Montana Mystique

Wendy Wedum

4-H and Family and Consumer Science

Extension Agent

Montana State University Extension - Pondera County

20 4th Avenue SW

Conrad, MT 59425

Phone: 406-271-4052

There is a mystique about Montana that draws travelers to my home state.  Perhaps it is the romantic notions of the late authors A.B. Guthrie or Ivan Doig.  Maybe it is the vast empty landscapes of the prairie or the wild, uninhabited woods.    The Montana Association of Extension Family and Consumer Science Agents (MEAFCS) is excited to host the NEAFCS Conference this September in Big Sky, Montana.  We want to extend an invitation to come early or stay late to explore some of those things that we in Montana hold dear.

Over the next several months, we will be sharing a little bit of Montana on Facebook and the MEAFCS blog just in case you do not have a chance to explore all 147,000 square miles within our borders.

Lake McDonald, Glacier National Park, Montana

There are many words that people associate with Montana…words that come to mind include:  wildness, open spaces, scenic splendor, rugged and reverent.  Many people think of Glacier Park when they think of Montana.  Yet, the rugged mountains are only one third of the 147,000 square miles that make up the state.  Mystique fits the mountainous part of the state because of its craggy peaks, clear and cool rivers and lakes, and the woodsy scent of the forest.  

Clouds, sky and prairie near Choteau, Montana

There is a mystique about the prairie which composes the other two-thirds of the state. The prairie is as diverse as the mountains.  Recently, driving near Conrad, I marveled at being able to see approximately 60 miles in all directions.  The Sweetgrass Hills, Highwood Mountains and Big BeltMountains are dominant isolated volcanic mountains that rise above the prairie, providing helpful landmarks for residents. There are long, low hills, high plain benches, steep coulees and arrow straight roads.  The prairies are as expansive as the sky, the wind that sweeps the prairies is multifaceted from gentle to raging, and on a clear day we can see Canada! 

Grain Elevator, Choteau, Montana

I grew up in Choteau [pronounced Show toe], Montana, in the shadows of the Rocky Mountain Front.  It is where the prairie meets the mountains.  The change in landscape is abrupt. There is no transition from prairie to hills to mountains. It is prairie, then it is mountainous. I worked as a hand on a couple of ranches at the foot of “the Front.” It was not far from where a now famous colony of duckbilled dinosaurs were buried in the depths of a massive landslide and revolutionized how paleontologists understand dinosaur family behaviors. 

Ear Mountain, Choteau, Montana

Walling Reef with Pink Sanfoin along the Rocky Mountain Front

Fence on the front ... not enough to stop grizzlies.

The Front is unique in habitat, too. Near Ear Mountain is a little knob of rock called Pine Butte.  A butte is a small, steep hill with a flat top. Around Pine Butte (near Choteau) are some of the largest wetlands along the Front abundant with natural springs, peat bogs and plant and animal species. About one third of the native plant life found in Montana is found here, including rare species. It is also an interface for the grizzly bear because of the proximity between the mountains and the plains. I remember some of my classmates being late for school because a grizzly was in the front yard and they could not leave the house. A few times grizzly bears wandered into Choteau and needed an escort out of town. To the north, the town of Dupuyer [Dew-poo-yer] had to fence in the school, not to keep the children in, but rather to keep the grizzlies out! 

We hope you will have a wild time enjoying the animals, landscape and people when you visit us in Montana. 

If there are youth who will be traveling to Montana with you, or following your adventures in Montana from their homes, they might enjoy facts and interesting tidbits from Travel Montana:  www.montanakids.com

Rainbow at Eastham Junction, Montana


Thank you to Wendy Wedum for this post and her great Montana photos!

Wild Wendy in the kitchen!

Winter Weather

In the month of February, I have had the opportunity to get out in our state a bit.  I was in Billings recently for the annual 4-H Update.  Billings is our largest city in Montana, and the only city with more than 100,000 people. Billings has a beautiful landscape feature in the Rimrocks that surround it.  

Hopefully finding Montana Treasures will
be easier than spotting this bunny!

Winter day at Teton Pass.  

When I returned home to Choteau, my brother-in-law called to invite me to Teton Pass for a day with my nieces and daughters.  They enjoyed skiing, even though the winter winds were whipping enough that the lift was closed for the day.  I thought some of our winter scenes might be interesting to our colleagues in the south. 

Winter scenes captured by John Pfister,
MSU Extension Central Region RDH.

I would doubt we will see this much snow in Big Sky in September!  Thank you to John Pfister for sharing this photo.  

Speaking of winter scenes, my supervisor, John Pfister, who makes his home in Roundup, Montana, shared these beautiful winter photos.

Of course, in Montana, as I suspect is true many places, the weather can be unpredictable.  This past weekend, I was in Bozeman on the MSU campus for Montana 4-H BioScience.  It was 70 degrees in the middle of last week, and yet, while we were doing our Montana 4-H BioScience activities there was a healthy dose of snowfall. The snowfall made me recall the time I stayed at BigSky Resort, close to Bozeman.  It was September, and as a Montana girl, I’m a little embarrassed to say that I failed to pack a winter coat, gloves or an ice scraper.  Sure enough, there was snow … in September.  I should have known better!  I even remember on Fourth of July in Choteau when we wore winter coats to the local rodeo!

As you get ready to come to Montana next fall, remember to check the weather reports, pack warm clothes and think about layers. It is hard to predict weather, particularly when it is so unpredictable. But, I do think I’m safe to predict cool mountain evenings.

Use the comment box below to tell us about the weather in your area.  You can send photos to share to jwolery@montana.edu.  We had a conference call this morning with colleagues from Cornell who said they had 20 inches of snow in 18 hours!  Wow!

Taking Care of Those You Love

Larkspur—Beautiful….but also poisonous

Marsha Goetting, MSU Extension

Family Economics Specialist

When I became an obsessive Wildflower Photographer during our Montana summers I made a decision that I would focus on common names of the wildflowers rather than trying to learn the genus and species…after all this was to be my hobby for enjoyment, not a class in which I would have to learn the scientific nomenclature that was proposed by Carolus Linneaeus, a Swedish botanist who lived from 1707-78.   That’s why I call this beautiful wildflower a larkspur and not a Delphinium bicolor.  Larkspurs contain many toxic alkaloids that can cause skin reactions and affect the nervous and respiratory systems.  The plants are poisonous for cattle, if eaten in large amounts.  Sheep are more tolerant of the plants toxicity.

Larkspurs are found on grassy prairies, on meadows, and in ponderosa pine forests up to subalpine zones in west, central, and east Montana.  You won’t find any at Big Sky in September during the NEAFCS Conference because by then we will have had a “hard” freeze.  But if you attend my preconference on September 12 entitled….Wildflower Reflections:  Families, Legacies, and Estate Planning you will meet the Larkspur Family and see the “toxic” and detrimental impact of the lack of planning.  You will also learn some ways you can take care of those you love through planning ... leave them with the beauty, not the poison of poor planning.

Speaking of love ... if you are looking for a way to send a lasting bouquet to someone you love, consider purchasing Marsha's Montana wildflower cards as a gift.  Plus, you'll also be giving to support the NEAFCS 2016 conference. More information here.