It’s that time of year again, and as regularly as returning song birds, judges gathered at the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge to hover over hundreds of drawings and paintings submitted from across the state and rank them as part of the Montana 2008 Junior Duck Stamp program.

The Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program is a dynamic educational program designed to teach wetland-habitat and waterfowl conservation to students in kindergarten through high school. Using scientific and wildlife observation principles, the program helps students communicate visually what they have learned by creating an entry for the Junior Duck Stamp art contest. This non-traditional pairing of subjects brings new interest to both science and the arts.

The Junior Duck Stamp closely resembles the Federal Duck Stamp. The Junior Duck Stamp is based on the Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, commonly known as the “Duck Stamp.” Federal Duck Stamps are pictorial revenue stamps not valid for postage. Created in 1934 as the federal migratory waterfowl hunting license and as a way to help fund the purchase and conservation of our nation’s wetlands, Federal Duck Stamps also serve as an entrance pass to national wildlife refuges that have entry fees. Sales of Federal Duck Stamps have generated more than $700 million, which has been used to help acquire or lease more than 5.2 million acres of waterfowl habitat in the United States.

This year’s winner of Best of Show, out of 306 entries from across the state, was an oil painting of a Wood Duck by 17-year-old Whitefish High School student Jana Duty. Her painting of the Wood Duck was entitled “A subtle reflection.” Her accompanying caption was “striving to keep our reflections clear.” The painting will go on to be entered in the national competition. The winner nationally will be featured on a Duck Stamp.

A second place winner in the 10th through 12th grade group was 17-year-old Clay Pape from Stevensville, with a pencil drawing of a Merganser. A third place winner in the kindergarten through 3rd grade category was 8-year-old Brandon Hile of Stevensville with a colored pencil drawing of a Lesser Scaup.

Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge Outdoor Recreation Planner Bob Danley orchestrated the judging and in the end he phoned Duty to inform her of the award. He interviewed her at length.

Duty worked on her painting from a photograph of a Wood Duck that she took herself in Kalispell at Woodland Park. A bit of reeds was added from a setting in Whitefish where she went to watch ducks. She had nothing but praise for her art teacher at Whitefish High School, Lonnie Collinsworth.

Duty always liked to draw and started sketching as a young child. She started painting in High School. She worked about 50 hours on her entry for the contest. Her advice for young contestants is, first, take a picture you can really work with. Then, start early. It takes a long time. When you get worn out or tired of what you are doing, take some time off.

Asked by Duty why her picture was chosen, one of the judges, Deborah Goslin, said, “The incandescence on the back of the head was impressive. The reflections and movement of the water were well portrayed. There was good composition. It was not too cluttered when minimized for a stamp, and left appropriate room for the price to be displayed.”

The art works were judged anonymously by a panel of five judges at the Refuge on Monday.

County spelling bee held

T.J. Nickish was crowned the winner of this year’s hotly contested county spelling bee. Jebediah “Jeb” Rosen, a 6th grade student from Victor School, was runner up in the competition for the second straight year. The winner was crowned on the 12th round of the competition.

The Treasure State Spelling Bee program is sponsored annually by Lee Newspapers of Montana. Locally, the Ravalli County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Ernie Jean, organized the competition.

To qualify to represent their school, students compete in a local school competition which includes students from grades five through eight. Each county private school as well as county home schools may send representatives, through their respective organizations.

Ravalli County’s two top qualifiers are eligible to participate in the State Bee in Helena at the Capital High School on March 29. This meet will determine the State’s winner and the competitor who will compete at the national level.

Spellers from the various county schools who competed in the county meet were:

Corvallis: Jesse Knapp and Garret Morgan

Darby: Carrie Glass and Jeremy Campbell

Florence-Carlton: Alicia Anderson and Lauren Baeten

Hamilton: Elizabeth Turner and Tyrell Born

Home Schools: Sarah Harmsworth and T.J. Nickish

Lone Rock: Taylor MacArthur and Lydia Plachy

Stevensville: Noah Baney and Skyler Baker

Victor: Jebediah Rosen and Brandon Hansen

Forest Service closes improvised turnaround on Lost Horse Road

A user-created turnaround located approximately one and a half miles past the end of the pavement on Lost Horse Road #429 is now closed to vehicle use. The area is on the south side of the road just past the Lost Horse Lodge. Plowing, vehicle use, and snowmelt has caused soft soil conditions and rutting. Traffic turning around here has created a mud hole. The purpose of the closure is to prevent further damage to the soils and forest vegetation adjacent to the road.

