October/November 2007

Hello,

Autumn is upon us and we have geared up for the new academic year. 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

St. Mary Diversion Project
provided by William Farr

     The aging St. Mary Diversion project, which has for more than 85 years diverted the St. Mary River into the Milk River, is again in the news. Led by Montana Sen. Max Baucus, the U.S. Senate sent President Bush a bill that includes a $153-million authorization to rehabilitate the dilapidated system.

      The original project had as its goal the diversion of the St. Mary River into the Milk River in order to make the Milk a more reliable source of water and irrigation. For its time, it was a monumental task, involving an elaborate system of dams, diversions, siphons, reservoirs and a 29-mile long canal crossing the Hudson's Bay Divide. It also required an international agreement regarding the equitable apportionment of water between the United States and Canada, since both rivers (although originating in the U.S.) entered Canada with only the Milk returning to the United States 216 miles downstream.

     When Congress passed the National Reclamation (Newlands Act) in 1902, the federal government took over a critical aspect of western development for it initiated large scale irrigation projects by means of the U.S. Reclamation Service (renamed Bureau of Reclamation in 1923). One such development was the St. Mary Diversion.

     It took time to create the whole ingenious system - from 1903 to 1925 - under its auspices and direction.The impact of the construction on Glacier National Park, the Blackfeet Tribe, and the agency town of Browning was substantial.

Construction of St. Mary's Canal, 1908
Photo by J. L. Sherburne;
courtesy of Sherburne Collection, UM Archives

     For years this human effort to re-engineer the original geographical design helped with the settlement and economic development of the Hi-Line. Water from the headwaters of the Continental Divide, called the Backbone of the World by the Blackfeet, provided 70 percent of the Milk River in good years.In years of drought-and there were too many-the percentage climbed to over 90 percent. No wonder it was said in Havre in such years, "flush the toilet, Chinook needs the water."

     Now, with federal help on the way, the St. Mary Diversion Project will continue to provide its vital commodity, water, to the Milk River Valley.

On Oct. 2^nd in Helena, Mont., Senior Fellow Bob Brown addressed a statewide conference sponsored by the Burton K. Wheeler Center on "Strengthening Montana's Legislative Process: Ideas and Strategies for Reform."

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

On  Sept. 28^th in Helena, Mont., Senior Fellow Pat Williams presented opening remarks in the House Chamber of the Capitol to open a conference jointly sponsored by the National Conference of State Legislators and the National Caucus of Native American State Legislators. The topic of the conference was "Closing the Education Achievement Gap for Indian Students."

On Sept. 28^th in Helena, Mont., Williams addressed Montana's labor leaders in the Governor's Reception Room of the state Capitol.  The Carpenters, Iron Workers, and Operating Engineers were in conference considering organized labor's role in two of Montana's emerging economies - restoration and energy.

On Sept. 23^rd-25^th in Pecs, Hungary, Swanson participated in the closing panel session of the international conference of the PASCAL Observatory entitled, "Lifelong Learning in the City-Region."  Learning regions and learning cities are forming in more intentional ways around the world, aimed at better positioning communities and regions for cultural, social, and economic advancement and sustainability.PASCAL is leading efforts to more formally develop and share theory and practice from these experiences.

The city square and downtown market areas of Pecs, Hungary,
host of PASCAL Conference on learning city-regions.

On Sept. 22^nd at the B-Bar Ranch north of Yellowstone National Park, Williams hosted the quarterly meeting of the Policy Institute's Leaders Forum. The seminars are in their fourth year.

On Sept. 21^st in Missoula, Mont., Williams presented the keynote address at a public ceremony announcing the creation of an endowment in the name of Stan Kimmitt. Mr. Kimmitt served as Secretary of the U.S. Senate under the Majority Leadership of Senator Mike Mansfield.

OnSept. 12^th in Missoula, Mont., Brown spoke on his recent USAID sponsored democracy building presentations in Cambodia to the Missoula Senior Forum and to the Missoula Sunrise Rotary Club on Sept. 5.

On Aug. 27^th Griffin-Hammis Associates, along with Virginia Commonwealth University, sponsored a workshop at Lochsa Lodge in Idaho to help small businesses work more effectively with people with disabilities. As part of the workshop, Senior Fellow Daniel Kemmis spoke on the role of social capital in building stronger, more prosperous communities.

On Aug. 24-26^th in Portland, Ore., the Policy Consensus Initiative bid farewell to its long-time Director, Chris Carlson with a symposium in her honor.Kemmis participated in the symposium on behalf of the Center, on whose advisory board Chris served for several years. Kemmis spoke about the emergence of more place-based governance structures.

