Corvallis’ Miquela Kriskovich makes the throw from third to first as Hamilton’s Tayler Reynolds runs to third. Hamilton defeated Corvallis and will advance to the state tournament in Belgrade. Jean Schurman photo

The Lady Broncs of Hamilton and the Lady Falcons will both advance to their respective state softball tournaments this Thursday. Hamilton will go into the state A tournament as the No. 1 seed from the Southwest A conference. They drew a first-round bye and will play the winner of the Park County/Laurel game at 6pm on Thursday. That tournament is at Belgrade. Florence will play in Great Falls at the State B/C tournament. They will play at 1:30 pm against the No. 3 team from the east, Huntley Project.

Hamilton coach Jason Goligoski is feeling pretty good about his team and their chances at state even though they don’t have a senior on the team. He said that Brie Clifford and Taylor Goligoski both have had quite a bit of experience at national level tournaments. With Clifford pitching and Goligoski at shortstop, Coach Goligoski figures these two will anchor the team and keep the young team from getting overwhelmed at the state tournament.

“We’re peaking at the right time, we’ve won 7 games in a row, we’re 9-1in the last 10 games. The girls are starting to buy in and do the little things that it takes to win. If we show up and we play to our ability and our capability, anything could happen,” he said.

Coach Goligoski thinks the west has stronger teams than the central and eastern divisions do. He looks at Polson and Frenchtown as the teams to beat but concedes that on any given day, anyone can win.

“We’re peaking at the right time, we’ve won 7 games in a row, we’re 9-1in the last 10 games. The girls are starting to buy in and do the little things that it takes to win. If we show up and we play to our ability and our capability, anything could happen,”

Hamilton defeated Corvallis in the final game of the regular season Thursday night, 9-2. Brie Clifford pitched a complete game for the Broncs with Katie Wickham catching. Shay Mohn went 2-for-3 for the Lady Broncs with two doubles. McKayl Rothie, Tayler Reynolds and Grace Zohner all had RBIs for Hamilton.

Corvallis’ Gianna Schrock finished her high school career with a double and was 2-for-3 at bat. Corvallis finished their season with only two wins but according to coach Richie Borden; the young team ‘grew quite a bit’.

Corvallis 020 000 0 – 2 5 4

Hamilton 304 011 x – 9 9 2

Zena Smith and Gianna Schrock. Brie Clifford and Katie Wickham. W – Clifford. L – Smith.

CORVALLIS – Schrock 2-3, Taia Tully 0-3, Erika Allen 0-3, Miquela Kriskovich 1-3, Hanna Capko 1-3, Kira Doyle 0-2, Brenna Bourgeois 1-3, Kelsey Irwin 0-2, Smith 0-2, Taylor Gagnon 0-1.

HAMILTON – M. Rothie 1-3, Taylor Goligoski 1-3, Clifford 0-4, Tayler Reynolds 1-4, Shay Mohn 2-3, Sabrina Friday 1-2, Grace Zohner 1-4, Kaytlyn Menk 0-4, Kloie Nye 2-3.

2B – Schrock, Bourgeois, Mohn 2, Nye. RBIs – Bourgeois, Rothie, Reynolds, Zohner.

Florence was at the Western B/C Divisional in Ronan. They played Deer Lodge in their first game and won, 7-5. Courtney Byrne was the winning pitcher. Megan Byrne went 2-for-4 with a home run and a double. She had two RBIs. Hayley Cole also had a home run and an RBI. Courtney Byrne went 1-for-3 and hit a double and knocked in a runner.

Florence met up with Ronan in the championship game on Saturday. The Lady Falcons fell short and lost, 7-5, to the Maidens. Courtney Byrne was the pitchder. Cole had two home runs in the game and had three RBIs. She was 2-for-3 at bat. Paige Bodner had a double and had two RBIs.

Stevensville finished out their season with a 5-2 loss to Anaconda, and an 11-1 loss to Butte Central. They finished with a 3-5, 9-10, record.

