A BRIGHT IDEA Filmmaker Ken Burns gives Bozeman sneak preview of new documentary ‘National Parks: America's Best Idea'
Most Montanans figure they know all about Yellowstone Park, yet on Thursday night filmmaker Ken Burns showed he's still a master storyteller who can surprise even a Bozeman audience with the history of America's first national park. By GAIL SCHONTZLER • Chronicle Staff Writer
An audience of about 700 at Bozeman's Emerson Theatre stood to applaud and cheer after seeing a 50-minute sneak preview of the new 12-hour Burns documentary "The National Parks - America's Greatest Idea." It will air this fall over six nights. In addition to stunning photography of geysers and bison, the series focuses on stories about people who were passionate about Yellowstone. It tells the story, for example, of President Teddy Roosevelt's 1903 visit. Excited as a boy, Roosevelt hiked and rode on horseback all over Yellowstone, loved seeing the animals and was dying to shoot a mountain lion, but was persuaded that would be bad politics. The president settled for killing a mouse, which he promptly stuffed as a scientific specimen. For 30 years Burns, 55, has been making award-winning documentaries for public television, from "The Civil War" to "Jazz," "Baseball" and "The War." Burns told the audience his films are all part of a struggle "to figure out how our country works: Who are we? Who are the strange and complicated people who call themselves Americans?" For 200 years America has grappled with race and space, Burns said, citing the "monumental hypocrisy" of Thomas Jefferson writing that "All men are created equal" while owning more than 100 slaves. "Only in the last two days," Burns said, with the inauguration of the first African-American president, has America righted that. Burns attended President Obama's inauguration, which he called, along with the birth of his daughters, one of the "greatest events of my life." Nearly 10 years ago his friend and collaborator, writer Dayton Duncan, suggested a series on national parks. Burns quickly said yes. It was writer Wallace Stegner who called national parks America's greatest idea, said Duncan, 59. Asked if that wasn't ignoring America's democratic ideas, Duncan said the film has a historian who argues that America's greatest idea is Jefferson's idea of equality. "I argue (national parks) are our greatest idea after we became a nation," Duncan said. "The national parks idea is actually an extension of the Declaration of Independence - applied to this glorious land. "By virtue of being an American, no matter if you're rich or poor, no matter what color you are, you are an owner of the most spectacular places," Duncan said. Paul Schullery of Bozeman, now retired after a long National Park Service career in Yellowstone, was an advisor and interviewee on the series. "They're frankly brilliant," Schullery said of the filmmakers. "They remind us that national parks ... represent the heart and soul of America." People in the National Park Service are excited about the series, Schullery said. Many studies have found that fewer kids are getting outside, hunting and fishing license sales have slipped. Schullery said he hopes the series might reverse those trends. Thursday's screening was a fundraiser for the Montana Historical Society, which shared hundreds of photographs with the filmmakers. "We think we have the best jobs in the country," Burns said in an interview before the screening. He recalled spending part of his honeymoon in Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. There are two great paradoxes about the national parks, Burns said. "They were meant to provide access to everybody, but also to preserve them for future," Burns said, adding that anyone who has ever been in a traffic jam in Yellowstone understands that contradiction. The second paradox, he said, is "when we're in the presence of these magnificent places that we've been fortunate enough to save, we're reminded of our insignificance. At the same time, we feel bigger and feel a connection to everybody else." He said his upcoming projects include the history of Prohibition, the Dust Bowl, profiles of Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt, a series on Vietnam, and an addition to "Baseball," called "The 10th Inning." "When the Red Sox won (the World Series), I knew Ken would be doing that," Duncan said and laughed. Asked what advice he'd offer to young filmmakers at Montana State University, Burns said there is no single career path or "rut" to becoming a documentary maker. "You have to forge your own way," he said. "Just persevere. In documentary work, nothing is handed to you."
$3.9 million dollars was just donated by Robert Lang, who owns the Sun Ranch in Madison County, Montana. The $3.9 million was donated to help secure large portions land for conservation easements in the Madison Valley. The donation was made to the Trust for Public Land, which is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to securing open lands, park space and other natural places.
