Be Our Guest!

Jane Wolery
Follow my blog at  www.31homeplace.blogspot.com

MSU Teton County Extension

PO Box 130 * 1 Main Ave S., Courthouse

Choteau, MT 59422

jwolery@montana.edu

406-466-2491 Office *  406-590-2492 Cell

www.msuextension.org/teton

   I have a cup of Earl Grey tea beside me, as I look out the window on the rain pouring down on this cool, September day.  Though we had a high temperature near 90 earlier this week, autumn definitely feels like it has arrived.  The weather forecast is calling for snow in the mountains.  Of course, we already had snow in Montana in August!  In less than a week, many of us will be traveling to Big Sky Resort for the NEAFCS 2016 conference.  I thought there might be a few details that could help you plan for your trip.

   First, there may be snow, but even if there isn’t snow, the weather forecast for the week of the conference has daytime highs in the 50s and evening temperatures at or below freezing.  When the sun sets, it gets cool quickly in the mountains.  We recommend packing warm coats, lots of layers and at least one pair of jeans to keep the chill out.  It is not an unreasonable idea to pack winter gloves.  I have only been to Big Sky twice, once in mid-May and once in mid-September and there was snow both times!

   Speaking of snow, Big Sky Resort was built with the winter sport of skiing in mind.  While the lifts won’t be operating yet at Big Sky, it is important to know that a ski resort has certain features.  One such feature are the stairs that connect different buildings on the mountain.  The grates are built with ski boots in mind. They are metal grates, so that snow can be scraped off ski boots before entering buildings.  While these stairs do not damage ski boots, they will not be so kind on a pair of heels.  We recommend that you have at least one pair of very comfortable and durable shoes (not heels) to wear outdoors.  Flats may be the footwear of choice for this conference!

   Since the resort is on a mountain, it is worthwhile to mention that the elevation at Big Sky is about 7000 feet above sea level and the peak is 11,000 feet above sea level.  MSU Extension has hosted other events at Big Sky Resort and people have noted the symptoms of mild altitude sickness.  Often, people with altitude sickness have noted being tired, having headaches and feeling drained. There are some things you can do to prevent feeling down while you are high on the mountain at Big Sky.  First, stay well hydrated. Drinking lots of water can really help, as can avoiding alcohol (though there are stores with a nice wine selection at Big Sky). Potassium is said to help alleviate the affects as well, so stocking up on bananas or other foods rich in potassium could be beneficial. 

   If you intend to buy some bananas while at Big Sky, there is one grocery store, but it is important to note that it is seven miles from the resort. For most people, this distance is not practical to walk, especially given the mountainous terrain. Other supplies are available in the limited number of stores seven miles from the resort or at the deli right at the resort; however, purchasing items like phone charging cords would most likely require a trip into Bozeman.  Bozeman is about an hour away (two hours round trip) on windy mountain roads.  Even if you remembered your cord and your phone is fully charged, there will not be continuous cell coverage in route from Bozeman to Big Sky Resort.  If you are planning to use a map that depends on cell coverage, it might be worthwhile to print or take a screen shot of the map or review the route.  There are landmarks the locals call the ‘meadow’, which is a flat area with some buildings and stores and the ‘mountain’, where the resort is located.

   If you are flying, it is important to note that the airport is not actually in Bozeman.  The airport is just west of Bozeman.  Bozeman would be about a fifteen minute trip the opposite direction from the Big Sky Resort.  Even though it would be out of the way, if you realized you forgot something you need and would like to purchase, it would be best to head into Bozeman, rather than plan to get it at either the meadow or the mountain.  If you planned to rent a vehicle at the airport, it would be good to call ahead this week to make sure there are plenty of vehicles in the fleets at the rental companies.  Generally there are vehicles available, but we are in the “shoulder season” between summer tourists and winter travelers.  

   Yellowstone had quite a summer tourist season this year, as you may have heard.  Hopefully, you will be able to enjoy the park on either end of your stay, but you may also get to see some wildlife right at the resort.  We recommend you avoid walking alone outdoors away from the resort, especially after dark.  If you see wildlife, make good choices, and certainly do not feed them, pet them, or take them to safety.  Get yourself to safety instead!

   While you travel, remember to keep well hydrated.  If you are driving, stay focused on the task of driving.  Avoid distractions and please wear your seat belt.  Remember, no matter how you travel, take routine, planned breaks to get up and walk around to minimize the chance of developing blood clots.  Of course, if you take my advice on staying hydrated, it will help force you into walking to the lavatory to balance your fluids – a two-fold benefit of drinking lots of water!

