High Meadows, Miles City and Bozeman
Post by 2016 Montana Summer Program student Trisha Markus
It seems that in order to get to the interesting places in Montana, you have to drive a few hours to get there. We did a lot of traveling the past couple of days. Our first day with Dr. Scott was spent on the ranch speaking with Gary who is a forestry consultant for private land owners. For the second and third days we drove from the ranch east to Miles City and west to Bozeman. This week, with Dr. Jachowski, we will be going south and then north. At least the view is always beautiful.
Gary gave us a different perspective of range management than the speakers from BLM. Both BLM and private consultants are struggling with persuading landowners to allow prescribed fires on their property. Gary has an easier job with getting the projects started whereas BLM has issues with restrictions because of regulations, paperwork and access to BLM lands. Gary is able to give advice to landowners on their own property. Private consultants like Gary are able to assess a property, give action plans, and able to start the projects almost right away. Having the opportunity to have both BLM and Gary speak to us about the same subject was useful. They both agree with the importance of prescribed fires and taking preventative measures to prevent large devastating fires. As well as their difficulties with getting the public to be pro prescribed fire.
In Miles City, we got to visit Fort Keogh. It is a research facility with the United States Department of Agriculture, on which they research livestock and rangelands. It was fascinating to see different active research projects they have going on there. We even got the opportunity to see a cannulated cow up close and very personal. There was an option to stick a hand inside the rumen of cow 04X36; I passed on the opportunity. Once the cow’s port hole was opened, the smell overtook me and the saliva in my mouth increased with the threat of possibly losing my lunch. So I kept my distance while three of my classmates and our TA took advantage of a rare opportunity. Of course I regret it now, but maybe there will be another opportunity (with hopes of it occurring prior to lunch).
Bozeman had a lot in store for us. Montana State University students and faculty are very lucky to have such a breath taking view of the Rocky Mountains. One of my favorite parts of the day was visiting the sheep at Fort Ellis and seeing the wool lab on campus. A graduate student showed us the rams and told us about his current project as well as a project another student was conducting in the same area. The wool lab was just cool! To see raw wool (I got to sneak a touch) and learn how they grade wool was fascinating to me. As a knitter, I have tried to stick with wool materials due to the magic qualities of the fiber. And with increasing treatment techniques the fiber has gotten softer and machine washable (which is an important quality for a college student). We not only saw sheep, we got to see people making horseshoes and talk with the instructor. There was also a tour of Fort Bart, which is MSUs research and teaching farm. Their facilities were pretty much like all the other cattle facilities we have seen since we have been in MT. But it was great that it was like all the other facilities because they allow their students the opportunity to learn in an atmosphere that is close to what they will be working in, in their future. Montana State is going to be on my list for applying for grad school.
This coming week is our last week here. At the beginning of the course the time seemed to be creeping by, but as it is getting closer for us to depart it seems time will not go slow enough. We spent our last free day in the Beartooth Mountains. It was refreshing to have an activity that did not include cattle or to be within a distance to smell their byproducts. I wish we could have experienced more of the hiking while I was here. But that only means that I will have to come back to experience more of Montana on my own.
It seems that in order to get to the interesting places in Montana, you have to drive a few hours to get there. We did a lot of traveling the past couple of days. Our first day with Dr. Scott was spent on the ranch speaking with Gary who is a forestry consultant for private land owners. For the second and third days we drove from the ranch east to Miles City and west to Bozeman. This week, with Dr. Jachowski, we will be going south and then north. At least the view is always beautiful.
Gary gave us a different perspective of range management than the speakers from BLM. Both BLM and private consultants are struggling with persuading landowners to allow prescribed fires on their property. Gary has an easier job with getting the projects started whereas BLM has issues with restrictions because of regulations, paperwork and access to BLM lands. Gary is able to give advice to landowners on their own property. Private consultants like Gary are able to assess a property, give action plans, and able to start the projects almost right away. Having the opportunity to have both BLM and Gary speak to us about the same subject was useful. They both agree with the importance of prescribed fires and taking preventative measures to prevent large devastating fires. As well as their difficulties with getting the public to be pro prescribed fire.In Miles City, we got to visit Fort Keogh. It is a research facility with the United States Department of Agriculture, on which they research livestock and rangelands. It was fascinating to see different active research projects they have going on there. We even got the opportunity to see a cannulated cow up close and very personal. There was an option to stick a hand inside the rumen of cow 04X36; I passed on the opportunity. Once the cow’s port hole was opened, the smell overtook me and the saliva in my mouth increased with the threat of possibly losing my lunch. So I kept my distance while three of my classmates and our TA took advantage of a rare opportunity. Of course I regret it now, but maybe there will be another opportunity (with hopes of it occurring prior to lunch).
Bozeman had a lot in store for us. Montana State University students and faculty are very lucky to have such a breath taking view of the Rocky Mountains. One of my favorite parts of the day was visiting the sheep at Fort Ellis and seeing the wool lab on campus. A graduate student showed us the rams and told us about his current project as well as a project another student was conducting in the same area. The wool lab was just cool! To see raw wool (I got to sneak a touch) and learn how they grade wool was fascinating to me. As a knitter, I have tried to stick with wool materials due to the magic qualities of the fiber. And with increasing treatment techniques the fiber has gotten softer and machine washable (which is an important quality for a college student). We not only saw sheep, we got to see people making horseshoes and talk with the instructor. There was also a tour of Fort Bart, which is MSUs research and teaching farm. Their facilities were pretty much like all the other cattle facilities we have seen since we have been in MT. But it was great that it was like all the other facilities because they allow their students the opportunity to learn in an atmosphere that is close to what they will be working in, in their future. Montana State is going to be on my list for applying for grad school.This coming week is our last week here. At the beginning of the course the time seemed to be creeping by, but as it is getting closer for us to depart it seems time will not go slow enough. We spent our last free day in the Beartooth Mountains. It was refreshing to have an activity that did not include cattle or to be within a distance to smell their byproducts. I wish we could have experienced more of the hiking while I was here. But that only means that I will have to come back to experience more of Montana on my own.