Cutlines

Hannah Peterson of Hamilton finished in second place at the Southwest A Divisional tournament. Jean Schurman photo

Bridger Walczynski of Corvallis will vie four his fourth state championship in the Class A tennis tournament this week. The senior won the state doubles championship the last three years with three different partners. This year, as in 2012, he will partner with DJ Pekoc to defend his title. Jean Schurman photo

Corvallis sweeps Southwest Divisional A tennis

Both the Corvallis boys and the Corvallis girls brought home the divisional championship at the Southwest A tennis tournament in Hamilton and Corvallis over the weekend. The boys edged out Butte Central by one point to earn the trophy. The girls had a wider margin over Dillon. The top four will advance to the state tournament which will be held in Polson and Ronan this weekend.

The Darby duo of Brianna Massey and Courage Louviere finished fifth at the state Class B tournament in Missoula over the weekend.

Boys

At Hamilton

Team scores: Corvallis 50, Butte Central 49, Hamilton 23, Stevensville 23, Dillon.

Singles

Semifinals – Alma Powell, Cor, def. Northey Tretheway, BC, 6-2, 6-2; Reese Isherwood, Ham, def. Derek Ralph, BC, 6-2, 6-4.

Championship – Powell, Cor, def. Isherwood, Ham, 6-1, 6-2.

Consolation final – Northey Tretheway, BC, def. Kale Guldseth, BC, 6-2, default.

Doubles

Semifinals – Bridger Walczynski/DJ Pekoc, Cor, def. Patrick Kenney/Tyler Trudnowski, BC, 6-1, 6-2; Jim Joyce/Frank Joyce, BC, def. Kolton Lamiaux/Kaden Peeples, BC, 6-0, 6-2.

Championship – Walczynski/Pekoc, Cor, def. Joyce/Joyce, BC, 6-0, 6-0.

Consolation final – Jeremy Jessop/Shade Jessop, Cor, def. Joseph Fecteau/Curtis Liston, Ste, 6-3, 6-0.

Girls

At Corvallis

Team scores: Corvallis 56, Dillon 37, Hamilton 26, Stevensville 3, Butte Central 2.

Singles

Championship – Laramie McHugh, Cor, def. Hannah Peterson, Ham, 6-3, 6-4.

Consolation final – Elizabeth Hennessy, Cor, def. Erica Huppert, Ham, 2-6, 6-3, 6-1.

Doubles

Championship – Sydnee Madruga/Megan Lengyel, Cor, def. Kansas Suenram/Whitney Southam, Dil, 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-3.

Consolation final – Holly Hansen/Taryn Judge, Dil, def. Emma Decker/Annie Sangster, Cor, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4.

The Blue Devils won every event but two on their way to the Southwest A divisional championship. They racked up 291.5 points compared to Dillon’s second place score of 79 points.

Sadi Henderson, Lakyn Connors, Ayden Eickhoff, and Carlie Jessop were all winners of multiple events. Henderson, the reigning Class A cross-country champ, showed her versatility with wins in the 100, 200 and 400 meter races. Connors won both the 100 and 300 hurdles, and the long jump. She finished second in the triple jump. Ayden Eickhoff won the 800 and 1,600.  Carlie Jessop picked up wins in the shot put and the discus. The team of Kaitlyn Frost, Hannah Gale, Jessica Lewis, and Henderson won the 400 relay; and the team of Eickhoff, Hanna Smith, Kaitlyn Frost, and Nicole Turner won the 1,600. Frost won the pole vault and Isabella Pape won the 3,200.

Hamilton’s Annika Moore won the triple jump with a leap of 35’5”, her best effort to date. Moore finished fifth in the 100 and in the long jump as well. Sami Kratofil finished sixth in the long jump, third in the triple jump and fourth in the javelin. Jaylee Albert was fourth in the high jump. Kaitlyn Stromberg finished fifth in both the 1,600 and the 3,200. Avery Joyner was fourth in the 400 and Helen Madeen was fourth in the 800. Sierra Gideon was sixth in the 3,200. Georgia Kimble was sixth in the triple jump. Taylor Bess finished third in the 100 hurdles and fifth in the pole vault. Caitlin Gillespie was third in the 300 hurdles and Natalie Licehty finished fourth in the discus to round out the Hamilton scoring.

Stevensville’s Katie Malachinski took second in the high jump and fourth in the triple jump.

In the boys team scoring, Dillon picked up the team championship but Hamilton gave them a run. Abe Westfall picked up wins in the triple jump and the long jump as well as a third place finish in the pole vault and a fourth place finish in the high jump. Anthony Schmalz won the 1,600 and the 3,200. Karill Appendaile won the 800. Hamilton won the 1,600 relay with the team of Teague Blome, Gregory Beck, Cody Rockwell, and Appendaile hoofing it in 3:30.27.

