New CFVP reporter seeks adventure in Sanders County

A new reporter/photographer has arrived at the Clark Fork Valley Press, and he is ready for action.

For John Dowd, a Montana newspaper job is a great chance to cover the kinds of stories he loves — outdoor adventures. His first assignment, Plains Days, found him in the air right along with the kids who were taking the Experimental Aircraft Association up on their offer of free Young Eagles flights. During the day he had found connections to fishing, hunting and many other outdoor opportunities — exactly what he was looking for, moving to Montana from Alabama.

This is not Dowd’s first connection to Montana. He had visited grandparents on Swan Lake many times as a kid, and some family members have since moved to Bigfork. And, though Dowd had visited all 50 U.S. states by the time he was 18, Montana was the first place he came after graduating high school in Chelsea, Ala., in 2012.

Dowd arrived in the tiny town of Craig, Mont,, and worked for a fly-fishing shop on the Missouri River. It was on the end of a 44-mile hike when he needed groceries that he sat down and looked at the stars and realized adventuring was what he wanted to do with his life.

Dowd graduated last December with a degree in multi-media journalism and an anthropology minor from Alabama’s Jacksonville State University. He served an internship and was then hired as outdoors adventure writer at the area’s Lakeside Magazine, before making a bee-line back to Montana to work for the Valley Press.

Dowd is excited to get to know the community of Plains and the greater Sanders County area. In addition to the weekly goings on and breaking news, he intends to feature his true love, outdoor articles, and is seeking folks who can share their adventures and activities.

To chat with Dowd about ideas for stories of all kinds, call him at the Valley Press office, 406-826-3402, or his cell at 770-855-3140. His email is jdowd@vp-mi.com.