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Newsletter from Montana
January 2006
Two new agents joined the forces. You might already know
Martie Franco; she has been my secretary since March of last year. She just loves the business and by summer she will have an office built for Sky Lodge Properties next to her home out in Luther, which is this fabulous area west of Red Lodge in the foothills of the Beartooth Mountain Range.
The other young lady is
Tammy Elton; she owns the
little log home on two acres on the way to the ski runs just south of town, which I have listed for her. She is a go getter. She has three small children, a cat and a couple of dogs, but her home office is immaculate and fully equipped, ready to do business.
I put a link to all of my agent's websites on
the contact page.
Then we have a new listing,
258 acres next to the National Forest
and BLM for a song, if you get paid $ 283,800 for a song that is. It has a small forest and rock outcroppings in the middle. To the north are 24 acres in CRP, which is a government program paying $ 544 a year until September 2010. The property taxes are $ 98 a year. There are lots of bears in the area because of all the lime stone caves. Great property to take your 4-wheeler into the lush valleys of the Pryor mountains and all the way over to the Wild Horse Range, the ice cave and the Big Horn Canyon. The property itself has easy access via a graveled county road for about 18 miles from the highway south of Bridger and a mountain view not only of the Pryors right in front of you, but also of the highest mountains in Montana and the whole East side of the Beartooth Mountain range. Just spectacular. By the way, the herd of 160 wild horses that lives in the Pryors can be traced back to the Spanish Conquistadors in the 1500s. It is the oldest herd in North America and the only herd of Wild Horses left in Montana.
Do you enjoy butchering the game you hunted? Here is your chance to make a little business out of it, if you do not mind butchering the local livestock as well when hunting season is over. $ 85,000 will
buy you the real estate, the equipment
including coolers, saws and scale, training and an intro by the owner to the neighborhood in Geraldine, Montana. There you are close to Fort Benton and the recreational areas of northern Montana with the Missouri River. That's where all the elk hang out. Great Falls is about the same distance from there as the Missouri River Breaks National Monument. The Little Belt Mountains are to the South.
Those with an interest in fisheries and aquatic insects will get lots of use from a new Montana Natural Heritage Report entitled "Aquatic Community Classification and Ecosystem Diversity in Montana's Missouri River Watershed." It is
now accessible on the web. It contains a mix of science and natural history. The Aquatic Ecosystem Descriptions and Communities section contains links to indicator species lists, maps and illustrations of representative species found.
What destroys a native ecosystem of course are introduced species, commonly known as noxious weeds. After human alterations they are the second largest cause of extinction worldwide; in Montana they are number one. They are a threat to Montana's natural resources because they are destroying the productivity of the land, devastating the economic viability of farms and ranches, decimating wildlife habitat and populations and diminishing the quality and quantity of our water. Noxious weeds do all of that by displacing native plants, which reduces biodiversity, which then affects threatened and endangered species. They also alter normal ecological processes such as nutrient cycling, water cycling, etc. This again decreases wildlife habitat, some weeds poison cattle and some increase soil erosion and stream sedimentation and there goes the recreational value as well. Across the state a "Zero Spread" campaign is spurring private landowners to form cooperative weed management groups, so local weed concerns can be addressed effectively. Landowners can define their ultimate land use goal, and then develop weed control strategies that support it. Weed management is part of being a good neighbor. I made a link to a website that
shows all the noxious weeds.
In the margin is a link to find the
Extension office for each county,
which will help you identify and eradicate the intruders.
Over the past 100 years, noxious weeds have been spreading at an alarming rate. For example, spotted knapweed arrived on the west coast in 1893 on the San Juan Islands in Washington. By 1920, this weed was established in over 24 counties in three northwestern states, with several large infestations near Missoula, Montana. Now, spotted knapweed has been reported from every county in the western United States and has invaded about five million acres in Montana alone. Large infestations continue to expand, especially along waterways and major transportation routes. Many other knapweeds, such as yellow star thistle, diffuse knapweed, Russian knapweed, and squarrose knapweed have similar invasion rates throughout the western United States. Leafy spurge and many other noxious weeds are invading from the east, rather than the west. If these weeds are allowed to spread at their current rate for the next 100 years, they will dominate most western rangelands.
Areas dominated by leafy spurge receive three times less use by deer and four times less use by bison compared with similar uninfested areas. On native bunchgrass sites in Montana, dense spotted knapweed populations reduce available winter forage for elk by 50 to 90 percent. Elk use increased almost four times after dense spotted knapweed infestations were controlled on these sites. On wetlands, invasions of purple loosestrife and saltcedar degrade habitat for furbearing animals and waterfowl. In the intermountain west, medusahead and cheatgrass invasions have increased the frequency of fires and reduced native shrub communities important for wildlife winter habitat.