Stevensville’s Jadin Casey won the 400 and Chris Lords won the high jump at 5’8”. Lords finished third in the javelin and the 200 as well. Casey was second in the high jump and sixth in the 110 hurdles.

Brandon Butt of Corvallis won the discus. The lanky senior threw the discus 157’3”, almost 20 farther than second place. Tyler Olson won the javelin with a throw of 173’1.

Boys

Team scores: Dillon 174, Hamilton 129, Corvallis 85, Stevensville 77, Anaconda 34, Butte Central 28.

200 – 1. Austin Carver, Dil, 22.90; 3. Christopher Lords, Ste, 23.49; 4. Taylor Sylvester, Cor, 23.59

400 – 1. Jadin Casey, Ste, 51.12; 2. Karill Appendaile, Ham, 51.53; 3. Christopher Lords, Ste, 51.54; 4. Cody Rockwell, Ham, 52.50; 6. Gregory Beck, Ham, 52.78.

800 – 1. Karill Appendaile, Ham, 1:58.83; 2. Gregory Beck, Ham, 2:00.14; 3. Jake Purlee, Cor, 2:00.98; 4. Hunter Casey, Ste, 2:04.48; 6. Riley Jessop, Cor, 2:06.67.

1,600 – 1. Anthony Schmalz, Ham, 4:26.30; 2. Jake Purlee, Cor, 4:32.60; 3. Easton Albert, Ham, 4:32.80; 6. Cameron Meikle, Ham, 4:40.50.

3,200 – 1. Anthony Schmalz, Ham, 9:57.30; 2. Easton Albert, Ham, 10:04.20; 5. Cameron Meikle, Ham, 10:14.10; 6. Ronald Venema, Cor, 10:26.30.

110 hurdles – 1. Mick Paffhausen, Dil, 15.13; 3. Taylor Sylvester, Cor, 15.72; 4. Kris Cleveland, Ham, 16.25; 6. Jadin Casey, Ste, 16.38.

300 hurdles – 1. Mick Paffhausen, Dil, 40.85; 2. Kris Cleveland, Ham, 41.91; 4. Daniel Pendergast, Ste, 42.10; 5. Tieson Lewis, Cor, 43.33;

400 relay – 1. Dillon, 44.11; 2. Cor, 45.30; 3. Stevensville 45.66; 4. Hamilton, 45.97; 5. Butte Central, 46.62; 6. Ana, 47.40.

1,600 relay – 1. Hamilton (Teague Blome, Gregory Beck, Cody Rockwell, Karill Appendaile), 3:30.27; 2. Corvallis, 3:32.89; 3. Dillon, 3:36.76; 4. Stevensville, 3:38.11; 5.Butte Central 3:45.87; 6. Anaconda, 3:47.62.

Discus – 1. Branden Butt, Cor, 157-03; 3. Zach Robinson, Cor, 133-03;

Javelin – 1. Tyler Olson, Cor, 173-1; 2. Edward Ryan, Cor, 163-11; 3. Christopher Lords, Ste, 162-0; 6. Josh Bauder, Ham, 145-5.

Shot put – 1. Kyle Moore, Dil, 50-76. Seth Henderson, Cor, 41-2.5.

High jump – 1. Christopher Lords, Ste, 5-8; 2. Jadin Casey, Ste, 5-8; 4. Abe Westfall, Ham, 5-6;

Triple jump – 1. Abe Westfall, Ham, 43-10.25; 3. Austin Lords, Ste, 40-9.5; 4. Kameron Kohn, Ham, 40-7.5; 5. Trevor Zeiler, Ste, 40-2

Long jump – 1. Abe Westfall, Ham, 19-10.754. Dylan Reed, Ste, 18-11; 6. Joshua Barker, Ste, 18-7.75.

Pole vault – 1. Holden Garrison, Dil, 13-0; 3. Abe Westfall, Ham, 13-0; 4. Cameron Koerner, Cor, 11-6; 5. Gunnar Fairbrother, Cor, 11-6;

Girls

Team scores: Corvallis 291.5, Dillon 79, Hamilton 75.5, Butte Central 37, Anaconda 30, Stevensville 14.

