August 2023

MADISON VALLEY AUGUST “HAPPENINGS” → What’s happened in Ennis, the Basecamp of the Madison Valley? → Virginia City held their Montana Mardi Gras. → The 24th annual Noxious Weed Fund Raiser was a huge success! → The Madison County Fair and Rodeo was a big deal.  → VC hosted their Virginia City Art Show and the Elling House hosted a Cowboy Poetry &  Open Mike →  The 10^th Annual Montana Ride to Remember roared through Ennis from Helena, with hundreds of motorcycles on their way to West Yellowstone. → The Jack Creek Preserve hosted a Stargazing at the Preserve and a Ladies Night Out–Women’s Wilderness Weekend. → The annual Fly Fishing & Outdoor Festival was a big draw to town, along with the Shedhorn Sports’ Hunters Rendezvous. → The Music in the Park Summer Series in Peter T’s Park continued. → The Madison Valley Presbyterian Church hosted a free Community Dinner in Lions Club Park. → Music on the Madison and a Conservation Fair were hosted at the Madison Double R Resort on the river. → Mountain Goats were the subject of the August Wildlife Speaker Series. → The Elling House Arts & Humanities Center in Virginia City presented a Long Hair Concert featuring Fairest Isle Folk Baroque.  → Virginia City hosted their annual Grand Victorian Ball and their Gold Rush 5K + Fun Run. → The 22^nd Annual Headwaters Relay took place July 28-30^th with 25 teams running from the Headwaters of the Missouri River in Three Forks to Hell Roaring Creek in the Centennial Valley, for a total course miles of 211.88! → The Ennis Vista Sculpture Garden was officially opened at the western edge of Ennis by the Bridge. →  August was VERY busy!  Never a dull moment in the Madison Valley and surrounding areas! 

MADISON VALLEY SEPTEMBER “HAPPENINGS” → The annual Labor Day Poker Ride from the Bale of Hay Saloon in Virginia City on the 2^nd. → The Attaca Quartet, a two-time Grammy winner, will be performing a free concert in Pony, at the Pony White Church at 5 PM on the 2^nd, sponsored by the Pony Homecoming Club. → Cowboy Poetry at the Elling House in VC on the 9^th. → The Virginia City Preservation Alliance is arranging a Brewery Auto tour of Historic Sites on the 10^th. → A Golden Gavel Grinder and Bike Fest in VC on the 23^rd.  https://virginiacity.com/events. The Virginia City Playhouse and the Brewery Follies will be performing through Labor Day.  → This year is the 160^th anniversary of Virginia City and they have been celebrating all year!  https://virginiacity.com/events/,  and  https://virginiacity.com/history →  And, you can still go fishing, boating, golfing, hiking, trail riding, bowling, do yoga & exercise classes, have a facial and a massage, play Pickleball, Mahjongg, or eat, drink, stroll through Ennis, take in a movie, and go shopping!  Just do it all! 

MADISON VALLEY FUTURE “HAPPENINGS” → The very popular Hunters’ Feed in Ennis, will be held on October 20^th . → The Jack Creek Preserve Foundation is raffling off access for an archery elk hunt for the 2024 season! Only 250 tickets will be sold at $50 each, giving you excellent odds of winning access to the private 4500-acre property + other big-ticket items.  Drawing will take place when all tickets are sold or on the evening of Oct. 20^th.   → The annual Spirit of Christmas Stroll in downtown Ennis, Dec. 8^th.  → https://www.ennischamber.com.

MONTANA NEWS → Yellowstone National Park hosted 969,692 visits in July – a 63% increase over July 2022, and the year-to-date total was a 33% increase from 2022. → The famous Chico Hot Springs has been sold to Diamond Rock Hospitality, a Maryland company. This landmark is on the National Register of Historic Places. https://www.chicohotsprings.com/.  →  The Fort Peck Indian Reservation, located in the northeastern part of Montana, is home to two distinct American Indian Nations – the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes, each composed of numerous bands and divisions.  The Reservation is part of the Fort Peck Buffalo Program, a project to reintroduce bison to tribal lands throughout the U.S., using animals from Yellowstone National Park.  According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, tens of millions of bison once roamed North America, but were reduced to near extinction in the 19^th century, leaving only a few hundred left.  The U.S. now has about 420,000 bison in commercial herds, another 20,500 in conservation herds, and a cultural herd of 350-400 lives on the Fort Peck Reservation.     https://www.npr.org/2020/08/25/904893046/fort-peck-tribes-carry-out-largest-ever-inter-tribal-buffalo-transfer; https://fortpecktribes.org/project-from-msu-fort-peck-tribes-aims-to-connect-people-and-bison/

FISHING REPORT → From Big John. The crowds are gone, along with the summer tourists.  September is our time!   September might just be the perfect month in Montana.  I always say, “I hope God makes Heaven look like Montana, in September.”  It is that good.  The elk are screaming, colors are changing, temperatures are cooler, fish are hungry, and there are fewer people on the river!  Again, the perfect month.  What more could you ask for?

