Over the past days in Las Vegas, NV, Paleontologist Jack Horner, 65, married Vanessa Shiann Weaver, 19, of Ohio.  Sources have confirmed that Horner, a Regents Professor of Paleontology and the Curator of Paleontology at the Museum of the Rockies, did marry Weaver, an undergraduate student in the Montana State University Paleontology department and an intern who worked in Horner's MOR lab.

-TBM

In the humongous indoor terrarium at Denver's Butterfly Pavilion live hundreds of butterflies and moths from every region of the world. While these fly freely above and onto the heads of enraptured guests, large boxes of chrysalides in every stage of development hang in a quiet corner. Here caterpillars safely ensconced in their temporary homes devolve into goo before reassembling as winged maturity. In a similar “goo-phase,” the brain of a human teenager undergoes rampant rewiring while soaked in hormones. Unfortunately, these adolescents do not always remain safely in their homes during metamorphosis.

If there is anything more feared or misunderstood than teenagers, it is homelessness. Recently the Magpie received an alarming tip about our valley's homeless teen population; an e-mail circulated at Christmastime claimed that there were over a hundred homeless teens enrolled at the Bozeman High School. While the organizations involved in the generation of that mail were well-meaning, we decided to go straight to the professionals to find out the truth.

Despite plenty of meteorological activity in the Northern Rockies this week, the chatter didn't translate into all the snow forecasted near Bozeman. Below, we've compiled the most up-to-date "OFFICIAL" posts regarding regional conditions from the outdoor social network, Beta-Scout.com. This week's posts are provided by the GNF Avalanche Center and Big Sky Resort.

If you haven't already joined, Beta Scout is FREE. Once signed up, you'll have access to an enthusiastic community sharing their outdoor experiences and photographs from all over Montana and the Northern Rockies.

Avalanche Guys (OFFICIAL):
1/20 @ 5:30am -- BACKCOUNTRY
"AVALANCHE WARNING CONTINUED ON JANUARY 20 2012 AT 5:30 am. The Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center continues a Backcountry Avalanche Warning for the Lionhead area near West Yellowstone and the mountains around Cooke City. Heavy snow continues to fall on an extremely weak snowpack causing unstable conditions. Avalanches were triggered yesterday and more will occur. Today the avalanche danger is HIGH on all slopes. Areas of unstable snow exist. Natural and human-triggered avalanches are likely. Avalanche terrain including avalanche runout zones should be avoided. You are urged to call the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Advisory for more detailed information. Bozeman, Livingston, Cooke City and West Yellowstone………406-587-6981 Information is also available at the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center’s Web site at: www.mtavalanche.com This warning will either be terminated or updated by 6:00 AM on January 21, 201
Big Sky Resort (OFFICIAL):
1/20 @ 9:30am -- RESORTS (SKIING/SNOWBOARDING)
"4-5 fresh inches, mild temps, and windless skies are making for awesome conditions mountain-wide. Head to Andesite, Challenger, and The Bowl for the best runs."  www.bigskyresort.com

And looking ahead...

LtownGuide
1/19 @ 8:45am -- FISHING
"Upper Yellowstone River snowpack is currently at 77% of normal. While this is quite low for this time of the year it looks like this incoming storm from the Pacific could make a big upward change in our snow pack. Remember more snow means cooler water temps in the summer and happy fish!"

-TBM

Editor's Note:  Beta-Scout.com has a raffle underway.  For eligibility, just make a post for the week from 1/17 to 1/23 (Monday).  Raffle winners receive a water bottle from REI Bozeman and a coupon for 20% off REI brand gear and apparel, plus the altruistic glow that comes from sharing good outdoor info and pictures with fellow Montanans.  Trust us, it looks better than any off-th-shelf bronzer.

“Dad, can I pleeeeeease have an ice cream sandwich?” That was my standard plea upon arriving at Norris Hot Springs, circa 1983. As a whiny 7-year-old, I didn’t much appreciate the geothermal wonder we are privileged to have 33 miles away from Bozeman—I just knew it was where I liked to have my birthday parties, it was a stop on the way to visit the grandparents in Ennis, and that a visit there entailed ice cream treats if I was well-behaved. Sometimes, though, my dad would just throw us in the car for the sake of the soak, because what else does one do outdoors on an un-ski-able winter day?