Lost Horse Road is located about 13 miles south of Hamilton off of U.S. Highway 93. This road is not maintained for winter travel and there are not many places to turn around. Visitors are encouraged to proceed with caution if they plan to travel past the Lodge. Check with the Darby Ranger District at 821-3913 for current road conditions.

Stevensville prom held

The 2008 Stevensville High School Prom was held on Saturday, March 15 at the University Center under the direction of Junior Class Advisors, Nancy Thibo and Stephanie Garden. This year's Prom theme was "Stairway to Heaven." The Prom Committee was headed up by Juniors Jessica Pepprock and Sam Brunson. The 2008 Prom Court was Ryan Grove, John Roe, Curtis Skou, Ashley Lewis, Jamie Burkhead and Kelly Griffin. Brandon Fadely was crowned the 2008 Prom King and Allison Jones was 2008 Prom Queen. Approximately 150 students attended Prom this year.

Filing deadline passed for primary elections

Filing for the June 3, 2008 primary elections in Ravalli County closed on March 20, at 5pm. Ravalli County Clerk and Recorder Regina Plettenberg provided the county’s list of candidates who have officially filed for office in Ravalli County. Candidates who filed for the state legislative offices were found on the Secretary of State’s web page, http://sos.state.mt.us/.

Clerk of District Court

Debbie Harmon (R)

County Commissioner District 2

Greg Chilcott (R)

Lady Jake Weitzel (R)

John Meakin (D)

County Commissioner District 3

Roger W. DeHaan (D)

David Dedmon (R)

James R. Iman (R)

Chuck Stranahan (R)

House District 87

Peter Rosten (D)

Ron Stoker (R)

Julian Al Milton Jr. (R)

House District 88

Bob Lake (R)

Patrick Boylan (R)

House District 89

Gary MacLaren (R)

Jeff Burrows (R)

Russell C. Vogel (R)

House District 90 –

Ray Hawk (R)

Senate District 45 –

Jim Shockley (R)

Judge District 21, Department 2 –

James Haynes

Nalls receives Siemens Award

Will Nalls, a senior at Stevensville High School, has been selected as the state recipient of the Siemens Awards for Advanced Placement. Will was selected for this award based on his exceptional performance on the AP exams in Math and Science. Will has been awarded a $2,000 scholarship for his accomplishments.

The state winners were recently featured in USA Today and a special banner was sent to Stevensville to display in the hallway.

Will has already taken and passed a total of six Advanced Placement tests and will take four more AP tests this year. AP tests are given in May of each year. Students prepare for the tests by taking college level courses in high school. AP courses at Stevensville range from Art and Spanish to Calculus, Biology, English and others. Will is the first student from Stevensville to receive the Siemens Award.

Stevensville High School offers more Advanced Placement courses than any other high school in the state and has been recognized as one of the top high schools in the U.S. by Newsweek magazine. Stevensville administered 189 Advanced Placement tests last year and will give approximately the same number this year. Most colleges and universities give credit for passing AP test scores. Students from Stevensville have entered college with as many as 37 credits from their Advanced Placement tests.

Obituaries

Jess D. Anders
1927-2008

Jess D. Anders, 80, of Stevensville, loving husband and father, passed away on Monday, March 10, 2008 while surrounded by his family.

Jess was born on a farm northwest of Cascade, ID on December 9, 1927 to Elmer and Lulu Anders.

At 15 he moved to Missoula and lived with Bob and Bubbles Johnson, owners of Johnson Flying Service, whom he worked for during WWII dropping firefighters, cargo and mail; on his 16th birthday he soloed in a Piper Cub. Jess enlisted in the Navy in June of 1945 and spent his 18th birthday in the Philippines on island duty.

After WWII, Jess returned to Missoula and used his GI bill to learn the office machine business. In 1952 he became a charter member of the Missoula Sheriff’s Posse, which won numerous horsemanship competitions and performed in parades across Montana. His love of horses often took him on pack trips into the Bob Marshall and other wilderness areas.

