Governor Brian Schweitzer has a warm, easy-going way that speaks of Montana’s most-visited roadside restaurants and bars; that side of him shares space with a fiercely intelligent, candid and decisive individual. This combination makes him rare… especially among politicians.

Clark Fork Journal publisher Brian Eder and I were warmly received at the Governor’s office in Helena. On the afternoon of January 31, 2005, we sat around a table and spoke with Governor Schweitzer for a little over an hour. Schweitzer is curious and ever-eager to engage issues; he’s also not shy about letting you know when he’s feeling restless or bored.

Well-known for being equally open and shrewd with the press, several carefully displayed objects lined his desk and another nearby table. Small bottles and flasks containing various experimental and conventional fuels, as well as a prototype of a solar-powered hydrogen generator, sat as both a reminder of Schweitzer’s focus and as a suggestion for conversation.

This is part one of our two-part conversation:

Part Two is in the April 2006 Archive

Why Politics?

CFJ: By all accounts, you’ve been very successful as a businessman and a farmer, and that success leaves many options. So, with so many options, why did you choose to pursue a career in politics?

SCHWEITZER: Actually… To back up a little bit, Nancy and I met when we were going to college in Bozeman. She was studying botany, and I was getting my graduate degree in soils. And then, after graduation, we went overseas where we were involved in international development. When I was 30, we came back to Montana because it was time to start raising a family, and, of course, Montana is the best place in the world to raise a family. And so, we continued the business and growing our irrigation and agricultural lands—our ranching business in Montana. But I continued in the export business. I was selling Montana grown and made products all over the world.

And, when I was 45, I got to thinking ‘this is all working good… I mean, we’re doing well, we’re doing good things, we’re meeting people. But there’s gotta be more.’ At the end of the day, when you’ve got a lot of energy, when you have some talents, you think ‘How can I do more? What is it I can do to put a stamp on a life? How can I help my community? How can I create opportunities for young people so that they get a chance to do some of the things that I’ve done?’ And [those questions] led to public service.

So, that’s how I got into this thing. Montana has been good to me. You know, I started without a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of, and I’m not a billionaire, but Nancy and I have done well, and we’ve done well by working hard in Montana. And I want those opportunities available to a lot of Montana kids.

Substance & Money in American Politics

CFJ: Are you familiar with the 1972 Robert Redford film “The Candidate?

SCHWEITZER: Yeah.

CFJ: OK. There’s a line in the film that strikes me, “Virtue was too hard a strain for the long trail of the campaign.” On the flipside, you’ve garnered a great deal of attention for your insistence on substantive discussions both on the campaign trail and from the bully pulpit of your office. Why is substantive conversation so rare in American politics?

SCHWEITZER: I think that a large number of politicians are spawned in the political world, which means everybody wants to be the first one to be the second one to say it. They’re scared of their own shadow. They’re not sure… ‘Well, Jesus… um, everyone else is talkin’ about this.’ Or they say, ‘Well, hold it, nobody cares.’ So, they figure, ‘If no other politician has blazed the trail, and if the polls don’t say this something that people care about, why go there?’

Not me. I just say, ‘Well, it looks to me like this is the right thing to do, and when people know more about it, they will probably agree with me.’ And sometimes you have to lead by example.

For example, there seem to be a lot of pure politicians, post-Abramoff. Everybody’s decided we need ethics reform, and that these lobbyists can be bad guys… who knew? As you remember, I made it a plank for my campaign for governor. I didn’t take PAC money. I unilaterally disarmed. It’s not against the law to take PAC money, almost everybody does take PAC money. I’m probably the only governor in America elected without taking PAC money.

But I said then, and I’ll say now, nobody can buy their way down that hall [gesturing to the long hallway that leads from the lobby to his office doorway], nobody buys their way to the front of the line. I don’t care how much you gave or where you came from. And, see, when you have a system like we do have in Montana, where you can’t take corporate money, the maximum contribution that an individual can make is $500. And if you don’t take PAC money, no one can buy undue influence.

On that basis, I took to the legislature a lot of ideas about alternative energy and about education, a lot of other things that we managed to pass… country of origin labeling. But, one of the things that I think that I failed the people of Montana? I tried to get the legislature to pass ethics reform, put a 24-month cooling-off period, or stop the revolving door, from the time that you’re a legislator or a member of the executive branch, from going out and working for a lobbyist. Because, the way it works right now… take a look around… you can, literally, within minutes of making tax and regulatory policy in Montana, you can work for those who are doing tax and regulatory policy.

You don’t have to look very far. Take a look, for example, at the last administration—but it’s not any different than the administration before—key members of that administration, who sat in these offices like we have around here, they… really, within hours or days of leaving public service, they were lobbying for the companies that they were supposed to be regulating or taxing. Now, when did they negotiate their compensation for their appointment? After? Well, that’s interesting… after, huh? So, in other words, within four minutes? They managed to get a job, negotiate the contract and arrive?

