Next General Meeting
April 17, Tuesday, 7 pm @ Jim Halfpenny’s Track Education Center – on the Jardine Rd., on the left before Rocky Mountain Campground curve.

Highway Clean-up on Earth Day

April 22, Sunday, Earth Day - Meet at the Gardiner Airport @ 3 PM to pick up litter along Hwy 89, miles 2 to 5. Bring gloves & appropriate clothing; we’ll have bags, safety vests & logistics plan.

President’s Message
We had a great issue development meeting and potluck at Richard and Nancy Park’s on April 3rd. The Greening Gardiner issue was by far the most popular item identified by BCC members with the March newsletter mailer and at the March meeting as worthy of a concerted campaign. This meeting was to allow us to identify the elements for this campaign and set up some committee assignments. As expected folks stepped up and Richard Parks’ article below will give you more details. Additional issues will be ongoing, with some on the back burner waiting as opportunities develop.
I am the newsletter editor this month – our 3rd editor in the last 3 months. It is a position that still needs a more permanent presence, so contact me anytime to volunteer for this enviable task. Thanks to Carolyn for setting me up with the template from her excellent March newsletter. Hard copies of this edition will go to those with out e-mail, electronic copies to all others.
Thanks. —Rick McAdam

Greening Gardiner Committee – Richard Parks

The Greening Gardiner Committee met at Richard and Nancy Parks’ home on April 3rd. 11 members, plus Tom Torma , our NPRC organizer attended. We brainstormed potential campaigns and activities for the committee and came up with a substantial list, which suggested general ideas around which to organize subcommittees. Ideas were prioritized to give the committees some starting points.

BCC will adopt the following action plan:

1) Formally set up the Greening Gardiner Committee (Richard Parks, Chair) with 2 subcommittees: the Energy Subcommittee (Rebecca Pardo, Chair and members Mike Tercek, Sabrina Hanan, Craig McClure, Richard Parks); and the Recycling Subcommittee (Rick McAdam, Chair and members Nancy Parks and Bill Berg).

2) Each subcommittee will hold a meeting prior to the May General Meeting, to draft a campaign plan for BCC approval. The Energy Subcommittee will meet Tuesday, 4/24 at 7 PM at Rebecca’s. The Recycling Subcommittee is scheduled for Tuesday, May 1 at 7 PM at Rick’s.

The top priority for the Energy Subcommittee is “to increase local green energy (wind, solar, biodiesel) production and encourage conservation and make Gardiner energy independent (solar cells on public buildings, wind farms).”
The top priority for the Recycling Subcommittee is “to expand recycling efforts and accessibility in Gardiner (school, county, park; expand end uses).”

Additional subcommittee members are welcome anytime. Call Richard with any questions @ 848-7314.

Newsletter
BE A HERO! We need an editor!
You receive a newsletter monthly thanks to a couple of volunteers who are exhausted. Be a hero! Be loved by everyone in Bear Creek Council! Become the newsletter editor!
• The minimum requirement is having a computer and software. You choose which software to use; right now we are using Microsoft Word.
• You let members know the deadline, and then check with a few people each month to make sure they send in routine information such committee reports, president’s message, new & renewing members, etc.
• Sometimes the newsletter is one page, sometimes it’s four. Rarely is it six pages like this one.
• You can add all the photos, fun stuff, and other goodies that you can dream up. We’re just too tired to do it … (get the hint?)

You also decide how to send the newsletter:
email: We save a lot of time, money, and paper by emailing it as a pdf to most members; but we also have members without email. So, if you decide to email a pdf to most members, you’ll still have to print and mail a few (less than 10).
hard copy: requires more time, energy, and paper (we have more than 70 members), but it works well for editors who haven’t figured out their mail systems yet. The newsletter has to be printed and copied, assembled and folded, closed with tape, then labeled (preprinted labels) and stamped. This can take from 1-2 hours, unless you have access to a high-speed copier (our loaner copier is fine, but slow.) However, it’s a great time to invite friends to help!

Sign up TODAY! Rick McAdam, our president, is waiting to hear from you—344-7414, 406- 581-1180

or rangerrick88 @ earthlink.net

Be a hero!

Looking up bills:

• Northern Plain’s Legislature Page

• Montana State Gov Legislature Page

Upcoming Meetings & Events

General Meeting: Always 3rd Tuesday; next is March 20 at 7 PM, see page 1

Bison Meetings: Ongoing, usually but not always first or second Tuesday; call Carolyn Duckworth for information, 848-2270. A lot of recent notes, reports, and articles are on the BCC website.

Other committee meetings: As needed, set by each committee chair, usually announced at the general meeting or via email to committee members. If you are interested in an issue, contact the chair (if known) or one of the officers listed on page 1

Public Meeting, State Bison Hunt: sometime in March or April, organized by state Fish, Wildlife, and Parks to discuss the recent season and plans for future hunts. Although they are not in charge of the treaty hunt conducted by the Nez Perce, they probably have a lot of information about that hunt’s rules and regulations.