Keeping Out State Parks on a Solid Foundation!

Episode Transcript
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Rigger (01:13):
Thank you very much, Manny, and welcome, welcome into
the Montana Outdoor Podcaststudio.
So glad you chose us to explorea part of Montana's great
outdoors today.
I wanna give a special welcometo our men and women of the
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world.
Listening to this podcast.
Uh, we are indeed honored tohave so many of you all around,

(01:36):
uh, the world.
Listening to us.
It's, uh, it's just great tohave you here and I hope this
brings a little bit of home backto you.
Uh, there are so many of youthat are from Montana and are
deployed around the world, so,just great to have you.
Thank you also to our wonderfulveterans for your service as
well to our great country.
Um, ask a quick favor of all ofyou that are listening right

(02:00):
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(02:22):
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(02:42):
uh, okay.
I do have a Face Four radio.
Uh, so anyway, check that out.
Uh, now I wanna bring in our,our guest here, uh, today.
Um, and I'm gonna butcher yourlast name, so I'm just gonna ask
you, uh, to pronounce it for me.
Uh, Megan, how do you say yourlast name, just so I don't miss

(03:03):
it up?
Say

Megan (03:05):
Like a big pen.

Rigger (03:07):
Bicking.
Okay.
See, I, I would've, I would'vemessed it up.
Okay.

Megan (03:11):
I usually do too.

Rigger (03:14):
Uh.
but, uh, today we have MeganBicking, and she is the
executive Director of theMontana State Parks Foundation.
And I love the way the MontanaState Parks Foundation's website
introduces us to Megan.
it, it really shows howpassionate she is about the
great state of Montana.
Uh, she came, well, here, let,let me just read it to you that

(03:36):
that's the best way.
says this, Meghan's passion foroutdoor recreation, conservation
and advocacy began during herupbringing between, between the
Adirondack State Park and theSt.
Lawrence River.
That's in upstate New York withdreams of skiing, hiking, and
rafting on the Gallatin.

(03:57):
Megan and her now husband, Alex,moved to Montana on New Year's
Day in 2008 with little morethan a thousand dollars and a
red Jeep and a golden retriever.
Uh, I, I just love that it, itreally shows what kind of person
is and the passion and all that.

(04:18):
So, um, it's been a ride, a longride in your, uh, red Jeep with
your doggy and your, yourhusband.
Uh, but we're glad you're here,Megan.
And, and what, what brought youNew York, uh, it is had to be
the, the, as I love to call it,the mystical, magical place

(04:41):
called Montana.
It seems like the further awaysomeone is from the state, the
more and magical it becomes.
Uh, I think that's why we haveso many people from, we're now
in, what is it, over 60countries in, about 1900
different cities around theworld that listen.

(05:02):
So

Megan (05:03):
Wow.

Rigger (05:04):
people out there in the world, uh, are fascinated with
us.
Um, in fact, we have a lot of,um, outfitters and guides in
Africa that listen to thepodcast and are just fascinated
by the animals We hunt

Megan (05:20):
Oh, interesting.

Rigger (05:21):
and

Megan (05:21):
There's so much that draws people to Montana.

Rigger (05:24):
when.
On, uh, you know, email and thatI always say, well, you think
our animals are interesting.
I think the stuff you guys havethere is just, you know, people
that go on these, uh,photography safaris and the,

Megan (05:38):
Mm-hmm.

Rigger (05:39):
that they go see.
It just blows me away.
But I guess, you know, when it'ssomething different.
Anyway, um, so, uh, you, youcame from back east, you got

Megan (05:49):
Mm-hmm.

Rigger (05:50):
uh, you

Megan (05:52):
Okay.

Rigger (05:52):
then we'll get into the Montana State Parks Foundation.

Megan (05:56):
Okay, cool.
So yeah, I grew up on theCanadian border in upstate New
York.
Um, a lot of times when peoplehear New York, I have to clarify
upstate New York and then I haveto clarify again the Canadian
border because it's verydifferent than what someone
might assume.
When you say New York, it's veryrural, um, rustic and really

(06:17):
nice in upstate New York.

Rigger (06:19):
Yeah,

Megan (06:19):
yeah, I spent a lot of time, I spent a lot of time in
the Adirondack Park.
Um, but I spent a lot more timeactually on the St.
Lawrence River, which is closeto where I grew up, um,
especially at Wellesley IslandState Park.
I always think about that nowthat I have this really strong
state park tie and I spent.
So much time as a little kid onWellesley Island, just running
around the trails with myparents.

(06:40):
Um, I have a lot of fondmemories and I think that's
really where it started for me.
Like just that very accessiblefront country recreation was the
kinda stuff that I did as a kid.
We weren't doing like majorbackpacking trips or anything
like that.
We were going to state parks,local campgrounds going swimming
in the rivers, um, you know,watching black bears eat our
food off the picnic table andthings like that.

(07:03):
So yeah, that was just a majorpart of my life growing up.
I, I guess I might've taken itfor granted to be honest.
I never really thought about itas a special thing, but, you
know, growing up in upstate NewYork and then being able to move
out here to Montana, um, I'mreally blessed.
I'm really, really glad with theamount of nature that's in my
life.
It's, it's been an amazingthing.

(07:24):
Um, yeah, so when I moved here,that is a true, that is a very
accurate and very true story.
I.
Um, my boyfriend and I, Alex, myhusband now.
Um, it all worked out.
Thankfully.

Rigger (07:36):
yeah.

Megan (07:36):
We, uh, packed up and moved right outta college.
We didn't have jobs.
We didn't have a place to live.
We lived in a super eight inBozeman, um, and it was 2008.
We were 21.
We didn't have much to lose andwe really wanted to go skiing,

Rigger (07:50):
Yeah.

Megan (07:52):
so we really moved here to be ski bums.
Um, just like a lot of peoplehave.
But I think we played our cardsreally well.
Um, we got jobs.
I spent about 10 years as ateacher and in that time I did a
lot of volunteer work, um, withoutdoor recreation groups.
I did three years as a mentor atBYEP, which is the Big Sky Youth
Empowerment group.

(08:13):
And they bring at-risk kids outinto, out, mostly skiing, but
out into the woods and justdoing a lot of cool recreation
stuff, um, as.
Kind of a way to just enhancetheir lives and give them
confidence.
And that was a super impactful,um, experience for me as a
younger mentor.
It was huge.
It was kind of directed my wholelife, to be honest.
Um, I also worked at a lot ofsummer camps as a teacher.

(08:36):
I worked in, um, fishing shop,and then I also worked as a
backpacking guide, which wasanother hugely impactful
experience.
45 days of backpacking willchange a person and I think for
the better.
Yeah.
So, um, I kind of made a tran,uh, career transition somewhere
in there and moved to thenonprofit realm.
Um, my first role in nonprofitswas managing educational

(08:58):
programming and also public artinstallations, which is where I
really got a feel for projectmanagement and working with, um,
landowners and the localgovernment or municipalities,
whatever.
and then from there I kind oflanded my dream job at Montana
State Parks Foundation and I'vebeen here going on, this is
gonna be the beginning of mythird year, and it's been a wild

(09:22):
ride.
I drank outta the fire hose fora long time, and it's been
really exciting.
It's, it's a really cool placeto be working.