If you are around this September, it is going to be extra special.  The wet weather from the last never-ending winter and the continued rain this summer have created a really good situation.  Still lots of water in the river and the lakes.  Remember, the first rule of guiding is – fish like water.  So, find the water.  The second rule is –  fish live in the water.  So, put your fly in the water, and keep it there.   Now you know two of the three qualifications for guiding.  It is that simple.

Seriously speaking.  The hopper and ant bite should start the month out strong.  It should stay that way until we get some weather.  Each year we get what I like to call the equinox storm.  This marks the separation from summer to fall.  It is usually late September when we get the first snow in the mountains and the first good frost freeze, down in the valley.  Hoppers and ants will be the ticket, until we see this storm.  But when it will happen is anyone’s guess.

After the storm, think “fall” mode – with streamers, BWO nymphs and the old fall standbys of worms and eggs.  Until then, fish the dry.  The next good dry fly bite is about 6 months after that.  So, get it now while you can.  I know that I will be spending time on the river throwing hoppers and ants right now.

Lots of good end-of-season deals in the fly shop.  Save some money and stress by getting your Christmas shopping done early.  Also remember, you can always connect and get all your gear from our on-line fly shop.  Make this holiday season a “no big box store Christmas” and support a family-owned, small-town business, exclusively.   Get out and fish.  It will be worth it.  Good Fishing and God Bless, John Way.  http://www.thetackleshop.com)  Ennis, Montana, the CULTURAL EPICENTER OF TROUT.  (406) 682-4263, or cell: (406) 370-5206.

If people concentrated on the REALLY important things in life,  there would be a shortage of fishing poles!

Check out other fishing reports at:

• Madison River Fishing Company at: https://www.mrfc.com/
• Dan Delekta at: https://www.beartoothflyfishing.com/
• The Madison Valley Ranch at: https://www.madisonvalleyranch.com/
• Joe Dilschneider’s Montana Trout Stalkers at http://www.montanatrout.com/
• Yellowstone Fly Fishing at http://www.yellowstoneflyfishing.com/madisonreport.htm.

WEATHER → This was a very unusual August! It is still green throughout the valley!  Usually, it is golden by this time of year.  The daytime high in August was 97°.   The daytime low was 63°.  The nighttime high was 64° with a nighttime low of 45°.  Not too different from July weather.  But August brought us 24 mostly sunny days and 1.55” of rain!  Gardens are happy!  And no fires!

REAL ESTATE TIPS:  DOMESTIC WELLS.  For many people moving to rural Montana, it will be the first time their water supply will come from a private well rather than a municipal water system.  It is easy to take this seemingly unending source for granted.  There is more to this than just turning on your water faucet.  There are several things you should know:

1. Research the well’s history. Find out who drilled the well, know your well’s capacity and yield, by obtaining a copy of the well log, and make sure the well was filed with the DNRC and obtain a water right certificate for the well.

2. Check the condition of the well to make sure the well is uphill and at least 100 feet from pollution sources; that surface water doesn’t reach it; that the wellhead is visible and above ground; and that the well cap is tightly attached, and a screened vent faces the ground.

3. Conduct a water test as part of your home inspection.  Water quality of private wells is not regulated and is rarely tested. Request a Comprehensive Well Water Panel.

4. Test your well annually for bacteria. The EPA also recommends testing for nitrate/nitrite and pH. They also recommend testing for contaminants of local concern.  In the Madison County, that would include:  arsenic, lead, manganese, fluoride, uranium, and radon.

5. Have your well system inspected every 10 years by a qualified well driller or pump installer. The homeowner should inspect their wellhead several times a year.  Make sure there are no gopher holes around your well head where water can drain down into your well.

6. Have a backup plan to avoid disruptions of service in the case of power outage. Electricity is needed to operate your well pump, and power does occasionally go off.  Two simple solutions are to include a retention tank in your well system and/or have an alternative power source. And keep jugs of water on hand for emergencies.