100 – 1. Sadi Henderson, Cor, 12.71; 2. Nicole Turner, Cor, 13.04; 4. Hannah Gale, Cor, 13.21; 5. Annika Moore, Ham, 13.29;

200 – 1. Sadi Henderson, Cor, 25.85; 2. Kaitlyn Frost, Cor, 26.63; 4. Nicole Turner, Cor, 26.98; 6. Hannah Gale, Cor, 27.72.

400 – 1. Sadi Henderson, Cor, 57.26; 3. Hanna Smith, Cor, 1:02.27; 4. Avery Joyner, Ham, 1:04.90; 5. Halee Jessop, Cor, 1:05.41; 6. Madi Picard, Ham, 1:05.49.

800 – 1. Ayden Eickhoff, Cor, 2:18.90; 2. Hanna Smith, Cor, 2:27.06; 3. Amelia Gardner, Cor, 2:31.94; 4. Helen Madeen, Ham, 2:40.03

1,600 – 1. Ayden Eickhoff, Cor, 5:10.0; 2. Isabella Pape, Cor, 5:11.90; 3. Kaycie Stewart, Cor, 5:22.10; 5. Kaitlin Stromberg, Ham, 5:26.40; 6. Rachel Wissenbach, Cor, 5:29.10.

3,200 – 1. Isabella Pape, Cor, 11:24.20; 2. Kaycie Stewart, Cor, 11:36.80; 3. Rachel Wissenbach, Cor, 11:48.20; 5. Kaitlin Stromberg, Ham, 12:15.50; 6. Sierra Gideon, Ham, 13:02.70.

100 hurdles – 1. Lakyn Connors, Cor, 14.46; 3. Taylor Bess, Ham, 16.53; 4. Maddison Channer, Cor, 17.10; 5. Caitlin Gillespie, Ham, 17.35; 6. Jordan Miller, Cor, 17.47; 7.

300 hurdles – 1. Lakyn Connors, Cor, 44.69; 3. Caitlin Gillespie, Ham, 50.20; 4. Jane Booth, Cor, 50.87; 5. Darcie Lewis, Cor, 52.47; 6. Brittany Pettenger-Piscapo, Cor, 52.60.

400 relay – 1. Cor (Kaitlyn Frost, Hannah Gale, Jessica Lewis, Sadi Henderson), 50.43; 2. Dillon, 52.04; 3. Ham, 53.13; 4. BCl, 53.35; 5. Ana, 53.67; 6. Ste, 54.56.

1,600 relay – 1. Corvallis (Ayden Eickhoff, Hanna Smith, Kaitlyn Frost, Nicole Turner), 4:05.90; 2. Dillon, 4:14.60; 3. Hamilton, 4:27.54; 4. Butte Central, 4:30.18; 5. Anaconda, 4:31.01; 6. Stevensville, 4:32.01.

Discus – 1. Carlie Jessop, Cor, 122-4; 2. Courtney Albright, Cor, 118-0; 4. Natalie Liechty, Ham, 108-8;

Javelin – 1. Malia Estes, Ana, 140-9; 2. Kayla Lewis, Cor, 116-7; 4. Sami Kratofil, Ham, 110-6; 6. Breann Luedecke, Cor, 107-2.

Shot put – 1. Carlie Jessop, Cor, 35-7; 3. Jessica Lewis, Cor, 33-0; 4. Courtney Albright, Cor, 32-4;

High jump – 1. Jane Booth, Cor, 5-5; 2. Katie Malachinski, Ste, 5-0; 3. Jordan Miller, Cor, 5-0; 4. Jaylee Albert, Ham, 5-0; 6. Jessica Lewis, Cor, 4-10.

Triple jump – 1. Annika Moore, Ham, 35-5; 2. Lakyn Connors, Cor, 34-6.75; 3. Sami Kratofil, Ham, 33-5.25; 4. Katie Malachinski, Ste, 33-4.75; 6. Georgia Kimble, Ham, 32-5.

Long jump – 1. Lakyn Connors, Cor, 16-5; 3. Kaitlyn Frost, Cor, 15-10.5; 5. Annika Moore, Ham, 15-5.5; 6. Sami Kratofil, Ham, 15-4.25.

Pole vault – 1. Kaitlyn Frost, Cor, 10-7; 4. Nicole Turner, Cor, 8-0; 5. Jessica Cassens, Cor, 7-6; 5. Taylor Bess, Ham, 7-6.