We are looking forward to your safe arrival and pleasant stay in Big Sky Resort.  We hope the tips we’ve offered you will help you enjoy your stay and keep you comfortable so you can Discover, Engage and Connect while in Montana!

Denise Seilstad

4-H and Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent

Montana State University – Fergus/Petroleum County

712 W. Main St.

Lewistown, MT   59457

 406-535-3919

written by Jane Wolery

     One of the great things about Extension is how we connect with other professionals, whether across our state or across the nation.  Today has me thinking about my colleagues.  I was thinking about Denise Seilstad, who serves with Montana State University Extension in Fergus and Petroleum Counties.  Denise and I started with Extension at about the same time and we both transitioned into Extension from teaching and counseling positions in small, rural Montana schools.  Just to give a perspective, a small rural school in Montana might mean 100 students K-12.  I have enjoyed working with Denise from the start, though we are several miles apart.  Recently, she and I were talking about commonalities we have with our colleagues.  When Denise started with Extension, she found an instant bond with one of our NEAFCS co-liaisons, Tara Andrews, who serves in Custer County.  The county seat is Miles City, home of the world famous Miles City Bucking Horse Sale. 

Denise grew up in Butte, Montana, while Tara hailed from Maryland.  Both grew up going to private Catholic schools, wearing school uniforms.  Both of their fathers were doctors.  Both of them had two daughters, nearly the same age.  Even though Denise serves in central Montana and Tara in southeast Montana, the two had very common interests.  Almost eerily common, as it turns out.  They would occasionally arrive at statewide conferences with matching clothes.  Their daughters even bought the same prom dress one year!

It is certainly fun to find common ground with colleagues. The NEAFCS conference in Montana offers you a way to discover, engage and connect. 

One of Denise’s connections in Montana is that she grew up in Butte.  Butte is one of the famous places in Montana, and if you are at all interested in history, I suggest you add it to your list of places to see.  A few years ago I had the pleasure of touring many of the notable Butte historic sites.  I was surprised to learn that Butte, Montana, had something in common with New York City.  At one point, during Butte’s mining boom, the two cities rivaled each other in size!  Butte even had a Tiffany’s. The wealth and affluence of the Copper Kings influenced which goods and services “followed the money” to Butte.  It has been reported that Butte at one point boasted the most ethnically diverse population in the intermountain west.  Butte also has notable history when it comes to labor unions, which might be of interest to consider and research as we enjoy “Labor Day” in the United States.   Denise, in a nod to her Butte heritage, can sometimes be seen wearing copper jewelry from the mines of Montana.

Some of the tough scenery Denise has to look at while
to and from work!

Denise Seilstad at her other job!

One of Denise’s connections took her out of Butte to central Montana.  She basically followed her heart to the heart of Montana when she married a farmer from the Denton area.   She drives 35 miles (70 round trip) to work each day, from Denton to Lewistown, through beautiful farmland and cattle country.  To the west of her are the Little Belt Mountains, the Highwood Mountains, Square Butte and Round Butte and to the north are the Moccasin Mountains.  She is bordered on the east by the Judith Mountains and on the south with the Snowy Mountains.  Spring Creek runs right through Lewistown, which is a fabulous trout fishing stream, and is great fun to float.  (Just to see what we have in common, how many of you live near a place call Spring Creek?  I do!)   Denise takes ample advantage of her location through fishing and hiking, cross-country skiing and snow shoeing.  She can also be found outdoors working cattle with her husband when she is not riding for the MSU brand!

Central Montana is also famous for some of its mined products – Yogo sapphires!  Montana sapphires are among the reasons we are called the Treasure State.  In western Montana, near Rock Creek and Phillipsburg, there are Fancy Montana Sapphires, which are pretty fun to “mine” by panning through gravel bags.  We bought bags of the gravel one year for a frontier-themed 4-H camp and discovered the almost addictive quality of mining for sapphires.  A different summer my family enjoyed a vacation near Philipsburg and did some more mining for fancy sapphires.  But, the Montana Yogo Sapphires were found in central Montana, near Yogo Creek.  According to one source, they are among the finest gemstones ever found in the state.  Actually the Yogo Mine is the only place this variety of sapphire has been found, making it rare indeed! Living near a Yogo sapphire mine has its advantages, and so, in addition to her copper jewelry, Denise can be found wearing a beautiful assortment of Montana Yogo treasures.  She has a custom-designed piece that commemorates her hike across Snowy mountain range and incorporates her love of fishing.  I also have some treasured Yogo sapphire pieces that my husband bought for me when each of our daughters were born.  The jewelry will be given the girls when they are older. Comment on the jewelry on the person sitting next to you at NEAFCS conference, you might strike up a rich conversation discovering a great connection, personally and professionally! 

