Life and land from the heart of the Yellowstone Region May 1 -14, 2015 Volume 6 // Issue #9 Ousel Falls seeing record visitors, signs of misuse Remembering Lee Poole Gallatin County sheriff talks crime in Big Sky Big Sky Resort season in review Back 40: Long Drive, golf’s distant relative explorebigsky explorebigsky #explorebigsky ON THE COVER: Photographer Jen McFarlane, on a road trip from Cedar Falls, Iowa, captures the morning light at Ousel Falls in Big Sky on April 28, en route to Yellowstone National Park. PHOTO BY WES OVERVOLD May 1 – May 14, 2015 Volume 6, Issue No. 9 Owned and published in Big Sky, Montana TABLE OF CONTENTS PUBLISHER Eric Ladd Section 1: News EDITORIAL Loved to death: MANAGING EDITOR Outlaw News...................................................................4 Joseph T. O’Connor Ousel Falls Trail Local..................................................................................5 SENIOR EDITOR/ DISTRIBUTION DIRECTOR Regional.........................................................................15 Tyler Allen ASSOCIATE EDITOR Section 2: Environment, Business, Maria Wyllie Sports, and Health CREATIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR Environment..................................................................17 Kelsey Dzintars Business........................................................................20 GRAPHIC DESIGNER Taylor-Ann Smith Sports.............................................................................24 VIDEO DIRECTOR Health.............................................................................30 Brian Niles Gallatin County sheriff PHOTOGRAPHER/VIDEOGRAPHER Section 3: Outdoors and Events talks crime in Big Sky Wes Overvold SALES AND OPERATIONS Outdoors........................................................................33 CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Big Sky Resort season Events Calendar...........................................................36 Megan Paulson in review DIRECTOR OF SALES Fun..................................................................................39 E.J. Daws Back 40.........................................................................40 ACCOUNT MANAGER Katie Morrison BACK 40: ACCOUNT COORDINATOR Long Drive, golf’s Maria Wyllie distant relative MEDIA AND EVENTS DIRECTOR Ersin Ozer ACCOUNTANT Alexis Deaton CONTRIBUTORS Katie Alvin, Evelyn Boswell, Johanne Bouchard, Jay Brooks, Jackie Rainford Corcoran, Ed Coyle, Patrick Devine, Alicia Gootkin, Ted Kooser, David Live- well, Peter Manka, Scott Mechura, Cooper Raasch, Pemdorjee Sherpa, Tanner Smith, Patrick Straub, Explore Big Sky is the local paper for Big Sky, Montana, and a news and lifestyle Caitlin Styrsky journal for the Greater Yellowstone Region. Editorial Policy Outlaw Partners LLC is the sole owner of the Explore Big Sky. EBS reserves the right to edit all submitted material. Printed material reflects the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the opinion of Outlaw Partners or its editors. EBS will not publish anything discriminatory or in bad taste. Frequency: Distribution Bozeman/ Letters to the Editor 26x/year Belgrade Major Letters to the editor allow EBS readers to express Our 2 week shelf-life HUNDREDS OF views and share how they would like to effect allows for extensive distribution change. These are not Thank You notes. Letters exposure for our DROP POINTS Big Sky areas should be 250 words or less, respectful, ethical, ac- advertisers. curate, and proofread for grammar and content. We MAILED TO reserve the right to edit letters. Include: full name, SUBSCRIBERS West address, phone number and title. Submit to 33,000 in all 50 states Yellowstone [email protected]. Yellowstone readership/issue National Park ADVERTISING DEADLINE CONTRACTED PLACEMENT For the May 14 issue: 1 million • Top-tier hotels • Private mountain clubs May 7, 2015 annual readership • Luxury transport companies CORRECTIONS • Art galleries Please report errors to media@theoutlawpartners. com. • Preferred rack placement in 45 mins. Bozeman/Yellowstone International airport median time readers OUTLAW PARTNERS & EXPLORE BIG SKY spend with an issue • Bedside at luxury lodging and recreation properties P.O. Box 160250, Big Sky, MT 59716 (406) 995-2055 • [email protected] © 2015 Explore Big Sky unauthorized reproduction [email protected] • (406) 995-2055 • explorebigsky.com • Big Sky, Montana prohibited Just 25 minutes from Downtown Bozeman R E A L E S TAT E F O R T H E O U T D O O R E N T H U S I A S T. GallatinClub.com 20 Acre Gallatin Club Homestead Parcels // Starting at $175,000 Call Today for Real Estate & Membership Information 3200 Nixon Gulch Road • Manhattan, MT • Real Estate Sales & Concierge 406.284.3200 • GallatinClub.com www.montanabuds.com/bigFIND RELIEF-sky (406) 995-BUDS 4 May 1 - 14, 2015 OUTLAW NEWS explorebigsky.com Explore Big Sky News from our publisher, Outlaw Partners Outlaw partners with Hiball Energy BY E.J. DAWS the target audience that Hiball connects with,” said Outlaw’s COO Megan Paulson. “Our job is OUTLAW PARTNERS DIRECTOR OF SALES to put the creative materials behind the brand and help tell their story to the consumer on a BIG SKY – Outlaw Partners is happy to broad scale. ” announce a new marketing partnership with Hiball Energy, based in San Francisco, Calif. Outlaw’s campaign work will include the Outlaw will serve as Hiball’s marketing agency development of social media initiatives and across multiple disciplines, including digital engagement, product and lifestyle video content, video marketing, PR, and social media campaign and product photography. Alongside Hiball’s management, as well as e-commerce marketing impressive distribution network, Outlaw will and sales on a national scale. provide resources to connect with both new centers of distribution, as well as fans across the President and CEO Todd Berardi created Hiball country. in 2005, with a concept to provide a naturally healthy energy drink without sacrificing taste. Hiball Energy drinks can be purchased locally Hiball is now the fastest growing natural, at Big Sky’s Roxy’s Market, as well as Safeway, organic energy drink in the U.S. and a pioneer Albertsons, Smiths, Target, and Costco in for energy drinks targeted to the health- Bozeman. Product options include all-natural conscious consumer. In the last eight years, and certified-organic energy drinks, energy Hiball has upgraded all of its drink options to waters, cold coffee and protein drinks. include organic, fair-trade ingredients. Visit hiballer.com to learn more about Hiball “Our team is very excited about Hiball products Energy, or visit shop.hiballer.com to shop for its and we are confident that our experience, products. production quality, and lifestyles align well with Stay up-to-date on the real estate market in Southwest Montana with CUSTOMIZED REPORTS Instant updates on properties customized by: • Price • Neighborhood • Property type Available in the resources tab at LKRealEstate.com LKREALESTATE.COM 406-995-2404 [email protected] explorebigsky.com Explore Big Sky LOCAL May 1 - 14, 2015 5 Q&A with Gallatin County Sheriff Brian Gootkin BY JOSEPH T. O’CONNOR idea geographically – is twice the size of EXPLORE BIG SKY MANAGING EDITOR Rhode Island. Two investigations in Big Sky are currently EBS: Is that underway, as of EBS press time on April 29, enough? stemming from incidents in the past month: one, an alleged heroin overdose causing the BG: No. When I death of a 25-year-old male; the other, a was [working the vehicle-related incident resulting in the death Canyon] in the late of a 28-year-old woman. 90s, early 2000s, there were only four Questions have been swirling around this small of us covering West community of approximately 2,500 residents. and Big Sky. We’ve With a surging economy, Big Sky is seeing worked closely with unprecedented growth in terms of year-round Gallatin and Madison residents and seasonal employees. counties and the Resort Tax [Board] to Enter Brian Gootkin, Gallatin County Sheriff double that. and former detective with the Missouri River Drug Task Force. Gootkin, 45, grew up in In Big Sky, I think Wallingford, Conn., and entered the U.S. Air we’re OK right Force in 1989 before being stationed in Great now. We pay all six Falls in 1990. He never left Montana. deputies a living allowance of $900 Gootkin has served in every post with the a month, because it Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office since he was costs more to live hired in 1993 – including as the Big Sky/West there. Yellowstone sergeant – and has been sheriff now for three years. He lives in Bozeman Gallatin County Sheriff Brian Gootkin on a recent trip to Washington, D.C. PHOTO BY ALICIA GOOTKIN EBS: Tell me about and has a daughter, Alicia, at Montana State your role and University, and a son, Tyler, who is a senior at EBS: Has David Hughes been brought in for responsibility to Big Sky as sheriff. Three Forks High School. further questioning? BG: Big Sky is unincorporated so we’re pretty Explore Big Sky sat down with Sheriff Gootkin BG: I don’t know. We’ve been so busy with that much the police department there. I work in his Bozeman office to find out whether these [Madison Veele] search. We have five people closely with the Forest Service, the fire chief, latest incidents are signs of things to come, or responsible for all of our felony investigations the big businesses like Boyne and Yellowstone facts that any community – large or small – faces throughout the county. Club. I’m the elected official, so … I need to do on a regular basis. what