Hannah Porch racked up three first place finishes to pace the Florence girls’ track team at the Western B Divisional in Missoula over the weekend. The sophomore took first in the 100, 200 and triple jump as well as ran a let of the first place 400 relay team. Porch had a leap of 33’9” to claim the top spot in the triple jump. She finished third in the long jump.

Florence finished second behind Plains in the team scoring. The top six finishers in each event will advance to the state meet in Bozeman this Friday and Saturday.

Joining Hannah Porch will be her big sister, Tess. Tess Porch finished third in the 100 and third in the 300 hurdles. She also ran a leg of the 1600 relay team. Hannah Sax and Callie Hunt completed the team for the 400 relay. Sax finished third in the 100 hurdles, fifth in the 100 and sixth in the 200 sprint. Hunt was also fourth in the high jump and fifth in the triple jump. Jesica Desjarles took first in the discus with a throw of 116’ 8 ½.

The Florence boys finished third behind Thompson Falls and Bigfork. Brady Heffner and Madison Bolton each won a race for the Falcons. Heffner won the 100 with a time of 11.5. He was second in the 200. Bolton took first in the 800 with a time of 1:59.23. He finished second in the 1,600 and the 3,200. Carter Brady was second in the 400, fourth in the 100 and fifth in the 200. The 400 relay team took third behind Deer Lodge and Bigfork. The 1,600 relay team finished second behind Bigfork.

Victor and Darby were also competing at the Big Sky complex, only in the Western C Divisional. The top five finishers in each event and the relays will advance to the State C meet in Laurel this weekend.

Kyle Ball paced the Pirates with two first place finishes and a couple of second place finishes. Ball continued to reign in the javelin, although not by much. He bested Dilan Lehman of Harrison by only 15 inches for the top spot. Ball’s throw measured 171-6. Ball also won the triple jump and set a new divisional record in the process. He measured 43-10, which gave him the record by only one inch. Ball finished second in the long jump with a leap of 20-7. He cleared 5-8 to take second in the high jump. Zac Agee won the long jump with a leap of 20-10. Nate Bishop finished fifth in the 300 hurdles. The Pirates will also compete in the 400 relay at state.

Amber Ibey finished in a three-way tie for fourth in the high jump and will advance to state for the Pirates as well.

Darby’s Storm Wanstrath and Garrett McCormick each placed in two events and will advance to state. Wanstrath was fifth in the 200 and fifth in the javelin with a throw of 140-5. McCormick was fifth in the 1,600 and will advance to state in that race. He was sixth in the 800. Cougan Kidd was fourth in the javelin with a throw of 142-10. Dylan Knox finished second in the 300 hurdles. The 1,600 relay team finished fourth and will move on.

Keely Ehmann brought home two first place finishes. The sophomore took first in the 200 and the 400. She also ran a let on the 400 relay team that finished third. Sarai McCollum was third in the 100. Lilly Lang took third in the 3,200 and fourth in the 1,600. Jessica Campbell will also advance. She took fourth in the discus.

Bob Reutlinger will be the grand marshal of the 93^rd annual Corvallis Memorial Day parade. The World War II veteran, who plans on wearing his uniform, is very honored to have been selected. The parade will be held on Monday, May 27^th at 10 a.m.

Reutlinger, a member of the Corvallis American Legion, moved to the valley in 1992. He was in the Army Air Corps during World War II and then was a battalion motor officer during the Korean War. During WWII, he was a flight instructor and spent most of his time training pilots in the Southwest. He said the training was one-on-one. Once the war ended, he remained in the reserves. He was in from 1942 to 1956.

After the Korean War, he attended college on the GI Bill and went to school at Booneville, Missouri and at Iowa State. He became a forester for the State of Oregon for nine years. He then moved to the Bureau of Indian Affairs where he worked as a forester for 31 years. During that time, he and his family moved 18 times during this time, moving from reservation to reservation throughout the Northwest. His wife, Barbara, was a native of Oregon and so they remained in the general area.

Reutlinger said they generally have a lot of company this time of year and they always go to the Corvallis parade. “Everyone agrees it is a great parade, so this is really an honor to lead it,” he said.

World War I veterans started the parade after they returned from Europe. The first parade consisted of veterans and a color guard. Modern day parades draw people from all over. Businesses, civic groups and individuals now make up the majority of the parade but the loudest clapping and cheers are always for the veterans. They are from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. Some ride motorcycles, some walk and many ride on floats or in vehicles.

