Last year, Mike Schmillen and members of his River City Tile & Stone crew drove a couple skid steers all the way from their home near the Twin Cities to southwestern Montana. Why? To help remove miles of old fencing that were blocking wildlife migration routes in a part of the country where they had enjoyed taking recreational trips in the past. Read his story…

Recently, some folks from our local Trout Unlimited office reached out in search of volunteers to help them with a cool new project in the Gallatin watershed. It’s called an “Aquatic Organism Passage Assessment”, and instead of totally fowling up describing what that is and what its purpose is, we’ll let them do the talking!

Growing up on a cattle ranch in Gallatin Gateway, Montana provided me with a childhood unlike any other and instilled in me an appreciation for open space. I had endless acres to run around and explore. I got to fish, horseback ride and hike right out my front door. I didn’t fully appreciate what an incredible opportunity this was until it was gone.

My involvement in the outdoors started at a young age skiing and hiking with my family. At that time, my sister and I would roll our eyes each time our parents said, “Wow, look at that view” and I would get led into ski school by my younger sister crying. As I grew up, I found my own love for the outdoors through rock climbing, backcountry skiing, and camping with friends.