Vol. 3, No. 248 Friday, February 6, 2015

continued on back page

The Sage Grouse Saga Continuesby Ron Stoneberg, Hinsdale The sage grouse ‘listing’ saga continues unabated in Montana. To date the many working groups,

Lexie Nixdorf (#13) and the Scotties will be hitting the hardwood with Harlem — a huge conference match-up — at 6:00 this evening. The Scotty girls beat the Wildcats 50-43 in their first meeting. It’s also a big game for the boys who tip off at 8:00. The Wildcats are on a five-game winning streak

following the addition of a couple extra players. In fact, their 101-52 loss to Rocky Boy on December 22nd was avenged on January 29th as the Wildcats knocked off the Northern Stars 79-73. Scotty fans should be in for a pair of good games tonight.

Scotties on the attack tonight

advisory boards, committees, etc. have spent hundreds of hours and tens of thousands of dollars on this issue. Why? Because the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is threatening to list the bird as threatened or endangered under the Endangered

Species Act (ESA). The ESA defines a ‘threatened species’ as, “any species which is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future...” and an ‘endangered species’ as, “any species which is in danger of extinction.....”

Letter to the Buzz

The Glasgow Kiwanis Science Fair is open to the public Monday evening, February 9th at 6:00 at the East Side school. Awards will be announced about 6:45 p.m. Students from Grades 4 through 8 are participating. Sample projects include Potato Batteries, Tie-Dye Milk, How much gas does your drink produce? What wood is best in a baseball bat?, and what is the best cleaner for clothes? Come and find our what their research shows at 6:00 Monday night at the East Side school.

A Northeast Montana Relay For Life organizing committee meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 10th at 5:30 p.m. at the Glasgow Elks Lodge. Anyone interested in being part of Relay for Life is urged to attend.

The Charles M. Russell Community Working Group will meet on Thursday, Feb 19th at the Fort Peck Interpretive Center from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. The discussion will be on the keys to sustainability for the region surrounding the CMR and the potential for community led conservation efforts. Lunch is available for $7 per person. The public is encouraged to attend and provide input as the group seeks to influence the vitality and sustainability of the six-county region surrounding the CMR NWR. For more information call Rachel Frost 406-454-0056 or visit CM-Russell-NWR-Community-Working-Group on Facebook.

Science Fair at East Side School

Relayers for Life to meet Tuesday

Students going on the Washington, DC Trip will be meeting on Wednesday, February 11th at 6:00 p.m. in Room 4 at the Glasgow High School.

DC Trippers meeting Wednesday

CMR Group meets on February 19th

There will be a benefit for Rick Robbins, who is undergoing cancer treatment, on Saturday, February 7th at the VFW in Glasgow. There will be a chili feed that begins at 5:00 with an auction beginning at 6:00. If you would like to help, you can donate raffle basket(s) or other items for the auction. For more information call 230-0004, 263-2585 or 263-7959. Supplemental funding provided by Thrivent Financial.

Rick’s benefit is this Saturday

Political Buzz...

BUZZIFIEDS

Awesome ice fishing

weekend ahead

COUNCIL ON AGING will be having their next Flea Market on February 7th from 9am-2pm . FOR TABLE RENTAL OR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CALL VICKY AT 228-9500

BUZZSWEETHEARTS BAZAAR: Saturday, Feb. 7th at 9:30am - 3 pm, at the Glasgow Civic Center. 4-H will be serving lunch for DC trip. QUESTIONS CALL TIFFANY 406-665-6294

BUZZ2 IMMEDIATE JOB OPENINGS: Lube & Tire Techs. Must have clean driving record, able to pass pre-employment drug screening. Duties include but not limited to: changing oil on passenger & light truck vehicles, also changing & repairing of tires on said vehicles. Training will be provided to successful candidate. Salary DOE. Benefits, paid time off, 401K, life insurance, medical, dental & glasses. INTERESTED CANDIDATES SHOULD CONTACT STU AT TIRE-RAMA WITH UPDATED RESUME & JOB HISTORY

