September 2 - 15, 2016 Volume 7 // Issue #18 Park Service turns 100 A glimpse into the future Yellowstone fish kill Impacts on an iconic Western river Big Sky Resort unveils $150 million plan School's in session New faces, fall sports Your guide to The Rut #explorebigsky explorebigsky explorebigsky @explorebigsky ON THE COVER: National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis peers over Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park. NPS PHOTO BY NEAL HERBERT TABLE OF CONTENTS Section 1: News Sept. 2 – 15, 2016 Volume 7, Issue No. 18 Opinion.............................................................................4 Owned and published in Big Sky, Montana Local..................................................................................6 Park Service PUBLISHER turns 100 Eric Ladd Section 2: Environment, Sports, & Health A glimpse into EDITORIAL the future EDITOR / EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MEDIA Environment..................................................................17 Joseph T. O’Connor SENIOR EDITOR/ Sports.............................................................................19 DISTRIBUTION DIRECTOR Tyler Allen Health.............................................................................27 Big Sky Resort unveils $150 million plan ASSOCIATE EDITOR Section 3: Inside Yellowstone, Outdoors, & Dining Amanda Eggert CREATIVE SENIOR DESIGNER Yellowstone....................................................................33 Taylor-Ann Smith Yellowstone fish kill Outdoors..........................................................................36 Impacts on an iconic Western river GRAPHIC DESIGNER Carie Birkmeier Dining...............................................................................43 VIDEO DIRECTOR Wes Overvold Fun....................................................................................47 VIDEO EDITOR Ryan Weaver Your guide to The Rut Section 4: Events & Entertainment, Back 40 SALES AND OPERATIONS CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Megan Paulson Events & Entertainment..............................................49 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SALES AND MARKETING E.J. Daws Back 40..........................................................................60 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION Alexis Deaton MEDIA AND EVENTS DIRECTOR Ersin Ozer MARKETING COORDINATOR Amy Delgrande DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Doug Hare CONTRIBUTORS Explore Big Sky is the local paper for Big Sky, Montana, and a news and lifestyle Marianne Baumberger, Alan Bublitz, Bella Butler, Jackie Rainford Corcoran, Jeff Daniels, Stuart Dybek, Sarah Gianelli, journal for the Greater Yellowstone Region. Kelly Gorham, Neal Herbert, Bruce Jodar, Ted Kooser, Scott Mechura, Kyle Melehes, Sam Mueller, Shayna Nicole, Brandon Niles, Sarah Phelps, Patrick Straub, Marshall Swearingen, Teresa Vick, , Todd Wilkinson, Mark Wehrman, Ciara Wolfe, EDITORIAL POLICY Outlaw Partners, LLC is the sole owner of Explore Big Sky. Frequency: EBS reserves the right to edit all submitted material. Printed Distribution Bozeman/ material reflects the opinion of the author and is not necessarily 26x/year Belgrade the opinion of Outlaw Partners or its editors. EBS will not Major publish anything discriminatory or in bad taste. Our 2 week shelf-life HUNDREDS OF distribution allows for extensive DROP POINTS LETTERS TO THE EDITOR exposure for our Big Sky areas Letters to the editor allow EBS readers to express views advertisers. and share how they would like to effect change. These are MAILED TO not Thank You notes. Letters should be 250 words or less, SUBSCRIBERS West respectful, ethical, accurate, and proofread for grammar and 33,000 in all 50 states Yellowstone content. We reserve the right to edit letters, and will not Yellowstone publish individual grievances about specific businesses or readership/issue National letters that are abusive, malicious or potentially libelous. CONTRACTED PLACEMENT Park Include: full name, address, phone number and title. Submit to • Top-tier hotels [email protected] 1 million • Private mountain clubs annual readership ADVERTISING DEADLINE • Luxury transport companies For the Sept. 16 issue: • Art galleries Sept. 7, 2016 • Preferred rack placement in CORRECTIONS 45 mins. Bozeman/Yellowstone International airport Please report errors to [email protected] median time readers spend with an issue • Bedside at luxury lodging and recreation properties OUTLAW PARTNERS & EXPLORE BIG SKY P.O. Box 160250, Big Sky, MT 59716 (406) 995-2055 • [email protected] [email protected] • (406) 995-2055 • explorebigsky.com • Big Sky, Montana © 2016 Explore Big Sky unauthorized reproduction prohibited Public comment sought on Goodbye, WMPAC hosts Law and Justice permanent