Riparian areas are the green zones along rivers and streams and around potholes, springs, bogs, lakes, and ponds. They are some of the most productive ecosystems in the West, with a great diversity of plant and wildlife species. Healthy riparian systems purify water by removing sediment as it moves through vegetation. Streambank erosion is prevented as riparian vegetation absorbs and dissipates the energy of flood waters. They also provide critical habitat for wildlife and fish.
Invasive weed species, such as purple loosestrife, can be extremely competitive in a riparian setting. Invasive weeds crowd out valuable native species by forming solid stands. Noxious weeds can alter the hydrologic cycles of riparian areas. For example, saltcedar, which has invaded wetlands and riparian areas throughout the United States, uses large quantities of water and traps more sediment than native species. This weed lowers water tables and, in some areas, has eliminated surface water and native vegetation needed by wildlife. Saltcedar infestations alter the shape of waterways, affecting carrying capacities and flooding cycles.
Agriculture is the largest industry in Montana. Livestock production, especially beef cattle, is a major contributor to our agricultural economy. Leafy spurge and spotted knapweed can render many range sites useless for cattle production by displacing valuable forage. Grazing capacities for livestock can be reduced 65 to 90 percent from the original productivity. In 1994, knapweeds alone cost Montanans $14 million. If spotted knapweed is allowed to continue to spread to the fullest extent of its range, it will cost Montana's agricultural industry $155 million each year. Currently, weeds cost farmers over $100 million annually in expenses and crop production losses in Montana.
Well, once you got rid of the weeds in your yard and you are ready to plant something enjoyable, give the nursery in Big Timber a call: (406) 932-4195 They deliver plants for a 100 miles and more around. They have a knowledgeable staff and an
excellent website.
Blake Nursery specializes in Montana native plants, since some of the best aspects of landscaping with natives are that they often require less water than other plants, are more adaptable to temperature variations, and are accustomed to Montana soil conditions. With naturals like these you'll have fewer headaches than when dealing with imported plants that are not used to high elevations and arid conditions.
They will also tell you to "NEVER BUY A FRUIT TREE IN MONTANA IF THE SELLER CANNOT TELL YOU WHAT THE ROOTSTOCK IS! If they don't know, spend your money somewhere else. Anybody in the business of selling fruit trees should be just as concerned about the rootstocks, for their customer's sake, as they are the fruiting part of the tree, the scion. Sometimes apple trees sold in this state have rootstocks that are not hardy here. For apple trees planted east of the Continental Divide, our experience indicates that the most reliable, hardy, standard rootstocks are Dolgo, Columbia, and Antonovka. (This is not to say these are the only ones to use.) For semi-dwarf rootstock, we recommend M7a, though it is not as hardy as any one of these three standard rootstocks."
On their website you will find detailed information regarding fruit trees and other interesting information you need to know if you are attempting to grow anything in these parts.
You can now order
39cents stamps with a photo of yourself, your dog or your company logo!
It's legal, but it costs a little more. The price for a sheet of 20 stamps is $ 17, which amounts to 85 cents per stamp instead of 39 cents. It still would be fun to send out invitations to a graduation party with stamps that feature the student. Or maybe an invitation to a housewarming party with your new home on the stamp?
I found somebody who will do snow and lawn care, hot tub maintenance and repair in Red Lodge. The name of his business is "Aqua Bear." I hired him and I thought maybe you have use for him too. He is a really nice guy and used to work as head of security at the Mandeville in Las Vegas, now he is in business for himself. He also winterizes homes, does landscaping, installs lawn sprinklers, sets up hot tubs, new or seasonal, does cover care and replacements, drains and fills for those unforeseen events.
Mathew Hedrick aquabearrl@yahoo.com
406/425 0227
Most cell phone companies are charging us $1.00 or more for 411 information calls. If you are a cheapskate at heart, call 1-800-FREE-411 or 1 800 373 3411 without incurring a charge at all except for the minutes required to make the call.
The way it works in practice is that a caller who requests a business number is first presented with a short (about 12 seconds) audio advertisement for a sponsor who operates a competing business in that area; the caller is then given the option of being connected to either that competitor or the business he originally requested. If no sponsor operates a local competing business, then the caller hears no advertisement at all. (In the latter case, if the caller accepts the option to connect to the desired number, the business receiving the call hears a short message at the beginning advising them that the call was placed via Free-411, and a Free-411 salesman may follow up with them a few days later to solicit them as a potential advertiser.)
I posted a link to
Webcams around Montana on my website.
The webcam in Red Lodge didn't make it to that website, for that one, you will have to visit http://montanahereicome.com/redlodge.htm
and click on WebCam, if you see a dark blue Avalanche driving by, with a Dalmatian peeking out of the back, that's me; see you here!
:-)
Best Regards,
Dorothea Lowe, Broker
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