Rigger (09:29):
Yeah.
Well, I, I have a love affairwith Montana State Parks.
Uh, I think we are so fortunatethat we have 56 state parks to,
to go to.
but the State Parks Foundation,the organization that you're
with that is different than theMontana State Parks.

(09:52):
Correct.
So tell us about the foundationand how it differs, but how you
guys all work together.

Megan (09:58):
Yeah, for sure.
Um, and that's a question I geta lot because it's a little
confusing.
Um, we're the Montana StateParks Foundation, so that means
we're the official nonprofitpartner of the Montana State
Parks.
So we're not part of the stategovernment.
We're completely separate.
We're an independent 5 0 1 C3,um, and we're really a very
small grassroots organization.

(10:19):
We're relatively new.
We were founded in 2015 with thegoal of, um, raising private
support for projects at stateparks that were outside of state
park budgets.
So being, being that entity thatcould show up and help find
funding or advocate for thestate parks in ways that the,
the state itself could not,

Rigger (10:40):
Hmm.

Megan (10:42):
So the way that we work is we collaborate really, really
closely with the FWP,specifically the people working
in the parks administration andalso the park staffs themselves.
Um, so what we do is basicallywe have a lot of conversations,
ongoing emails, um, aboutdifferent projects that we could
prioritize and work on together.

(11:02):
And from there we kind of comeup with project plans and on our
end we seek out funding orwhatever kind of support is
needed and make those projectshappen.

Rigger (11:11):
Oh, that's great.
one of the things that hasalways amazed me about Montana
State Parks is, as I was saying,just how many of'em there is

Megan (11:21):
Mm-hmm.

Rigger (11:22):
of them.
So, so many of them.
Uh, what what's incredible isthey're

Megan (11:30):
Mm-hmm.

Rigger (11:31):
affordable.
I mean, you, these are very niceparks.
They're, they're more than just,you know, a place to, to pitch a
tent.
I mean, some of'em have fullservices, all that, uh, even
like guided tours, guestspeakers, I mean, the list goes
on and on.
are, these are really well doneparks.

Megan (11:55):
Mm-hmm.

Rigger (11:55):
Now all of it, like I said, is very reasonably priced
and in some cases even free.

Megan (12:02):
Mm-hmm.

Rigger (12:02):
they afford to do all that?
Uh, that's what amazes me.
I assume that's where theMontana State Parks Foundation
comes in.
Am

Megan (12:12):
Yeah, I can break, I can kind of break it all down for
you.
We serve a very kind of specificrole, um, but I think to explain
that I should probably talkabout how the state parks
themselves are funded.
So there's a couple different,um, funding sources for the
state parks themselves.
So the first one, um, that Ireally think people should be

(12:32):
aware of, and I'm sure that theyare, is the$9, um, vehicle
registration fee.
So when you go to register yourvehicle, there's that like
optional checkbox to um, youknow, contribute$9 to the state
parks.
And that's actually a verysignificant funding source and a
relatively new funding sourcefor the state parks.
Um.
They also generate their ownrevenue.

(12:55):
So like you were just describingthings like camping fees and um,
special permits or rentals,things like that.
Um, program fees, like the cavetours at the caverns.
Um, all of those things generaterevenue for the parks, and
that's another major gener or,um, major source of revenue for
them.
There's also some dedicatedrevenue sources that are a

(13:15):
little bit different.
Um, and they are things like thecoal severance tax revenue and
the marijuana tax revenue.
Um, marijuana tax revenue was areally big issue in the current
or.
The just wrapped up legislativesession, that funding was
actually at risk of beingremoved from state parks and
other outdoor conservationefforts.

(13:36):
And us, along with a lot ofother groups, fought pretty hard
in the legislature to keep thatfunding and we won.
So we're really happy to reportthat all of the advocacy that we
did in the legislature helpedkeep some of that funding with
the parks, which is one of themajor things that we do is, um,
advocating for park funding andthen somebody.

(13:57):
Well, you know, I think there'sa lot of different reasons, um,
that it could have been removed.
What was being proposed wasreallocating that funding to,
um, law enforcement services.
I don't really have the entirebackground.
It's another, obviously verycritical and important service,
but there was a lot of other,other funding sources available

(14:18):
for that.
And so we fought really hard tokeep it with the state parks
because while we recognize theimportance of law enforcement
obviously is critical, um, youknow, that that money was
intended for the parks and wereally wanted it to stay there
because the parks are, to behonest, have very minimal, um,
operating budgets for the parksthemselves throughout the year.
And I can actually give you anexample of that and, and kind of

(14:40):
that'll segue into the work wedo.
So.
Here's a small example.
So there is a state park up onWhitefish Lake called Les Mason
State Park.
And a couple years ago there wasthis really popular swim dock,
like the kind that you swim outto, like kids swim out to, and
they sit on it and they jumpoff.
People really love this dock.
Like I get it.

(15:00):
Those are, those are docks aresuper fun.
But the dock itself had degradedto the point that it wasn't
safe.
There was like holes in it andit had to be removed.
Um, so they removed the dock acouple years ago and then
everyone was really sad.
Understandably the dock wasgone, the actual cost of
replacing the dock exceeded theentire park's operating budget.

(15:20):
And so it was just, yeah, it wasjust not feasible for them to
replace the doc on a quicktimeline.
It, you know, it's somethingthat they, I'm sure over years
could have gotten the fundstogether to do.
But you know, right in themoment, the next year the,
everyone was super sad nothaving that doc.
Um, and we actually had avolunteer step up and say, Hey,

(15:40):
I really wanna see this doc comeback.
Is there a way that.
Um, I can volunteer with you andhelp fundraise, like is there
something we could do?
And from there we startedtalking with the park staff and
we brought the concept to thepark administration and got the
thumbs up to go ahead with it.
We did a crowdsourcing stylefundraiser and we raised enough
money to replace that dock inabout a month.
Um, so the dock is back.

(16:00):
We're celebrating it this year.
And that's just a good exampleof the kind of work that we
could do on a small, like thesmaller scale type of project
that we can do.
But that, that idea, thatconcept that of stepping in when
the state.
For whatever reason, can't, um,fund a certain project.
Um, so that applies all the wayup to a recent half million

(16:22):
project, half million dollarproject that we did at Fort
Owen.
Same concept.
Um, the, the smallest park, thesmall state park in Montana, a
really great historical site,but it was pretty, um, run down.
There was really bad access.
The, the road to the park waspretty poorly accessible.
There was one parking spot, soit's not like you could bring
school tours there or anything.

(16:44):
And we were able to securefunding to, uh, help build a
parking lot, help do a major,major preservation project with
help from the friends of FortOwen, which is a friends group.
And, um, we also did a majorinterpretive project there and
we are telling the true story ofFort Owen and all of that
wouldn't have been possible withthe base budget for Fort Owen.