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Starting October 9th Allegiant Air will start flying discounted flights from Bozeman,MT to Las Vegas. Currently Allegiant Air serves Billings, Great Falls & Missoula. You could be fly fishing one day and on the same day be heading to the Vegas, all on a budget!
Click on the following link to read the entire article from the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.
If you are in the Bozeman, Montana area this weekend, make sure to check out the 31st annual Sweet Pea Festival. The Sweet Pea Festival is dedicated to "promoting and cultivating the arts." Check out the following website for all your Sweet Pea information.
Along with the Sweet Pea Festival, we will be holding one of the most exciting real estate projects Bozeman, Montana has to offer open, both Saturday & Sunday from 12pm-4pm. For information on The Village Downtown, check out, http://pegpotter.featuredwebsite.com/the-village-downtown.as . Hope to see you there!
Bozeman is a breath of fresh air and for me the only place to live! Small town America at its finest with the conveniences of a big city in a small intimate setting, great food, good air service including a jet center for private jet owners, great recreation including fly fishing, hiking, biking, skiing, kayaking, and more, 1 ½ hours to Yellowstone National Park, art and music festivals, and the home of Montana State University. Considering a move? Take a look.
By CHARLES S. JOHNSON - IR State Bureau - 07/11/08
Helena Ir.com
Montana's housing market is much stronger than it is nationally because of the state's strong economy and the refusal of most lenders here to issue subprime mortgages, state Revenue Director Dan Bucks said Thursday.
Speaking to a legislative interim subcommittee, Bucks cited federal statistics showing that Montana housing prices were up by an average of 4.7 percent for the year ending March 31, while national housing prices dropped by an average of 3.1 percent. Montana's housing price increase ranked third highest behind Wyoming and Utah, he said.
He attributed this trend to the fact that Montana's economy is stronger than the national economy and the state's unemployment rate is below the national average.
Bucks also heaped praise on Montana's mortgage finance industry officials for their actions that have mostly shielded this state from the subprime mortgage crisis that's led to mortgage defaults and home foreclosures in some parts of the country.
"We all owe a debt of gratitude to the Montana-based mortgage finance industry," Bucks said.
People in this industry here "said no to the junk money" when Wall Street called, he said, and mortgage originators here said no when some prospective homebuyers wanted subprime mortgages.
"Because they said no to this funny money, we have been spared from what's going on nationally," Bucks said.
The price of homes in Montana is critical at this time because the Revenue Department is completing its latest cyclical reappraisal of residential property. Bucks said the agency will deliver the completed reappraisal to a legislative committee in November.
The reappraisal establishes the market value for homes for tax purposes. That value - multiplied times the local and state mill levies and tax rate - ultimately determines how much in property taxes a homeowner owes.
Although Gov. Brian Schweitzer said there will be, on average, no statewide property tax increase resulting from reappraisal, results will vary widely by county and by area, if the past is any indication. There usually are wide variations in the percentages of increases and decreases in new home values across the state and by county.
It will be up to the 2009 Legislature to decide on how to modify the reappraisal results to reduce the impact on taxpayers. After recent past reappraisals, lawmakers have lowered the tax rate used to calculate property taxes and exempted a portion of the new property value from taxes.
Another option would be to simply postpone the reappraisal for several years, said Sen. Jim Elliott, D-Trout Creek, who is chairman of the Senate Taxation Committee.
Bucks told the subcommittee that the benchmark date for setting the property values for home reappraisals was supposed to be Jan. 1, 2008, but he extended it by six months to examine home sale information through June 30.
That will enable the department to examine late-breaking trends - upward and downward - in Montana housing sales, he said. Residential appraisals are determined largely based on the sales of comparable homes in an area.
To help learn about local housing trends across the state, Bucks said top Revenue Department officials held meetings in 18 cities with real estate agents, appraisers, mortgage finance officials, contractors and local planning officials.
