Ian Harris with the Selway Bitterroot Frank Church Wilderness Foundation (SBFC) discusses the 4 million acre wilderness area across Idaho and Montana. SBFC is a community of wilderness minded individuals dedicated to bringing citizens and youth to the wilderness to work, live, and play.

Please join us for the first presentation of the year. We will welcome Kellie Carim and Leah Simantel from the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute at the University of Montana.

Beers and Brats Start at 5:45. Presentation to follow at 7pm.

Christine Brissette, Bitterroot Projects Manager, Trout Unlimited, will give us a project update on the Bitterroot. The May 15 meeting will be held at the Teller Wildlife Refuge and will feature a BBQ.

This the final program for the before summer. Come enjoy some beer and brats!

For additional information, please contact Marshall Bloom or Dave Ward.

The April 17 BRTU meeting might be our most fun program of the year. Scot Bealer and Lea Frye are coming over from Helena for “Telling Fish Stories With a Camera."

Scot will offer a lighthearted look at the evolution of fish stories combined with the stunning photography of wildlife (and fish) photographer Lea Frye. Their award book “Most Trout Don’t Read” is full of stories and additional information geared towards people who are still in the “learning” phase of fly fishing, which of course for some of us never really ends. The book received a Silver Award from the Nonfiction Writers’ Association. 

Thanks to Chapter One Book Store, you can pick up a copy of the book at the meeting and have it signed.

In the late 80’s, Dave Whitlock invited Scot to work at the L.L. Bean Flyfishing School, so he sensibly dropped out of grad school and moved to Maine. Scot says he simply switched from graduate school for wildlife to graduate school for fly fishing. Since then he has worked as a guide, a teacher, some “real” business jobs, and eventually he started writing. Currently, in addition to helping his wife Lea Frye with her wildlife photography, he also teaches kids about fish biology and fishing as part of the Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks' “Hooked on Fishing” program. This is a program that BRTU is exploring for our valley schools.

Lea Frye is a full time wildlife photographer of amazing abilities. Her photography has appeared in multiple issues of Montana Outdoors, including the current issue in the article about Montana Owls. Her work has also appeared in: Big Sky Journal, Treasure State Lifestyles, Signature Montana, Colorado Life, Country Magazine, and many other publications. Her fine art prints are currently on exhibit at the Bigfork Arts and Cultural Center, The Choteau Arts Studio and Gallery, as well as at the Rockstar BBQ restaurant and Hub Coffee in Helena. Her animal photo greeting cards can be found in gift shops across the state.

The program starts at 7:00, but come down about 6:00 for personality adjustment, featuring the Elks Club legendary brats cooked in beer. By special arrangement, a brat and a brew are only $10.00.

The meeting is open to the public and there is no charge for admission. to get more information, please contact Dave Ward or Marshall Bloom.

The March 20 BRTU meeting will feature Teller Wildlife Refuge's new program Conservation in the Classroom: Inspiring the Next Generation of Stewards.

The program will start at 7:00 PM on Thursday, March 20 at the Hamilton Elks Club at 203 State Street in Hamilton.

Nicole Ballard, Conservation Education Director, and Dan Bailey, Executive Director of Teller Wildlife Refuge, will share insights on Conservation in the Classroom—an initiative bringing hands-on conservation education to students in the Bitterroot Valley.

The program was developed by Teller Wildlife Refuge, as a partnership with several other groups and will connect youth with local ecosystems, wildlife, and conservation principles through meaningful, interactive experiences. The ultimate aim is to shape future conservationists, foster collaboration, and expand outdoor learning opportunities. Nicole will also describe how TU members can help with this important work.

The program starts at 7:00, but come down about 6:00 for personality adjustment, featuring the Elks Club legendary brats cooked in beer. By special arrangement, a brat and a brew are only $10.00.

The meeting is open to the public and there is no charge for admission. to get more information, please contact Dave Ward or Marshall Bloom.

This year will mark the 29th year that BRTU has sponsored the Bitterroot Buggers. From very modest beginnings, the program now boasts a partner ship with Hamilton Middle School, a series of 7 sessions with instruction on flytying, trout identification, etymology, and flycasting, all topped off with a Bugger's Fishing day.

The participants are boys and girls between the ages of 9 and 14.

For 2025, the class dates are

• March 4 - Orientation

• March 11 - Fly #1

• March 18 - Fly #2

• March 25 - no class (spring break)

• April 1 - Fly #3

• April 8 - Fly #4

• April 15 - Fly #5

• April 22 - Fly casting clinic

Classes are held at the Hamilton Middle School. Teacher Joe Byrne and former BRTU President Greg Chester serve as coordinators, and certified instructor Steve Davis teaches casting.

One constant has been the need for volunteers to help out with the tying. This year is no different, so we are hoping that newsletter readers will plan on coming down to help. You needn't be a fly tier to help out.

More details will be provided in coming newsletters, but if you would like to learn more, please contact Greg or Joe.

The February BRTU Meeting of 2025 will be this Thursday, February 20 at the Hamilton Elks Club at 203 State St in Hamilton.

The new program will feature Montana Trout Unlimited Outreach Coordinator Bill Pfeiffer. Bill is well known to BRTU members for his wonderful kid's camps and help on Buggers Fishing Day.

Bill's presentation will review the current legislature and highlight the issue of exempt wells. The latter has exceptional relevance to the Bitterroot Valley due to the implications on water availability and the security of domestic wells.

The photo of the 2 little girls can help explain the exempt well issue. Imagine you just bought the girls a milkshake which they are enjoying. Then a bully comes up, sticks his straw in the glass and starts drinking. "Wait a minute," you say. "I just bought that milkshake fair and square. You can't start drinking from it. We will run out of milkshake." "Sorry," the bully says. "The state says I can stick my straw in your milkshake and drink as much of it as I want. You can't do anything to stop me."

So, consider you and your neighbors are the little girls and the milkshake is the groundwater you rely on for your well. The bully? Take a guess.

Importantly, we will still be awarding the 2024 Earl and Joan Little Youth Education Award to Hamilton High School science teacher Vanessa Haflich.

The program will start at 7:00 PM, but come join us starting at about 5:45 for a 'brat and a brew, featuring the Elks Club's famous beer cooked bratwurst for just $10!

There is no charge for admission and the public is invited to attend. Remember the BRTU Logo PFDs will be on sale at the meeting.

For additional information, please contact Dave Ward or Marshall Bloom.

Join us for the last meeting until October! Dan Bailey, Executive Director for Teller Wildlife Refuge has been kind enough to provide a great presentation and discussion.

PLEASE NOTE: Meeting place was scheduled to take place at the Slack Barn on the refuge.

BBQ starts at 5:45. The Presentation will take place at 7pm.