Glacier Park surpasses 3M visitation mark in 2019

October was a slow month in Glacier National Park, but it was still enough to push visitation over the 3 million mark for the year.

Through October, the Park saw 3.014 million visitors, second only to 2017, when about 3.3 million people turned the gates.

Visitation to the east side of the Park was down a bit over last year — St. Mary for the year is down about 5% and Two Medicine was down 7.7%, but the West Entrance was up 17.4%, which more than made up for it.

About half — 48% — of all park visitors go through the west entrance.

October was largely a bad weather month in Glacier, with snow and plenty of cold, which closed roads, particularly east side roads, for weeks, which would explain the lower visitation.

Two Medicine, for example, was down 47% over last October.

The backcountry was also a busy place this year in Glacier, with 34,728 campers, up 7.5% over last year, which saw wildfires which closed several campgrounds last summer.

Camping in general was up in the Park, RV overnight stays were up 15% for the year, tent stays were up 7% and concessions lodging at the lodges and hotels was up 12% over last year.

— Hungry Horse News

Bigfork Rotary helps feed hungry kids

In 2013, the Bigfork Rotary Club members approached the Bigfork Elementary School with an idea — they wanted to provide socks and shoes to local kids in the springtime. The school was on board. The club was excited. Until someone mentioned there were local kids going hungry.

“All of us [Rotarians] in the room went — ‘What do you mean we have hungry kids?’” said club member and program organizer Heather Howlett. “Our gears shifted at that moment. We have something bigger that we’re dealing with.”

The Rotary wanted to fill the gap for children who were identified as likely to experience a food shortage over the weekend, when they couldn’t rely on the school’s lunch program. To do so, they launched the No Kid Hungry in Bigfork Weekend Backpack Project in October of 2013 and sent home 28 “backpacks” of food their first weekend. The club purchased the food through the Montana Food Bank Network, and distributed the bags to educators who discretely placed the items inside a student’s belongings. The rotary modeled their program off of a similar endeavor organized by the Columbia Falls Rotary, and now serves an average of 80 students per week during all 40 weeks of the school year.

In the first year, No Kid Hungry in Bigfork only provided weekend food supplies to elementary-aged students, but as the years went on, the program grew to encompass middle and high school students, along with pupils at the Swan River School.

Students are identified for the program by their membership in the free or reduced lunch program, by teachers or counselors, or by the local food bank. Every six weeks, Bigfork Rotary hosts a stuffing party, where they prepare 600 bags for local students. The Bigfork Rotary fundraises between $12,000-$18,000 per year to operate No Kid Hungry in Bigfork.

This year, they’re trying something a little different. Instead of sourcing their commodities from the Food Bank Network, they’re purchasing the items themselves to better cater toward the students’ preferences. They send participants home with nonperishable items that don’t require a lot of prep work, such as macaroni and cheese in individual cups. On long weekends or breaks, the kids go home with larger bags and the Rotary also provides them with Christmas gifts during the holidays.

To get involved call Howlett at (406) 260-1901 or email Hap2Hah@hotmail.com. The Rotary is looking for volunteers to help with stuffing parties, donated food items from a specific product list and financial assistance.

— Bigfork Eagle

Women pleads not guilty to vehicular homicide

A Lake County woman has pleaded not guilty to a charge of vehicular homicide while under the influence, a felony, in Lake County District Court.

The rollover crash occurred Sept. 1 on Moise Valley Road, which resulted in one fatality. The driver, Lindsay Elizabeth Castrillo, was arraigned in Judge Deborah Kim Christopher’s court Nov. 21. According to court documents, Castrillo had a blood alcohol content of 0.14. The front seat passenger was not wearing a seat belt, and was killed instantly when ejected from the vehicle as it rolled several times. A second passenger survived.

— Lake County Leader

Eagle Scout builds gaga ball pit in Whitefish

Whitefish Middle School students have another option for physical activities thanks to a recent Eagle Scout project.

Gavin Carmichael, a sophomore at Whitefish High School and a Boy Scout with Whitefish/Eureka Troop 1936, recently built a gaga ball pit on the Middle School playground with the help from six other scouts as a part of his Eagle Scout project.

Carmichael said he was brainstorming ideas of what to do for his project when he remembered having fun at Camp Melita Island playing gaga ball and thought it would be a perfect fit at WMS.

Carmichael said gaga ball is similar to dodge ball and is played in a enclosed area with a ball being thrown into the middle of it.

He said the ball can only be touched using body parts above the knee and if it touches anywhere below the knee, a player is out of the game. If the ball goes out of the pit, the last person who touched it is out. Players can’t hold the ball.

To begin his project, Carmichael spoke with Vice Principal Jackie Fuller, which led to discussions with Principal Josh Branstetter and Head of Maintenance Chad Smith.

Carmichael was able to plan and lead other boys in the construction of the gaga pit.

— Whitefish Pilot