Beki Glyde Brandborg, who facilitated the meetings, summed them up for legislators. She said that while housing prices vary by the area, residential property values generally had "appreciated considerably but leveled off in 2007 to more realistic numbers."
"Prices are stabilizing, not shooting up or down significantly," Brandborg said, calling it "a return to consistency."
Brandborg said other trends that emerged from the meeting included:
- The sales volume for Montana homes has slowed down.
- Fewer out-of-state residents are buying homes in Montana, particularly the "higher-end homes." One reason is they are having trouble selling their homes in other states, and some are choosing to buy new homes in other states.
- A "very low inventory" of lower-priced homes exists, but demand remains high. She said the need for affordable housing is universal across the state, with available homes in this category selling quickly. Yet very little new affordable housing is being built in Montana.
- Values of medium-priced homes are holding well, while there is a holding pattern for high-end homes. Significantly fewer speculative homes are being built.
- Home builders remain busy in Montana's largest cities.
- As gasoline prices escalate, home buyers have less desire to commute from outlying areas. That is leading to more "in-fill" homes in urban areas and a revitalization of city centers.
Click here to visit the Revenue and Transportation Subcommittee on HB 488 - Study of Property Taxes and Periodic Reappraisal Web site.
If walking & biking to work is a life style that you have been looking for, what about living close enough to do both those. Check out the Village Downtown, Bozeman, MT. This new community offers downtown living in Bozeman's historic district. Lofts,Town Homes & Single Family home sites are now available for you. Check out the following web link to see how great this new community is!
Residents find reason to switch to pedal power By JODI HAUSEN Chronicle Staff Writer Bozeman Daily Chronicle
Inhaling a whiff of lilacs on the morning commute isn't the only benefit of riding a bike to work and Bozemanites seem to be picking up on the trend. "Not only are more people doing it, but it's growing into a culture," said John Friedrich, a mechanic at Bangtail Bikes. Friedrich estimates that the small shop on Main Street has seen bike and accessory sales for commuters increase from about 5 percent of all sales last year to more than 30 percent this year. Though actual numbers of bicycle commuters are hard to come by, Bozeman bicycle shop mechanics agree that pedaling to work is a growing movement. "A lot of people are pulling out the old 10-speeds and tuning them up and recycling them for commuter bikes," said Ben Donatelle, a mechanic at Summit Bike and Ski Shop. Based on the number of dust-covered bikes they are refurbishing, the numbers increase by at least one or two every day, his co-worker, Ben Dodge, said. "Most of those bikes are older than me," said Dodge, a 25-year-old bike mechanic. At Chalet Sports on Main Street, Brian Wolgamott estimated that they are setting up about three commuters weekly. That set-up usually includes adding lights, fenders and storage racks. Andy Kemp, 30, lives on Kagy Boulevard and Tracy Avenue and commutes about a halfmile to work as the news director at KTVM television on South Wallace Avenue and Olive Street. He said it takes him 10 minutes or less on mostly trails. He was at Chalet getting a rear rack installed on his Elektra Rat Rod - a retro-style bike painted black with white and red flames. On the cross bar, a sticker indicates one reason he rides - $0.00 10 - 9 , it said in bold white numbers on a black background. Kemp moved to Bozeman from Atlanta, Ga., about six months ago and specifically chose Bozeman because it is easy to ride everywhere. "Having this as an option is just great," he said. "You could (bicycle) commute in Atlanta, but you take your life in your hands." Shane Metolyak, 33, lives on the west side of Bozeman and rarely uses his gasolinepowered vehicle, he said. "People say it's not safe (to bicycle to work), but it is if you follow the laws," he said. Metolyak has a nine-mile, round-trip commute but also rides to go grocery shopping and for other errands. He points out that bicycles are considered vehicles and are subject to the same traffic laws as motorized ones. He also recognizes that many cyclists are not aware or simply don't obey those rules of the road - a situation that can be dangerous and create animosity between motorists and pedalers. "I think motorists get upset when we act inconsistently, so I think if people would see more and more bicycle commuters out there obeying the laws, people would see it as a more viable means of transportation," he said. Though the savings in gas are impetus enough, Metolyak said he's probably not saving much because he's continually buying "new toys" for his bike. He recently bought a $300 trailer that he's even used to haul wood to a