Hyalite target West Yellowstone News Center town hall meeting shooting prohibition EBS STAFF Sept. 13 CUSTER GALLATIN NATIONAL FOREST The West Yellowstone News is publishing its EBS STAFF last article on Sept. 2, unless another company The Custer Gallatin National Forest in April steps up to purchase it. The newspaper, one On Tuesday, Sept. 13, at 7p.m. representatives issued a special order temporarily prohibiting of 23 owned by Seattle-based Pioneer News from the city of Bozeman and Gallatin County target shooting within the Hyalite drainage south Group, announced in mid-August that the will hold a town hall meeting at Big Sky’s Warren of Bozeman. The Forest Service is now proposing paper’s finances were not supporting its Miller Performing Arts Center to discuss the joint to make this prohibition permanent and is seeking overhead. The News was published by Pioneer’s city/county Law and Justice Center plan that will public comment. sub-company, Big Sky Publishing, LLC. be on the November ballot for Gallatin County voters. The temporary restriction remains in place until Pioneer owns newspapers in Washington, an environmental analysis process is complete and Oregon, Utah, Idaho and Montana, including Gallatin County and city of Bozeman a decision is reached, likely in January 2017. the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, the Belgrade commissions unanimously approved their News, and the now-defunct Lone Peak pieces of a $68.3 million bond for a joint Law The primary purpose of the temporary Lookout, which Pioneer closed in fall 2015. and Justice Center project. The facility would target shooting restriction was to address public house county sheriffs, city police, victim safety issues. The Hyalite drainage receives more “It’s a rough situation,” said Managing Editor services, courts and clerks, city prosecutors, than 40,000 visitors monthly in the summer Jeremy Weber on Aug. 31, the day EBS went to youth probation, the coroner, drug task force and over 20,000 monthly visitors in the winter. print with this newspaper. “We’ve been here 30 operations, and records for the criminal justice It is the most heavily recreated drainage on years and [the paper] has seen a lot of news. To system. National Forest System lands in the state of see it go away is disappointing.” Montana, with a large number of developed and The $68.3 million bond is divided between dispersed recreation sites, 65 miles of road and Newspapers of various sizes across the country county and city residents. Gallatin County’s approximately 70 miles of trail. The density of have seen declining advertising revenue in share is $47,630,481 and the city’s share is development and volume of recreationists make recent years. Last year, Pioneer’s Big Sky $20, 669,519. If approved by voters, Gallatin it unsafe to target shoot, which is defined as Publishing shuttered the Lone Peak Lookout County taxes would increase by $20.33 per any shooting other than in pursuit of game. after 33 years, also pointing to an inadequate $100,000 in taxable market value and Bozeman revenue stream. city taxes would increase by $24.58 per The proposed restriction does not limit the $100,000 in taxable market value. ability to carry or possess a legal firearm within “We are not in the financial position to the Hyalite drainage. continue producing the publication under “The ability to protect child crime victims, these circumstances,” said Big Sky Publishing domestic crime victims, and sexual violence Comments will be accepted until Sept. 19 and can President Stephanie Pressly in an Aug. 19 victims will improve overnight,” Gallatin be mailed to Gallatin National Forest, Attn: Steve report published by the West Yellowstone County Attorney Marty Lambert said in a press Christiansen, P.O. Box 130, Bozeman, MT 59771. News. release. Electronic comments may be emailed to comments- [email protected]; enter “Hyalite On its website, Pioneer News Group says it If approved by voters, construction would Shooting Restriction” in the subject line. Comments is a “…family-owned, multimedia company begin in the spring of 2017 with the may also be faxed to (406) 587-6758. If you have committed to advancing and empowering the expectation of the center opening in 2019. questions, contact Steve Christiansen at communities it serves by providing essential (406) 587-6701 or Lisa Stoeffler, Bozeman District information and services as a trusted and Ranger, at (406) 522-2520. indispensable public resource.” Future fisheries improvement projects approved for southwest Montana MONTANA FISH, WILDLIFE AND PARKS Improvements are intended to improve fish reproduction, survival, and pop- ulation size. These grants promote conservation of native species and are also The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission recently approved nearly expected to improve sport fishing.