To enter the parade, register at www.corvallispost91.com. Registration will close at 9 a.m. so that judging can take place.

In addition to the parade, there are many activities throughout Corvallis throughout the day. Activities include a carnival, Highland Games, and a breakfast. The Wild Mare will once again be hosting a ‘Give Back’ barbecue from noon to 3 p.m. with proceeds going to the Wounded Warrior project.

At noon, Corvallis American Legion Post 91 will conduct a memorial at the Corvallis Cemetery. This year, markers are going to be placed on each row, indicating if a veteran is interred on the row. Flags are also being placed on all veterans’ graves. After the ceremony at the cemetery, the venue will shift to the Woodside Bridge where a wreath ceremony will be held.

By Michael Howell

The idea of having a park in the town of Victor was born just after the Victor Garden Club was formed. The Club was formed in 1947 and in 1948, “the idea of establishing a public park as a means of improving the community of Victor was born in the minds of the Garden Club members,” it states on the club’s poster board account of Victor Park Through the Years.

In 1949, it goes on to state, “lots were secured by donation, payment of delinquent taxes, and ‘whatever other means were expedient’.”

Weeds and debris were cleared. The park site was leveled. Grass, shrubs, and flowers were planted. The “Exchange” was formed and new and used goods were sold to support the park’s maintenance and improvement. The fundraising effort yielded $1,000 over the next five years. In 1950 a lawn mower and pump were purchased and a caretaker hired. Sprinklers were installed the next year.

For years on end, things like park benches and restrooms, picnic tables and trees were added between ever-recurring fundraisers of one sort or another. A shelter and fireplace were added in 1967. New toilets and storage sheds were added in 1979. A swing set was added in 1986.

Throughout all those years continuing right up to the plant sale held last week at the park, Victor Garden Club members have continued to plow huge amounts of energy into the fundraising required to meet the simple maintenance costs that can run from $5,000 to $6,000 annually.

But the sad fact is, it’s not going to last much longer. Not only is the club old, but the members are as well.

“We are old and tired,” said Tressa Baker, Garden Club President, who was at the park helping with the club’s annual plant sale last Friday. She said club members were too old, too frail or too infirm, to continue the kind of fundraising they did in the past.

Club members are also a bit frustrated.

As Baker explains it, it was the club’s intention to turn the park over to the Victor Park District once it was formed. The district was formed by public ballot in November 2002.

A pamphlet introducing the idea of the park district to the voters was published which stated that, “Once the discussion of forming a park district in Victor began, other groups began to see the advantage of joining together to combine efforts and resources. An informal opinion poll overwhelmingly supported the idea of creating a park district that would oversee and support four existing groups. The four groups are: the Highway 93 Landscaping, The Victor Garden Club (who own and operate the Victor Park), the Victor Ball Park, and the Victor Improvement Project (who are working towards some enhancements on Main Street). Each of these groups would keep their independent status, but would receive financial help from the new park district.”

Baker said the Victor Park District has not kept its promise and has not funded the Victor Park as they advertised to the voters in 2002. She said it has been six years since the park district was formed and it is time for that board to decide if they want Victor Park or not.

“If they don’t want it, we are ready to sell it,” said Baker. She said the property has not been listed but that the organization has already received a few offers.

“We don’t want to sell it,” said Baker. “We would prefer that it stay a park. If the Victor Park District would take it that would be a win/win for everyone, I think. We think the town should be aware of the situation.”

Victor Park District Board member Katie Gerhard said that the board has mixed feelings about the Victor Park. She said that the park district had an annual budget of $16,000 but has an obligation to maintain and improve the existing parks in its care which include the Highway 93 improvements, the Main Street improvements and the ball park.

“We can barely maintain what we have on our current budget,” said Gerhard. “It’s very impractical to take on more than we can fiscally manage.” She said that public ownership of Victor Park was worth considering, but she had trouble committing the district to a new fiscal obligation that it cannot presently meet.

“But no decision has been made about this,” said Gerhard. She said that the last time the Garden Club was before the park district board, all they asked for was help in meeting their needs. She said they did not mention donating the park to the public at that time.

“We said that we would help them with fundraising and with a membership drive,” said Gerhard.