bicycle trail. "I just like riding bikes," he said. "If you want to ride, Bozeman is very conducive to it. I don't think I save a lot of money." But, he adds, "I lost track of the last time I bought gas - May, maybe?" Apparently, many are drawn to pedal power by the increasingly unaffordable price of gasoline, but some have other reasons. Elizabeth Bird, 51, said bicycle commuting accomplishes several goals. Bird is a member of the Bozeman Area Bicycle Advisory Board, a cancer survivor and a grants specialist at Montana State University. She bicycle commutes three to four times weekly, mostly on the Galligator Trail. It's good exercise, saves in gas expenditures and saves the environment in the cost of burning fossil fuels, she said. Bird said her committee mailed surveys in September to poll people about their walking and cycling habits. She said between 3,000 and 4,000 of them have been returned. Now the group is analyzing the data to determine where more bicycle and walking infrastructure is needed - things like bike racks, trails, curb cuts and bicycle lanes. Back at Bangtail, Friedrich said he commutes only a half mile each day but sees about eight others on his ride each day. "And they don't seem to be out on a pleasure ride," he said. And it's getting easier to do. Friedrich is a contributor to a locally produced free newsletter called "the Practical Pedal." In it are articles and advertisements geared towards, well, gear and the practicality of using a bicycle as a primary source of transportation. Friedrich said commuter bikes were the overriding theme at Interbike - an industry trade show held in Las Vegas in the fall each year. "Commuter bikes are becoming more fashionable in everyday life," he said. Several companies make bicycles specifically designed for traveling to and from work or on errands. Typical accessories such as racks, fenders and lights come standard on many. Commuter bikes also are designed for comfort, safety and efficiency with road-sized tires for speed, small wheel-bases for maneuverability and upright seating for comfort and visibility. And if one already has a bike that needs retrofitting with practical pedaling accessories, mechanics say it can be done for as low as $100. "There are so many types of commuter bikes these days," Donatelle said. "And the airconditioning is automatic." Jodi Hausen can be reached at jhausen@dailychronicle. com or 582-2630.
Ten Foot Tall and 80 Proof powered on veggie oil for Music on Main By JESSICA MAYRER Chronicle Staff Writer Bozeman Daily Chronicle
When 10 Foot Tall and 80 Proof cranks out its "Honk-A-Billy" music this Thursday at Music on Main, the amplifiers, lights and instruments will be powered entirely by locally grown vegetable oil. "It's completely off the grid, and it's completely made in Gallatin County," said Preston "Professor" White, a piano and mandolin player for the band. Joel Lindstrom from Leonardo Technologies harvested 4,000 pounds of camelina seed grown on Ted Turner's Flying D Ranch, crushed it and produced 50 gallons of oil. The oil goes into a portable generator and produces energy. Using the 50 gallons of oil made in this trial batch, Lindstrom has demonstrated how camelina may be used to fuel engines and amplifiers around western Montana.
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He used the oil to power the Northern Rockies Bioneer Conference at the Emerson Cultural Center in October, providing energy during four days of music, performances and speeches with 20 gallons of seed oil. Ten Foot Tall encountered Lindstrom at a sustainable energy conference in Big Sky. During the conference they performed using Lindstrom's souped-up generator, which has been adapted to run on seed juice. Ten Foot Tall and 80 Proof play bars and private parties all over the state, and, White said, they'd like to offer vegetable oil as an option to traditional electricity. Camelina grows well in cold climates and doesn't require much water or herbicide to grow, so it's more efficient than other vegetable oils, Lindstrom said. "Camelina is far greater of a biofuel than corn-based ethanol," he said. "We're not taking food out of anyone's mouth when we grow camelina." Ultimately, Lindstrom and Leonardo Technologies, which works with the U.S. Department of Energy to develop alternative fuels, would like to see farmers grow camelina and turn it into oil to fuel farm equipment, while using the byproduct to feed livestock, he said. "That's the long-term picture," he said. In the meantime, he's looking at powering other events. "We're looking at getting involved with Sweat Pea," he said. In Europe, it's not unusual to see cars run on camelina. "It's 100 percent viable," Lindstrom said. But educating folks about how to grow the seed and modify engines to process it is necessary if camelina is to catch on, he said. "There's just a lot of work that needs to be done," he said. "It can't power the world," he said. "But it can be a substantial piece of the energy puzzle."