BUZZJOB OPENING: First Community Bank of Glasgow, has an opening for a part-time teller with benefits. APPLY AT JOB SERVICE. EEO/AA EMPLOYER

BUZZOPENINGS AVAILABLE AT MIRROR IMAGE: Established Salon, full or part-time esthetician, nail tech, or cosmetologist. Openings available for all positions. CALL 228-2330 ASK FOR KRISTI

BUZZFOR SALE: 2011 Ford Explorer Limited. 77,800 miles, loaded, very good condition, new tires, silver, black interior. $23,400. CALL 942-2895

BUZZFOR RENT: 2 bedroom, 2 bath. No smoking, no pets. Very clean. CALL 230-1261

BUZZFOR RENT & SALE IN ST. MARIE: 3 Bedroom, 1.5 Bath. CALL 406-524-3742.

BUZZFOR RENT: Spacious 1625 sq. ft, 3 bed 1 bath apartment in the Helland Agency building, 21 US hwy 2 East. Rent by the month. Ideal for construction crews! CALL CHRIS FOR DETAILS 228-2114.

BUZZSTORE FRONT SPACE AVAILABLE FOR LEASE, 228-2800

Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a steady temperature around 41. South wind 9 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 50. South southeast wind 10 to 13 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 18 mph.Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of rain before 11pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 34. West wind 10 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph.Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 48. West wind 10 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 28. West northwest wind around 7 mph becoming northeast in the evening.Monday: A chance of rain or freezing rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 36. East southeast wind around 14 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.Monday Night: A slight chance of rain or freezing rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 25.Tuesday: A slight chance of rain and snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 28.Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 11.Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 24.Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 13.Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 34.

Should be a great Saturday morning for the kids to enjoy some fishing on Home Run Pond as the Glasgow/Fort Peck chapter of Walleyes Unlimited hosts their annual Kids’ Ice Fishing Day from 9:00 to noon. All kids ages 14 & under are urged to come out. Poles and bait, even hot dogs and hot chocolate will be provided.

Letter to the Buzz

Friday Funnies by Sugar

While cruising at thirty thousand feet, the airplane shuddered. A passenger looked out the window. “Good lord!” he screamed. “One of the engines just blew up!” Other passengers left their seats and came running over; suddenly the aircraft was rocked by a second blast as yet another engine exploded on the other side. The passengers were in a panic now, and even the flight attendants couldn’t maintain order. Just then, standing tall and smiling confidently, the pilot strode from the cockpit and assured everyone that there was nothing to worry about. His words and his demeanor seemed to make most of the passengers feel better, and they sat down as the pilot calmly walked to the door of the aircraft. There, he grabbed several packages from under the seats and began handing them to the flight attendants. Each crew member attached the package to his or her back. “Say,” spoke up an alert passenger, “aren’t those parachutes?” “Why, yes, they are,” answered the pilot. The passenger went on, “But I thought you said there was nothing to worry about?” “There isn’t,” replied the pilot as the third engine exploded. “We’re going to get help.”

Question: Why is a laundromat a really bad place to pick up women? Answer: Because a woman who can’t afford her own washing machine certainly won’t be able to support you.

As we waited for a bus in the frosty weather, the woman next to me mentioned that she makes a lot of mistakes when texting in the cold. I nodded knowingly. “It’s the early signs of typothermia.”

A husband and his wife were at a red light when a car pulled up, its music blasting. “He’ll be deaf before he’s 25,” the husband said. “It won’t help us,” the wife replied, “he’ll only turn it up.”

“Mom, What’s a hipster?” asked the seven-year-old daughter. “Someone who will wear something just to look different,” her mother explained. “They’ll often buy clothes in thrift shops and wear thick glasses.” “Oh,” the girl nodded and pondered for a moment. “So... are Grandma and Grandpa hipsters?”

