15/6/13 – Hello Missoula

With two young early risers keen to get going (Amelia and Rose not Peter and Wendy) we were all dressed and ready to depart the Richmond residence in Evans Street quite early this morning, so we set off for a short but very scenic walk through the nearby campus of Montana University, down to the banks of the Clark Fork river and along the bike path into town. Once there we had breakfast at the local produce markets.

Obligatory was the bacon, egg, cheddar cheese and maple syrup waffle and coffee and optional was everything else ranging from morels (wild mushrooms that look like fresh dates and that grow only for a short time after a fire), huckleberry jam, rhubarb slushies, woodfired pizzas, Bitterroot Bison products including meat, hides, soap and skulls, products from the Hindu-Hillbillies Rivulet Apiaries like honey lemonade and beauty products.

There was also homemade buffalo bites for dogs and kitties, popcorn cooked in huge butter cauldrons and, my personal favourite, Captain Hook’s Ice Creams (served by a one armed guy with a real hook at the end of his missing arm! It was quite a sight to see this guy serve an ice cream with the cone sitting nicely in the hook. Even better sight was the look on each kid’s face when they saw how their ice cream was being assembled!!

We then took a short walk to the arts and crafts market where there was an extensive range of mountain gear – scarves, gloves, hats, fishing and hunting wear, wood products and jewellery. Guess it is true what they say: ‘There are only two seasons here in Montana, Winter and July’! 

 

Next we took a carousel ride, saw players from the Montana Grizzlies (the football team) and walked past two guys surfing the rapids in the local river on surfboards. 

Finally we went to visit the Elk Foundation where we saw stuffed and mounted carcasses of a wide range of wilderness ‘critters’ like the Montana Elk who holds the Boone and Crockett Club (see details of this club below) record for antler size, a grizzly bear, a kodiak bear, a mountain lion, a skunk, a beaver, a big horned sheep, a golden eagle, a turkey, a porcupine, a pronghorn deer, a white tailed deer and a marmot.

The Boone and Crockett Club 1887-2012 

 It is the mission of the Boone and Crockett Club to promote the conservation and management of wildlife, especially big game, and its habitat, to preserve and encourage hunting and to maintain the highest ethical standards of fair chase and sportsmanship in North America. The oldest wildlife conservation organization in North America – founding in 1887 by Theodore Roosevelt and George Bird Grinnell.

The initiator and champion of the first National Parks, including Yellowstone, Glacier, Denali, and Grand Canyon Initiator and champion of the first legislation for wildlife, including the Timberland Reserve Bill, Yellowstone Protection Act, Lacey Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and Alaskan Game Laws

The Club was the champion of the earliest science-based wildlife management efforts and legislation, including the National Wildlife Refuge System Act, and the creation of the Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units and of the first legislations funding wildlife conservation, including the Wildlife Restoration Act (Pittman-Robertson), and the federal Duck Stamp Act

It pioneered and established the principles of responsible, ethical, and sustainable use hunting known as ‘Fair Chase’. 

It created the first big game scoring and data collection system to objectively measure and evaluate species and population health and habitat quality to improve state and federal wildlife polices and management.

The initiator and champion of all of the principle federal land management agencies, including the US First Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. 

It spawned and supported key wildlife conservation organizations, including the New York Zoological Society (1895), National Audubon Society (1905), Wildlife Management Institute (1911), National Wildlife Federation (1937), Ducks Unlimited (1937), and American Wildlife Conservation Partners (2000)

After spending some time walking through the Elk Foundation building we went for a short walk on the nature trail along the nearby creek and finally spotted some live animals, including a white tailed deer and an osprey. The night ended with a BBQ to farewell Nate’s and Miriam’s friend Kelsey who has been called up for her commission to the US Air Force. We wish her a safe tour of duty.

ps. the Boston Bruins defeated the Chicago Redhawks 2-1 in the 6^th period of extra time in the first game of the Stanley Cup.