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.

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.  

Congratulations and THANKS!

At the recent NEAFCS conference in West Virginia, the Montana delegation invited participants to drop off their business cards at the Montana booth to be included in a drawing for a three-night stay at Big Sky Resort.

The winner of that drawing was Lorrie Coop with Texas A&M Extension.

We very much appreciate the donation from Big Sky Resort and a shout-out to Brandon Bang with Big Sky Resort for his assistance.

We also had a Montana sapphire necklace that we sold raffle tickets for this fall and at the NEAFCS conference as part of our fundraising to cover some of the expenses of hosting the conference.  We appreciate all who purchased and contributed toward this effort.

The winner of the sapphire necklace was Susan Routh of Oklahoma Cooperative Extension.

Thank you to Tara Andrews, MEAFCS and Jewelry by Monte in Miles City, Montana for selecting the beautiful sapphire. If you are driving through the eastern part of Montana to get to NEAFCS, you might want to add a stop in Miles City, home of the world famous Miles City Bucking Horse Sale.  

If you are looking to mine your own sapphires, Philipsburg, Montana might make a nice pre- or post-conference excursion for you.

Dining In

Dining In

with Dr. Sandy Bailey

Family & Human Development Specialist
baileys@montana.edu

Do you ever wish that time would slow down for your family so that you could enjoy each other’s company? The idea of gathering the family together in the same place at the same time in the 21st century may seem impossible for many, but it can be done. Try planning family time around a meal. Eating together as a family may not look like Sunday dinners of a generation ago. However, the goal can still be the same. Family mealtime provides an opportunity to spend time with family members and talk with one another. Eating meals together can help families feel closer and provide better nutrition – two ingredients for happy, healthy families.

Flickr Photo CC by Paul Schultz

Family mealtime can happen with any meal – breakfast, lunch, dinner or even a snack! The meal does not need to be fancy, so don’t worry about bringing out the china – paper plates are fine! Research shows that eating a family meal together helps family members make better choices in what they eat. Children learn a broader vocabulary as they listen and talk with other family members. They also learn social skills that they can use in other settings. Family mealtime also sends the message to family members that family time is important!

December 3 is National Family and Consumer Sciences’ Day and this year they are promoting an activity of “Dining In.” Please help spread the word to families across Montana!

The theme is, “Dining In” for Healthy Families, and the goal of the campaign is to double the 2014 results and receive 200,000 commitments to “Dining In.”  December 3rd was chosen as Family & Consumer Sciences Day to honor family and consumer sciences pioneer and AAFCS founder Ellen Swallow Richards (December 3rd is her birthday).  Make your ‘Dining In’ commitment today!

For more information on family mealtime see the MSU Extension publication at http://store.msuextension.org/publications/homehealthandfamily/mt200403hr.pdf