December 2007/January 2008

Happy Holidays 

The snow is falling and the holidays are upon us.  All of us here at the Center wish you and yours a blessed and happy holiday season. Contained in this newsletter is an update of our recent work at the Center.

From all of us at the O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West, The University of Montana

CrowsNest Pass
provided by William Farr

There are relatively few mountain passes north of Oregon Trail that cross from one side of the Rocky Mountains to the other. Crowsnest Pass, allowing easy access across the Canadian Rockies from Alberta to British Columbia, is one. With an elevation of only 4,455 feet, and long, gradual, wide ramps leading to the summit, this east-west thoroughfare has long attracted travelers. Ancient peoples made their way across it generations and generations ago. Clovis points have been found there as well as chert stone quarries from as far back as 8,000 years ago. 

The origin of the name is shrouded in ambiguity. Did it commemorate the defeat of the Absoroke and their expulsion from these hunting grounds on the east side of the Continental Divide by the Piegan or Piikani as has been asserted or did the name derive from the word, ma-sto-eeas which meant "where the crows nest?" 

When railroads came to figure in the dreams of empire builders, Crowsnest Pass seemed a welcome option. It was pronounced as ideal as early as 1872 by Sanford Fleming and the Government Exploration Survey. Unfortunately natural endowments were insufficient. The construction of the railroad was helped by the presence of rich coal deposits that had been noted as early as 1845s by the Belgian missionary and Jesuit father, Pierre-Jean DeSmet. It was hard to miss these deposits. One disgusted gold miner reported "We could find nothing but coal, and coal everywhere. Without a railroad, coal, however abundant, was next to worthless-there was no market. With a railroad, all of the earlier considerations changed. 

Interest exploded with the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway from Medicine Hat and Lethbridge, Alberta, across the mountains to Nelson, British Columbia, through the Crowsnest Pass in 1897. Opportunities in coal and coke generated a rush to mine the hard, high quality bituminous ore deposits that had so disappointed the earlier gold miners. The railroad expansion across the Rocky Mountains also received a big push nationally as many in Canada feared that if they did not act, American expansion would prevail. 

On Dec. 3^rd in Missoula, Mont., Center Director Larry Swanson and Associate Director William Farr participated in a meeting hosted by The University of Montana exploring a potential partnership between the University and Glacier National Park to broaden education on the Crown of the Continent region where the park is located.

On Nov. 17^th in Bozeman, Mont., Senior Fellow Bob Brown was keynote speaker at the organizational meeting of the 2008 committee to renew the six-mill levy - a special levy funding higher education in Montana.

On Nov. 15^th in Bozeman, Mont., Brown was a panelist and panel moderator on "Montana's Civil Discourse: The Initiative Process" for the 2007 Leadership Montana class.

On Nov. 14^th in Missoula, Mont., Swanson participated in a strategic planning session of Community Medical Center.

On Nov. 13^th in Billings, Mont., Swanson gave a presentation entitled "Billings Workforce Challenges and Opportunities" as part of Celebrate Billings Forum on area workforce issues entitled "Weathering the Perfect Storm. "Dr. Stuart Rosenfeld of Regional Technology Strategies, Inc., an internationally recognized expert on workforce and community development strategies, was the forum's main speaker.

On Nov. 9-10^th at Big Sky, Mont., Senior Fellow Daniel Kemmis participated in a colloquium sponsored by the Property and Environment Research Center. The gathering of policy makers and policy analysts from a broad range of disciplines and backgrounds discussed policy recommendations in the arena of public lands and natural resources. A report from the colloquium will be published this winter.

On Nov. 8^th in Missoula, Mont., Swanson made a presentation at a leadership retreat of the Missoula Organization of Realtors on key trends and prospects in population growth, housing, and commercial development in the Missoula market area.

On Nov. 7^th in Washington, D.C. Kemmis participated in a forum on a new national survey of college students. The survey report, entitled "Millenials Talk Politics," examined the civic involvement of today's college students. Kemmis serves on the board of the Kettering Foundation, which provided funding for the survey.

