Northwest writers visit Polson area
Linda Sappington
NOWA members cruise on the Hippo, an amphibious vehicle. Some chose a trip to the National Bison Range, a visit with owl expert Denver Holt, a tour of Mission Valley permaculture sites or a visit to Glacier Brewing Company.
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POLSON — The Hippo came out of hibernation to give members of the Northwest Outdoor Writers Association a tour on around Polson Bay.
The writers, journalists and photographers chose Polson for their yearly conference because “(the members) love western Montana,” said Amber Pacheco-Holm, Polson Chamber of Commerce Director. She said the KwaTaqNuk Resort and Casino was headquarters for the event, with about 45 NOWA members registered.
Pacheco-Holm said the Polson Chamber of Commerce and Flathead Convention and Visitors Bureau made the NOWA members welcome by putting together tours — visiting permaculture sites around the valley, listening to owl expert Denver Holt speak, sending a group to the National Bison Range, testing the beer at Glacier Brewing Company, touring Polson on Three Dog Down’s Molly Trolley and riding the amphibious Happy Hippo.
Friday night the Chamber hosted a dinner upstairs at the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Pacheco-Holm had only thanks for chamber members, who were everywhere — Gil Mangels broke out a rare Indian motorcycle and other directors, members and ambassadors decorated, bussed tables and cooked, Pacheco-Holm said. Director Jim Oliverson concocted the pasta sauce atop pasta made and donated by Country Pasta. Dessert was Wilcoxson’s Ice Cream, made in Montana for 102 years, according to member Ken Avison.
The speaker for the evening was Norma Nickerson, Ph.D., director of the Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research at the University of Montana.
Nickerson spoke about “geo travelers,” 53 million Americans who want to visit places with clean waterways, clean air, wildlife viewing, scenic vistas and open spaces.
Among other information, she also had suggestions for stories about Montana.
Debbie and Ron Kerr were conference goers from Kimberly, British Columbia.
Ron is mostly retired, but he recently has been writing and photographing a deer cull in their city.
“Polson is smaller, that’s appealing for us,” Debbie said, adding that it’s beautiful.
Writer Chuck Robbins hails from Dillon. He writes fly fishing books, he said, although a new book of his “Birding Trails Montana”is due out this month. For the Glacier Country section, Robbins has visited the Mission Valley before.
The conference also has a photo “shoot out.” To compete, members submitted a portfolio of two shots each on the themes family fun, historical and outdoor recreation to Keith Szafranski, NOWA member and photographer. Szafranski, from Livingston, said the photos were due at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 25, for judging. Then the photos were viewed during the banquet Saturday evening and prizes were awarded to the top three point getters.
Also, the photos can be used to publicize Polson, Szafranski said.
The NOWA conference ended on Sunday after business meetings, awards and comradery, but the group also had plenty of time to enjoy the area.
