Task Force volunteers spend hours with us on the Gallatin collecting water samples and restoring habitat. They not only inspire us in our work but enable us to carry out our conservation mission. At the end of the year, we host a stewardship celebration to thank our volunteers and announce our annual volunteer awards. We can’t thank our volunteers enough for their commitment to this river and their contribution to protecting it for future generations. The 2021 volunteer awards go to:
Jack Crowther Volunteer of the Year
John and Margie Regan moved to Bozeman in fall of 2020 from New York. Looking to get more involved with the community they quickly became our most frequent and enthusiastic volunteers. Coming out for all of our water quality and algae monitoring events, they weren’t afraid to be out on the water on 90-degree days, collecting water samples and scraping rocks well into the afternoon. They also played a huge part in helping to plant and maintain our restoration site at Upper Deer Creek and always showed up with big smiles and great conversation.
Outstanding Steward
Teo Nogaret spent the summer as a Task Force intern. Whether it was getting the word out at the farmer’s market every week, maintaining our Upper Deer Creek restoration site, or out on the river during our monitoring events, Teo was a devoted intern always up for whatever task we threw at him. Not only that, Teo helped research how other mountain towns are planning for drought in the face of climate change.
Data Collecting Guru
David Blesch splits his time between Big Sky and San Francisco. This summer, he was one of our most consistent volunteers, coming out for all water quality and algae monitoring events, and assisting with maintenance at the Upper Deer Creek restoration site. He scraped dozens of rocks for algae and collected water samples at all of our monitoring sites from Yellowstone National Park to Spanish Creek and everywhere in between. Full of enthusiasm and a great person to have on our team, David is always reliable and fun to have around.
Philanthropic River Leaders
Linda Mead joined our board in 2020 and her hard work for our 2021 Hooked on the Gallatin banquet was vital to hosting a successful event. Linda and her husband Jack live in Big Sky and have supported our work for years. Her concern for the river shines through in all she does. She cares deeply about stewardship of the Gallatin and our mission to save and protect the river. A strong voice for conservation, we are grateful to have Linda on our board team and Hooked on the Gallatin committee!
Betsy McFadden jumped into volunteering with the Task Force head first in 2021! As an active member of the Big Sky community and volunteering for many great causes, we were honored to have Betsy jump in and help in so many ways this summer. Her support and contagious energy were important to our Hooked on the Gallatin committee and we are grateful for her many hours of dedicated time she gave to the Gallatin and our work for water and conservation.
Innovator of the Year
As avid anglers and long-time supporters of the Gallatin River Task Force, Boyd Teegarden and his wife, Cassandra, have been part-time residents in Big Sky since 2005. They founded Natalie’s Estate Winery located in the Willamette Valley, Oregon. Their Big Sky collection of wines gives back to the Gallatin River and the people who care about it. This year Boyd created a new design for the equipment used for our nutrient limitation experiments, manufactured the equipment in Oregon, and delivered the equipment just in time help us install in it in the river for our monitoring season. Thanks to Boyd, installation of the equipment was a breeze compared to years past.