Doesn’t smell very good. And I’m not picking on the former administration… all you have to do is walk up to the third floor when the legislature’s in session and see all those lobbyists… a third of ‘em are former legislators. Very often, they were a legislator last session.

So I had proposed to the last legislature to close the revolving door for a 24-month period, and to have disclosure of gifts that they receive from lobbyists… they rejected me. It didn’t get out of committee.

CFJ: Why do you think that is?

SCHWEITZER: Because, uh, you know, people said, ‘Well, I want to keep my options open.’

I’m just saying there is a concern in the public psyche about elected representatives… Who do they really represent? Clean up the system! Make it transparent!

I think we’ll have a great deal more support among the folks out there that when we tell ‘em somethin’ straight, they’ll believe us.

“Before-Abramoff” & “Post-Abramoff”

CFJ: You’ve been very open in your criticisms of corruption within Washington, D.C. Beyond the problems currently being exposed by the Abramoff Scandal, it seems there’s an inherent paradox in our current political system. While the focus of electoral politics is inherently short-term, focusing on fundraising and short-term fixes,many of the problems that face our country are long-term issues requiring a continuity of policy from one elected body to the next. How can this paradox be addressed in your estimation?

SCHWEITZER: Well, I think it helps a great deal if you can divorce the need for grubbin’ for dollars from public policy. And… I go back to what I did unilaterally. But it’s very interesting, because there’s what we call ‘B.A.’ and ‘P.A.’ There’s the opinion of the political world ‘Before Abramoff’ was announced… and ‘Post Abramoff.’ I come from a frame-of-reference before Abramoff. I did things unilaterally. I was pushing for ethics reform before I ever heard about this joker. And now everybody is clamoring; it’s the crisis du jour.

The other thing is… don’t be a political party ideologue. Let me give you an interesting thought for a moment. Start with a Republican—Lincoln. He was the first person who believed in civil rights, if you will, the first great political figure. He risked it all on freeing the slaves. He was a Republican. And then, after that, the South never trusted Republicans, and they were Democrats. All those politicians from then all the way up to L.B.J. were Democrats… Dixiecrats. George Wallace, Strom Thurmond… they were Dixiecrats. They believed in a lot of issues about working people, about hope and opportunity, about taxation and regulation. But when it came to civil rights, well, they weren’t so sure.

I sat with George McGovern, who now lives part of the time in Montana. I sat on his couch down in Stevensville, and we talked about a lot of things. The nice thing about talking to a man like George McGovern, who still has all of his mental facilities about him… he’s a walking history book.

So, I said to him, at one point, ‘what was L.B.J. like? Now, he was a Texas President… was he all about polls and strategy and what it looks like in images… did he believe in The Great Society? Or was it just politically expedient?’

So, McGovern said to me, he believed in it, and he knew the consequences. [L.B.J.] knew when we passed the Civil Rights Act [of 1964] that we would lose Democrats, that we would lose elections in the South… for decades. He’s wrong, it’s a lot longer than decades… it’ll be generations. But, even with that clear understanding, because L.B.J., the master of the Senate, if he was anything he was a strategist politically. Tough… tough as a claw-hammer. But he understood politics… and that he was willing to go forward with civil rights and The Great Society even knowing and understanding the consequences long-term, and understanding the hope and opportunity it would create for a large percentage of America’s population… that the good would outweigh the political catastrophe that was awaiting the Democratic party… he did it anyway.

CFJ: If you’re talking about separating out the need for money from policy, does it boil down to a lack of political courage?

SCHWEITZER: Well, I’m getting to some place here… In doing the right thing, sometimes you have to stand up to people in your own political party, because these things shift through time. It was the Republicans, at one point, who were recognized for being bold in terms of civil rights. Then it became the Democrats who were bold in terms of civil rights. These things shift back and forth through the generations.

For example, there would be some who would suggest, ‘Well, the Democratic party, they’re the environmentalist party and they don’t want any development of any resources, everything’s off-the-table, no development of natural resources…’ But it’s me, I believe, I am a mainstream Democrat, and I say that our very society, our culture, our way of life, everything we believe in, is being challenged right now because of our dependence on foreign oil. Until we break that dependence to these Sheiks, dictators, rats and crooks, we will be in a series of skirmishes and wars for generations to come.

So, I look around and I say, ‘What can we do about wind power?’ Well, over there, is a solar-powered hydrogen generator. Over here, you have bio-diesel, a safflower, canola, camolina… three crops that we can grow in Montana and make bio-diesel out of them. Coal that we can convert through the Fisher-Tropes process to diesel. Wind power, solar power, we have opportunities of producing alternative energy. Some are green, some less green, but all of them are cleaner than the oil we’re burning today, and they all create jobs in America and will wean our dependency on foreign oil. Now, that might not be the message of an east- or west-coast Democrat, but dangit, it makes sense to me.

And I believe that given an opportunity, we can win-over folks across this country to the importance of being self-sufficient in energy. It means energy conservation, it means a fuel source that is diverse, it means a fuel source that is diverse both geographically and in chemical, physical composition. But it is the greatest challenge this society has today.