In 1962 he opened Anders Office Machines in Missoula. He married Arlene in 1968 and together they operated the business until its sale in 1978. Jess and Arlene later opened and operated Jess’ Office Equipment in 1983 until it sold and their retirement in 1987.

After retirement Jess and Arlene bought a cabin in the East Fork where they spent many years entertaining family and dear friends. Jess loved playing pinochle and doing crossword puzzles.

His parents of Boise, ID, his brother Willis of San Diego and his son Scott of Palm Springs preceded him.

Survivors include his wife Arlene of 39 ? years, Stevensville; son Steve and daughter-in-law Pam of Culbertson, MT, son Jess W., Sisters, OR and son Jeff, Oakland, CA; granddaughters Erin and Tracy of Ronan and Jackson, WY. Jess is also survived by his brothers and sisters-in-laws Robert and Kathy Polanchek, Medical Lake, WA; Alvin and Geri Polanchek, High River, Alberta, and Arnie and Jan Polanchek, Stevensville, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. His stepmother Mary, of Boise, ID, also survives.

At Jess’ request, no services will be held. Cremation has taken place and a celebration of his life will be held later this summer.

The family suggests memorials in Jess’ name to be sent to American Legion Post #94, c/o Ed Sperry, 5163 Eastside Highway, Stevensville MT 59870 for the Blue Star Memorial at Veterans Park in Stevensville.

Myrna Lee McCann
1932-2008

Myrna Lee McCann, 76, of Stevensville, passed away on Friday, March 14, 2008 at the Bitterroot Valley Living Center.

She was born on March 6, 1932 in Jersey City, NJ, the daughter of Edward and Mary Hannah (Graham) Florian. She was later adopted by her grandmother Betty Burnett and her husband Cecil Wright.

She graduated from Woodridge High School in Woodridge, New Jersey in 1950. Always an outgoing personality, she was voted “most likely to succeed” and “most sophisticated,” held the lead in school plays and was a “twirler” in the band.

In 1952 she married Ronald F. McCann while he was in the United States Air Force. Myrna acquired the degree of Associate of Applied Science from Burlington County College in 1977, while working at the RCA Service Company in Cherry Hill, NJ. She worked at RCA until 1986 when she retired. Myrna and Ronald moved to the Bitterroot Valley in 1991.

After having suffered polio at the age of 18 and receiving the benefit of the March of Dimes, Myrna developed a philosophy of community service, which she continued throughout her lifetime, wherever she lived.

From the time her children were small she organized neighborhood activities with other young mothers. Myrna, while raising two daughters in Cinnaminson, NJ, was chairperson for the March of Dimes for her community, leader of Brownies, Girl Scouts and Girl Scout Cadets Troops and was President of the PTA. She was also active in Martin Luther Chapel Lutheran Church in Pennsauken, NJ.

After moving to Stevensville she was very active in the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League at Our Savior Lutheran Church. Myrna’s sense of service was passed on to her daughters. Kathleen has served since her teens as an EMT on her local ambulance squad and along with her adult daughter Courtney Sullivan leads a Girl Scout troop continuing Myrna’s tradition. Her daughter Sharyn has worked in support of her local school system.

One of Myrna’s biggest passions was reading and she was rarely seen without a book in her hand. She also loved sewing and made most of her daughters’ clothes when they were young, as well as those of her granddaughters. Myrna’s eldest daughter, Sharyn, recalls with affection the patience Myrna had in teaching her sewing and encouraging her in art and painting, which she also enjoyed.

Myrna is survived by her loving husband of 56 years, Ronald; her two daughters, Sharyn Masullo of Haddonfield, NJ and Kathleen MacGhee of Moorestown, NJ. She is also survived by six grandchildren: Courtney Sullivan, Sean and Lindsey MacGhee, Christian, Laura and Cara Masullo and two beautiful great granddaughters, Kayla and Natalie Sullivan.

Memorial services were held at Our Savior Lutheran Church on Tuesday, March 18. A reception followed at the church.

Betty W. Falacy
1915-2008

Betty W. Falacy, 92, of Stevensville, died at her home on Sunday, March 16, 2008.

She was born on November 18, 1915 in Missoula and was the daughter of Clyde and Helen (Whaley) Wightman.