(17:04):
We really had to bring in theoutside funding to make that
kind of next level, um, parkexperience happen.
So that's basically what we do.

Rigger (17:12):
I.
love this because this is thekind of thing, um, people need
to hear about because so oftenpeople think, oh, well it's just
all, you know, funded by our taxdollars.
So, you know, they just need todeal with it and all that.
They don't realize that fundingisn't there.

(17:32):
And instead of people justcomplaining about it, folks like
you say, now we're gonna find away.
And you do.
And, and that's, that's what'sgreat about it.
And the people that benefit arethose that then wanna come to
our state parks.
Uh, you know, like the exampleabout that doc kids are jumping
and playing and swimming anddoing all that instead of

(17:54):
sitting at home and, andwatching a video game.
So, uh, you know, it's thanks toorganizations like this that,
that say, no, we'll, we'llfigure it out.
We'll get it done.
And they do.
And that's what's so important.
Uh, and I just.
We, these are the kind of thingsthat we need to know more about,
and I hope our listeners willreally take some time you're

(18:18):
listening to this, to research,uh, this organization.
Uh, up on your screen, you'regonna see, um, a link to that,
of course, in the podcastdescription, there'll be a link
to it as well.
You can click on that and go tothe Montana State Parks
Foundation website and look atit.
So as we go along, get to knowthis, this organization.

(18:40):
So, let's get into, um, some ofyour current projects.
You've already talked about acouple of them, and now I don't
know if we're gonna be able toget to all of them because you
guys got a lot going on, whichis great.
Megan, you have been very busy,

Megan (18:58):
I have, you're right.

Rigger (18:59):
I'm sure we're gonna be bugging you to come back again
and, and all that.
So, uh, I'm just gonna turn youloose.
Why don't you go through some

Megan (19:07):
Okay.

Rigger (19:07):
projects that are going on.

Megan (19:09):
Okay.
Um, is a dangerous thing to turnme loose, but I'll go for it.
So I actually just wanna talkabout two of our major projects
that we have going on that aremultifaceted.
So the first one is, um, ournewest state park, Judith
Landing State Park.
And, um, I will, um, show somebeautiful pictures of this new

(19:31):
site to your listeners becauseit's such an incredible place.
I'm so excited about this newpark.
Um, let me tell you a little bitabout it.
So.
Over the past couple years, wehave been having some
conversations with the state andAmerican Prairie about, um,
donating this parcel of land.
It's been a pretty long, lengthyprocess, um, getting it all set
up.

(19:51):
And back in December, we wereable to partner with American
Prairie to donate 106 acres tocreate a new state park.
So, um, the 106 acres is nowstate park land.
It was accepted by the statepark, um, parks and Recreation
Board back in December.
And.
It's open to the public, butit's not quite developed yet.

(20:13):
They've added, they've startedto do a little bit of the
development work and we are ableto, um, appeal to the Montana
legislature to requestdevelopment funding for the new
park, and it was approved.
We're hoping it goes through thegovernor's office soon, so we
know a hundred percent that thatfunding will be there.
But something that we are doingfrom the foundation's end is
looking at what are thosepotential, um, pieces of

(20:36):
development of the new park thatcould kind of elevate it to that
next level, that next level ofvisitor experience.
And one of the most interestingthings about that park, um, is
actually the historical context.
As a river person, I initiallywas like, oh my goodness,
Missouri breaks, like, get me onthat river.
It's the headwaters or theconfluence of the Judith and the

(20:56):
Missouri.
So it's a super amazing, amazingriver access site that's gonna
be a major draw for people.
And initially that's what I wasthe most excited about, but once
I started reading about thehistory of the site, I was like,
whoa, this is.
This is an important site that alot of people don't know much
about.
Um, and that's one of the, thekind of the main reason that we

(21:17):
all agreed that it should be astate park because the state can
do such a lovely job of managingthat resource and conducting
proper research and preservationefforts.
So it was really a dream cometrue to have this, um, entered
into the state park system.
So what we're working on now isworking with some, um, new
partners.
We're seeking out new partnersto help fund historic
preservation and interpretationefforts.

(21:39):
So I'll tell you a little bitabout the history'cause it's
super cool.
Um, and I will also share somepictures to go along with it.

Rigger (21:45):
you mentioned, uh, the governor and, um, the, both the
governor and the first lady ofour state listened to this
podcast.
So you're talking to him rightnow.
So.

Megan (21:57):
Oh yeah.

Rigger (21:57):
Uh,

Megan (21:58):
Good, good day.
Governor Gianforte, he's been a,he's been a wonderful supporter
of the work we've doneparticularly, um, the
accessibility work we've done.
He's come out and, um, testedout some of the equipment that
we've donated and, um, it's beena, I had a great time working
with Governor Gianforte on, um,the Missouri Headwaters Project

(22:19):
as well.

Rigger (22:20):
Yeah.
He's, he's been a, a, a frequentguest here on the podcast and,
and, um, both he and his wifeare, are very much outdoor
folks, as we say.
So,

Megan (22:30):
Yes, they're, yes.

Rigger (22:30):
listen up gov because, uh, Megan's got some cool stuff
for you to hear about

Megan (22:36):
Yeah.
Um, so yeah, let me tell youabout the history here.
I'll kind of just cover thebullet points because there's so
much, um, every time I talk tothe archeologist from the FWP,
it's like a, you know, it, wecould talk for hours about it
'cause it's so interesting.
But, so I'll start with thebeginning.
So it's a really critical siteof indigenous history.
There were important treatiesthere and, um, just a lot of

(22:59):
indigenous history that needs tobe researched and discovered and
the have the story told.
It was also, um, Montana's firstmilitary outpost outpost.
Um, camp Cook and Camp Claggettwere located there.
It also has the steamship andferry history, which I don't
actually know that much about,but it's a really striking image
to see a steamship ferry in themiddle of the Missouri River.

(23:22):
It's pretty cool.
Um, the historic PN Ranch wasone of Montana's first cattle,
large cattle operations.
And actually on the site there'sstill the PN mansion, um, which
is just a beautiful historicbuilding, um, that we're really
hoping to preserve and make moreaccessible to visitors.
Currently it's all boarded up,um, is a beautiful structure

(23:43):
still, but it's not quite readyfor people to enter.
So we're really hoping ourefforts will help make it, um,
more accessible.
And then the other thing that'sjust a cherry on top is it's
also the site of the first ddinosaur fossil discovery in
Montana.
It's got everything.
It's got everything

Rigger (23:59):
Wow.

Megan (24:00):
I.

Rigger (24:01):
Yeah, you know, the, the, uh, the, the steam ships
that came up, uh, before the,you know, dams and all that
stuff, uh, Fort Benton, Montanawas the last stop that as far as
you could go north.
So you could actually startfrom, uh, new Orleans and go all
the way up to Fort Benton,Montana.

(24:22):
So Mississippi, up to theMissouri and, and on in, and
that was a popular way totravel, uh, to, to get up to
Montana.
And that was even way before wewere a state.
So anyway, a little

Megan (24:34):
I wonder how long that would take,

Rigger (24:35):
boy.