The Bedouin Mind & American Middle-East Policy

CFJ: Moving on to the time you spent in Libya and…

SCHWEITZER: Saudi Arabia most of the time… I was in Libya for less than a year, and then Saudi Arabia for more than six.

CFJ: OK. How did your time in that region inform your view of the political, military and economic struggles that have been playing out there for decades, in addition to what you’re talking about with regard to oil and the need for American self-sufficiency?

SCHWEITZER: First off, American policy makers need to understand that the Bedouin mind, the Arab-Islamic mind, is much less dependent on time, and the urgency of time. Folks in the Middle East think of the Crusades as their own conflict, not generations ago. They win negotiations with the West, always, by waiting us out. They negotiate for a day, a month? Still nothing. A year…. forget about it. A generation? It’s longer. That we think we’re going to settle conflicts in the Middle East during a single presidential administration, for example, is ludicrous.

And there’s more. There is a cultural clash that goes even beyond religion. The religious-cultural clash is such that the world is getting smaller, and with communication and transportation becoming so available to people all over the world, the fundamentalist Islamic societies feel threatened by Western culture every single day.

The way we dress is repugnant to them. The exposure of women in the way that we do, even the way that we as men dress, the way we eat, the way we bathe, even the way we use toilet facilities, it is really alien to them and they just don’t understand it. So, they see us as a challenge to their way of life, culturally, much the way I see the challenge of us being energy independent as a challenge to our way of life. And so, I think we both win if we severe our ties with them. They want to run their deal the way they want to run it—culturally, economically—fine. You do what you want to do, don’t bother us, we won’t buy oil from you, you won’t have money to support terrorism, and we both start evening this deal.

They are not, as some would portray them, evil people. They are some of the greatest family people you’ll ever meet, with several generations living in a single house or compound. Their children know their grandparents better than most families in America do. Their families are close together—brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, cousins. It’s still tribal, because they still recognize the importance of family. Family values? They trump on that. Prayer? They pray all the time, five times a day! Fast? During Ramadan, the whole month of Ramadan, they don’t eat or drink from sun-up to sundown. Inference to God? Every time they say a sentence that begins with ‘Inshah’allah,’ it’s ‘God willing.’ ‘Alham-dul-lilah,’ is ‘all praise be to God.’ It’s like you’re in a Baptist revival church. In all conversation, all day long. All of those things are things that a lot of Americans cherish. It’s just that they are Muslim and we are Christian, and they see our culture as a challenge to theirs.

Schweitzer on Osama bin Laden

SCHWEITZER: I think that what we’re doing in the Middle East is wrong-headed. We are creating large numbers of Osama bin Ladens in future generations. Absolutely, we have got to put a stake in terrorists. Osama bin Laden, his story is that he came from the bin Laden family, which is one of the five big families in Arabia that were not in the royal family, they were in the construction business in Jedda and Dhahran. You know, all the big construction projects in Arabia then, the bin Ladens had a portion of it.

His uncle’s brothers had become very Westernized. But it’s not so dissimilar to Montana families… I’m a Catholic. You’ll see a guy, he’s a run-around kind of a guy, he’ll drink with the boys and get kind of loud, and then he has a brother who is a Benedictine monk.

Alright, so here is bin Laden, and here is his rub. His rub is twofold: one is that he was a leader in the Muja Hadin in Afghanistan and during that time when he was fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan, we supported him. I mean, our CIA was right there with him. He was a great leader. Tall for a Saudi, passionate, a great orator, his religious faith was unshakable; he was a titan among those who would die for the cause of the Muja Hadin.

Fortunately, he was fighting who he considered to be anti-God Russians and trying to defend his Muslim brothers in Afghanistan. [….]

The cities of Mecca and Medina are recognized by the whole Islamic world as the holiest of cities. And what frustrated Osama bin Laden, and other members of the extremely conservative Wahhabi branch of the Sunni religion in Saudi Arabia, was that the Saudi regime was being propped-up by the American military. And the American military was there in large number, in great strength, the whole time that I lived there during the 80s. And they’d been there all the way back, protecting Aramco, from the time we decided Arabia was going to be our oil resource.

And so to have an infidel army in the country that was the protector of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina was extremely repugnant to him and the radical branches. So, in our request and need and desire for Saudi oil, we have spawned a couple of generations of people who hate the royal family and hate us for empowering them. There is the spawn of Osama bin Laden and many like him. As long as they didn’t have money, you know what, they were a bunch of poor, renegade Bedouins. But now that these sheikdoms have become so wealthy, and they have money, the royal family right now—and has for the last 50 years—they’ve built an unholy alliance with these terrorists. They give them money as long as [the terrorists] leave them alone. Well, it’s gonna come back to roost.

Mining, Coal Liquefication & American Energy Independence

CFJ: Let’s go back to a question about energy. Your ideas about coal liquefication have gotten a lot of press. As I understand it, while coal liquefication could offer some independence from foreign oil in the U.S., its long-term environmental impact would rival or exceed the impact of Montana’s mining legacy. How do you propose to balance the benefits of coal liquefication with the long-term environmental sustainability of Montana?

