It's play off time in the Glacier Hockey Leage, and the mighty Mule Draggers are in the second round. Next game is Sunday, March 7th, at 4:30 pm at the Missoula County Fairgrounds.
Sorry to be late on catching up. Julie and I have been running all over the place chasing kids, chasing horses, chasing work, hockey, wrestling, running, etc. Paige went to the Simplot Games in Pocatello, Idaho. She ran really well against some of the top high school runners in the state. We're really excited about how well she is doing. Alan is wrestling again this spring. He's doing good also. It's just a tough sport, and take s a long time to learn. Julie and Paige ran the half-marathon in Seeley Lake last weekend. Paige set a new record for her age group, so the race was again... a great success for her!
The upcoming season is shaping up to be a real busy one. We have a lot of pack trips booked, and our first two hunts are booked up also. We just need to get the last hunt filled and fill up a few pack trips with some more people, and we're off and running. But, we need more crew. That's always the challenge.
Now for a quick update on the I-161 battle. Some really big organizations have signed on in opposition to I-161. The National Rifle Association, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and the Safari Club International have all issued press releases in opposition to the Kephart Initiative, known as I-161. Kephart took a big hit in mid February- a public debate was scheduled in Bozeman between outfitter and MOGA board member Rob Arnaud and outdoor writer and conservation academic Jim Posewitz, author of "Beyond Fair Chase". I want to point out I think it's unfortunate that Kirk Kephart can write this initiative, but can't defend it well enough to stand in public and defend it's supposed merit in a public debate, but... when Jim Posewitz was directly asked "What will this do for the "Joe Six-Pack sportsmen of Montana?" Posewitz replied "We don't know." I read a blog post on the Billings Gazette (I think it was Billings, but there's a million of them out there) that said "...65 jaws hit the floor." There was no positive answer.
Doesn't that sound just like the blog I posted back on February 8th after my conversation with Kephart himself?
Posewitz was supposed to be their Champion- the man that would show the Montana sportsman what I-161 was all about. Unfortunately for the Kephart crowd, I think Jim did just that. This initiative has no merit, no value, no real positive outcome for Montana. It will damage small business, it will hurt the Montana tourism economy, it will endanger funding for the states Block Management program, and it will have the 'trickle-down' effect of additional private land leasing. He has pitted hunter against hunter in a time when we should all stand together to secure the future of our outdoor heritage. None of this is good for Montana. So, go to http://www.stop161.org/ and read up. It will take a while- get a cup of coffee and browse. There is an amazing amount of information on the web site, and it continues to grow. There is also a link on there that allows you to make a small cash donation to help the effort. The battle to stop this initiative has been costly, and these guys will likely come back at us in two years in the state legislature. So, the fight is still out there.
As always, we appreciate your support and friendship. Remember...
This place in going to change your life!
Greg
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