On the morning of my departure from Butte, I engaged myself in the routine of pulling the tent down and loading the full gamut of camping crap into the car. For some odd reason, I've started timing myself to see how quickly I can go from full tent set-up to tightly packed bag. On this particular morning, I did it in 7 minutes, 35 seconds, a new Rig record. In complete oblivion to the fact that other people were observing me, I went bananas. You would 
have thought that I'd just won the gold medal for team U.S.A. in the geek Olympics. With arms raised, it quickly dawned on me how freaking goofy I must have looked. In the photo I stand by my loaded Rig, feeling fresh and ready to take on the world. For some reason, that last sentence seems straight out of a douche commercial.
And now for something completely different. It was good that I packed quickly because as soon as I hit the road, the skies unleashed a powerful torrent of rain that didn't let up all day. I wanted to view the Big Hole National Battlefield but the Montana monsoon only allowed me to check out the interior of the gift shop.
The story of the Nez Perce Indians is a sad one. In a tale of brutal disregard for human life, the U.S. government established a land treaty with the Nez Perce, broke the treaty when they discovered how much gold was on the originally defined reservation, and then chased and killed the Indians when they wouldn't comply with a much smaller reservation confinement. Big Hole was the scene of a horrific Nez Perce slaughter at the hands of the U.S. Army in 1877. After learning all this, I found it ironic that our government now acts so noble in their attempts to combat the current human rights violations in Kosovo. If only the Nez Perce had had someone with a few cruise missiles to come to their aid 122 years ago.
Enough of the moral stance, already. The visual delights of the Bitterroot National Forest tickled my eyeballs for several hours as I busted out the miles toward Missoula. I looked for a good campsite in the forests near Trapper Creek and Chaffin Creek west of Connor, Montana, but the terrain was too steep for a safe landing. In the end, I just slogged northward until suitable camping presented itself near the town of Lolo.
If I can knock the federal govvie, I can praise it too, right? In fact, it has been a slowly increasing trend during the 1990's for our nation to appropriate money for the purchase of private land to be added to the public domain in the name of (allegedly) watershed and wildlife protection. Recently in Darby, which lies in the heart of the Bitterroots, a private land trust (The Trust for Public Land) has taken an active role in garnering federal support to purchase property in the Rye Creek area to add to existing U.S. National Forest. I'm not exactly sure how this action protects the land from commercial utilization because the Forest Service's land use policy allows for multiple types of industry, but at least it limits the construction of housing developments and opens up many new recreational opportunities.
Missoula is such a cool little town. With the University of Montana campus butted right up against the mountains, it's got a unique outdoorsy, college feel. Unfortunatley, I didn't get to do much but shrivel up my
bladder in some coffee shops since it rained almost the entire time. That has been the story in Montana for me this summer. I've been constantly rushing to get in a few bits of treasured outdoor flava before the juicy sprinkles drive me back underground. The suntan that I miraculously picked up during my stint in Arizona and New Mexico has long since faded.
The highlight of the Missoula visit was my trip out to the hometown stadium to see a little AAA ball. Small town baseball is the lifeblood of America, I think. For ten bones, I got great seats, a dog and a fine sudsy beverage. When the anthem rang out, I removed my hat and put my beer over my heart. Now this is livin'. The hometown boys, the Osprey, thumped the visiting Great Falls Dodgers. I will always root against the Dodgers with full force, even if it's their second-string scrubs. Alas, the game was rained out in the sixth.
Recently I received two pieces of outstanding feedback that made me smile. It is rewarding for me to know that a few of you who read my journals are thinking about more than just your stock portfolio. Someone from Bozeman read my journal entry for that city and said, in effect, "It's nice that you see the problems with uncontrolled development in Bozeman. I see them too. But what do you suggest that we do about it?"
That is a good question indeed. It's easy to criticize the effects without offering any solutions. I mean, the land is private and if people want to sell their land to developers, that's their right. What can we possibly do? From what I can see in my limited experience in this subject, some of the best solutions lie within organizations called land trusts. Land trusts are a growing American phenomenon that have been specifically created by the people of this country to combat the urban sprawl problem. There are now approximately 1,200 of them operating from coast-to-coast. Besides just working to raise money for land purchase and preservation, they also play a vital role in the creation of land easements. I've written an article about how land trusts use easements and other tools to benefit both the land owner and the land. Many long-time ranchers in Bozeman think that a simple land sale to developers is their only choice to survive economically. Most don't know their options to conserve the beauty of their land, receive economic benefits and make it possible to pass that land onto their children effectively through the use of land easements.
I researched the Bozeman area and discovered that there is a very strong land trust operating in the area called the Gallatin Valley Land Trust. The GVLT has been successful in drafting easements and in creating about half of the planned 25 mile trail from the Bridger Mountains to Hyalite Canyon called "Main Street to the Mountains." In fact Gallatin Valley and other land trusts in Montana preserved over 296,000 acres in the state in 1998. The Land Trust Alliance is a group that helps guide and coordinate the efforts of land trusts nationally. One way that you can contribute to the solution is to volunteer your time for a land trust organization in your hometown. Please see the Organizational Links for information on some existing land trusts in the U.S. I am slowly expanding this list.