SCHWEITZER: I challenge the premise of what you just described. The long-term effects of mining in Montana have been from hard-rock mining, and the exposure of pyrite rock. When you expose the ferrous sulfite to both water and air, it creates an acidification process and you get acid water draining out the side of a mountain. Heavy metals—cadmium, lead, zinc, copper—their solubility increases as you lower the pH of water. The more acid the water, the larger concentration of these heavy metals that you will have. That’s our problem about hard-rock mining, and that’s the legacy of hard-rock mining in Montana. What we’re proposing is coal mining…

CFJ: Which is mostly open-pit mining…

SCHWEITZER: Open-pit. It is 30 or 40 feet of surface disturbance. You expose a bed of coal that might be 15 to 30-feet thick. You take the coal out, you replace the overburden, and then the tin veneer of topsoil goes back over the top, then you replant it to its native vegetation. The people who don’t think that we can do it haven’t traveled to Colstrip. They haven’t stood in a pit where we’re actively mining, and then gone a quarter mile away and stood and [said], ‘look, this used to be the mine. And now, you can’t tell the difference between this terrain and the terrain around it.’ This is something that is substantially different.

OK, so it is clear that we can coal mine and we can do it responsibly, and we can replace it to its original circumstance.

All right, so what about the coal liquefaction itself? Well, those people who don’t like coal, they say, ‘Oh, but when you burn coal, you have all that mercury and sulphur that goes up the smokestack.’ There’s no smokestack in this process. This a chemical-physical process, under pressure, where you’re effectively removing the energy, and you can remove all the mercury and sulphur. None of it goes through a smokestack. There’s none. Zero.

The carbon dioxide? You know coal has a much higher predominance of carbon per unit of hydrogen than, for example, diesel and natural gas. So you end up with extra carbon. Instead of spewing it up a smokestack like you do when you burn coal, you’re able to remove it and pressurize the CO2 as pure CO2, and pump it back into the earth and sequester it. That is called Enhanced Oil Recovery, E.O.R., you pump it back into the earth at a place that is producing natural gas or oil, and what you do is, if you’re a thousand feet deep where you have your oil-bearing rock, you pump your carbon dioxide back down to that level, and it increases the pressure, and it increases the viscosity of the oil, makes it slicker, and you increase your oil recovery.

CFJ: What are the savings with coal liquefaction as opposed to importing oil?

SCHWEITZER: We can produce diesel in Montana from Montana coal for a dollar a gallon. And diesel costs two dollars a gallon. It’s there, we could do it for less money than by importing.

CFJ: Does that one-dollar per gallon factor-in set-up costs?

SCHWEITZER: Absolutely. The whole works.

CFJ: So, then, would you still tax just that dollar so that the consumer would receive a significant savings as well?

SCHWEITZER: Absolutely. Diesel, right now, for off-road diesel—which is the non-taxed diesel that you use not on the highway but if you have farm equipment or something—it sells for about $2, about $2.09 per gallon. On-road [diesel] is some $2.65 or something, because that’s your tax? I’m saying production costs, so if you sold the diesel, if there’s a 65-cent tax, you’d sell it at $1.65. But, the point is, we can do it for less than current prices in oil. And current has a big “C,” because before 9/11, oil was in the twenties. Now, that was 2001, that was over five years ago. And I’m saying we can do it for a dollar a gallon, that’s $40. See, so, even three years ago this process was unthinkable, economically, because of the price of oil.

Will the price of oil drop below $30 per barrel? I asked it out loud, I don’t know the answer for sure. But I think it doesn’t. And if that’s correct, then we better get going with this sort of a solution. And it’s not just [coal liquefaction], it’s wind power, it’s bio-diesel, it’s solar power. There have been quantum leaps forward in the technology to produce these energy sources. So, I challenge the premise… I challenge it as a political leader, and I challenge it even greater as a scientist.

In Part Two of CFJ’s conversation with Governor Schweitzer: Abortion & Privacy, So-called “Nativist” politics in Montana, Allocation of Montana’s tobacco settlement money, Schweitzer on the Montana Stream Access Law…

Larry Townsend is the rippling embodiment of a vanishing breed. A rancher at his core, he is a man characterizing western American cowboy principles and ethics. His collective moral and ethical standards and judgments have been shaped by the unfaltering exertion and astute creeds of his ranching ancestors.

Being a cowboy isn’t necessarily something he was born as, nor did it mature automatically – it was consciously developed. The maxims which he has adopted to guide his conduct have primarily been mandated by his environment, intuition and familial education.

With roots as deep and wide as an ancient tributary, four-generations deep to be precise (Great-grandfather “Boney” supplied horses to the US Calvary), Townsend tends and manages his ranch with utmost reverence and care. The exact date his ancestors took over the land, Townsend, 61, isn’t certain of, but he knows “it’s been a long time.” In fact, his great-grandpa’s water rights decree is stored in a safety deposit box not too far away.

