Montana author Norman MacLean would have been proud of a recent poll that shows how much Montanans love the rivers running through their state.

A majority of Montana voters think rivers are important for their quality of life and that some warrant protection, according to a poll released Tuesday by Montanans for Healthy Rivers.

Public Opinion Strategies, a Republican polling firm, and FM3, a Democratic firm, conducted the bipartisan polling effort at the end of February by interviewing 400 randomly selected Montana voters.

One-third identified themselves as Democrat, 40 percent Republican, and the rest claimed to be independent.

Of those polled, two-thirds said they'd recreated on Montana's rivers at least once in the past year. Montana's fishermen and boaters were evident in the almost one-third who said they had spent at least 10 days on the water.

An even greater percentage — 85 percent — felt that healthy rivers were very important to Montana's economy. That opinion was consistent across respondents of different political affiliations and hometowns.

Almost 95 percent of Democrats and 83 percent of Republicans said rivers were very important to the state.

MORE>>>Bozeman Daily Chronicle

Fewer and fewer moose in Montana are being observed by hunters and biologists. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (MFWP) has historically relied on these sightings for population estimates without scientifically tracking the moose. A few years ago, MFWP launched a 10-year study hoping to obtain actual data to either corroborate or dispel anecdotal information. Wildlife managers also hope to learn more about what’s going on with the moose population and why it may be declining. The harvest rate also has dropped dramatically in recent years, with only 274 moose taken by hunters in 2012 compared to about 500 in 2006.

This is not a problem just in Montana. Minnesota used to have two distinct moose populations, and now is close to only having one. An aerial survey of moose in northeastern Minnesota in early 2013 showed a 52 percent drop in population since 2010, which prompted the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to completely call off the 2013 moose hunting season and refuse to consider future seasons unless the population rebounds.

MORE>>>Examiner.com

A group of Drummond landowners is considering opening pastures to wild horses from the federal Bureau of Land Management.

The BLM is seeking to create “ecosanctuaries” on private land to provide long-term homes for thousands of horses it can’t sustain on public lands. Drummond’s Rural Sustainability Organization has applied to create such a facility for up to 325 horses.

“We’re still finding out if it’s going to happen,” said Nancy Radke of the group, which has organized community projects in the Drummond area for 14 years. “We’re working with landowners to have different pieces of land available.”

The BLM estimates it has about 33,760 wild horses roaming on its lands in 10 Western states as of 2013. It’s already placed another 33,105 wild horses in holding pastures and 14,595 horses in short-term corrals. Horses from that latter group would go to ecosanctuaries.

MORE>>>The Prairie Star

Montana has 145 wild horses on BLM’s Pryor Mountain land in the state, compared with 18,764 in Nevada. Wyoming has 3,459 wild horses on 16 federal range areas.

“Our horse management areas are at capacity, and this is way more cost effective than holding them in short-term facilities,” said John Hill of the BLM Missoula field office. “This is to provide for humane treatment for the horses.”

A 4.8 earthquake shook the northern part of Yellowstone National Park early Sunday.

The University of Utah Seismograph Stations reports the earthquake occurred at 6:34 a.m. about 4 miles north-northeast of the Norris Geyser Basin. The university reports it was felt in the Montana border towns of West Yellowstone and Gardiner, both about 20 miles from the epicenter.

There were no immediate reports of damage. There are few visitors in the park this time of year.

Yellowstone sees frequent small earthquakes. Since Thursday, there have been at least 25 recorded in the nation's first national park.

MORE>>>USA TODAY

Kathleen Clary Miller has written 300+ columns and stories for periodicals both local and national, and has authored three books (www.amazon.com/author/millerkathleenclary). She lives in the woods of the Ninemile Valley, thirty miles west of Missoula. 

By March first, I’ve already popped what is technically considered an overdose of vitamin D and killed any calcium absorption with enough coffee to sink a ship.  When I awaken at 9:00 in the morning and it is still so dark and snowy that I think what’s the hurry, then pray in order to pull back the covers but winter just won’t give up it’s time to focus on what I’m grateful for.  Give me a moment; I know I’ll think of something.

