Outdoors

Barr’s moral compass

Published on Thu, 12/17/2020 - 12:00am
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When Bill Barr was appointed attorney general, I was hopeful. Impeccable credentials, long experience in law, not to mention a previous stint as attorney general, Bill Barr was an obvious choice. He was also someone who, at least in his prior jobs, had never lost the respect of those who disagreed with him. Perhaps, we thought and I say we because it’s what I thought, and I was wrong — he would be a stabilizing force; he would respect the department’s independence and recognize that he is America’s attorney general, not Donald Trump’s private solicitor.

Check out the Gallatin Petrified Forest Interpretive Trail

Published on Tue, 06/30/2020 - 3:20pm
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You could make easy money on this bet: Wager that most Park County residents have never visited the Gallatin Petrified Forest Interpretive Trail, even though it’s kind of in our own back yard and easy to get to.

Want a hard-core hike? Check out Bridgers’ Mt. Baldy

Published on Tue, 06/23/2020 - 4:27pm
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Bozemanites come in no small numbers to enjoy our trails in Park County, so we figured we’d turn the tables and check out one of theirs.

Hence it was my wife, our daughter and I and some friends planned a Saturday hike to Mt. Baldy, also called Baldy Mountain, in Gallatin County within the Bridger Mountain range. The peak’s name is not to be confused with an old name for Livingston Peak — Mt. Baldy — here in Park County.

Sunshine, yoga and Miles Park

Published on Tue, 06/02/2020 - 2:49pm
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A small group gathered at Miles Park last week to enjoy fresh air, sunshine and yoga. Music echoed as they got warmed up and ready for a lesson.

The group is led by Kelly Miller, who instructs the group for free Yoga in the Park.

Two weeks ago, Miller started giving free classes to yogis at the band shell at the park. The group meets every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 6 p.m. 

“I’ve been teaching fitness classes in Livingston for almost five years,” Miller said. “I have taught pretty much all over the town.”

FWP offices, and visitor centers open to customers Wednesday

Published on Tue, 06/02/2020 - 2:48pm

As the state moves into Phase 2 of Gov. Steve Bullock’s Reopening the Big Sky Plan, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks offices and visitor centers will open to the public June 3.

FWP offices have been closed since late March due to Montana’s COVID-19 pandemic response. 

As the public returns, strict adherence to Phase 2 guidelines will be critical, an FWP news release said: Stay at home if you feel sick, make sure to frequently wash and sanitize your hands, and maintain at least 6 feet of distance from other people.

Number of large trout in Madison River declines

Published on Tue, 03/24/2020 - 4:10pm
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The number of large brown and rainbow trout in the upper Madison River has declined below 20-year averages, and fisheries biologists are unsure why.

“It’s been good to excellent recruitment for quite a while, but the adults aren’t there,” said Travis Horton, Region 3 Fisheries manager for Fish, Wildlife and Parks in Bozeman.

In ecology, recruitment is defined as an increase in a natural population, either from offspring growth or the arrival of new animals, or in this case fish.

Women meet up for avalanche search practice in Jackson Hole

Published on Tue, 03/24/2020 - 4:08pm
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JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) — Three women postholed through the wet, slushy snow — isothermal snow if they were to be technical about it. And they were.

They sank in, at times, up to their knees, holding their avalanche beacons in front of their bodies, tuned to search mode. They studied the numbers reading on the screen. As the numbers dropped — a sign a signal was being picked up underneath the snow — they fell onto their knees and stomachs, zeroing in on what was buried below.

A bat, a pile of rocks and an escape

Published on Tue, 03/17/2020 - 4:55pm
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In times like these, uncertainty is the only thing that’s certain. School and sports are canceled, public events are limited, and people have been asked to keep away from each other. Whether people like it or not, lives have changed for the time being due to the coronavirus.

In these uncertain times, people need some sort of outlet to distract them from the constant stream of unfortunate news. 

Bruce Lay, coach of Livingston’s 13-15 year old Babe Ruth Baseball team, used an old-fashioned notion to try and combat the blues from staying inside. 

Powder, poker and the Boulder

Published on Tue, 03/10/2020 - 4:47pm
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For nearly 50 years the Sweet Grass County Recreational Association (SGCRA) has hosted an annual Poker Run fundraiser, a snowmobile ride down the Main Boulder Road ending at Million Dollar Basin. 

In 1971 Vic and Judy Rue started SGCRA and began the annual Poker Run tradition with the goal of supplementing the cost of grooming and maintaining the Main Boulder Road trail. 

Coyote hunting presents challenges to longtime hunters

Published on Tue, 03/10/2020 - 4:46pm
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RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — To John Cooper and Jerry Pier, a coyote hunt is not a shooting gallery.

So you won’t find any high-capacity, fast-firing, military style weapons in their coyote-hunting arsenal.

What you will find are some smooth-handling, accurate, bolt-action rifles, along with a commitment to making one shot count.