“It’s in my blood,” said Larry, leaning forward, and putting his stout hands on the edge of the kitchen table, with a steaming mug of coffee in front of him. “It’s in my family’s blood. That’s why we’ve worked so hard, and for so little.”

“I wouldn’t trade it for anything else in life. As far as I’m concerned there are no other options. I’m living the option. In the whole country there are probably not more than 500 good cowboys left.”

Larry’s conversational style is rapid and aphoristic. Indeed, as a man with firm opinions, especially when the topic relates to agrarian interests, it seems there is no subject that he is tepid or apathetic towards.

“It’s hard to ranch ground in the Bitterroot today because an acre’s worth of property is selling for $60,000 dollars,” he said.

Undoubtedly, money isn’t the motivational force behind the Townsend Ranch. “If it was then we would have all sold out and moved away,” said Larry. His inspiration: the sincerely felt remembrance of his ancestors. Not only are they being remembered, but they are being respected by their distant descendant’s rightful cowboy living.

Some of those cowboy beliefs Larry is quick and willing to share: It’s not right to give lip service to what you believe in life – lead by your actions; how we act today, and every day for the rest of our lives, will define who we are. Physical or mental exertion in order to do, make, or accomplish something, builds character.

Putting in 16 to 18 hour days is the norm when it comes to ranch life. And a cowboy needs to be able to do it all, said Larry.

“It’s not just about riding a horse,” he said. “But you need to be able and doctor a calf, pull a colt, shoe a horse, fix a fence, and do everything else that’s done on a ranch.”

“What’s unique at our ranch here is that the cowboy does everything,” said Larry’s wife Janice, who added that there probably isn’t a similar ranch anywhere in the United States where the owners do all the training, the shoeing, the trimming, and the doctoring.

“95% percent of the work here is done ourselves. We are self-sufficient,” said Janice.

“Almost all of the horse ranches left in Montana belong to a handful of rich people who came to the area to live a hobby. They don’t have to make a living at it,” said Larry.

Darby, like the rest of Western Montana, has taken on a completely different form and appearance over the last few decades, continued Larry. It’s been transformed into a recreational Mecca for tourists and settling grounds for retirees, he said. The mills and the lumber industries have all passed out of existence, leaving no reliable source of industry to secure the area’s young people. Economically speaking, marketable timber has been replaced by the sprawl developers’ bulldozer.

“They slowly and methodically set out in the 1960s to knock Western Montana down and turn it into Montana National Park. It’s a done deal.”

“The only thing driving the economy in the Bitterroot is the housing boom,” continued Larry. “Take the housing boom out of the employment picture for the Bitterroot, and one- third of the people will have to move away.”

Casting all discussion about moribund industries and unshackled sprawl aside, the Townsend Ranch is nestled in a spectacular valley between the Bitterroot and Sapphire Mountain ranges. The 200 miles of topographically tough terrain surrounding the ranch includes, said Larry, “some places so beautiful and remote you’ll wonder how God put them there.”

Rodeo Days

The sport of rodeo is a natural magnet for independent-minded, individualistic competitors searching for physical and mental stimulation. Townsend summarizes the motivational force behind a career spanning the professional ranks of the rodeo circuit to national competitions in cowboy mounted shooting, using one word: adrenaline.

“There’s nothing like the thrill that comes from riding,” said Larry. “That rush that riding roughstock causes is big.”

In all three roughstock riding events, the cowboy must ride with one hand, and must not touch the horse or bull, their equipment or themselves with their “free hand” during the ride.

In dangerous rodeo realms you get paid only when you win, and your opponent often outweighs you ten to one, so you know there’s more to competing than just collecting the cash. However, while rodeo regulations and rules haven’t deviated, the money that a winning participant garners has increased greatly.

“When I was rodeoing that’s what we did for a living was rodeo,” said Larry, who added that rodeo cowboys back in his time paid their own traveling expenses and doctor bills.

Townsend has competed in other events on a national level. One event, known as cowboy mounted shooting, is a lot like barrel racing but with balloons in between the barrels. The rider shoots black powder blank cartridges from .45 caliber pistols, at balloons, and is scored on accuracy and time.

The Townsend Ranch

Today, Larry is a highly regarded horse trainer and breeder, locally and internationally. In fact, tomorrow, the Townsend Ranch will host a weekend horsemanship and cattle working clinic. Last year, 16 of Larry’s horses were involved in competitions throughout the world. “One should never underestimate a horse’s abilities to communicate,” he said. Horses are sophisticated in their skill to express themselves (using body and facial language), not only with each other but also with other animals and humans.

Respected as someone who can turn a previously unmanageable horse into a docile and well-behaved one in a matter of hours, Larry preaches patience, firmness and a real affection for horses. 

Horses learn through repetition, he said

“You have to present the same material over and over again. And as the horse learns the material it will gain confidence.”