Silence.  There is nothing quite like the quiet of a thick blanket of freshly fallen snow.  And after months of it, I’m not as easily annoyed when my dear husband cranks up the volume on yet another action/thriller video.

Fresh air.  I am joyful while strapping on snowshoes then planting my trekking poles, pleased to be clad in something other than flannel pajamas which is all I’ve worn since a week ago when I threw on some jeans to go grocery shopping during the 20-minute window that the roads were plowed.  Out here in the Nine Mile Valley, our driveways are winter wonderland trails tantamount to any the rest of the world must travel to in order to participate in winter sports.  YAY!  As I breathlessly hike until my legs feel like rubber and my lungs burn, I thank God for arms and legs (I pray continually that they are not frost-bitten) and I feel deep gratitude seeing the final round in the bend that leads to my back porch.  I appreciate the time outdoors because I feel better afterwards (who wouldn’t?) back inside.

Indoors.  I feel so fortunate to have a roof over my head and radiant heating under my feet (I lie flat on the floor and gasp until my heart rate returns to normal).  Even the confused birds fight for entry at the sight of me thawing.  I hear them tap tap tapping at exterior logs, desperately trying to bore a hole into some semblance of spring. 

Hot water—lots of it.  A piping, long shower has been calling my name for two miles in the blizzard I misjudged to be a slight breeze and a light snow flurry.  I am eternally grateful for fingers that have feeling enough after 30 minutes to turn on the faucet.

Food.  Lunch will follow; how happy am I, that I can consume the same number of calories in one meal I otherwise would in a whole week were I simply sunning on some beach and getting no aerobic exercise! 

The fireplace.  No need to elaborate here.

Icicles are lovely works of nature’s art!  Pine branches appear no longer green but dark grey so that my daily view is every bit as stunning as a black-and-white Ansel Adams photograph!  There is so much glory to be recognized, even in such bleakness…until that moment when I realize that if I don’t see something red or yellow or bright blue very soon I’ll go stark raving mad.  

The remote control.  Thank you, Lord, for technology!  When I am on the brink of insanity I lift and push, desperately seeking any colorful entertainment that will lift me from this comatose slumber like the kiss from Sleeping Beauty’s prince.  The television engages, the screen lights up (a beacon of hope) and there it is!  Not exactly what I was continuously praying for: “Highlights from the Winter Olympics.” 

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances…”

1 Thessalonians 5:18

People in Billings are feeling pretty good, according to a 2013 survey released Tuesday by Gallup and Healthways that ranks the city of Billings as No. 1 in job satisfaction and No. 15 in overall well-being. 

Results from the survey come from over 178,000 interviews. Those interviewed were asked to consider areas of their life such as emotional health, physical activity, work environment, healthy behaviors and access to basic necessities. 

Out of the 189 cities that were ranked, Billings came out on top for job satisfaction and in the top 10 percent for well-being.

For Mayor Tom Hanel, those results come as no surprise. 

Hanel said Billings is very fortunate. In comparison to other cities, he said, Billings has a lot of resources at its disposal.

MORE>>>Billings Gazette

Forty-nine miles of highway between Yellowstone National Park's West Entrance and Mammoth Hot Springs opens exclusively to bicyclists on Thursday at 8 a.m.

There is no bicycle access to Old Faithful or Canyon until April 18.

No services are available along the roadway, and cyclists should expect to encounter some vehicles, changing weather conditions, wildlife such as bison and grizzly bears and stretches of snow-covered road.

Bicyclists are required to ride single file. They are strongly encouraged to carry bear spray and should be prepared to turn around and backtrack when encountering wildlife on the road.

Cyclists are urged to call 307-344-2107 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays for updated road access information, or call 307-344-2113 for 24-hour weather information. Additional planning information is also available online at http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/springbike.htm.

MORE>>>Billings Gazette
 

While wolf numbers are expected to remain relatively stable in the Bitterroot watershed, a state biologist said densities of the predator have been on a bit of an the upswing in the valley’s northern reaches.

That change may be the result of an earlier focus on wolf hunting and trapping in the southern Bitterroot, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks wolf biologist Liz Bradley said Tuesday.