Megan (24:36):
like, yeah.
I have no concept of how longthat would take years.

Rigger (24:42):
back, back in those days, that was pretty fast, you
know?
Uh,'cause your alternative wasriding a horse or walking.
Um, and so it, it got you aroundpretty quick.
But, uh, anyway, this, this newstate park.
This is exciting because, uh,you know, state parks serve a
lot of different, uh, purposes.
Uh, for a lot of our listenerswho, uh, love to hunt and fish,

(25:05):
a lot of them stay at stateparks.
And I mean, a lot of ourlisteners use state parks
because they are usually theclosest to where you like to
hunt and, and fish and all that.
Um, they're very affordable and,um, great to work with.
So, uh, the more of these thatwe bring on board, but then.

(25:25):
As things time has gone on,we've found that these state
parks have this great history.
So it's so neat to hear thatwe've got a new one with this
incredible history.
So is it, so would this benumber 56 or would this be 57
Now?

Megan (25:41):
I think that this one's 56.
I get a little bit confusedabout that.
I'm pretty sure that I go backand forth between 56, 57.
I think it's 56 though.
I think this one's 56.

Rigger (25:51):
55 before, so

Megan (25:53):
Hmm.

Rigger (25:54):
fantastic.
So, um, you guys, what, what areyour plans as far as, I mean,
how soon do you think you'll beable to start getting some of
these type of, uh, I, I imaginethis is gonna take a lot of
construction in that to startputting up some of this stuff.

Megan (26:12):
Yeah.
The, the plans for the park.
So this is, um, I guess animportant thing to keep in mind
with how the foundation and the,um, state parks actually work
together.
The.
State park, actual projects,development projects, anything
like that are really truly justplanned by the state park staff
because that is their expertise,our expertise is coming in to
support those efforts.

(26:32):
So they're, they're really incharge of all the planning.
And from my personal experience,it's been really cool to see how
much I.
Consideration, they give publicinput.
If you have an opportunity tomake a public comment on any
proposal that comes up from theFWP that affects you or you care
about, I really stronglyrecommend people make comments.
I also recommend that people goto public scoping events that

(26:53):
are hosted because theygenuinely really take, um, your
comments into majorconsideration.
So, so anyway, so they, they're,um, in charge of planning the
project and I'm really excitedfor what they have planned.
It's gonna be a rustic heritagesite, so that means that it
stays intact as it is, it's notgonna have a bunch of major
development.
Um, and the purpose of that ismaintaining the historical

(27:16):
context.
It also, um, just, it's justreally lovely outdoor space, so
we don't wanna.
Mess it up with a bunch ofparking lots and things like
that.
There is gonna be camping there,um, like tent camping.
I do believe several, severalcamp locations and, um, other
plans include the stabilizationof the historic buildings, um,

(27:37):
which is gonna be a pretty majoreffort.
Some of them are pretty, uh,degraded and they'll need a lot
of work to be stabilized, justto be safe for people to kind of
interact with them.
Um, I'm trying to think the,some new trail systems in there
and yeah, it's gonna be areally, really lovely park, very
much out in the just smackmiddle of Montana.
And if people have theopportunity to check it out,

(27:59):
it's, it's gonna be a beautifulpark.

Rigger (28:01):
Okay.
Uh, we're gonna take just aquick, uh, break for a second
and I want to, uh, have anopportunity to talk a bit about
one of our great sponsors thatallow us to do podcasts like
this, and that is SuperiorHardwoods of Montana.
Uh, you guys to, to reallylisten up on this one because

(28:22):
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Superior Hardwoods of Montana.
Go see'em.
back here on the Montana Outdoorpodcast.
uh, Megan Bicking is my guest.
We are talking about, um, ourgreat state parks.
And were just talking the, thenew Estate park.
Give us that name again so I getit right.

Megan (31:17):
Judith Landing State Park.

Rigger (31:18):
Judith Landing State Park.

Megan (31:20):
Mm-hmm.
Correct.

Rigger (31:22):
Um, you, you've got one picture in mind.
Tell us about what we're gonnalook at here.

Megan (31:27):
Yeah.
So the PN Ranch Mansion, I thinkjust tells the whole story and I
actually made my first visitthere two weeks ago now.
I'm actually going backtomorrow.
Um, I visited there for thefirst time two weeks ago, and
there's all, you know, I've beenspending basically two years
just looking at photos of thislocation and learning about it
and the.

(31:50):
Focal point of the park is thepn, um, mansion, which mansion
take, take that with a grain ofsalt, but it's a beautiful old
house it's surrounded by, youknow, like a beautiful cotton
cottonwood grove.
And as you come down to the parkfrom the hill above, you can
actually see it from quite aways off.
And when I saw it, I was justlike, there it is there.

(32:11):
I see the building in real life.
Um, so I'll show you somepictures of the pn, um, mansion
that are current, and I'll alsoshow you some historical photos
so you can see it in that, thatit's like pioneer day, um,
glamor.

Rigger (32:26):
Yeah.
Wow, tho, those are cool lookingpictures.
I like that.
So is gonna give you a taste.
Now, who would've originallybuilt this place that we're
looking at here?

Megan (32:37):
So pn, um, stands for Power and Norris, who were the
ranchers that started the PNranch.
So they built that mansion astheir home.
Um, and I believe there's a lotof history behind it that, um,
the, our archeologist friends atthe FWP can tell us more about
once we are able to conduct morethorough research.
But yeah, power and Norris werethe, um, the ranchers that had

(33:00):
that property way back and, ohgosh, I actually need to look up
the dates of the ranch.
There's so many different datesof all the events that have
happened there.
I don't recall exactly when theranch was built.

Rigger (33:10):
Well, Montana is got such an incredible history.
I mean, ranching and farmingwere kind of what put our state
on the map in a lot of ways.
Uh, and so, so that's neat.
So will there be a time youthink that, that this, this home
will be something that peoplecan tour through and that sort

(33:30):
of thing?

Megan (33:32):
I think that is an ultimate goal, and I think
something like that reallydepends on it, um, funding and
being able to, to make thathappen.
Yeah.
So I know that currently they'realready working on developing
the park itself.
They've already, um, put up a,some new fencing and made a
small parking area.
People can actually currently gothere, but other than the, you
know, new parking area, it'sreally undeveloped and the

(33:54):
development's currentlyhappening, um, all of that's
just general state parkdevelopment should start
happening.
You know, it's beginning now andit will keep going, but we're
really hoping to secure somefunding by 2027 to start the
more advanced historicalpreservation work.

Rigger (34:09):
So when you, uh, go to secure funding, uh, where will,
where do you get that from?
Is it just like a fundraisingdrive where people like our
listeners that are listening andwatching now can, can donate to,
or do you get grants?
How does all that work?