Gerhard said the issue was very complicated. She said there were questions about how taxpayer dollars from the district could be spent on a privately owned park and there were also a lot of questions that need to be answered about how the park could become public property.

“It seems like it is the County that would have to accept ownership and not the Park District,” said Gerhard.

Park District Board member Roger DeHaan clarified this, saying that the law does give the Park District the authority to own property, but because it is a county supported district it would need the approval of the County Commission to accept ownership.

DeHaan said that he was hopeful that something could be worked out to make Victor Park a public park in perpetuity.

“To start things off the owner of the property, the Victor Garden Club, needs to actually and officially ask the park district to take the property. They have not ever actually, in writing, asked our board to consider accepting the parkland as a donation,” said DeHaan. “Maybe that will happen at our next board meeting.”

That meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 23 at Farmers State Bank in Victor at 7 p.m. For more information contact Roger DeHaan at 961-3953.

By Michael Howell

The County Commissioners last week decided to invite the Chief of the U.S. Forest Service Tom Tidwell to come and discuss the applications that the agency has made for instream flow water rights on Laird and Blodgett Creeks.

The County Commissioners filed an objection to the water right applications that was rebuffed by the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC), the agency that issues water rights. The county’s objection was initially rejected for a couple of reasons, one being that the county lacked legal standing to object since it did not present any evidence of holding a water right that might be affected. It was also rejected because the county did not enter any evidence backing up its claim that the water right request was incorrectly calculated.

Deputy County Attorney Howard Recht noted that the county’s response to the agency was that the question of legal standing did not apply to an administrative hearings process. He said that DNRC’s latest response no longer referred to that issue. The agency did, however, still maintain that the county had not presented any evidence to support its objection. Recht said that the county’s only recourse would be to go to court at this point if it wanted to object to DNRC’s dismissal of its objection. He said if the agency issued the water rights and the county objected, the process would likely go into Water Court. If the county challenged the law the case would probably go into District court and ultimately to the Montana Supreme Court.

Commissioner J.R. Iman, who has water rights on Blodgett Creek, filed a personal objection as an individual and as manager of the ditch company that he manages. That objection was accepted by the agency for consideration. A hearing on the matter was recently vacated, however, as the parties continue to negotiate a settlement of the objections. According to DNRC officials, the parties have until the end of the month to resolve their differences.

Iman told the board that he had been informed that his objection to the application based on the fact that it requests more water than is in the stream most of the year was not valid since the method used to calculate the requested flows was established in state law. Any objection to that process would mean challenging the law in court and proving it to be unconstitutional.

Recht told the board that challenging the law in court would be a time consuming and expensive process. “You are looking at years and lots of money,” he said.

Commissioner Greg Chilcott said that the cost and risk of success had to be considered before taxpayer money is spent.

“But it seems our only recourse is to go to court and challenge the law,” he said. He said that the Forest Service did have a federal reserved water right that entitled it to enough water to benefit the forest land it owns. “But my understanding is the Forest Service is taking the water for fish habitat. Is that the same thing?” He said his biggest problem was the “hypocrisy of the process when they exempt themselves from their own rules.”

Commissioner Ron Stoltz said, “The Constitution states that the water is for the people. How is that when you give it to the federal government?”

Commissioner Jeff Burrows said that the Forest Service had no reason to claim the water except to exert future control over the water and deny any future water right claims on forest land above the requested instream flows. He said this was not fair to individuals and companies that might want to exercise that right.

Commissioner Suzy Foss questioned whether the federal government even owned the land. She said that the Enabling Act did not give ownership of the land to the Forest Service but simply placed it in trust to be held for the people.

Recht suggested that the Commission write the agency and invite it to come and discuss the issue before it takes action on any other streams in the county. About six more water right applications are planned to be filed on other creeks in the county. Instream water rights have already been granted on some other creeks.

Foss said that the invitation should be sent to the top person in the agency because the local Forest Supervisor was not directly involved in the decision but was only informed about it at the same time the county was informed.

The board agreed to write a letter inviting both U.S. Forest Service officials and DNRC officials to a future discussion.

By Michael Howell

Ninety-four year old Jim Campbell, who served in both WWII and the Korean War, was awarded a boxful of medals that he earned during five years, three months, and twenty-three days in the service last Sunday.