Hollywood has made horse-whispering look foolishly simple, he said. “Now, people just print up a business card and claim to be a horse expert. That’s not reality. A good horse takes lots of hard work. There’s no substitute for it. You can whisper to the horse until your head falls off, but you need to prepare for hard work.”

Being able to read a horse, by looking at things from the animal’s perspective, is one of the most important attributes of a fine trainer. “If you can’t understand what the horse is saying, how can you approach the problem?”

Some horses, said Larry, will always be looking for a way out of things instead of a way to get things done. “For a horse like that, I’ll work it until he tells me what he likes, and then I’ll take him in that direction. Whether he wants to be a roping horse, a sorting horse, or a riding horse – I’ll find it out.”

For Larry, the most enjoyable aspect of ranching life is that he wakes up every morning and does what he wants to do on his own schedule. One thing established beyond doubt or question is, regardless of what hour he rises, or what time he starts working, he’ll call it quitting time when there’s no more slogging left to be had.

And it’s guaranteed that Larry Townsend will be thinking about the folks from whom this great, precious ranch has been inherited.

“You know, I don’t even own this ground right here. I’m just its caretaker until the next generation comes along and tends to it.”

Mac McQuaid’s environmental footprints are skimpy. Practicing steady work, a fair amount of research and abundant ingenuity, he has implemented measures minimizing his ecological imprints. McQuaid’s living situation demonstrates that, with ample determination and thoughtful planning, it’s possible to find more renewable, environmentally friendly ways to meet at least a portion of your heating requirements. For almost two years, he has lived “off-the-grid,” paying few or no utility bills, not hooked up to power.

“It’s a quieter and more easygoing life,” said McQuaid. “But it’s really not for everybody.”

“I’ve found that there are a lot of people talking about living this sort of life, except few are willing to make the lifestyle changes necessary to do it.”

McQuaid’s Corvallis residence is constructed in a “passive solar design” using the regular movement of heat and air to sustain comfortable temperatures. Passive solar is achieved by maximizing the assets of sunlight, and then blending such assets with typical construction characteristics; this type of architecture functions with little or no mechanical assistance.

To benefit the most from your passive solar home, McQuaid offers a suggestion - envision yellow and radiant. Not only can the sun heat and cool your home, it can help reduce its energy use. The energy from the sun, said McQuaid, can make your home enjoyable all-year round by capturing the sun’s rays and using them for warmth.

Taking advantage of local breezes and landscape attributes such as shade trees and windbreaks, passive solar uses a straightforward system to collect and store solar energy without switches or controls.

Now that he lives off-the-grid, McQuaid, 69, is even more mindful about power usage and power management concepts. He has removed or no longer uses any item with an electric heating component. That means no microwave, no heating elements, no electric iron or toaster, and no electric stove.

“We’ve been so spoiled when it comes to the availability of cheap power for so long,” said McQuaid, who has spent more than a little time mulling over the potential havoc that could be wreaked by acute power shortages. “Most folks never even give energy usage a second thought.”

“With this type of arrangement, if you leave the lights on and go out to the movies, when you come back you’ll have no power.”

It’s not necessarily less expensive to make such a lifestyle choice, said McQuaid. In fact, he said, the cost is nearly identical to staying on-the-grid, and that even if a tiny bit of money is saved via this lifestyle “it’s only a drop in the ocean.”

To take less of a toll on the planet is McQuaid’s reason for swapping energy experiences. Even though building a passively designed solar home takes careful forethought, the task is relatively uncomplicated, said McQuaid. Construction of such a residence can be done by applying basic solar design principles, like using overhangs.

Overhangs are effective and inexpensive shade design elements that McQuaid included in his home. During the summer, when the sun is soaring in the sky, the overhangs shade the room completely. In the winter, when the sun is not high, the overhangs normally allow the full sun to enter, warming the air, as well as the floors and walls.

“The overhang determines the amount of sunlight coming in throughout the year,” said McQuaid. “There’s more sunlight here in the winter. The sun barely makes it in during the summer.”

But, said McQuaid, passive solar living isn’t simply a question of throwing up solar panels and switching on the thermostat. High voltage has zapped a few of his computers and appliances over the years.

”There’s a lot of trial and error involved,” he said of his alternative housing arrangement.

The design and build of McQuaid’s home is what he calls “standard construction”: windows are designed to maximize solar gains as a method of helping heat the house; dish, shower, sink, and laundry water, known as “gray water,” is reused for other purposes, most notably landscape irrigation. It’s a waste, he said, to irrigate with generous quantities of drinking water because plants thrive on used water containing little bits of compost.

In addition to exercising concentrated gardening methods, McQuaid uses compact fluorescent, high-efficiency lights in his home, and he estimates such lamps use 75 % less energy than their incandescent equivalents.

Biodiesel consciousness

For mechanical energy, McQuaid uses a 700-hundred pound, single-cylinder Lister diesel engine, which devours vegetable oil based fuel, or biodiesel. Biodiesel is a renewable alternative fuel derived mostly from soy; however, recycled veggie oil grease, algae and other compounds may be used.