On Nov. 7^th in Helena, Mont., Swanson presented at and participated in a panel discussion on workforce development issues hosted by the Family Economic Security Council - a advisory body on poverty and family security issues within the Montana Governor's Office. Other panelists were Leisa Smith with the Montana Workforce Investment Board, Gary Wright of the Montana Department of Labor and Industry's Statewide Workforce Programs Bureau, and Dr. Arlene Parisot, Director of Workforce Development, Montana Office of Higher Education. 

On Oct. 27^th in Missoula, Mont., Kemmis drew on his experience with historical trends in Rocky Mountain communities to give a presentation on "Missoula's Future" to a workshop for teachers at the Fort Missoula Historical Museum. The workshop was entitled "Making Connections Between our Past, Present & Future."

On Oct. 26^th in Bozeman, Mont., Brown addressed a statewide conference sponsored by Humanities Montana entitled "Can We Talk? Public Discourse in Montana."

On Oct. 23^rd in Billings, Mont., Swanson participated in a workshop discussion with key executives of First Interstate Bank (FIB), examining aspects of a study the O'Connor Center is doing for FIB on regional growth trends.

On Oct. 20^th in  Casper, Wyo., Kemmis gave a keynote address on "Creativity and Community Vitality" to the Wyoming Arts Council's "Summit 2007" conference in Casper. This was a gathering for community leaders, elected officials, business leaders, etc., from across Wyoming, exploring linkages between government, community development, economic prosperity, and the arts.

On Oct. 19^th in Helena, Mont., Williams joined in a banquet speech with Senior Fellow Bob Brown at the 34^th Annual Montana Historical Society Conference.

On Oct. 17^th and on Oct. 31^st in Missoula, Mont., Brown spoke on American political culture to separate delegations of the All China Youth Federation at the University of Montana's Mansfield Center.

On Oct. 17^th in Polson, Mont., Swanson gave the opening presentation at a conference organized and hosted by the Flathead Basin Commission entitled "Lessons of the Lakes: Promoting Water Quality Amid Community Growth."  His presentation was entitled, "Demographic trends, land-use patterns, and the importance of natural amenities."

On Oct. 15^th in Boise, Idaho, Swanson gave a special presentation to members of the Inland Northwest Research Alliance (INRA) board on key trends in the region's growth and change as well as area voting patterns. INRA is a research consortium that includes universities in the region including the University of Montana, Montana State University, Idaho and Idaho State Universities, Boise State University, Utah State University, Washington State University, and University of Alaska - Anchorage. The INRA board is made up of the presidents of these universities.

On Oct. 12^th in Whitefish, Mont., Swanson spoke to members of the 2007 Leadership Montana class. Leadership Montana is a state-wide organization dedicated to the advancement of leadership development in Montana and is housed at Montana State University -  Billings. His presentation examined important growth trends in Montana and the larger region and key leadership challenges.

On Oct. 10^th in Missoula, Mont., Brown gave a talk entitled "Democracy in the Killing Fields? Observations on Modern Cambodia" for the monthly Mansfield Center Brown Bag luncheon series.

On Oct. 9^th in Missoula, Mont., Brown made the introductory remarks for UM Presidential Lecture Series speaker David M. Walker, Controller General of the United States.

On Oct. 6^th in Butte, Mont., Senior Fellow Pat Williams gave the keynote speech at the Butte Celebration of the Arts Day.

On Oct. 2^nd in Hamilton, Mont., Swanson participated in a panel discussion on "growth issues facing Ravalli County and business development" as part of the annual Bitterroot Business Conference. The conference was sponsored by Farmers State Bank, Maverick Marketing, Ravalli County EDA, and Montana Community Development Corp.