Known as the “Water of the Gods,” Norris Hot Springs is a natural hot springs pool with staggering views of the Tobacco Root Mountains, nestled in the historical mining community of Norris, Montana. According to local accounts, the area has long been used for bathing, healing, and soaking; it is just in the last 100 years that a 30-by-40-foot, fir-plank pool was built over the source to create the Norris pool of today.

This week, Bozeman’s hot-button topic is Monday night’s unanimous school board trustee vote endorsing a land purchase at the intersection of Cottonwood and Durston on the western outskirts of town. At a cost of $1.1 million, the forty-acre site has been chosen for Bozeman’s 8th elementary school. Dr. Kirk Miller, Superintendent of Bozeman Public Schools, reportedly said that the parcel of land would also be adequate for the district’s 3rd middle school, a facility “likely needed in the next three to four years.” Additionally, the trustees voted 7-0 to suspend competitive bidding policies to fast-track the development of the elementary school in hopes of welcoming students in the fall of 2013.

“School siting is a complex matter that needs to find a balance between current needs and future impacts. (Siting) encompasses difficult subjects such as taxes, community values, home values, development patterns, zoning, community planning, transportation choices, health, and obviously education,” said Taylor Lonsdale, the state’s Safe Routes to Schools Coordinator (a program he helped start locally), a former member of the Bozeman Area Pedestrian Traffic and Safety Committee, a founder of the Bozeman Bike Kitchen, a year-round commuting cyclist, and a father of two.

Here are the current "OFFICIAL" posts regarding regional conditions that we snagged off our outdoor social network, Beta Scout. This week they're provided by the Gallatin National Forest, the GNF Avalanche Center. and Big Sky Resort.  Remember, joining Beta Scout is Foo-REE, and direct access is the best way to find and provide timely, user-generated posts from your favorite local stomping grounds.  If you checked our stream this morning, you could have already gotten out there... 

Forest Service (OFFICIAL):
1/13 @ 11:15am -- SNOWMOBILING

"Snowmobile grooming update - the following trails have been groomed by GVSA: Wed Storm Castle Creek & Lake of the Pines; Thurs: Taylor Fork (Carrott Basin) and Buck Ridge. Thin snowpack still exists - ride with caution. For more groomer info. go to gvsa.net and always check the avalanche condition forecast before riding."

1/11 @ 3pm -- NORDIC SKIING
"Upper Hyalite Cross Country Ski Trails were groomed today by FS Snow Rangers. Random new snow depths accumulated from yesterday's storm ranging from 2 to 8 inches. Areas that were groomed and tracks set: Blackmore/History Rock loops, Crescent Lake/Window Rock, Sleeping Giant, Palisade/Maxey Cabin, Wildhorse/Lick Cr. County Plow cleared snow from main Hyalite Road to Grotto Falls TRHD. Compact ice and snow exist, drive with caution."  www.fs.usda.gov/gallatin

Avalanche Guys (OFFICIAL):
1/13 @ 6:15am -- BACKCOUNTRY

"This is backcountry avalanche information from the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center and expires at midnight, Friday, January 13. Unfortunately there is never a point when conditions switch from unstable to stable. Instead, the odds of triggering an avalanche simply decrease. The structure of this season’s snowpack means that this decrease happens very slowly. Nearly all slopes have some type of weak layer buried 1-2 feet deep, and the existence of these weak layers means human triggered avalanches are definitely possible. The odds of triggering an avalanche are higher in places where snow from Tuesday night was blow by the wind forming drifts and wind slabs. To ride on slopes steeper than 30 degrees requires a very careful evaluation of the snowpack and terrain, and today the avalanche danger is rated MODERATE. For more information about current snow and avalanche conditions, please call the Avalanche Advisory at 587-6981 or visit our website at www.mtavalanche.com "

 

Big Sky Resort (OFFICIAL):
1/11 @ 11am -- RESORTS (SKIING/SNOWBOARDING)

"Three fresh inches, plus a northerly breeze is blowing snow directly under Challenger - head there for the deep stuff." www.bigskyresort.com

-TBM