She graduated from Missoula County High School and the University of Montana, majoring in Botany and Zoology.

Her husband Theodore Falacy, son Stephen Falacy, grandson Aaron Thomas and a brother Jack Wightman preceded her.

Betty is survived by her daughter, Patti Jo Thomas (Jay Seppel) and a sister, Jeannie Soucie; eight grandchildren: Benjamin (Lynette) Thomas, Rebekah (Larry) Beck, Joshua (Shanda) Thomas, Jacob (Guy) Thomas, Jennifer (Peter) Kendall, Geraldine and Callie Falacy; and five great grandchildren.

No formal services are planned at this time. The Whitesitt Funeral Home in Stevensville is in charge of cremation arrangements.

Richard Ray Randall
1930-2008

Richard Ray Randall, 77, of Stevensville, died at his home on Wednesday, March 12, 2008.

He was born on November 27, 1930 in Anaheim, California, to Charles Harrison and Rose Emily (Nelson) Randall.

He entered the U.S. Air Force in 1951 and was honorably discharged in 1955.

Richard is survived by two daughters: Debbie Evans in Simi Valley, CA and Laurie Burgis in Sylmar, CA, four grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

No formal services will be held. The Whitesitt Funeral Home in Stevensville was in charge of cremation arrangements.

Robert ‘Big Mike’ Young
1945-2008

Robert Michael “Big Mike” Young, 62, of Stevensville, died on Friday, March 14, at his home.

He was born on July 8, 1945 in Spokane, WA and was the son of Bryant and Margurite (Dutroe) Ridenour.

Mike is survived by his children Corinna, Tammy, Tonya, Jeremy and Shaundell; one brother, eight sisters and 11 grandchildren.

A barbecue and potluck celebration of Mike’s life will be held on Saturday, April 5, 2008 at 12 noon at his home.

His family would like to thank the Town of Stevensville for all of their love and support. Should friends desire, memorials might be made in Mike’s name to help defray funeral costs to Rocky Mountain Bank in Stevensville. The Whitesitt Funeral Home in Stevensville is in charge of arrangements.

Zena M. Tout
1913-2008

Zena M. Tout, 94, of Hamilton, died at Marcus Daly Palliative Center in Hamilton on Wednesday, March 19, 2008.

She was born on May 19, 1913 in Sydney, Australia to Arthur and Violet (Healthgate) Corbett.

She married Charles C. Tout in Brisbane, Australia in 1945. Zena loved knitting, golf, sewing, cooking and taking great care of her family. Zena lived in Butte from 1950 until 1965. In 1972 she and her husband moved to Chuquecamata, Chili, residing there until returning to Butte in 1972. In 1985 they moved to Grass Valley, CA until 2006.

She was preceded in death by her husband Charles in 2005.

Zena is survived by her son Anthony (Tony) and Sheree Tout of Hamilton; granddaughter Alexandra and Tyronne Jaramillo of Minneapolis, MN and three great grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at the Whitesitt Funeral Home in Stevensville on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 at 1 p.m. Burial will follow at the Victor Cemetery. A reception will be held at the Tout home.

Peter R. Hatton
1956-2008

Peter R. Hatton, 51, of Victor, died at Marcus Daly Hospital in Hamilton on Thursday, March 20, 2008.

He was born on July 19, 1956 at Anaheim, CA and was the son of Peter Robert and Gloria Genieve (Weber) Hatton, Sr.

He loved mechanics, coins, race cars and football but really loved “ big game” fishing, which he did out of Orange County, CA. He moved to the Bitterroot to “fish.” Eight years ago he became disabled from falling off a ladder while doing landscaping.

His parents preceded him in death.

Survivors include his wife Sandra; sons Bobby, Redding, CA and Jerimiah, WA; daughters Sheyna, Redding and Jenifer, both in CA and Kimberly in WA; three grandchildren: William, Diamond and Alexia and one on the way. Also surviving are his sisters JoAnn (Walter) Enewold, Sandra, AZ and Jeanette, CA; nephews Daniel (Hydi) Cunningham, Victor and Michael (Tammy) Cunningham, CO, and numerous California family members.

Private family services will take place at a later date. The Whitesitt Funeral Home in Stevensville was in charge of cremation arrangements.

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