Once filtered and refined, it can run any diesel powered vehicle, like McQuaid’s older model Mercedes, without any modification.

“Biodiesel has the potential to reduce carbon dioxide so much more than petroleum diesel,” said McQuaid.

“It’s non-toxic and can be stored wherever petroleum diesel is stored. It handles like diesel. Plus, biodiesel exhaust is less offensive to the environment. It’s pretty neat stuff.”

Often compared to the smell of French fries, biodiesel is made through a chemical process whereby glycerin is separated from the fat or vegetable oil. The process leaves behind two products: methyl esters (the chemical name for biodiesel) and glycerin (a byproduct which McQuaid uses as soap).

While McQuaid is an unrelenting advocate of this rapidly-growing, alternative fuel source, he does caution folks that biodiesel “is absolutely guaranteed to spill all over the floor and make a big mess.”

“So don’t try to make it in the kitchen or your wife will be upset with you.”

McQuaid makes his biodiesel from the recycled fryer oil he gathers from local restaurants and grocery stores. In fact, Super One Foods in Stevensville called this morning, letting him know the goods are ready to be picked up. He estimates he gets 3 to 4 hours of production per gallon, and uses around 50 gallons a week.

McQuaid said that he has always enjoyed fixing and experimenting with machines and their parts. He has always loved to fiddle, create and mend. For him, living off-the-grid is something pleasant, not the least bit routine or monotonous.

“You see, everybody has something that they like to do in life. I believe that this is a fun way to live.”

What would St. Patrick’s Day be like without a parade? Bagpipers, giant Irish wolfhounds, clever floats or grown men dashing about in tiny cars would certainly be missed, as would the delighted children and adults alike. Why, that thought of missing those events is enough to make one turn a smidge green! Fortunately, Missoulians don’t have to fret - thanks to the members of the local Ancient Order of Hibernians (A.O.H.), who make the long green procession possible.

Though the Missoula Chapter of A.O.H. is relatively new (it was e stablished in 1994), the Order, which is the oldest Irish Catholic fraternal organization in America, has been around a while. The American A.O.H. was founded in New York City in 1836, but its roots can be traced back to Ireland as far back as 1641. The Protestant Reformation sent Irish Catholics into the underground where they secretly practiced their faith. Secret societies arose from the suppressed Irish, such as the Ribbonmen, Whiteboys, Defenders, and the Hibernians Sick. Their goal was simple: protect their heritage, language, traditions - and most of all - their religion.

When millions of Irish immigrated to America, they naturally brought with them their traditions and religion, but they also met with the same stereotypes and cultural bigotry they had left behind. Anti-Catholicism was rife in America for the Irish from the get-go. The Irish faced violence and denigration from organizations such as the “Know Nothings,” and the need for a protection sprang American’s rendition of the Hibernians into action.

The Ancient Order of Hibernians then became a sort of guardian of the American Irish. They assisted the new immigrants in obtaining jobs and social services, and essentially became protectors of their Irish heritage in America.

In 1853, the Order was chartered by New York State and also appeared in its first St. Patrick’s Day parade. From then on, the Hibernians played a dominant role in the parade and ultimately assumed total responsibility for it. Through the years, that role was expanded to other chapters of A.O.H. throughout our country, including Missoula’s.

Missoula’s Saint Patrick’s Day parade has evolved into a marvelous event. On St. Patrick’s Day (March 17th) at 4:00 about 40 entries will streak the road green as they parade from the Circle Square downtown all the way to Beckwith. The Hibernians, along with some generous merchants, pick up the tab for the whole thing. It’s more spendy than you think. The City of Missoula requires insurance for the event, and payment is expected for the barricades and the extra police officers needed.

The Hibernians head the parade with their banner and hand out oodles of candy to excited youngsters. Following them is the Grand Marshal and then the Irish Man and Woman of the year. Bagpipers play away and their music can put both a smile on your face and chills on running up and down your back. Children often join in the parade and its not uncommon to have a few green-clad pooches wagging along. It is certainly what makes St. Patrick’s Day feel right.

But, A.O.H. does so much more than sponsor a great parade.

In 1994, Dexter Delaney got the wheels in motion for the Missoula Chapter of A.O.H., which is now known as the Phil Maloney Division of A.O.H. It serves Missoula and the surrounding areas that stretch as far as Hamilton. As with other A.O.H. chapters, Missoula’s Order is dedicated to the preservation of Irish culture and to the support of political issues concerning all people of Irish descent.

The Missoula Hibernians have been active since its formation doing fundraising and volunteerism for Project Children. Project Children is an organization that strives to improve relations and build friendships between the Catholic and Protestant children of Ireland. Funds are raised to bring Irish children from troubled areas of Ireland to America for the summer, where they will stay with a host family.

The general concept is to give a child a break from the violence and fear he or she routinely faces at home. Hopefully, kids can learn they can be friends with someone they thought of as an enemy.

Since the formation of Project Children in 1975, over 14,000 Irish children have participated in the program. Many have been guests in Missoula. This program works. One testament to the success of Project Children is that its founder, Denis Mulcahy, a New York City police officer, had been nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize.

