Community Notes

The St. Mary’s Church in Superior will hold their last “Kids Bash” on Saturday, Aug. 11. For information, call Denise at (406) 493-9830.

Shakespeare in the Park set Aug. 15

The Mineral County Performing Arts Council will host Shakespeare in the Park with ther performance “Othello” on Wednesday, Aug. 15, from 6 to 8 p.m. Bring a lawn chair and enjoy this free performance at the Mineral County Fairgrounds stage.

Hospital receives grant for equipment from Blackfoot

Thanks to Blackfoot in Missoula, Mineral Community Hospital was awarded $1,651 from a grant request for equipment that both the hospital and the Superior Area Ambulance Service can use.

A Rescue Stretcher will become a permanent piece of equipment that the ambulance/EMS will use for rescues. The volume of emergency responses has increased significantly over the years, and this specialized, Transverse Stretcher is designed for both horizontal and vertical evacuations.

Educational materials were also acquired through this gift from Blackfoot, and the local hospital and EMS will collaborate on training activities.

“We appreciate Blackfoot for their generosity and concern for Rural Montana and we look forward to ongoing collaboration with EMS for the safety of our community”, said Steve McNeece, CEO of Mineral Community Hospital.

For more information, contact Monte Turner at (406) 822-5122.

Governor Bullock seeks applicants for outdoors council

Gov. Steve Bullock has announced that he is seeking applicants for the newly created Get Outdoors Montana Advisory Council that will guide efforts of the governor’s office of Outdoor Recreation as it enhances Montana’s outdoor recreation economy.

“Montana is rich in outdoor recreation experience — making it the perfect place for recreation-based industries to thrive and for businesses to grow, while providing employees a way of life that cannot be manufactured,” said Bullock. “Montana is a leader in identifying the importance of outdoor recreation, and we encourage Montanans to join us in making sure it continues to be that way.”

Bullock recently signed an executive order creating the Get Outdoors Montana Advisory Council. The Council will consist of members from the outdoor recreation industry, recreation user and interest groups, conservation and stewardship organizations, and local, tribal, state and federally employed land stewards.

The council is tasked with assisting with coordination of the many stakeholders and perspectives influencing Montana’s outdoor recreation economy, providing direct perspective and feedback through active communication, supporting the mission of the Office of Outdoor Recreation, providing resources and gathering data on recreation industry topics, and providing feedback for strategic action plans.

The Office of Outdoor Recreation was established in 2017 by Bullock to grow and enhance the state’s $7.1 billion outdoor recreation economy. Montana was the fourth state to create an outdoor recreation office and a total of 11 states now have such offices. The Office of Outdoor Recreation works collaboratively with other states, departments and agencies within Montana’s state government, as well as federal government agencies.

“The Governor’s Office of Outdoor Recreation supports the foundation of an economic powerhouse,” said Rachel VandeVoort, Director of the Office of Outdoor Recreation. “Our outdoor recreation economy contributes to over 70,000 jobs in Montana alone and accounts for an estimated 2 percent of the U.S. GDP, and as we help shape and support this important economic landscape of our future, I know this office, with the guidance of the council, will serve the people of Montana for many years to come.”

Montanans are encouraged to apply to serve on the Get Outdoors Montana Advisory Council by Aug. 17. For the application, visit boards.mt.gov.

Relay for Life celebration Aug. 16

American Cancer Society Relay for Life Survivor Celebrations and Luminaria Ceremony will be held Thursday, Aug. 16 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Superior Elementary Gym, along with a cake auction. Caregivers and community members are invited to attend. Luminarias for the ceremony are also on sale. For more information, contact Peggy Temple at 822-0922.

Alberton Railroad Day Foundation presents concert

An intimate evening with country music star John King will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 15 from 6 to 10:30 p.m. at the Alberton Gorge Ranch. Tickets are available at albertonrailroadday.com and proceeds benefit the Alberton Farm to School Program.

Region 2 hunting clarifications

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks wants Western Montana elk hunters to know about a clarification in the regulations relative to the Elk B license (002-00) for Upper Clark Fork districts 210, 211, 212, 215 and 216.

The wording in the printed 2018 Montana Hunting Regulations has led to confusion about whether the Elk B license can be used on public lands during the archery-only season. Mike Thompson, FWP Region 2 wildlife manager, clarified that the license cannot be used on public lands during archery-only season. It is valid only on private lands.

“Unfortunately, the wording is confusing in our regulations that are already printed, but we will make a clarification in the online regulations and are working to get the word out to hunters ahead of the season,” Thompson said.

The clarified regulations will be available online soon at fwp.mt.gov, under “Hunting” and then “Regulations.” They say that in HDs 210, 211, 212, 215 and 216, the Elk B License is valid for antlerless elk on private lands only (excluding Weyerhaeuser, Stimson and The Nature Conservancy) from Aug. 15 through Oct. 19.

Then, from Oct. 20 through Feb. 15, the license is valid on those same private lands and on public DNRC lands that are located outside national forest boundaries and FWP Wildlife Management Areas. The license is also valid on the Montana State Prison Ranch in HD 212 from Oct. 20 through Feb. 15, in compliance with Prison Ranch access regulations.

“The bottom line and most important clarification is that the 002-00 Elk B License is never valid for hunting on public lands during the archery-only elk season,” Thompson said.

The 002-00 B license is an unlimited license and will be available for purchase over-the-counter at any license provider, or online at fwp.mt.gov from Aug. 6 through Oct. 19.

Important dates for hunters

A few important dates remain for hunters looking for license for this upcoming hunting season:

• On Aug. 13, surplus general antelope, antelope B and antelope archery 900-20 licenses go on sale.

• On Aug. 15, antelope archery season opens for the 900-20 license.

The 900-20 archery antelope licenses were drawn on July 16. These licenses allow bowhunters to hunt antelope from Aug. 15 to Nov. 11 in any hunting district starting with 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 (except HD 313). All other antelope licenses will be drawn Aug. 9.

In the past, all antelope licenses were drawn at the same time, typically late July or early August, which did not give biologists enough time to complete their antelope surveys and make any final changes to license numbers. Antelope surveys cannot begin before mid-July because fawns typically are not up with herds before then. By drawing the 900-20 archery licenses early, it allows those archery hunters time to plan their hunt, and by drawing all other antelope licenses on Aug. 9 it gives biologists time to do their final surveys.

This year, archers applied for the 900 licenses as the first and only option. It wasn’t available as the second choice on other antelope license applications as in the past. This change allowed FWP to offer elk and deer surplus licenses earlier. For important dates and more information, visit website fwp.mt.gov.

Senior meals

Superior Senior Center serves free dinners to residents who are 90 years old and older. Dinner is every Wednesday starting at 4:30 p.m.

St. Regis Senior Center St. Regis Senior Center menu: Aug. 16, Ham and Mashed Potatoes; Aug. 23, Pulled Pork Sandwich; Aug. 2, Chicken Fricassee with Noodles followed by Bingo; and Aug. 30, Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwich.

The Alberton Senior Center serves lunches each Tuesday and Thursday at noon.

Farmers markets

The Alberton Farmers Market is held every Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Community Center parking lot.

The Superior Farmers Market is held every Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon on River Street until Sept. 26.