Megan (34:25):
It is a little bit of everything.
So we are definitely seekinggrant funding for this, this
type of project.
Um, but we're also working withindividuals, individual donors
who might wanna support and, youknow, anyone can make a
donation.
And if someone's interested intalking to me more about what
that looks like, I'm reallyhappy to speak one-on-one with
anyone interested.
But yeah, it's gonna be for aneffort like that, it's gonna be

(34:46):
focused on a lot of grants and,um, making partnerships with
major donors, maybe looping insome foundations for some help.
And yeah, just finding whichpartners are passionate about
Montana history and making thatpark happen.

Rigger (34:59):
Hmm.
Okay.
Well, um, our, our friends at,uh, superior Hardwoods of
Montana, they, they work with alot of old wood and
reconditioning stuff.
You never know.
They might even want to jump inthere.
'cause

Megan (35:12):
No,

Rigger (35:13):
that is, that is a, is just a great, that's exciting.
So we're gonna see

Megan (35:19):
it really is.

Rigger (35:20):
We're gonna see some history come to life as far as
when people would be able tostart camping.
And that there is, when do yousuppose that'll

Megan (35:29):
I would probably, uh, I can't completely answer that.
I would, my guess would be kindof tentatively plan on 2027, it
being open and available.
The park, you can still, you cancurrently go there.
There's just no campingcurrently.

Rigger (35:41):
Mm-hmm.

Megan (35:41):
Mm-hmm.

Rigger (35:42):
Cool.
All right.
Anything more on that one, or doyou wanna move to your next, uh.

Megan (35:47):
I'll go to, I'll go to my next one if you're ready.
Okay, cool.
So the other big project thatwe're currently focusing on, um,
that I am also very excitedabout, I'm just very excited
about many things, is our parkaccessibility project.
And the goal of the parkaccessibility project is to make
the parks more accessible forpeople with disabilities.

(36:08):
And a major tenant of that isthe concept of nothing about us
without us.
So when I came on, um, we hadalready done some accessibility
work, which was awesome.
It really set us, um, on a pathto success in initiating this
project.
But something that was missingwas.
Inclusion of the disabilitycommunity.
And so I was able to reach outand pull together a small

(36:30):
committee.
Um, our park accessibilitycommittee and people on this
committee are members of thedisability community and they're
also people who workprofessionally in that field in
a kind of a variety of differentways, whether they work at like
assisted living facilities or ata va, et cetera.
And so with their help and withmy board and with actually quite

(36:50):
a few other groups, a lot ofoutdoor recreation groups are
really digging in deep toaccessibility right now, which
is amazing, obviously for makingoutdoor spaces more accessible,
but also for finding resourcesand information.
I've had a really great timetalking to different
organizations just about whatthey're doing in the
accessibility realm.
Um, and I've been learning alot, so.

(37:11):
All of that led to the parkaccessibility project.
And we have three currentprojects.
Um, I'll kind of go through'emquickly.
first is at Yellow Bay onFlathead Lake.
Um, so that's a Flathead LakeState Park unit.
And the FWP is developing anaccessible campground, and we
were able to partner with aprivate donor to help fund some
of that infrastructure.

(37:32):
Um, we're really excited aboutthat campground.
I really, I wanna put a pin inthat for everyone who's
interested in accessible campingand boating and like kayaking.
Check, check that out, keep thaton your list.
And then the next project thatwe're doing this summer is a
Wayfair state.
It's at Wayfair State Park,which is on Flathead Lake, also
near Big Fork.
And we're actually pilotingsomething that I'm super excited

(37:53):
about called an Inclusiveinterdisciplinary Walk, move
audit.
Lots of words to say.
We're gonna judge the trailsystem here by bringing, um,
members of the disabilitycommunity and professionals in
that world basically for a, amove across the trail to.
Assess what are theaccessibility barriers here?

(38:13):
Like, what are the problems thatkeep people from being able to
get on this trail?
A lot of the times they'rereally simple solutions like
moving some rocks or, you know,making a wider turn, things like
that.
Um, but a lot of those thingsare really easy to overlook
unless you're in a wheelchair oryou are, um, you know, dealing
with some other limitation.

(38:34):
So what we'll do is go to thepark, we'll lead that, um,
audit, and then we'll come backwith findings and
recommendations for someimprovement projects.
And from there we will work withthe park staff and park
administration to decide onexactly the projects and the
timeline, and then thefoundation will come in and fund
those projects and make themhappen.
That's the most important part.
The audits, the first stepmaking the project happen is the

(38:56):
end goal.
Um, and we're excited about thisspecifically because it's a
pilot program.
So this is our first timeleading one of these.
Our goal is to do it this year,tweak it, make it.
Perfect if we can, and thenreplicate it at all of the state
parks across the state is thelong-term goal.
Um

Rigger (39:16):
this really hits home to me because, um, Montana, and
there's a reason why, and lot ofour hunters and and fishermen
out there are very involved inhelping disabled veterans be
able to hunt and fish and do alot of these things that, that

(39:36):
we take for granted that, oh,we'll go hiking here or do this
there.
Montana has huge number ofveterans.
We're, we're right up there withsome of the, the top states in
the country with, uh, a hugepercentage of our population
that are veterans.

Megan (39:54):
mm-hmm.

Rigger (39:55):
with that, a huge percentage are.
Unfortunately disabled.
Uh, my, uh, daughter is adisabled veteran, so a, that's
something that we, I think ourwhole audience is very
passionate about because wanteverybody to come fishing and
camping and hiking and, youknow, all those great things.

(40:19):
And what we found is that, uh,it's a great way to heal, um,
especially those with, uh, uh,traumatic, uh, stress disorder
and, you know, so many otherthings, uh, that, that we suffer
from.
And so this is, this really hitshome.
So these are things that need tohappen.

Megan (40:41):
Mm-hmm.

Rigger (40:42):
about this.
are, that include some of thesenew track chairs that, that of
our parks have now

Megan (40:51):
Yeah.
Yeah.
So those track chairs, we wereactually able to donate those.
Those were kind of our first,um, steps into accessibility
programming.
They're super awesome.
They're really fun.
Um, they're very burly.
They're like super cool.
Um, so yeah, I'll actually tellyou about the next project with
accessibility, which includes atrack chair.

(41:12):
So we are gonna be, um,fundraising.
This is a public fundraisingeffort and it's just kicking off
now, um, for Spring Meadow LakeState Park in Helena.
So that's the really nice parkthat's pretty much right in
town.
Um, it's really close to theArchie Bray Center and it's got
a beautiful lake and really nicebeach for kids.

(41:32):
It's probably my son's favoritepark because he's a beach kid.
And you know, ni it connectsinto the 10 Mile Creek Trail
system.
It also connects to the MontanaWild Center, and it also
connects to the Fort Harrison VAMedical Center.
All of that.
Goes to say that there's areally, um, important group of
people that visit that park,which is, um, you know, the

(41:54):
residents of Helena, veteranskids on school trips, um, things
like that, families.
So our fundraising efforts areto install a new adaptive doc
and kayak launch, and we arealso fundraising to purchase and
donate a few different piecesof, um, adaptive recreation
equipment.