A very happy grandmother!

Of course, if you happen to be seated next to Denise, she is just as likely to show you pictures of her new granddaughter, because spending time with her is something Denise truly treasures.  If you happen to get seated near Tara Andrews, she will also share photos of her granddaughter.  The two became grandmothers at nearly the same time, too! 

We are all connected in more ways than we probably even imagine.  This spring I was teaching class and used a resource that Denise had created called, Halt the Salt, and I also used resources on cooking with herbs from Alice Henneman from University of Nebraska Extension.  Though I’ve been using Alice’s resources for years (brought to me by colleagues who attended NEAFCS – one being Bernie Mason, see her retiree guest blog), last year was my first time to attend the national conference and I took a class from Alice!  We work in a great system that when I’m preparing a class to teach in Dutton, Montana, and I can use high quality resources from colleagues in both Lewistown, Montana and University of Nebraska.  

At the NEAFCS conference, we really look forward to ways we can help you connect with your colleagues from your state and from across the nation.  We also encourage those attending to share the wealth with those who were not able to attend.  Together we will look for a common vein in FCS where we can mine professional treasures to deeply enrich the lives of those we serve.  

Big Sky in the News!

Jane Wolery

Follow my blog at  www.31homeplace.blogspot.com

MSU Teton County Extension

PO Box 130 * 1 Main Ave S., Courthouse

Choteau, MT 59422

jwolery@montana.edu

406-466-2491 Office *  406-590-2492 Cell

www.msuextension.org/teton




I thought I'd quickly share some links to a few ways Big Sky has been in the news this week!

Big Sky Montana! There's an app for that!

The Bozeman Daily Chronicle highlighted a new app that is available to help you navigate all the great opportunities in Big Sky, Montana.  The app was developed for the tourism group, Visit Big Sky.

I was at Big Sky resort last Thursday, and while there was snow, it was nothing compared to this week!  Check out the quick video post from KRTV in Great Falls.  Be sure to scroll to the short video clip on sunroofs in Montana in the spring!

And last, for a little work-related weather footage ... Our Montana University System Exercise and Fitness Specialist, Neal Andrews posted this video on metabolic equivalents.  You'll get a bit of a weather report from Bozeman, along with wellness education you can use.

We look forward to hosting you in Montana at the NEAFCS conference in September.  Remember to encourage our great Extension colleagues across the nation to follow our blog by email and confirm your blog subscription through the email from FeedBurner.  

In Love with Montana!

“I’m in love with Montana.  For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection. But with Montana it is love.  And it’s difficult to analyze love when you’re in it.”  (John Steinbeck, Travels With Charley: In Search of America; 1960.)

Many Montanans not only know the famous John Steinbeck quote, but most of us identify with it, wholeheartedly.  While I was reading Prairie Ponderings:  The Fullness of an Open Land this week, I saw a photo of one of my first loves of Montana, the Sweet Grass Hills.  The blog author now lives on a farm near where I was raised.  This view below is very similar to the view I had out my bedroom window growing up on the farm.  She allowed me to share the photo with you.

Sweet Grass Hills, Montana photo by Katie Bangs

Since we want you to get acquainted with our great state, I challenge you to get out your Montana map and find the Sweet Grass Hills.  I'll give you a hint:  the Sweet Grass Hills are north of Big Sky Resort, where we will be hosting the NEAFCS Annual Session, September 12-15, 2016.  Of course, we hope you'll come early and stay late and travel our state.  You can get lost in Montana!

Even though you can get lost in Montana, we do not want you to feel lost trying to decide which accommodations to choose at Big Sky Resort.  We'd like to present to you a list of Big Sky area lodging options, so that you can begin to plan your September journey.  For  detailed lodging information for the conference, click here.  This information is provided for preliminary planning, hotel reservations for the 2016 NEAFCS Annual Session have not opened yet, and will open on May 1.  The booking link and reservation code will be sent to membership at that time.  Meanwhile, we know some of you are planning an extended stay, so we wanted to get you a little information now.  

For more information on Big Sky Resort, please see this post.  

We'll see you in Montana!