The second letter I received was an excellent story sent in by Brett Kelley about the lack of respect that people can show when they visit a natural, outdoor area for recreation. You can read his letter on the Reader Feedback page. I'm glad to know that the information I've posted about the Leave No Trace principles has caused somebody to think about the effects of human visitation in a wild environment. Please keep your feedback and letters coming. You can write me at feedback@openspace1.org.
have thought that I'd just won the gold medal for team U.S.A. in the geek Olympics. With arms raised, it quickly dawned on me how freaking goofy I must have looked. In the photo I stand by my loaded Rig, feeling fresh and ready to take on the world. For some reason, that last sentence seems straight out of a douche commercial.And now for something completely different. It was good that I packed quickly because as soon as I hit the road, the skies unleashed a powerful torrent of rain that didn't let up all day. I wanted to view the Big Hole National Battlefield but the Montana monsoon only allowed me to check out the interior of the gift shop.
The story of the Nez Perce Indians is a sad one. In a tale of brutal disregard for human life, the U.S. government established a land treaty with the Nez Perce, broke the treaty when they discovered how much gold was on the originally defined reservation, and then chased and killed the Indians when they wouldn't comply with a much smaller reservation confinement. Big Hole was the scene of a horrific Nez Perce slaughter at the hands of the U.S. Army in 1877. After learning all this, I found it ironic that our government now acts so noble in their attempts to combat the current human rights violations in Kosovo. If only the Nez Perce had had someone with a few cruise missiles to come to their aid 122 years ago.
Enough of the moral stance, already. The visual delights of the Bitterroot National Forest tickled my eyeballs for several hours as I busted out the miles toward Missoula. I looked for a good campsite in the forests near Trapper Creek and Chaffin Creek west of Connor, Montana, but the terrain was too steep for a safe landing. In the end, I just slogged northward until suitable camping presented itself near the town of Lolo.
If I can knock the federal govvie, I can praise it too, right? In fact, it has been a slowly increasing trend during the 1990's for our nation to appropriate money for the purchase of private land to be added to the public domain in the name of (allegedly) watershed and wildlife protection. Recently in Darby, which lies in the heart of the Bitterroots, a private land trust (The Trust for Public Land) has taken an active role in garnering federal support to purchase property in the Rye Creek area to add to existing U.S. National Forest. I'm not exactly sure how this action protects the land from commercial utilization because the Forest Service's land use policy allows for multiple types of industry, but at least it limits the construction of housing developments and opens up many new recreational opportunities.
Missoula is such a cool little town. With the University of Montana campus butted right up against the mountains, it's got a unique outdoorsy, college feel. Unfortunatley, I didn't get to do much but shrivel up my
bladder in some coffee shops since it rained almost the entire time. That has been the story in Montana for me this summer. I've been constantly rushing to get in a few bits of treasured outdoor flava before the juicy sprinkles drive me back underground. The suntan that I miraculously picked up during my stint in Arizona and New Mexico has long since faded.The highlight of the Missoula visit was my trip out to the hometown stadium to see a little AAA ball. Small town baseball is the lifeblood of America, I think. For ten bones, I got great seats, a dog and a fine sudsy beverage. When the anthem rang out, I removed my hat and put my beer over my heart. Now this is livin'. The hometown boys, the Osprey, thumped the visiting Great Falls Dodgers. I will always root against the Dodgers with full force, even if it's their second-string scrubs. Alas, the game was rained out in the sixth.
Recently I received two pieces of outstanding feedback that made me smile. It is rewarding for me to know that a few of you who read my journals are thinking about more than just your stock portfolio. Someone from Bozeman read my journal entry for that city and said, in effect, "It's nice that you see the problems with uncontrolled development in Bozeman. I see them too. But what do you suggest that we do about it?"
That is a good question indeed. It's easy to criticize the effects without offering any solutions. I mean, the land is private and if people want to sell their land to developers, that's their right. What can we possibly do? From what I can see in my limited experience in this subject, some of the best solutions lie within organizations called land trusts. Land trusts are a growing American phenomenon that have been specifically created by the people of this country to combat the urban sprawl problem. There are now approximately 1,200 of them operating from coast-to-coast. Besides just working to raise money for land purchase and preservation, they also play a vital role in the creation of land easements. I've written an article about how land trusts use easements and other tools to benefit both the land owner and the land. Many long-time ranchers in Bozeman think that a simple land sale to developers is their only choice to survive economically. Most don't know their options to conserve the beauty of their land, receive economic benefits and make it possible to pass that land onto their children effectively through the use of land easements.
I researched the Bozeman area and discovered that there is a very strong land trust operating in the area called the Gallatin Valley Land Trust. The GVLT has been successful in drafting easements and in creating about half of the planned 25 mile trail from the Bridger Mountains to Hyalite Canyon called "Main Street to the Mountains." In fact Gallatin Valley and other land trusts in Montana preserved over 296,000 acres in the state in 1998. The Land Trust Alliance is a group that helps guide and coordinate the efforts of land trusts nationally. One way that you can contribute to the solution is to volunteer your time for a land trust organization in your hometown. Please see the Organizational Links for information on some existing land trusts in the U.S. I am slowly expanding this list.
The second letter I received was an excellent story sent in by Brett Kelley about the lack of respect that people can show when they visit a natural, outdoor area for recreation. You can read his letter on the Reader Feedback page. I'm glad to know that the information I've posted about the Leave No Trace principles has caused somebody to think about the effects of human visitation in a wild environment. Please keep your feedback and letters coming. You can write me at feedback@openspace1.org.
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