(42:14):
And talking about the adaptiverecreation equipment is actually
kind of where we got startedwith the accessibility
committee.
Um, I kind of just, you know,was, um, thinking about
different kinds of equipment andthe fact that I don't know that
much about them and I was like,I need.
People that use this equipmentto tell me about it because I
need to know the facts of, howthis equipment works.

(42:35):
And so that's how I got, I gotstarted with the accessibility
committee and it snowballed fromthere to thinking more big
picture.
Um, but with the accessibilitycommittee, we were able actually
to kinda look through and doresearch on quite a few
different pieces of equipmentand to pinpoint pieces of
equipment that were actuallyreally appropriate for that
park.
Some parks, you really don'tneed a full big, burly action

(42:56):
track chair that's designed morefor trails or a Stinger bike,
which is an adaptive bike.
Um, you might need something.
A little bit less, less, uh,burley, I can't think of a
different word than burleytoday.
Um, so what we landed on was ahuckleberry hiker, which is a
cool adaptive system where ahiker attaches this kind of, um,

(43:18):
tether to themselves and isactually able to pull someone
with like a wheel sit chair kindof situation.
It's really cool and I'll sharesome photos with you.
Um, so you need a visual on thatone.
And then we're also gonna bepurchasing if we could fundraise
enough, um, a Zoom mobilitychair, which is an all-terrain
chair and it's really nice.
I think it will be a really nicefeature for people to go ice

(43:40):
fishing with actually.
And then the final piece thatwe're hoping to fundraise for is
a, um, what's it called?
Hippo Camp Beach Chair.
So it's a really specializedbeach wheelchair.
Um, anyone who uses a wheelchairor that has ever tried to take
something with wheels on sandknows that it is very
impossible.

Rigger (43:58):
Yeah.

Megan (43:59):
very difficult.
And so the, this Hippo, campBeach wheelchair has special
wheels that help just go on thesand really easily.
All of those pieces of equipmentwill be available for
complementary reservation andfor use at the park itself, as
well as the Fort Harrison VAMedical Center.
So if someone wanted to hit thetrail system up, they could use

(44:20):
that equipment, they couldborrow it and, and use it on the
trail.
And it will also be availablefor, um, use at the Montana Wild
Center.

Rigger (44:28):
Mm-hmm.

Megan (44:30):
Yeah, so that's our, that's our other project for
accessibility.
Um, we're currently looking forbusiness partners to help
sponsor this initiative, andwe're hosting a fund fundraising
celebration way out in Septemberfor this.
Yeah.

Rigger (44:44):
What kind of, uh, businesses, um, would, would be
partnered with you just becausewe get a lot of them that, that
listen and all that.
And, uh, I know I can hear thewe Wheels turn in with some of
our listeners.
we have the greatest group oflisteners that you'll ever know,
uh, the most generous andamazing people.

(45:07):
So, uh, I think you'll get a lotof help with this.

Megan (45:11):
Cool.

Rigger (45:11):
If, if you want it.
Um, what kind of, uh, businessesare you looking for and what
would you expect them to do tohelp you?

Megan (45:20):
Any, any business.
We're really open and open toany partnership, any group of
people that wants to support.
Accessibility to state parkswould be welcome to work with
us.
Um, I have a couple businesssponsored donation levels that
I'd be happy to share withindividuals who might be
interested.
But, um, for a business sponsorto initially get involved, our

(45:40):
lowest levels around 500 and ourhighest levels around 10,000.
Um, we're working on securing alead gift with a local donor to
help kick it off.
Um, and we're just superexcited.
So if anyone's interested, Ireally encourage them to just
reach out.
We are a small enough andflexible enough organization to
make anything work.
Another cool thing, um, ifbusinesses were interested in

(46:03):
supporting the project, but in adifferent way, is businesses
could bring their employees toserve as volunteers for park
events.
Um, maybe whether that's, youknow, helping with installing
some of that equipment orhelping with our event in
September, things like that.

Rigger (46:19):
Well, speaking of sponsors, I wanted to do one
last little break here with, uh,our sponsor, Rocky Mountain
Truck and Trailer, who, uh, havebeen just such a wonderful
supporter of this podcast.
And, uh, uh, they have some,well, you, a lot of you
listening probably don't realizejust how much in common you have

(46:40):
with Rocky Mountain Truck andTrailer.
Truth is the Montana OutdoorPodcast wouldn't exist without
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Now let's get back to what RockyMountain Truck and Trailer
helped create the podcast.
Back here on the Montana OutdoorPodcast.
Megan Bicking is my guest.

(49:12):
We're talking about all theseincredible things that the
Montana State Parks Foundationis doing for our state parks.
Uh, this whole topic we got onabout accessibility just, just
really does my heart wonders.
I love to see these kind ofthings because we, you know, we
never wanna leave a, a, uh,soldier behind, out there on the

(49:35):
battlefield.
And we for sure do not everwanna leave anyone behind.
when they want to go out and seeour great outdoors.
That's just key.
We gotta do this.
So this is something I reallyhope our listeners will jump on
board with and help, uh,especially so many of them are
business owners.
So if you can, I know you gethit up a lot, but this would be

(49:58):
a good one because we don't wantanyone on the sidelines when it
comes to our state parks.
Um, so, uh, what anything elseyou want us to, to know about
this, that, as far as ourlisteners getting involved or,
or things we ought to know abouthow, how many parks will, will
this kind of accessibilityinitiative hit?

Megan (50:20):
Yeah.
that's a great question.
So our end goal is literally todo some level of this at each
state park, and that is a verylong-term goal.
That's kind of like the grandpicture.
So currently what the state isactually working on, this is
really cool.
The FWP has two college internsthis summer, and their job is to

(50:41):
go to the 11, kind of premier,the largest state parks to
conduct an accessibilityinventory.
So those are kind of our firsttarget parks or those, um, 11
state parks that are the largerones.
And the, the real reason forthat is because those are
already the most visited and themost accessible in a certain
sense, as in they're closer totowns, they're a little bit

(51:03):
larger.
They have the establishedinfrastructure like parking
lots, et cetera.
Um, just to have that initial.
Establishment that's a littlebit easier to access.
Um, so these interns are goingto those parks and they're
conducting these inventories.
They're gonna have a, basicallycome up with a really detailed
list of all of the accessibilityfeatures at those parks.

(51:26):
And that will really help us inunderstanding what's already
there so that we can come in andfill in the blanks.
Um, and all of that also will besupported by a pretty major
communication effort to get thisinformation to people.
Because if people don't have theinformation about what's at each
park, they don't know if it'sgonna work out for them to go
there.
The worst thing in the world isto drive all the way to a park

(51:49):
or outdoor recreation area afterdoing a lot of planning and to
get there and realize that, um.
It's not accessible for a memberof your group.
It's, it's the worst.
And it happens.
Unfortunately, it's just reallyhard to convey all the
information.
And so that's something thatwe're partnering with the state
on, is getting that informationout to people as well.
Um, but yeah, so our first parkswill be those 11 main state

(52:13):
parks, not main state parks, butthe larger ones.
And then we'll just continue togo from there.
And we're also, like I said,we're a really flexible
organization, so wheneverthere's opportunities, um, that
jives with the priorities of thestate and that we can make
happen, we're pretty open to youknow, going for it.

