Immediately following the adjournment of our Cinnabar Foundation meeting, we organized ourselves into a carpool for our two-day, guided exploration  area of eastern Montana that is under threat of the Otter Creek coal mine and coal-to-China railroad, know as the Tongue River Railroad. Three staff members (Olivia Stockman, Svein Newman and Adam Haight) and a volunteer member (Beth Kaeding) of the Northern Plains Resource Council provided in-depth understanding of why this area has become a primary conservation battleground.

Heading east along the Yellowstone River, we headed to Coalstrip to meet with Wally McRae to learn more about the Tongue River Railroad route and the ramifications to ranchers along the proposed route. Our next stop was Miles City — the iconic watering hole, the Montana Bar, opened just for us to "whet our whistles" before checking into our motel for the night and dinner.

The next morning it is pouring buckets as we head off bright and early to continue our fact-finding adventure. Our first stop was the Fix Ranch, which is bisected by the Tongue River. Mark Fix, who we met the previous evening, led us on a tour of his property. He told us that holding up the coal-to-China railroad was the best thing to happen in eastern Montana in a long time. The Ninth Circuit Court Appeals ruled that much of the decision-making to permit the railroad was "arbitrary and capricious," which means they did a shit-job! He also shared that years before the TRR sent land men to his ranch seeking a right-of way through his property — making sure he knew they had the power of eminent domain and could "take" his land if they wanted. They offered $100/acre ($4,000) for a 40-acre strip three miles through his ranch that would separate his ranch operation from the river, which is his water source. Conservatively, it is expected that an additional 40-50 trains a day would be passing by between the proposed Otter Creek mine and the West Coast where the low-grade coal would be spaced on ships and exported to China. To learn more about this click this link.

Our next stop is at the proposed site for the Otter Creek Coal Mine where we meet with Del Dinstel and his wife whose ranch is adjacent to the proposed mine to hear more about the environmental ramifications to the land, wildlife, and water resources. Heading up Poker Jim Butte to a firepower we are rewarded with unsurpassed views of this gorgeous land. Heading down the other side, we arrive at the Alderson Ranch, one of the early dude ranches, near Birney for a barbecue dinner and to award Jeanie Alderson, Mark Fix and Beth Kaeding with the 2013 Sargent Stewardship Award for all of their tireless work to 
protect and conserve the Tongue River Valley.

After a long day, board president and dear friend Robin Tawney Nichols and I head to Sheridan, Wyoming to spend the night before heading off on our adventure into the Bakken region of South and North Dakota to witness first-hand the fracking operations underway.

The Cinnabar Foundation's board meeting (Spring 2013) was held this year in Billings, Montana. Since I started going to Montana, in 1976, I'd only been there once — stopping briefly for gas. So, it was with much surprise and delight to discover what a cool area this is!

Our meeting was held in conjunction with the Montana Wilderness Association annual meeting, which provided an opportunity to meet many of the "players" who are connected with environmental and conservation organizations that we have been funding. The first night was a barbecue and bluegrass event at the Bones Brewing Pub & Eatery, which was loud and fun! The next day were hikes — the one I was on included the really exquisite Pictograph Caves State Park east of town. The spiritual energy of this sacred place is palpable and those who work here seem to have been "called" in very sweet ways! That evening the MWA held a dinner at the lovely DanWalt Gardens and featured a very enthusiastic Huckleberry Pie auction and a engaging keynote talk by wildlife photographer Michael Forsberg, who has focused much of his work on the North American Great Plains that were once one of the greatest grassland ecosystems on Earth. His goal is to capture the wild spirit that survives in these wide open spaces and put a face on the often overlooked native creatures and landscapes found there.

Our board meeting was held the following two-days at the office of the Northern Plains Resource Council and Western Organization of Resource Councils — which is way cool! They renovated a 1940s grocery store into the first LEED Platinum level building in Montana and the 44th in the United States.