Montana Range Days Coming to Hill County
2014 marks the 38th year of Montana Range Days and the final time this premier range education event is coming to Havre. It’s not very often when your four year old can become a buckaroo for the day; your 13 year old can become a wrangler; and parents get a taste of the rancher division and learn about one of Montana’s most important resources: Range.
Montana Stockgrowers Association Research and Education Endowment Foundation, Montana Cattlewomen, and Montana Association of Grazing Districts are proud to sponsor Montana Range Days.
This year’s event begins Monday June 23rd in Beaver Creek Park, the Nation’s Largest County Park. Having Range Days in this part of the state introduces new grasses, forbs, trees and possibly weeds, both noxious and introduced, that perhaps participants haven’t seen before. The first day will be an opportunity for those serious about the competition to get onto the practice site and begin studying plants that may or may not be in the contest. Those interested in weed control can tour Dalmatian Toadflax biological control plots in the area.
Tuesday, June 24th is full of activity, with workshops for all ages going on at Camp Kiwanis, Beaver Creek Park. The 4 to 6 year old (Buckaroos) will learn about rangeland environments with lots of hands-on activities. The 7 to 8 year olds (Ecosystem Explorers) will learn about range and our ecosystem through fun games and activities. For the 9 to 11 year olds (Superstarters) they get a little more serious and begin to learn about plant anatomy and identification to prepare them for the contest on Wednesday. The Wrangler division is for those junior high age students who want to learn about proper grazing, stocking rates, plant anatomy and identification. There are also the Open and FFA Divisions for 14 to 19 year olds to learn about the many aspects of range. While the kids are learning, the adults can be participating as well in the Rancher / Open Adult workshops or attend the tour slated for Tuesday. Tuesday’s tour includes: The Blaine County Wildlife Museum, the Blaine County Historical Museum and the Bear Paw Battlefield.
Wednesday, June 25th is the final day of Montana Range Days and also marks competition day in which teams of 3 or 4 members will compete on what they learned the day before in such areas of plant ID, soils, anatomy, monitoring and range management. There are several awards like Top Superstarter, Top Wrangler, and the Top Range Hand award of the event. Those participants who are too young to participate in the competition can take part in an educational program put on by the Montana Cattlewomen’s Association at Camp Kiwanis, while adults can tour Havre Beneath the Streets and the Wahkpa Chu’gn Archeological Site.
Montana Range Days is open to all families, all ages, and all skill levels. Come be a part of an event that has been going on for more than 30 years and has encompassed more than 15 communities in our great State and learn about this wealth of nature that covers nearly 70 percent of Montana better known as Rangelands.
Find the online electronic registration form at https://adobeformscentral.com/?f=lYj8Z7FSQjJx4OYCe8-ASA.
For more information you can call Jennifer at the Hill County Conservation District at 406-265-6792 ext.101 or email [email protected] or go the website at www.montanarangedays.org.
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The Montana Stockgrowers Association, a non-profit membership organization, has worked on behalf of Montana’s cattle ranching families since 1884. Our mission is to protect and enhance Montana ranch families’ ability to grow and deliver safe, healthy, environmentally wholesome beef to the world.