Montana Highlights August 1, 2021

Yellowstone Park hosted 938,845 recreation visits in June 2021, making it the park’s most-visited June on record. This is a 64% increase from June 2020 (573,205 recreational visits) and a 20% increase from June 2019 (781,853 recreation visits). So far in 2021, Yellowstone Park has hosted 1,587,998 recreation visits, up 17% from 2019. This year is compared to 2019 instead of 2020 because of COVID-19.  This list shows the year-to-date recreation visits thru June over the last few years: 2021 – 1,587,998; 2020 – 719,054; 2019 – 1,358,629; 2018 – 1,381,708; 2017 – 1,354,137; 2016 – 1,432,071

Kalispell City Council is considering a proposal to develop a city parking lot into a five-story hotel. The lot is located at Third St W and Main St. In addition to this proposal the developer could build a three story parking garage at First Avenue and First St W.

Demand for jet fuel by commercial airlines and firefighting aircraft in Montana and the Pacific Northwest led to departure problems and daylong flight delays recently at Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport. In recent days flights in and out of Fresno Yosemite International Airport were disrupted by jet fuel shortages blamed on the lack of tanker truck drivers.

Jewel Basin Center in Bigfork welcomed hundreds of pickleball players for the 2021 Crown of the Continent Tournament. The USA Pickleball sanctioned event was exclusively for the 50-plus age players. The event drew 243 players from two countries and more than a dozen states.

Justin and Debbie Blagg are the new owners of the Townsend/Canyon Ferry Lake KOA Journey to the KOA Family of Campgrounds. The campground is located at 81 Silos Road in Townsend. It has pull-through sites for recreational vehicles, seven cabins and four tent sites.

Two fly-fishing businesses in Craig have said the hoot-owl restrictions placed on 35 miles of the Missouri River between Holter Dam and Cascade will not impact their business too severely. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has implemented the restrictions in which fishing is not allowed from 2 p.m. to midnight. These restrictions will remain in place until streamflow and water temperature conditions improve.

Whitefish Outfitters has opened a new store on Central Avenue in downtown Whitefish. The store offers equipment rentals, equipment sales and tours of the greater Whitefish area. Guides at Whitefish Outfitters give tours inside Glacier National Park or to lesser-known destinations outside the park.

Stephen M. Keim, Lt. Col. (Ret.) has been sworn in , as the Montana Selective Service State Director by the Agency’s Region III Director, Steven Kett, Col. (Ret). He was nominated by Governor Greg Gianforte and appointed by Acting Selective Service Director Craig Brown. Currently, Keim is a member of the Montana State University Police Department where he is the Safety and Security Manager for the Museum of the Rockies. Keim is a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel from the MTARNG, having 36 years of service.

Rebecca and Kirk Treece are the new owners of Minuteman Press franchise at 2100 South Avenue West in Missoula. They bought the independent printing business Advertiser Montana Printing and are now operating as a Minuteman Press franchise. Minuteman Press in Missoula is located at 2100 South Avenue West.

The Gallatin County Real Estate Market report from the Gallatin Realtors: The number of new listings increased 2.6% in June compared to last year, from 235 to 241. Pending sales were down 27.8%, from 227 to 164. The number of closed sales decreased 3.5% from 170 to 164. The average days on market decreased 57.1%, from 56 to 24. The median sales price increased 53.8%, from $456,325 to $702,000. Sellers received 102.4% of their list price, up from 98.4% last June. The inventory of available homes decreased 42.1%, from 373 to 216, while the months’ supply of inventory dropped 48.3%, from 2.9 to 1.5.  

Dümmen Orange presented a check in the amount of $80,000 to Yellowstone Forever, the official nonprofit partner of Yellowstone National Park. Earlier this year, Dümmen Orange teamed up with Yellowstone Forever to sell Yellowstone Petunias at Lowe’s and independent garden centers throughout North America. The special variety of petunias were created by Dümmen Orange to commemorate the world’s first national park, Yellowstone, which was established in 1872. Royalties from the sales of Yellowstone Petunias will support a variety of projects inside Yellowstone’s nearly 3,472 square miles of land.  

Billings Clinic is operating a new helicopter air ambulance service in Bozeman. This is an expansion of the Billings-based fixed wing MedFlight Air Ambulance service and provides an extension of critical lifesaving transportation throughout the region. “Having this service in Bozeman saves critical time for patients who need emergency medical transport to a higher level of care,” said Scott Ellner, DO, Billings Clinic CEO. The helicopter and flight team includes nurses, paramedics and pilots.

The Bureau of Reclamation is conducting an inspection of a fixed wheel gate at Hungry Horse Dam Aug. 2–13. The public may experience potential traffic delays during that time. Hungry Horse Dam is located off Highway 2 in Hungry Horse. “August is typically a busy month for the visitor center and surrounding area,” said Hungry Horse Field Manager Bill Dykes.

In Bozeman, Audrey’s Pizza Oven and Freefall Brewery reopened last week. After three years of renovations, Audrey’s Pizza’s new location is on North Seventh Avenue and West Aspen Street.  Audrey’s Pizza has been a staple in Bozeman since 1960 and Owner Steve Schlegel is thrilled to reopen and with the new Freefall Brewery inside too.  Audrey’s Pizza and Freefall Brewery also have a location in Billings at Rimrock Mall.

According to the National Association of Realtors, foreign buyers purchased $54.4 billion worth of U.S. existing homes from April 2020 through March 2021, a 27% decrease from the previous 12-month period and the fourth consecutive annual decline in foreign investment in U.S. residential real estate, according to a new report from the National Association of Realtors®. Foreign buyers purchased 107,000 properties, down 31% from the prior year, as the COVID-19 pandemic led to a strong global economic contraction and a decline in international tourist and business arrivals. The dollar and sales volumes are the lowest since 2011, when those figures were $66.4 billion and 210,800 properties, respectively. China, Canada, India, Mexico and the United Kingdom were the top five countries of origin by U.S. residential sales dollar volume. The annual dollar volume for foreign buyers from China, Canada and Mexico all dropped by at least 50%. The top U.S. destinations for foreign buyers were Florida, California, Texas, Arizona, New Jersey and New York.

Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport announced that Alaska Airlines will introduce non-stop seasonal service to San Diego and San Francisco, California this winter.. The service will operate daily from December 16, 2021, to April 18, 2022. The new winter service is an expansion of the current existing summer routes at  alaskaair. com with fares starting as low as $89 from Bozeman.