Ovando gathers for community meeting

OVANDO - Ovando citizens came together Tuesday, March 30 in the Ovando School gym for a community meeting to review updates from local town boards and discuss upcoming events. Events discussed were Town Clean-up Day, Fourth of July, and the citywide garage sale and farmer's market.

Blackfoot Challenge Office Administrator Deb Dillree and Ovando School Supervising Teacher Leigh Ann Valiton facilitated the meeting.

Organizers confirmed that Town Clean-up Day will officially take place at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 17. Volunteers should bring their own rakes, pruning tools and garbage bags. A potluck will then take place at Brand Bar Museum afterwards.

For the Fourth of July, Fire Chief Tony Lapka said the town can plan on having its usual series of activities but residents should be prepared for anything to change based on fire conditions. Blackfoot Angler Owner Kathy Schoendoerfer will be in charge of organizing the parade starting at 11 a.m. while the Fire Department will organize the barbecue starting at 12 p.m.

The town intends to hold a citywide garage sale and farmer's market that will be organized by Dillree. A date has not yet been determined but attendees decided to have it last one day sometime in August. Sellers will be able to donate to the Ovando Improvement Fund if they so choose. Merchant locations will be based on whoever claims a spot first.

Barb McNally of the Ovando Park Board went over the board's various aspects including their membership, budget and relationship to Powell County. Because some members have retired or moved, she is asking three members of the community to join the board.

Part of the Board's expenses go towards turning water supply on in the spring and off in the winter. The board has continued their installation of a port-a-potty. The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) is planning to upgrade benches and picnic tables but that is currently on hold until June.

McNally wanted attendees to be aware of medical equipment like wheelchairs and crutches available in a nearby shed. Those interested in borrowing the equipment should contact Tony Hicks who will provide a key.

Dillree spoke on behalf of the Ovando Cemetery Board. She said their board could also use some additional board members. Much of their revenue is based on their donations but they have few expenses. Most of their revenue goes towards signage for unmarked graves and their safety deposit box. She was not sure of exactly how many plots were currently available but she said there were "many."

Terry Sheppard spoke for the Brand Bar Museum. She described the museum as having a "quiet" year last year but they were trying to keep busy by working on displays. She said a lot of visitors had come through trying to find out information on their ancestors.

Going forward, the Museum hopes to open by Memorial Day and include a new display on local schools including items like old desks and books. They are looking at doing some maintenance work and repainting the front exterior in the near future. The museum is constantly looking for new volunteers to get involved.

Lapka provided updates on the Ovando Volunteer Fire Department. With the help of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) they purchased a Type 6 wildland fire truck last year. They were also able to recently pick up 28 full self-contained breathing apparatuses. Now almost every firefighter will have their own mask.

They have three new members that are currently familiarizing themselves with the Department. They recently completed their CPR classes. Lapka said they were trying to organize classes that are more available to the public in the spring or early summer. Several Department members are also looking towards taking EMR classes at the end of April.

Lapka said Lincoln Volunteer Ambulance is offering to park a "sprinter rig" somewhere in Ovando but hopefully near the fire hall. It will be equipped with necessary equipment the Department will be trained to use.

Powell County's updated fire protection plan is currently under review and will be posted on the county website once it is updated.

Those interested can reach out to DNRC directly for free home fire assessments.

To purchase a burn permit, residents should visit the Powell County website, select their section of property and the days they wish to burn. According to Lapka, it costs $5 and lasts for a year. Dillree said she also offers them at the Blackfoot Challenge Office for those who do not have internet.

Blackfoot Challenge Chair Jim Stone said they are going to retool their water program to meet water scarcity demands in the future.

"If you've paid attention across the west, water is going to be the new gold, right?" he said. "What's going to happen to the west is water going away and [it] is getting drier. So there's going to be some cool stuff coming from [the] new water programs."

Stone said their wildlife program will be moving along as usual and that they have already begun seeing wolf and bear signs.

He said residents should be optimistic going forward because the region is beginning to see farmers use a new practice called regenerative agriculture. According to https://regenerationinternational.org/why-regenerative-agriculture/, regenerative agriculture "describes farming and grazing practices that, among other benefits, reverse climate change by rebuilding soil organic matter and restoring degraded soil biodiversity – resulting in both carbon drawdown and improving the water cycle."

Brad Weltzien, land steward for Blackfoot Community Conservation Area, spoke in place of Council Chair Ben Slaght. Weltzien went over property lines in the area and the difference between BCCA proper and core. BCCA proper area is 41,000 acres and includes "a lot of Forest Service" land while the BCCA core is 5,600 acres and is specifically owned by Blackfoot Challenge. Much of it is in between Ovando Haul Road and Fireline Road.

Members of the public are encouraged to attend any of their meetings which can be found on https://blackfootchallenge.org/events. He described their decision-making process as following a management plan that provides them a broad direction but residents can propose suggestions to the board at any time.

He said they recently received a Tri-County Resource Advisory Committee grant that is "earmarked" for roadwork. Work includes grading, upgrading road sections and putting up barriers.

Currently there are two prescribed burns planned in BCCA. One is about 100 acres and will enter into around 10 acres of The Boot Tree while the other will burn another 100 acres in Mollet Park. These are planned for late April, early May but Weltzien said these timeframes are subject to change.

Schoendoerfer spoke about the Ovando Improvement Fund, Search and Rescue team and upcoming bicycle events in the area.

As for the Ovando Improvement Fund, they had $143 in the account but most recently they have over $500. Most came from cyclist donations who stayed overnight in any of the accommodations.

Last year's expenses included $185 for Christmas lights and $300 for a new town website. With this new money in the account, Schoendoerfer said they were considering putting the $500 towards installing a new flagpole off of Highway 200.

This upgrade is to make it easier for residents to change the flag with a rope rather than have them climb a ladder. She is currently looking for someone to take charge of the project. They will first have to check in with MDT to make sure they are abiding by encroachment regulations.

Last summer Search and Rescue responded to three to four callouts where explorers either found themselves lost, injured or separated from their pack. She encourages anyone interested in getting involved with the team to reach out and attend their monthly trainings the first Tuesday of the month in Deer Lodge. For more information email her at angler@blackfoot.net

Like last year, the 2,745-mile Tour Divide has officially been canceled due to COVID-19. In previous years Ovando could expect hundreds of cyclists stopping in as they passed through from Banff, Alberta, Canada to their final destination in Antelope Wells, New Mexico. They can still expect at least a few cyclists to pass through on their own terms. There are currently more than 150 cyclists registered.

In addition to the Tour Divide, the town can expect two separate groups of 40 to come in mid-July. In June 2022 Schoendoerfer said they are expecting a bicycle group called the Iron Riders to pass through on their trek from Fort Missoula to St. Louis, Missouri in honor of the same journey the 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps made 125 years ago.