The Bacon Rind Fire, which burned approximately 5,500 acres south of Big Sky, photographed on July 30, 2018. PHOTOS COURTESY OF CUSTER GALLATIN NATIONAL FOREST
Unsuppressed Bacon Rind Fire part
of ‘nature’s schedule’
By Jessianne Castle ENVIRONMENTAL AND OUTDOORS EDITOR
BIG SKY – Last summer, the Patten
family could hear the not-so-distant crackling of a wildfire from their cabin
near their property boundary approximately 25 miles southeast of Big Sky.
Duncan Patten, 84, who shares
ownership of the Black Butte Ranch with his brother and sister, described it as
disconcerting, hearing the fire popping in the evenings and wondering if flames
from the lightning-ignited Bacon Rind Fire were coming down the hill toward the
cabin.
“You do what you can and if nature
really wants to override you it can,” Patten said during a June 9 media tour of
the fire hosted by the Custer Gallatin National Forest.
Neighboring the Lee Metcalf
Wilderness and Yellowstone National Park, the 485-acre ranch is nestled across
the Gallatin River and Highway 191 from Black Butte, with Monument Mountain the
crowning glory to the southwest. Duncan’s father purchased the land in 1955
from the Story family, which homesteaded the property and is known for
patriarch Nelson Story’s role in the founding of Bozeman.
The Bacon Rind Fire seethed
throughout most of the summer and continued into fall when wet snowfall finally
extinguished the flames after burning approximately 5,500
acres. And while Black Butte Ranch was never evacuated during the blaze, a
40-person fire crew came early in the burn to create a fire break and sprinkler
system around the property.
Throughout the fire, staff from
CGNF, Yellowstone National Park, Gallatin County Emergency Management and
Montana Department of Transportation worked cooperatively to monitor the fire. They
were prepared to engage in fire suppression tactics if flames had gotten close
enough to areas like Black Butte Ranch but never felt the need to do so.
The fire burned through an area
that fire ecologists estimate hadn’t burned for roughly 180 years, in part due
to the suppression standard that ruled fire management in the latter half of
the 1900s. “There was quite a bit of a fire deficient,” said CGNF fire
ecologist Todd Erdody, adding that fire promotes a diverse forest, mineral soil
and some plant germination.
“It ended up being a great
opportunity to manage the fire with a lot of ecological benefit in there and
basically help us out for the next 20 to 30 years because we now have a 5,000
acre fire on this piece of land that we can use as a buffer for future fires
down the road,” said Jeff Shanafelt, CGNF west zone fire management officer.
With warm weather forecasted in the
coming weeks after extensive moisture in May and June, Park Fire Management
Officer John Cataldo said fire danger is moderate in Yellowstone but warned
that conditions can change rapidly. “It’s typically this time of year when we
can see a rapid increase in the fire danger level,” he said. “We’re on nature’s
schedule.”
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a
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Event Details
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a limited palette to create different color combinations? Are you tired of carrying around 15-20 different tubes when you paint plein air? Have you ever wanted to create a certain “mood” in a painting but failed? Do you create a lot of mud? Do you struggle to achieve color harmony? All these problems are addressed in John’s workbook in clear and concise language!
Based on the bestselling “Limited Palatte, Unlimited Color” workbook written by John Pototschnik, the workshop is run by Maggie Shane and Annie McCoy, accomplished landscape (acrylic) and plein air (oil) artists,exhibitors at the Big Sky Artists’ Studio & Gallery and members of the Big Sky Artists Collective.
Each student will receive a copy of “Limited Palette, Unlimited Color” to keep and take home to continue your limited palette journey. We will show you how to use the color wheel and mix your own clean mixtures to successfully create a mood for your paintings.
Each day, we will create a different limited palette color chart and paint a version of a simple landscape using John’s directives. You will then be able to go home and paint more schemes using the book for guidance.
Workshop is open to painters (oil or acrylic) of any level although students must have some basic knowledge of the medium he or she uses. Students will be provided the book ($92 value), color wheel, value scale and canvas papers to complete the daily exercises.
Please join the Arts Council of Big Sky for free music from Jacob Rountree at the Wilson Hotel Lobby Bar from 5-7 p.m.
Event Details
Please join the Arts Council of Big Sky for free music from Jacob Rountree at the Wilson Hotel Lobby Bar from 5-7 p.m. on April 24.
Jacob Rountree is an alternative/indie songwriter living in the stunning alpine of Montana. Contemplative yet playful, his lyric forward style is reflective of his love for philosophy, poetry and quantum physics.