Campbell enlisted in the 69^th Engineering Topographic Company in 1940 and was quickly promoted to Sergeant E5. In May of 1942 he was transferred to San Francisco and soon shipped out to Australia on the Liberty Ship. Campbell’s company participated when the 6^th Army and the 5^th Bomber Command went into northern New Guinea near Milne Bay and then moved along the north shore removing Japanese strongholds.

That fight was carried on into the Philippines where, on October 20, 1944, MacArthur landed in Lyete at Red Beach where, wading ashore, he made the famous statement, “I have returned.”

According to Gordon Wax, who did the research behind the medals that were due Campbell, a beachhead had been secured but it was not totally secure. Three Japanese bombers arrived on October 25 to destroy the base. Two were shot down, but the third succeeded in dropping a bomb on the deck of the LST 552, the ship on which 1^st Sergeant Campbell served as the ranking NCO. Seventeen of the enlisted crew, which totaled 120, were killed in the bombing. Many were injured and a lot of equipment was destroyed.

The list of medals, ribbons, and insignias that Gordon Wax was able to determine that Campbell deserved was a long one and each one was delivered at the Sunday award ceremony. They included awards for participating in the Philippines Liberation, Cold War, National Defense, World War II Victory, the Asia-Pacific Campaign, American Campaign, American Defense, Good Conduct with two loops, the Philippines Presidential Unit Citation, Meritorious Unit Citation, and the Distinguished Unit Citation. He also received his Marksman with rifle bar, Expert Marksman with pistol badges, three service stripes and six overseas bars for the left and right sleeves, respectively. Last of all, Campbell received a (pending) Bronze Star for his participation in the conflict.

Wax, who did the research for all the awards and made the application for the Bronze Star on Campbell’s behalf, said that in 1961 the law was changed to authorize retroactively the award of the Bronze Star to WWII veterans. Recognizing that with advanced age and a very slow application process that many deserving veterans would not live to see their award, the issuance of a ‘pending’ award is allowed.

 By Michael Howell

Trespassing charges filed against a fisherman on Mitchell Slough for leaving the water and walking on the bank to get around a bridge were dropped last week. George Thompson, of Missoula, was cited by Sheriff’s Deputy Chris Albright for trespassing last March following a complaint by Ed Hebner, a landowner along the slough. The ticket said simply that Thompson was accused of trespassing for walking on the bank of the slough to get around a bridge whereupon he re-entered the slough.

Signs posted at the three existing official portage routes into Mitchell Slough do state that fishermen are required to stay in the water, the banks being considered beyond the ordinary high water mark. The public is advised to stay in the water and go under fences.

Thompson entered an initial plea of not guilty.

At his omnibus hearing last Thursday, May 16, Deputy County Attorney John Bell told Justice Robin Clute that, after consulting with the Undersheriff, the County Attorney decided to drop the charges against Thompson. He said it appears that he was apparently not intentionally trespassing and was not wandering around the property but returned immediately into the stream after going around the bridge. He said it was decided that the act did not warrant prosecution.

A request for additional portage routes on Mitchell Slough and a revision of the current signs because they are in violation of the Stream Access Law, which does allow for recreationists to exit the water to circumvent man-made obstructions, was made last December to the County Commissioners by Andy Roubik.

Fish, Wildlife and Parks fisheries biologist Chris Clancy told the County Commissioners at a meeting in March, when the commission decided to take up the issue, that he agreed with Roubik that the signs were not in compliance with the law and should be changed. He also offered to host a tour of the slough for the commissioners and help arrange meetings with the landowners who may have fences or bridges that obstruct the use of the slough to develop appropriate portage routes at each of those sites. That process is still underway.

A horse was found strangled to death in a field near Stevensville last Saturday. According to the horse’s owner, Pat Cregan, she found the horse Saturday morning lying dead in the pasture with a rope wrapped around its neck so tightly that it had cut into the flesh. The rope was severed, leaving a short piece dangling. Cregan said that she believes the person knew her and deliberately picked her riding horse out of the six in the pasture to kill. She believes it may be an act of revenge related to long standing neighborhood disputes.

According to Sheriff Chris Hoffman, there is an open investigation going on into the incident, but initial investigation suggests that it appears to be an intentional act on the part of a person or persons unknown. The horse was killed in the area of Moiese Lane north of Stevensville and east of the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge. Anyone with any knowledge or information about the incident is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 375-4060.