7. Wells do go dry so there is no guarantee that you will always have water.

HOME FOR YOUR SOUL → FEATURED PROPERTY OF THE MONTH.  PREMIER MADISON RIVER PROPERTY.  This 10-acre parcel has magnificent Madison River + mountain views + excellent fishing, near the “Big Bend” on the river.  Build your dream home on the bench with dramatic views of the rock cliffs on the opposite shore, across a wide stretch of river.  Access the river by a trail down to a common area with exclusive use of one mile of shoreline (no public access from land).  Easy, year-round access from US Hwy 287, through a private locked gate, via a new gravel road, down to the building site.  Close to great hunting, fishing, boating, hiking, trail riding, snowmobiling, 4-wheeling, and just getting away from it all!  Uline Bench, Lot 2-B, Cameron, MT 59720,  $995,000.  MLS # 384157.  GoogleEarth Coordinates at building site:  Lat. 44.849952°, Lon. -111.540970°, Elevation 6,059’.

REAL ESTATE NEWS – WASHINGTON (August 30, 2023) – Pending home sales increased 0.9% in July – rising for the second consecutive month – according to the National Association of REALTORS®. The Northeast and Midwest posted monthly losses, while sales in the South and West grew. All four U.S. regions saw year-over-year declines in transactions. The Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) – a forward-looking indicator of home sales based on contract signings – rose 0.9% to 77.6 in July. Year over year, pending transactions fell by 14.0%. An index of 100 is equal to the level of contract activity in 2001.

“The small gain in contract signings shows the potential for further increases in light of the fact that many people have lost out on multiple home buying offers,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. “Jobs are being added and, thereby, enlarging the pool of prospective home buyers. However, rising mortgage rates and limited inventory have temporarily hindered the possibility of buying for many.”

Pending Home Sales Regional Breakdown.  The Northeast PHSI shrank 5.8% from last month to 63.2, a decrease of 20.2% from July 2022. The Midwest index fell 0.4% to 77.5 in July, down 16.0% from one year ago.  The South PHSI lifted 2.0% to 95.3 in July, declining 10.9% from the prior year. The West index improved 6.2% in July to 61.3, dropping 12.8% from July 2022.  “Interestingly, the West region experienced a meaningful price decline in the past year and buyers are quickly returning as a result,” Yun added.

The National Association of Realtors® is America’s largest trade association, representing more than 1.5 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.  The term Realtor® is a registered collective membership mark that identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of Realtors® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.

LOCAL REAL ESTATE MARKET STATISTICS: New listings for the Madison Valley are still showing up on MLS, almost every day, along with several price reductions.  There is usually a lull this time of year as families are focused on back-to-school matters.  Then we expect to see more serious buyers, AFTER vacation fun is over.  Big Sky Country Multiple Listing statistics for the Madison Valley area (including Ennis, Cameron, McAllister, Norris, Virginia City, Nevada City, Harrison, Pony), for the month of AUGUST were as follows:   

HOMES: 53↓ homes listed ($349,000 to $8,300,000); 14 pending sales ($485,000 to $2,500,000); and 31 homes have sold in 2023 ($305,000 to $3,700,000), totaling $25,796,334 at 8% of list prices.

LAND: 137↑ vacant lots listed ($39,000 to $2,250,000); 15↓ pending sales ($7,497 to $569,000); and 53 lots have sold in 2023 ($10,000 to $600,000), totaling $13,483,597 at 2% of list prices.

COMMERCIAL: 6↑ commercial properties listed ($365,000 to $2,950,000); 0 pending sales; and 4 commercial properties have sold in 2023 ($85,000 to $2,250,000), totaling $4,835,000, at 5%↑ of list prices.

RANCHES: 6↑ ranches listed ($960,000 to $13,750,000); 1 pending sale ($6,999,999), and 0 ranches sold in 2023.

“The best investment on Earth is earth.” Louis J. Glickman, real estate mogul/philanthropist

Also, according to Jordan Davis & Luke Bryan, in their hit song, “Buy Dirt!”

MONTANA TRIVIA… Did you know that…. August 17^th marked the 64^th anniversary of the massive 7.5-magnitude earthquake that took 28 lives and drastically changed the landscape of the Upper Madison River valley? That was the fateful day when an 80-million-ton landslide formed and travelled an estimated 100 mph down the north face of Sheep Mountain, just west of Yellowstone National Park, along the Madison River.  The landslide occurred downstream from the Hebgen Dam and blocked most of the Madison River flow.  In less than 30 days the expanding water created what is now known as Quake Lake.  Read more at: https://www.yellowstone.org/yellowstone-earthquakes-revealed/ plus many websites!