McCourt at the Anselmo Mine Hoist House atop 3,500 miles of underground tunnels that produced 18 billion pounds of copper over Butte’s history – the perfect place to discuss the lore and ore that built Montana. You can watch the full episode at the link in our bio.
🌨️ Snow looks to return this weekend, and Big Sky has been patiently waiting.
🎥: Jack Reaney
Holly Pippel has been photographing local wildlife since arriving in Gallatin Valley in '95, and over the past few years she's become increasingly concerned with one of her furry subjects: elk. Pippel says that herds are moving into new areas, and with increased traffic on Highway 191 and more and more elk hit each year, she thinks we need to find new solutions to protect them.
EBS rode with Pippel to interview for a story about wildlife crossings. Read the story, “Experts continue to look for wildlife crossing solutions along 191," at explorebigsky.com.
To help save elk and other wildlife, and to help implement wildlife crossing infrastructure, the Center for Large Landscape Conservation recommends that drivers be careful behind the wheel and reach out to their representatives at the state and federal levels to encourage wildlife crossing and mitigation efforts. Gallatin County is also holding public meetings to discuss zoning reform, which could guide the use of private lands in the area to facilitate the movement of wildlife.
🎥: Fischer Genau
Ennis, Big Sky residents travel to Helena for district boundary hearing
On Feb. 12, Madison Valley and Big Sky residents traveled to Helena for a committee hearing on Senate Bill 260, a bill that could impact local withdrawal issues. Senate Bill 260 would allow for changes in service district boundaries, like school districts and hospital districts, if homeowners can’t access services due to geographical barriers, legal access to roads, or lack of county-maintained routes.
The bill concerns unsuccessful attempts by a portion of Big Sky residents to withdraw from the Madison Valley Hospital District, services they support through property taxes, and redirect dollars toward a proposed special district called the Big Sky Wellness District. Public testimony on Feb. 12 also addressed school district funding.
The closest public route for Big Sky residents to access Ennis services, like the Madison Valley Medical Center, is about an 85-mile trip. However, a private lane called Jack Creek Road offers the most direct access between the communities.
During the hearing, Madison County Commissioner Bill Todd noted that Madison County is exploring options for eminent domain of Jack Creek Road. In a written comment to EBS, Bill Todd explained that the Madison County Commission will publicly discuss eminent domain at the commission's work session at 10 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 24, in Virginia City.
🎥: Joe Borden & Jen Clancey
💘 It’s been a snowy Valentine’s Day and there’s more on the way ❄️
🎥: Jack Reaney
Survey open for Big Sky Governance Study
The Big Sky Governance Study hopes to get 350 locals to complete a survey by the end of February. The survey will help the study team narrow down the possible scenarios for local governance that will be outlined in a report this summer.
The team continues to emphasize that the study and its final report do not intend to give a recommendation for the community, but their goal is to inform voters as they decide on the future of Big Sky's governance structure—even if that means sticking with the status quo.
Read more at the link below:
https://www.explorebigsky.com/local-gov-study-begs-question-what-is-the-problem-were-trying-to-solve/66337
🎥: Joe Borden and Jack Reaney
On Tuesday evening, a Gallatin County Sheriff’s deputy attempted to make contact with a suspect from Three Forks with outstanding felony warrants, who fled in his vehicle from Four Corners toward Gallatin Canyon with law enforcement in pursuit. In this video, Gallatin County Sheriff Sergeant Dan Haydon, of Big Sky, uses a device called a “stop stick” to deflate the suspect’s tires at mile marker 53 on U.S. Highway 191, north of Big Sky.
The suspect’s vehicle stopped shortly thereafter at Portal Creek, where deputies completed a “high risk traffic stop” to complete the arrest, Sgt. Haydon told EBS. Nobody was injured, but the suspect did cause multiple vehicles to swerve out of the way, and another to drive into a snowbank.
Read about the chase and the charges filed at the link in our bio.
🎥: Courtesy of Jayde Page (1) and @jacksonchaput (2)