Jane Wolery

Follow my blog at www.31homeplace.blogspot.com

Join the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Science blog at

www.neafcsmontana2016.blogspot.com

MSU Teton County Extension

PO Box 130 * 1 Main Ave S., Courthouse

Choteau, MT 59422

jwolery@montana.edu

406-466-2491 Office *  406-590-2492 Cell

www.msuextension.org/teton

Below is a picture I snapped on my phone on Sunday, which shows my view from my current home in Montana.  Extra credit if you find Choteau on your Montana map.  Hint:  Look for the Rocky Mountains!  If you add a tour of Glacier National Park on either end or your visit to Montana, you can drive through Choteau on the way.  

Give the gift that keeps on giving ...

Marsha Goetting, MSU Extension
Family Economics Specialist

If you didn’t attend NEAFCS in West Virginia, you missed out on the opportunity to purchase Montana Wildflower note cards that were made available by the Montana Association of Extension Family and Consumer Sciences (MEAFCS).  The association was selling the blank note cards as a fund raiser for the national meeting in Big Sky Montana during September of 2016. 

Thanks to this blog you have the opportunity to purchase Montana wildflower cards to help support the Big Sky Conference.  These are perfect gifts for any occasion (holidays, anniversaries, weddings, birthdays, and thank you’s).  The cost for each beautiful card is $5 apiece (plus $2 for shipping for 1 or 2 cards) or 5 cards for $20 (plus $3 for shipping for 3 – 5 cards).  All proceeds pass to MEAFCS to support the Big Sky conference.  

The photographer of these unique cards is our Montana State University Extension Family Economics Specialist and MEAFCS member, Marsha A. Goetting. 

If you would like to order a variety of cards in your favorite colors (blue, red, purple, yellow or white) or if you have favorite wildflowers let her know the common name such as shooting stars or forget-me-nots.  Some of her favorites include:  owl clover; all colors of paintbrushes; columbines; fringed grass of parnassus; and chocolate lilies.   Please make your check payable to MEAFCS and send to 422 Cutting, Bozeman, MT 59715.  

Thankful for Our Treasures

In Montana, we are excited to host the NEAFCS 2016 conference.  We wanted to take a moment to reflect and share our thanks with our wonderful colleagues from across the nation and their dedication to the Extension mission.

MSU President, Dr. Waded Cruzado

We are thankful in Montana for our MSU President, Waded Cruzado, who is so passionate about Extension and the land-grant mission.  President Cruzado will be one of the speakers at our NEAFCS conference in Big Sky, Montana.

We wanted to share with you an excerpt from her Blue and Gold news that we thought might interest you.  One section is on STEM and the other on pulse crops, both topics recently discussed at the 2015 NEAFCS conference.

STEM:
A hiring method researchers at Montana State University devised to significantly increase gender diversity in science, technology, engineering and math faculty was featured recently on Amy Poehler's Smart Girls blog. The post noted that although STEM careers in science, technology, engineering and math currently are dominated by men, Montana is "paving the way towards a more equitable future in STEM careers that is going to make a huge difference for girls across the state."

Pulse Crops:
MSU has created several short videos about important research that is being conducted at the university. This video shows how Montana State researchers are looking at ways to improve efficiency and revenues on Montana's farm and ranch lands by utilizing pulse and cover crops as well as precision agriculture techniques. 

We look forward to sharing with you throughout the year some of our great treasures for which we are thankful.  Today, we hope you'll take a moment to reflect and be thankful for the meaningful work you do with Extension. 

We'll see you in Montana in September!

Montana Treasures!

We just wanted to share with you some of the scenic treasures we have discovered in Montana!  We look forward to connecting with you as you make your own Montana discoveries at the NEAFCS Conference in 2016 in Big Sky, Montana.

Big Sky Resort

We are very excited to welcome you to Montana!  We believe many of you will fly into Big Sky Country likely into the Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport.  The airport is just a few miles away from the beautiful Montana State University campus and home to MSU Extension.

The conference will be held at Big Sky Resort, which is just a scenic drive away from the airport.

If you have questions about transportation, you may find the answers here, or you can contact our conference liaisons Tara Andrews and Sheila Friedrich.

Big Sky Resort is a renowned area among skiers, but there likely won't be enough powder for skiing during our NEAFCS 2016 conference; however, it is not uncommon for there to be a skiff of snow, even in September.  We recommend checking the weather forecast and packing for cool Montana mountain evenings.

Big Sky Resort offers amazing lodging opportunities from hotel rooms to condominiums to cabins to homes.  You can enjoy western comfort and style during the NEAFCS 2016 conference in Big Sky. The different lodging choices each have their own amazing amenities.  Look for the situation that suits you from private hot tubs to fireplaces to kitchens.  Some states may even want to all stay together in a home, condo or cabin to really connect during the conference.

We'll See YOU in Montana!

Coming Soon!