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Jessica Mayrer can be reached at jmayrer@ dailychronicle.com or 582-2635.
The unemployment rate may be up, but some local hightech employers say creativity is still required to attract and retain top talent.
Bozeman Daily Chronicle BY NICOLE ROSENLEAF RITTER PHOTOGRAPHY BY THOMAS LEE
GOING TO THE DOGS SEEMS TO BE A WINNING STRATEGY. So do Fun Committees, charitable giving programs and the chance for continuous learning. An emphasis on family doesn't hurt either. Three of the area's leading "new economy" employers - Zoot Enterprises Inc., RightNow Technologies of Bozeman and PrintingForLess.com of Livingston - offer such unusual perks. Human resources staff at the three enterprises emphasize that the sometimes quirky benefits are necessary to find and keep employees - even in a local economy that is softening. "The kind of people we want to be a part of this organization have choices all over the world and in all kinds of different companies, and they're the most important ingredient to what we do," Kevin Boylan, director of human resources for RightNow Technologies, explains. "We want to be sure we're doing all we can to recruit and retain the best employees. "These are not people who are going to be having trouble finding jobs," he adds. While anecdotal evidence has indicated an easing in the employee shortage in the greater Bozeman area, statistics have only recently begun to back it up. In April 2008 - the latest month for which statistics were available - the Montana Department of Labor and Industry confirmed that unemployment has risen in Gallatin County. The 3.2 percent rate was lower than Montana's statewide average - 3.9 percent - but more than one percentage point higher than the rate just a year ago. The rise should be good news for HR departments seeking to hire, but RightNow, PFL and Zoot all note that staffing is still hard work because of the caliber of employee they seek. As Zoot Enterprises HR director Ruth Kronfuss notes, "It's always a challenge to find the right people. We are continually looking at our benefits and what we have to offer to make sure that we are attractive." DOGS AND KIDS Every day is a dog day afternoon at PFL and Zoot, where employees are allowed - even encouraged - to bring their (well-behaved) dogs to work. Suzie Lalich, PFL's benefit specialist, says that the company's dog policy helps draw potential employees to the company - and keep them there once hired. "When we're recruiting people, the dogs at work program is one of the main attractors," Lalich says. The company recently celebrated Pet Sitters International's "Take Your Dog to Work Day," with dog contests and agility training. On regular work days dogs and their owners can take outdoor breaks on the company's campus on the outskirts of Livingston, and even the non-dog-owning employees often keep puppy treats at their desks. PFL's founder and CEO Andrew Field is one of the policy's chief proponents. He noted in a recent press release that the policy "helps staff morale and builds camaraderie among employees." His own dog, Jesse, is a daily presence at PFL. Field and his counterparts in management at Zoot have found that allowing dogs not only aids in recruitment and retention, but also contributes to the business's bottom line. A PFL press release indicates that having pooches around "aids in creating a more productive work environment, helps stimulate employee creativity, offers a great social catalyst for relationship development between coworkers and decreases employee absenteeism." PFL took family inclusion one step further in 2003, when it founded Montana's first companysponsored onsite daycare for employees' children. Benefits specialist Lalich notes that the facility is another huge draw for potential employees and also contributes to lowering turnover rates. "If you have your child in the childcare facility, you'll probably have to really think about whether you want to leave the company," she explains. She notes that since the daycare was founded, other Montana companies have contacted PFL wanting help setting up their own or similar facilities. "In that way we also like to be trendsetters for Montana employers," Lalich says. "We want to help integrate progressive practices into Montana workplaces, which sometimes lag behind in benefits." Zoot, too, offers its employees help with childcare. CEO and founder Chris Nelson provided money for the startup costs of a group of employees who wanted to start a daycare