Rigger (52:30):
Yeah.
Yeah.
I, I'll never forget, um, uh,one of the, um, disabled
veterans that I, that I did somework with, and, uh, I said,
well, you know, one of thesedays you're gonna have to come
fishing with us.
And he said, well, that's notreally something crippled folks
can do.
And I said, oh, now you'rechallenging me.
Yes you can.

(52:51):
uh, lo and behold, uh, we hadhim out fishing in no time.
Uh, and so, thi this isimportant and what it.
does, even for folks that youknow that have, are able to go
anywhere.

Megan (53:05):
Mm-hmm.

Rigger (53:06):
It, it's a really great thing to know that, hey, we, we,
we did something here.
We were able to bring, getsomeone to come along with us.
Everyone should be able to gofishing.
Everyone should be able to gocamping and, and, and discover
these, these incredible sightand sounds and things that, we

Megan (53:22):
Mm-hmm.

Rigger (53:23):
parks.
So this, is just great I, I'm sohappy that

Megan (53:27):
And Dale, I'll say like the, the flip side of us, of all
people really wanting to makethese spaces accessible and to
get more people there.
The thing that I think peoplesometimes forget is that in our
lives as human beings, we're areeach person is going to come up
against some form of adisability in their life.
Um, or something that limitsthem from accessing public

(53:50):
spaces.
So, you know, whether it berelated to old age or an injury,
if you've ever been on crutches,it's very difficult to get
around on crutches and opendoors and do things like that,
Or if you've had a baby andyou're walking around with a
stroller all the time, peoplemaybe don't realize how much
accessibility features benefitall of us, whether or not we are

(54:10):
currently, um, disabled.
So it's just an importantfeature for the longevity of
people's, like careers in theoutdoors, you know, as we are
super young, state parks are agreat place to recreate because
they're so accessible and frontcountry.
And then I really think as weage.
They serve the same purpose.

Rigger (54:28):
Yeah, well, without a doubt.
And often that's the time whenwe're, we're getting older, when
we have the time to do

Megan (54:36):
Right?

Rigger (54:36):
but then we may not have the ability at that point.
And

Megan (54:40):
Mm-hmm.

Rigger (54:41):
this, this is where, uh, some really cool things can
happen so that, you know,you've, you, you worked your
whole life, you did all thisstuff, and now you have the
time.
Well, now you can't get aroundthe park to see it.

Megan (54:54):
Mm-hmm.

Rigger (54:54):
that's,

Megan (54:55):
Yeah.

Rigger (54:56):
about,

Megan (54:57):
And, and the thing about Montana State Parks is they're
pretty cool.

Rigger (55:00):
yeah.
Yeah.

Megan (55:01):
You know, they're not all just like picnic parks.
So we have some, some prettyincredible spaces to recreate
outdoors here.

Rigger (55:08):
Without a doubt.
Uh, there, when people come tothis state and, tour our state
parks, I've, I've talked to somany people that, that either
work at the parks or work in theFWP and that, that say, we get
so many great comments.
'cause people go, I had no idea,you know, mean it is just our,

(55:31):
state parks are amazing and wejust, this, is some great stuff.
Um, before we go, are there anythings, glimpses of the future
that, that are out there or waysthat you guys have got planned?
I suppose you've got all kindsof things, but

Megan (55:50):
we do have all kinds of things.
We do have all kinds of things.
One of the things we're, um,continuously focusing on, aware
of, ready for is supportingprojects that we start.
Through completion.
And so a couple years ago wewere able to donate, um, 20,

(56:10):
just 26 acres.
36 acres.
Woo, I'm forgetting.
It was such a big part of mylife.
I'm forgetting the number now.
We were able to donate, um,quite a few acres to the
Missouri Headwaters State Parkto basically fill in a gap.
now we're really committed tomaking sure that that new
portion of the park, um, isintegrated nicely and supported
through.
It's future.

(56:31):
Um, so we're ready to beinvolved there and we're also
really focused on that parkaccessibility project in the
future of that, figuring out howto roll it out across parks.
Also figuring out, you know,once we do the audits, what's
the next step?
What's the real project gonnalook like?
Which is the exciting part tome.
Um.
A couple other things that we'reworking on is establishing more

(56:52):
friends groups and being a bitof a mother hen to the existing
friends groups.
There's about five or sixfriends groups out there that
are similar to us.
There's nonprofit organizationsthat support individual state
parks, so there's quite a fewgreat ones.
Um, Koska has a great friendsgroup.
Bannock has a friends group,friends of four Owen.
Um, there's quite a few andwe're hoping to partner with

(57:13):
them more Travelers rest alsohas a really lovely friends
group.
Um, we're hoping to partner morewith the friends group and to
empower new friends groups toget started to support their
local state parks.
So that's something on ourhorizon.
Um, we're also hoping to growour organization.
I'm actually the only staffperson that works here.
Um, so I'm really hoping to hiresome people in the next couple

(57:34):
years to just help expand ourmission and to reach more areas
of the state.
Um, we do serve the entirestate, obviously as a state park
organization.
One other cool specific projectthat, um.
I am beginning to learn moreabout and hoping that the
foundation can help out withmore is a tribal language
project that's being led byKuka, who's the tribal liaison

(57:55):
for the FWP.
And I love this project.
So the concept is to incorporatetribal language interpretation,
signage at some state parks thatdescribes, that, tells what, um,
different pieces of flora andfauna are at the state park and
tribal languages.
So if there's a certain type oftree, the name of that tree

(58:16):
would be on a sign in a nativelanguage.
Um, and we're, I think that'ssuch a cool project to keep
language alive and to educatepeople about the indigenous
cultures that, um, were, thatwere founded this land.
Um, so I'm just super excitedfor the future of that project
and figuring out how thefoundation can get involved.
We also always have projectsjust, they pop up all the time.

(58:39):
We're always doing small scalepark project trail projects,
lots of docs, lots of stuff likethat, lots of trees.

Rigger (58:45):
and I imagine that, uh, just like the friends groups and
that if folks have some ideasof, Hey, have you thought of
doing this or that, I supposeyou're, you're all ears and
wanting to

Megan (58:55):
I am all ears.
I really like to have thoseconversations with people, even
if they're, they end up notnecessarily going somewhere.
I'm just curious about hearingpeople's park stories.
I love talking with people abouttheir, their park pass.
I get a lot of phone calls onaccident, people calling me to
like, make reservations and Ialways end up talking to people
for like 20 minutes about likewhat they should do when they're

(59:16):
there.
And then I, then I give'em theright phone number to call.
So I love to have conversationsabout parks.
I'm an open book if anyone'sinterested in talking to me.