On Oct. 2^nd in Helena, Mont., Brown was the summarizing speaker at the statewide conference hosted by the MSU Burton K. Wheeler Center entitled "Strengthening Montana's Legislative Process: Ideas and Strategies for Reform."

regional trends

The Canadians are coming .. again

U.S. - Canada Dollar Exchange Rate (Canadian Dollar Per U.S. Dollar)

Monthly Average at Noon, Bank of Canada

Click here for more For much of the last decade, the Canadian dollar had slumped relative to the U.S. dollar, making it very expensive for Canadian visitors to the U.S. In border regions like the Rocky Mountain West, there have been far fewer Canadians traveling across the border to nearby U.S. communities for relaxation, business or shopping. However, the U.S. dollar has been falling in value against most of the major currencies in the world. A U.S. dollar translated into $1.60 Canadian just a little over five years ago. But in September of 2007, the U.S. and Canadian dollars reached parity for the first time in over 30 years.

center in the news 

A Rocky Mountain West Perspective With Bob Brown - New West, Nov. 29, 2007

Meeting Billings' work force challenge- Billings Gazette, Nov. 18, 2007

Let's put out the welcome mat for Canadian visitors - Great Falls Tribune, Nov. 16, 2007   

Billings economy provides workers new opportunities - Billings Gazette, Nov. 14, 2007

Strong loonie brings flocks of Canadians - Great Falls Tribune, Nov. 11, 2007

Can we talk? Public discourse in Montana - New West Network, Oct. 8, 2007

Conference to focus on keeping lakes clean - Billings Gazette, Oct. 7, 2007

Unmarked children's grave demands reflection by all - Great Falls Tribune, Oct. 4, 2007

Growth explored at local business conference - Ravalli Republic, Oct. 4, 2007

upcoming events

On Dec. 6^th in Helena, Mont., Center Director Larry Swanson will give an invited presentation to members of the Montana Legislature's Revenue and Transportation Committee on demographic and population trends in Montana, exploring implications of these trends for income growth and change, taxation, and other issues.

On Dec. 7^th in Seattle, Wash., Swanson will make a presentation at the 2007 CEO Bank Directors Conference hosted by the Washington State Bankers Association. He will discuss key population, demographic, and economic trends in Washington State and the larger region.

On Dec. 11^th in Poplar, Mont., Swanson will speak to members of a Poplar planning group working on a community renewal plan for Poplar. He will do so at the invitation of the Native American Community Development Corp. and Indian Land Tenure Foundation who are working with Poplar and the Fort Peck Reservation on its community development initiatives.

On Jan. 8^th in Missoula, Mont., Swanson will participate in another planning meeting of the Community Regional Medical Center committee who is advising the hospital on its strategic planning.

On Jan. 13-14^th in Great Falls, Mont., Senior Fellow Pat Williams will host the Emerging Leaders Workshop. The Progressive Policy Institute and Williams bring two dozen Montanans together every four months for discussion and training concerning traditional progressive policy.

On Jan. 15^th in Billings, Mont., Senior Fellow Daniel Kemmis will give a keynote address to a Rural Community Conference sponsored by the Montana State University Extension Service. The purpose of the Conference is to provide networking opportunities among rural communities, build community capacity and create a dialogue for action and change in Montana communities. Kemmis will speak on "Creating, Building and Sustaining a Thriving Rural Community."

On Jan. 16^th in Bellingham, Wash., Swanson will participate in a planning meeting of university centers from across the U.S.-Canada border region cooperating in the creation of the new Northern Border University Research Consortium. The meeting is being hosted by the Border Policy Research Institute at Western Washington University and includes representatives from the six major cross-border regions along the U.S.-Canada border.

On Jan. 29^th in Bozeman, Mont., Senior Fellow Bob Brown, along with reporter Chuck Johnson, will present to a community gathering on "Montana Politics - The Last Three Decades."

In late Jan. in Billings, Mont., Swanson will present the results of a regional economic assessment undertaken by the Center for First Interstate Bank of Montana and Wyoming to members of the FIB board and chief executives.

"I mean, knowing that your poop's not going into Glacier Park's lakes, is that not good enough?"

S wanson contributed to a recent publication by The Wilderness Society and its Ecology and Economics Research Department entitled "Natural Dividends - Wildland Protection and the Changing Economy of the Rocky Mountain West" written and edited by Dr. Michelle Haefele, Dr. Pete Morton, and Nada Culver. The report is available on the organization's web site www.wilderness.org.