The number of packs remains the same in the southern reaches of the Bitterroot, but there are fewer animals in each pack.

There are a few new packs in the northern Bitterroot and there tend to be larger numbers of wolves in each pack, Bradley said.

There are a total of 15 confirmed packs in the Bitterroot. Bradley expects the soon-to-be-released 2013 annual monitoring report will say that, at a minimum, there are 60 to 70 wolves in the watershed.

“Overall, over the last five years the numbers of wolves in the Bitterroot have remained steady,” she said. “The distribution has changed a little bit. There will be shifts from one year to the next.”

Bradley is currently working through information gathered during past wolf hunting and trapping seasons to determine what kind of impacts that activity had on different packs.

For instance, for years one of the packs she monitored was in the Welcome Creek area of the Sapphire Range. When the alpha female of the pack died, the male started a new pack in the Burnt Fork area.

MORE>>>Billings Gazette
 

Jenna Caplette migrated from California to Montana in the early 1970s, first living on the Crow Indian reservation, then moving to Bozeman where she owned a downtown retail anchor for eighteen years. These days she owns Bozeman BodyTalk & Energetic Healthcare, hosts a monthly movie night, teaches and writes about many topics.

A few years ago, when wolves were still easy to spot in Yellowstone, a black trotted across the road in front of our car. As it came toward us, I grabbed my camera and started to shoot. 

He came. He went.

My images were out of focus. Not a single one of them was usable and I didn’t remember the experience of seeing that wolf at all. I just remembered obsessively snapping photos. 

Marsha Phillips, co-owner of Bozeman’s F-11 Photographic Supplies says, “Digital photography offers the ability to quickly take a lot of photographs. There’s an upside to that; the freedom to explore and experiment on how to capture the best images. The odds are good that you will capture a great image. 

“But, there’s a downside too. We’re amassing photographs without ever enjoying them. Unless you follow up, and edit your images, they become overwhelming.” There’s simply too many of them to wade through, it’s to easy to forget where that image of your daughter’s first time on a snowboard went, which camera card, which camera — your iPhone? 

“Very simply, most of us can’t find the image we want when we want it.”

Sometimes you just flat out miss an event because you were so engrossed with snapping photos you weren’t actually present. Most people still use photographs to document life as it happens, as a proof of life, a memory of something sweet, special, important, or just because.  However, in order to improve or save a memory you need to do more than click it and forget it. 

For instance, take a close up image and it will help you to see differently, experience familiar terrain in a new light, remember an object better. Your camera can help you see in ways you never imagined, it invites you to notice, to look, to see and to focus.

So, focusing in and slowing down help us to see and to remember. Then, you need to interact with your images after you take them.  To do that you need to know where they are.  Your photos need to be organized and backed up. At the very least, take advantage of one of the services for automatic back up, like iCloud. Once the art of archiving images is lost and the images are trapped in the form of anonymous ones and zeros on digital storage, the memories and enjoyment are lost with them.

To complete the photographic experience, there should be some kind of hard copy output like a print, photo book, metal wall art, stretched canvas, textiles or photo jewelry. What makes prints a good option for you in the digital age? They’re inexpensive, easy to share, easy to organize and easy to store. They last. Your prints can tell a story without an internet connection or an electronic device.  They are especially compelling if you’ve labelled them.  Maybe that’s why a good, old-fashioned photo album has been the chronicle of choice for family history since the invention of the photograph. 

Since I missed seeing that black wolf, I’ve changed how I relate to what I see in Yellowstone and often let an experience be just for my eyes and heart so I can revel in the joy and awe they bring. When I do get out my camera now, its generally for a slowly unfolding sunset or something I want to focus in on, a stationary detail in a larger scene. And then, truly, my camera helps me to see. 

The first photographs were not literal representations of the world: instead, they were an interpretation of it. Today, photographs taken on an iPhone and apped with Instagram portray that familiar style. We’ve come full circle in capture, but not in output or printing.  Do something really important to preserve your family history so it can be shared and tell the stories that connect the generations.  Make prints.  Organize and back up.  You don’t have to do it all today.  Just start.  Maybe it’s time for the photo albums to be retro cool. Try it. I’m going to.