With the help of the Center, the Piegan Institute of Browning, Mont., once again hosted an August conference exploring aspects of Blackfeet history and culture. On Aug. 17^th, the daylong conference met to discuss the "Ancient World of the Blackfeet and the Northern Great Plains." Speakers included: Hugh Dempsey, emeritus Glenbow Museum; Eldon Yellowhorn of Simon Fraser University ; Barney Reeves; and Wilena Old Person. Attended by more than 100 people from throughout the state and region, the conference was free and open to the public with buffalo stew and fry bread at the lunch intermission.

On Aug. 14^th in Hamilton, Mont., Swanson gave a presentation on growth trends and challenges in the Bitterroot Valley as part of Ravalli County's comprehensive planning process. The forum was hosted by the Ravalli County Planning Office.

On Aug. 14^th in Missoula, Mont., Williams hosted former Sen. and Ambassador George McGovern at a luncheon speech for the Missoula Kiwanis Club.

On Aug. 9^th in Whitefish, Mont.,Swanson spoke at the annual meeting of the National Association of State and Land Grant Universities Government Affairs Officials, describing and analyzing shifting voting patterns in the U.S. His presentation was entitled, "Demographic Analysis of the Changing Face of Politics in the West."

On Aug. 7-9^th in Missoula, Mont., the Council on Foundations sponsored a national Rural Philanthropy Conference.  Kemmis participated in the conference as Chair of the Board of the Northwest Area Foundation.

On Aug. 7^th at Lone Rock School in Montana's Bitterroot Valley, Swanson made another presentation on area growth trends as part of the ongoing countywide planning process in Ravalli County.The forum was sponsored by the Ravalli County Planning Office.

recent quotes from the region 
as provided by Headwaters News

"He has the advantage of working in a department that's like The Bad News Bears: If you hit a dribbler single, you're an All-Star."

"The problem is, the energy guys don't speak water and the water guys don't speak energy."

"Iwas amazed. Everybody was reasonable."

"We're not going out there to fight the fire. We're out there to protect our clients. "

"We're exporting our well-educated young people and replacing them with blue-collar workers who really have no attachment, and no interest in being attached, to this state."

"I can't think of another time in recent years that there were this many grizzlies handled in one week."

"We've got more wolves in more places than we thought we'd ever have."

regional trends

The Region's Tightening Labor Market

Much of the Rocky Mountain West region has experienced more than 15 years of virtually uninterrupted economic expansion and the labor force of the region has grown to accommodate ever-increasing levels of employment. However, labor demand is steadily rising faster than labor supply and this is tightening labor markets throughout the region. The chart below shows monthly unemployment rates for a three-state region of the Rocky Mountain West (Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming). Monthly unemployment rates in a given year, once fluctuating between an annual low of 5% and high of 8%, are now ranging from 2% to 4%. It is very likely that the region's labor markets will remain tight well into the future.

Click here for more.

center in the news 

Nature fuels economy of West, analysis finds - The Denver Post, Sept. 28, 2007

Natural gas boom sparks warning - Rocky Mountain News, 
Sept. 27, 2007

UM offers gerontology minor - Helena Independent Record, 
Sept. 16, 2007

Courses spotlight 'boomer' generation - Missoulian, Sept. 16, 2007

University and town go hand in hand - Missoula and UM share symbiotic relationship that drives economy, culture - Western Montana InBusiness Monthly, Sept. 2007, Vol. 5 No. 9

Mountain States have jobs to fill: Slow to raise wages, Western regions have glut of openings and shortage of young help - IndyStar.com, Sept. 5, 2007

Workers can thank unions for Labor Day, among other things - Bozeman Daily Chronicle, Sept. 2, 2007

Statewide, counties lack plans for zoning - Ravalli Republic, 
Aug. 30, 2007

Sidney fast-food place offering $10 an hour for workers - KXNet.com North Dakota News, Aug. 26, 2007

Help Wanted Ads Go Unanswered in West - Washington Post, Aug. 25, 2007

Businesses in the West scramble for workers - Detroit Free Press, Aug. 25, 2007 

Need a job? Go West, where help-wanted ads go unanswered - Helena Independent Record, Aug. 25, 2007

Want a job? Go West, where ads unanswered. Record low unemployment has created tough conditions for businesses - MSNBC.com, Aug. 24, 2007

Swanson kicks off planning presentations - Ravalli Republic, 
Aug. 16, 2007

U.S. Treasury Secretary visits Billings; warns of prospective troubles - Billings Gazette, Aug. 12, 2007

Conference focuses on rural giving - Missoulian, Aug. 14, 2007

upcoming events

On Oct., 3-6^th in Oklahoma City, Okla., Associate Director William Farr will speak at the Western History Association's 47^th Annual Conference. Entitled "Painter of Bunch Grass and Sky," Farr's lecture will explore the works of the German impressionist painter, Julius Seyler, with particular reference to the romanticism of the American West and the role of the Blackfeet Indians in that imagination.

On Oct. 6^th in Butte, Mont., Senior Fellow Pat Williams will be the keynote speaker at a celebration of the Arts and Restoration - Divide and Headwaters.