Helping the HomeFirst Community Bank’s Kris Simensen, at right, took a grand tour of the Valley View Home with Interim Administrator Wally Landl and Kandi Sveningson as his guides. And while he was there he handed over a $5,000 check to the VVHome Foundation to help with renovations that are taking place at Valley View Home. Contributions will be recognized on a display in the lobby of Valley View Home, pictured in the background. Levels or recognition are $500, $1,000, $5,000, and $10,000 or more. Outright gifts of cash, securities, life insurance or in kind are accepted. Also, bequests in wills, memorial gifts or honorariums provide a lasting remembrance. Every gift is important, no matter how large or small.

The Fort Peck Fine Arts Council is proud to announce its 7th Annual Trip of the Month winners for February 2015.• First Prize WINNER: Don Renner of Larslan,

MT, Round-trip airfare for two from Billings, three nights’ accommodations, hot air balloon ride, and compact car rental in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

• Second Prize WINNER: Colette Johansen of Plentywood, MT, $200 cash

The cost per ticket is $200 and only 300 tickets are sold! Drawings are held on the first Wednesday of each month at various locations in Glasgow. Each month’s winning ticket will be resubmitted for subsequent drawings providing 25 chances to WIN! There are just a limited number of tickets left but, it isn’t too late for YOU to become a WINNER too! For further details and information or to purchase tickets please contact Executive Director, Michelle Tade, at (406) 228-9216 or by email at fptheatre@nemont.net, or visit our website at www.fortpecktheatre.org.

Trip of the Month winners

I get 51 mpg, what do you get?

Women.

Your body is composed of about 60% water. The functions of these bodily fluids include digestion, absorption, circulation, creation of saliva, transportation of nutrients, and maintenance of body temperature. When your water intake does not equal your output, you can become dehydrated. Here are some interesting facts about water consumption:•Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue. •Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of

water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.

•A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen.

•Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

•One glass of water shuts down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University study.

Are you drinking the amount of water you should every day?

Here’s a healthy little tip

You would be hard pressed to find anyone who believes the sage grouse in Montana are in danger of becoming extinct in the foreseeable future. So why are we worrying about a listing in Montana if these birds do not meet the listing criteria? It is because the definitions go on to say, “throughout all or a significant portion of its range.” Apparently, sage grouse are in trouble in other states (Nevada, Utah....) which somehow justifies listing the entire population. I wish someone would explain how spending untold amounts of time, money and effort on Montana’s grouse will help recover the populations in other states. Would it not make a lot more sense to focus the limited resources on the problem areas? To add insult to injury, the governor plans to appoint another advisory board that will oversee the implementation of the unnecessary and overbearing management plan. The worst part is he will ask the legislature for $10 million and 5.5 FTEs (full time employees)! Apparently, 80% ($8M) has already been earmarked for conservation easements (a blatant land grab!). Talk about throwing valuable resources at a non problem! In the late 1970’s or early 1980’s then State Senator Ed Smith from Dagmar MT successfully carried a bill through the state legislature that earmarked an increase in the upland game bird license to fund ring-necked pheasant releases. Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) subsequently convinced the legislature to divert the

Sage Grouse Saga continued from front bulk of these funds into an upland game bird habitat program. Since the inception of this program, millions of dollars have been expended on upland game bird habitat projects. It would be interesting to know how many of these dollars have been spent on sage grouse habitat improvement or restoration over the years. Probably very little since sage grouse were not considered a ‘species of concern’ until nongovernmental organizations decided they could use them to remove cattle from all federal rangelands (the spotted owl of the plains). Why not use these monies to fund the governor’s program. Actually the governor should dismiss all of the working groups and advisory boards and return management of the sage grouse to Montana’s wildlife management agency - FWP. This would take sage grouse management out of the political arena and put it into the hands of trained, local, biologists. These individuals would continue to collect monitoring data to prove this species will not go extinct in the foreseeable future. Their data will also identify problem areas where upland game bird habitat funds could be directed on a case-by-case basis. If, and only if, the data suggests the species may go extinct in the foreseeable future, then by all means list it!