Rigger (59:25):
when you go to that, uh, uh, podcast description, you're
gonna see, uh, Megan's emailthere, and you're gonna be able
to email her.
Now, just remember that this isnot Montana State Park.
So, you know, don't emailsaying, Hey, when are they gonna
fix the, uh.
the showers at x, y, z park?
That, that's the other side ofit.

(59:46):
That's the actual Montana StatePark.
So, uh, and I, and I'll, I'llput their their link too, so you
folks can do that.
But this is, helping the stateparks grow.
And this is where we'd love tosee some of these Ideas of, of,
one, how can I help?
Those are great emails.
I'm sure you'll love to, to getis someone that says, Hey, I

(01:00:08):
wanna help and how can I help?

Megan (01:00:10):
I do.

Rigger (01:00:11):
uh.
Ideas of, uh, hey, wouldn't itbe neat if, if we could put this
in this park or whatever.
So dream a little too, butmainly, uh, get involved with
this organization.
Find some ways to help'em find,find some ways to get out and,
and bring them some of the, um,the, um, that they need or, or,

(01:00:32):
uh, funds that they're trying toget because, uh, this is for all
of our state parks.
I mean, they're our state parks.
So let's work together with,with the Montana State Parks
Foundation and do that and geton their website and take a look
at all this stuff that Megandoes and, and yeah, we need to
get you some help.
We don't want you wearing out onus now.

Megan (01:00:54):
I know, I know.
I have a really great board

Rigger (01:00:57):
yeah.

Megan (01:00:58):
I have a great board of volunteers.
Mm-hmm.

Rigger (01:01:01):
around?
You gotta go all around thestate then, don't you?

Megan (01:01:04):
I do.
Well, it's a huge perk of thejob for me.
I mean, I love Montana and Ilove like going to new places.
I'm going to Judith Landingtomorrow.
I was in Helena today, so it'suh, and I'm back home at my
house in Gallin Gateway rightnow.

Rigger (01:01:17):
You are nonstop the Energizer bunny there.
Well, Megan, anything else youwanna, uh, uh, lay on us before
we go

Megan (01:01:26):
I wanted to plug a couple, just little quick
things.
Um, So we are doing, like I'vementioned, a, a current
fundraiser that we're kind ofjust launching for the Spring
Meadow, um, park accessibilityproject.
and we're having a really goodraffle.
So We have a raffle going onright now.
Um, one ticket for 10 bucks Ithink, and then, it kind of goes
up from there in packages andthere's three packages.

(01:01:49):
So there's camping package thathas a new tent, camp stove.
Um, a lot of donations from REI,just cool camping gear.
We also have a trail runningpackage that has gift cards from
Obos, Bozeman Running Companyand Runner's Edge in Missoula
that can be redeemed in personor online.
has registration to quite a few,um, races at state parks and a

(01:02:10):
lot of other really coolgoodies.
Um, and then we also have a flyfishing package, which includes
a guided trip out in Missoula,and that is sponsored by the,
um, Missoula River Lodge.
I believe they're awesome.
And then that also has an orvis,uh, rod and reel included.
It has a sims, boots and waitersincluded, and a bunch of other

(01:02:32):
goodies too.
It's a, it's a very solidpackage, and the, the idea
behind those is.
Giving people the gear they needto get outside.
And the other idea is that it'sa fundraiser for the Park
accessibility project.
So go ahead and buy raffletickets.
They're on sale until July 15th,and you can buy them online.
Um, we're also partnering withthe Missoula Paddle Heads, the

(01:02:52):
baseball team, and you Yeah.
So you can go onto our websiteand purchase tickets to a game
on August 5th, and all of theproceeds actually go to us.
So if you're in Missoula or youwanna go to the baseball game,
go ahead and buy'em through usand the proceeds go to us, which
is really cool.
And also, if you buy a baseballticket before, uh, July 15th,

(01:03:13):
you are entering into the rafflefor free.
and the final thing I wanna plugis that we're actually looking
for new board members, um,specifically in the Billings
area, central Montana area.
So if anyone's listening to thispodcast and they are really
passionate about state parks,recreation history, um, all of
that, and has the time andwherewithal to kind of commit

(01:03:36):
to, a board position, I wouldlove to hear from you

Rigger (01:03:39):
Okay.

Megan (01:03:40):
Oh.

Rigger (01:03:40):
again, if any of those interest you to get the raffle
tickets, you go to, uh, yourwebsite.

Megan (01:03:46):
Mm-hmm.

Rigger (01:03:47):
us that website just for our audio only listeners, that

Megan (01:03:51):
Yes.

Rigger (01:03:51):
them find some of these obscure, uh uh, which is okay
that you get your podcaststhere, but there are some other
cool sites, but of those don'teven have the podcast
description, with it.
So for those folks, uh, give usthe website for that to get

Megan (01:04:06):
Yep.
it's just the Montana StateParks Foundation all spelled
out.
Dot org, Montana State Park.
Oh my goodness.
Montana state parksfoundation.org.

Rigger (01:04:15):
Okay.
Uh, and, uh, for those of youthat are watching, that's on
your screen right now, and forthose of you that, uh, uh, wanna
check it out in the podcastdescription, it's there too.
So click on that, get you someraffle tickets, and, uh, let's
find you a few board memberstoo.
That would be awesome.

Megan (01:04:33):
Cool.

Rigger (01:04:33):
we will do all that.
Uh, so there you have it, folks.
There is a lot to, to go overand, uh, we can't wait to have
you come back and give us moreupdates about all the things
that you have going on.
Megan, uh, I wanna thank you somuch for your time.
Uh, uh, Megan Bicking, thank youvery much for all you do for our

(01:04:54):
state parks and for the MontanaState Parks Foundation.

Megan (01:04:57):
Thanks Down rigor.
It was such a pleasure to talkto you.
Thank you so much.

Rigger (01:05:02):
Yeah, we'll, we'll have to have you on again.
And, uh, so folks, check allthose things out.
Get on there, share thispodcast.
If you know of somebody outthere that would either benefit
from, uh, uh, the state parksand the great work that, uh,
Megan does, let us know.
Also, those of you that wannaget involved, get involved.
For those of you that arelistening via audio, you can

(01:05:25):
find the video portion of thispodcast right there on YouTube,
and there's a link to that.
So I hope you'll go watch it wetalk again.
Folks, be safe out there.
Be good to each other and we'llsee you next time here on the
Montana Outdoor Podcast.

PC Close Manny Only (01:05:44):
Thanks for listening to the Montana Outdoor
Podcast.
It has been brought to you inpart by Superior Hardwoods of
Montana, home of the largestselection of in stock, high end
wood products and, flooring inthe western United States.
Let them guide you throughtheWoods@superior-hardwoods.com
and by Rocky Mountain Truck andTrailer in Missoula, home of

(01:06:04):
boss snowplows, cm, truck bedsand, diamond sea trailers.
Just go to RMTT e.com for moreinformation.
So what did you think of today'spodcast?
Send your questions and commentsto Down
rigger@montanaoutdoor.com.
We should be dropping a newpodcast this next Saturday.

(01:06:25):
Until then, we will see you soonout.
in Montana's Great outdoors.

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