that would be convenient for Zoot workers. While it is maintained as a separate company from Zoot and is not technically sponsored by the organization, HR director Ruth Kronfuss explains that Zoot helps support it using some of the money it collects for below-ground parking fees. "There's a lot of strong support from Zoot for the center," she adds. SWEET CHARITY Welcoming family - of both the human and canine variety - is one way that local high-tech employers compete for talent in the larger workplace. Empowering employees to be involved in the community and to keep learning is another. At RightNow and Zoot, employees are eligible for matching funds to support the charitable causes of their choice, up to $250 per year. "It ends up being a big chunk of money," RightNow HR director Kevin Boylan says. "And that's decided entirely by employees, not by the company." RightNow also makes it easy for employees to give their time, not just their money, to local charities and nonprofit organizations. "We encourage all employees to donate 40 hours a year to community service," Boylan says. Popular causes include Big Brothers Big Sisters, Eagle Mount and Habitat for Humanity. With more than 750 employees worldwide, RightNow can have a tremendous impact in their communities, he notes. "If all of our employees contribute 40 hours a year, that would be the equivalent of 30,000 hours per year or 14.5 full-time employees for the nonprofit sector," Boylan indicates. "And our employees feel proud that the company will pay them to work on causes that they care about." These companies also support continuing education in the form of company training, professional development or even academic studies for their employees. RightNow offers a $5,000-per-year tuition reimbursement for employees pursuing advanced degrees or additional training. Both PFL and Zoot have extensive in-house training programs for new employees. At PFL, most new employees go through a 10- to 12-week paid training program before they are integrated into the company. "We want to invest in and develop our employees," PFL's Lalich says. "We find that it keeps them wanting to learn and grow with the company." BRINGING THE FUN IN One unquantifiable element - fun - represents an additional "benefit" that these companies offer their employees. "We try to provide a fun, friendly work environment," Zoot's Kronfuss notes. "And our surveys find that one of the things people like most continued on next page Work's Perks continued about working here is that environment." Both Zoot and PFL have employee-driven "Fun Committees" that organize on- and off-site activities such as picnics, athletic events, parties and work-time diversions. "From summer golf outings to family pumpkin carving contests, the company comes together and enjoys being together, improving morale and employee relationships," Kronfuss explained in a follow-up brief. "Even small things, like ice cream socials to celebrate birthdays each month, make a big difference." RightNow celebrated a successful first quarter this year by offering employees in all of its locations a day off from work. In Bozeman, the company sponsored a workday outing to Bridger Bowl, HR director Boylan says. "Everybody went up and skied for the day," he notes. "The lift tickets were paid and the lunch was paid, and everybody got to have a day off work." While offering several hundred employees free skiing would represent a significant outlay for most businesses, PFL's Lalich notes that not all "fun" benefits have to be costly. "You don't have to spend a lot of money to do some of these things that make employees happy," she insists, citing the examples of negotiated discounts for employees at local businesses. Overall, making employees happy is an emphasis at all three enterprises. "Happy, comfortable workers are productive workers," Zoot's Kronfuss noted in her brief. "Through fun, teamwork, respect, and an orientation to the importance of family, Zoot attracts the best and brightest - and keeps them." It's a sentiment that her human resources colleagues at PFL and RightNow would no doubt echo as they go about their still-challenging job of trying to find and keep the talent that drives their businesses. Editor's note: The author's husband is employed by PrintingForLess.com in Livingston. Nicole Rosenleaf Ritter is the managing editor of Business to Business and At Home.
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A BRIGHT IDEA 
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