On Oct. 10^th in Missoula, Mont., Senior Fellow Bob Brown will speak on the progress of democracy in Cambodia at the Mansfield Center 's monthly "Brown Bag" luncheon and will present on Cambodia to the Missoula Kiwanis Club on Oct. 23.

On Oct. 12^th in Whitefish, Mont., Center Director Larry Swanson will speak at a session of the 2007 Leadership Montana, examining statewide and sub-area growth and change and challenges and opportunities associated with this change in Montana.Leadership Montana is in its fourth year and provides education and networking programming for existing and emerging leaders across Montana .

On Oct. 15^th in Boise, Idaho, Swanson will make a presentation on shifts and trends in regional voting patterns to the executive board of the Inland Northwest Research Alliance (INRA). INRA is a consortium of eight universities in the five states of Idaho, Montana, Utah, Washington, and Alaska, and its executive board includes the presidents of member universities.

On Oct. 17^th in Helena, Mont., Governor Schweitzer and Williams will make a joint presentation to the Executive Board of the Kellogg Foundation. The presentations will cover Montana's current economic and cultural policy history.

On Oct. 17^th in Missoula, Mont., Brown will present on the topic of contemporary American politics to a delegation of the All China Youth Federation at the Mansfield Center .

On Oct. 17^th in Polson, Mont., Swanson will speak at a forum and conference sponsored by the Flathead Basin Commission entitled "Lessons of the Lakes: Promoting Water Quality Amid Community Growth." His presentation is entitled, "Demographic trends, land use patterns, and the importance of natural amenities."

On Oct. 19^th in Helena, Mont., Williams and Brown will join in giving the banquet speech at the 34^th Annual Montana History Conference. They will examine the topic of "Montana Ventures Into a New Century from State and National Perspectives."

On Oct. 20^th in Casper, Wyo., Senior Fellow Daniel Kemmis will give the keynote address to the Wyoming Arts Council's "Summit 2007." The summit is a conference for community leaders, elected officials, business leaders, etc., providing them an opportunity to explore links between government, community development, economic prosperity, and the arts. Kemmis will speak on "Creativity and Community Vitality."

On Oct. 26^th in Bozeman, Mont., Brown will speak on reforming legislative procedures to a statewide conference entitled "Can We Talk? Public Discourse in Montana." The conference is being sponsored by Humanities Montana. The Center is one of the co-sponsoring organizations.

On Oct. 27^th in Missoula, Mont., Kemmis will speak at a workshop for teachers at the Fort Missoula Historical Museum. The workshop is focusing on "Making Connections Between our Past, Present & Future."  

On Nov. 13^th in Billings, Mont., Swanson will speak at a breakfast meeting sponsored by Celebrate Billings focused on "Billings Area Workforce Challenges." Dr. Stuart Rosenfeld of Regional Technology Strategies in North Carolina, who is an internationally respected expert on emerging workforce development needs, is the featured speaker of the meeting.

On Nov. 15^th in Bozeman, Mont., Brown will present to Leadership Montana on the importance of effective communication in civic leadership.

In late November in Billings, Mont., Swanson will meet with board members and executive personnel of First Interstate BancSystem to review findings from research he is doing for the bank on regional growth and change.

Also in late November in Cody, Wyo., Swanson will present results of a study of population and economic trends in a 25-county region surrounding Yellowstone National Park at an economic summit being convened by the Yellowstone Business Partnership in cooperation with the Cody Institute for Western American Studies.

project activity

Center director Swanson and Doug Lawrence initiated work on a study of economic trends and patterns of growth and change for the First Interstate BancSystem, which operates banks in Montana and Wyoming.

Swanson recently published a chapter for a new book by PASCAL Observatory entitled Building Stronger Communities: Research informing policy and practice (NIACE, September, 2007). Swanson's chapter is entitled, "Sustaining Community Leadership Learning - Recent Experience in Montana, U.S.A."  

On Aug, 9-11^th, the Center, in partnership with The University of Montana's School of Journalism, hosted a symposium of leading journalists from throughout the Rocky Mountain West, exploring the role of media in highlighting and examining issues at a regional scale. Supported by the Charles F. Kettering Foundation, the symposium drew on the experience of the Center's regional news service, Headwaters News.Headwaters Editor Shellie Nelson and Senior Fellow Daniel Kemmis are preparing a report on the symposium.

Senior Fellow Pat Williams continued an active guest lecture schedule with classes at The University of Montana in the Geography Department and two classes at Missoula's Hellgate High School .

Williams added new class offerings in both the autumn and spring semesters: Wilderness History and Policy for EVST and Federal Public Land Policy for Continuing Education - MOLLI.

Western Progress, an eight-state non-partisan progressive policy institute of which Williams is a founder, sponsored a workshop, "Paydirt," on establishing a restoration economy in the Rocky Mountain West.  Montana 's Governor Brian Schweitzer keynoted the workshop.