The Missoula A.O.H. members also regularly donate their services to clean up a two-mile stretch of Highway 200 (by mile marker 20), and distribute teddy bears to low-income and homeless children.

To be a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, you must be Catholic, have some Irish blood coursing through your veins, and be a male over 16 years old. (Although there is the Ladies Auxiliary to the A.O.H. - formed in 1894 in Nebraska - there is currently no chapter in the Missoula area.) For information on how to join or to check out activities, their website is: www.missoula.aoh.org.

Erin Go Bragh!

My interpretation of the word “dog” is “a life with purpose and meaning, born pure and true... a faithful companion to the end who enjoys the best things about life and is willing to share them with anyone interested.”  What a wonderful gift of giving! A dog enjoys giving his ALL to anyone, but mostly his unconditional love and dedication to his owner.

Other than the human, there are not many animals in this world that are so responsive, willing and dedicated. One could say Love, Peace, and Joy are qualities inherent in the dog at birth. It becomes the owner’s responsibility to take these wonderful traits and, without corruption, let them blossom under guidance and direction.

It is important to understand that certain criteria are required to promote the dog’s inborn persona to its  fullest. Over the years I’ve developed a list of personal observations about dogs.  Some of my ideas have come from experience, others from close observation. I would like to share some of these with you.

Provide the dog with a comfortable bed for sleeping. Expose the dog to as many different places or environments as possible.  Provide nurturing and care. Develop the unbreakable bond on which the dog thrives. The face of a dog is for massaging only. The primary purpose of the tail is to wag. A dog usually decides NOT to verbalize his judgment on most humans, and some might even be deemed non-judgmental. Some dogs are very dedicated to their work but they never bring their work home with them. Ultimately, even working dogs would rather play than work.

The dog is the epitome of working hard and playing hard. Most dogs offer their comforting ear(s) to listen. Has a dog ever looked at you when you’re getting ready to do or say something with a look of certainty or perhaps uncertainty? It’s almost like they know what you are saying or doing, and perhaps in some ways they might be doing exactly that. Surly, if they could talk they would say something interesting. The dog is a wonderful animal wanting to perform his tasks by reflecting what the owner teaches. In some ways, he acts as a disciple by displaying the owner’s best qualities and characteristics. So to some, the dog’s gift is a gift you may give to others just by having them in the company of your dog. Dogs love kids primarily because they share that same innocence and love of life.

However, both need guidance and teaching. Both love to frolic in the snow and want to come in by the fire when they are cold. Dogs seem to favor lonely children and they make good “best friends.” There are many messages to others from this interpretation of canine behavior. Yes, the dog offers these gifts to all who are willing to listen, even though the dog has never said a word.

David “Dogman” Riggs is the owner of Montana Retrievers. If you have any questions, comments, or inspirations you may contact him via emal at riggs@montanaretrievers.com <mailto:riggs@montanaretrievers.com> or call 406-859-LABS (5227)

Each year our seasons can be a bit different. Last year we had a very early Skwalla Stone fly hatch and ran our first float trip the 7th of March. Everything was pointing to another early hatch for 2006 and then we had a very bitter cold spell with sub-zero temperatures and who knows what the effect will be on our beloved skwalla flys. For those who don’t know, the Skwalla stone fly is our first major dry fly hatch of the year. It historically takes place with the first warm days of late February, to mid March and can last till late April early May. This is all dependent on Mother Nature. Under the wrong conditions we could have an early run-off and significantly change our spring fishery.

We are building an excellent snow pack in the high country this winter with well over 100%. With the amount of snow pack we have, this spring’s run-off could be significant. All that aside, the water flows should be good this year and more of an average to excellent fishing year for our Western Montana lakes, rivers, and streams.

There has been lots of cabin fever around our shop, and much anticipation of what’s coming. Guides are getting impatient. Their Rafts, Drift boats, and equipment have been checked and double checked. Required licenses, insurance, permits, First Aid cards, CPR training (not required, but most guides have it), Outfitter endorsements, etc., must be properly completed. As you can see the off season for Montana Guides and Outfitters is still busy with much preparation time required for the up coming season. As with the Guides and Outfitters we must all ready our gear.

The new season will be upon us very soon. One last tip. “Skwalla” time is coming, but never forget the other flys for this time of year. Very productive days can be experienced with flys such as “March Browns”, “Capnia”, “Nemoura”, and our shop favorite for this time of year, a double bead peacock stone in # 10 with a one foot dropper with a #16 Bill’s attacker, or a small light pink egg. This is fished under astrike indicator at varied depths. “Experiment” !!!

I really hope we’ll be reporting the great Skawalla hatch in next month’s issue.

Best Fishes, Dick Galli

Dick Galli is the owner of The Flyfishing Center in Hamilton. In addition to offering a fully-functioning fly-shop, Galli specializes in custom fishing rods and repairs, and holds fly tying and rod building classes. He can be reached at 363-3801.

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