2020 Montana Tourism Awards
The annual Montana Tourism Awards recognize the outstanding accomplishments of the people, businesses, organizations and communities that strengthen Montana's tourism and recreation industries and thereby contribute to maximizing its economic impact for Montana residents.
In past years, the winners have been revealed at the live awards ceremony held in conjunction with the annual Montana Governor’s Conference on Tourism and Recreation. Unable to do so in 2020, award-winners were notified and a public announcement was made on May 19.
Therefore, additional information about each recipient and the finalists in each category will be highlighted in the Friday Flash over the next few weeks.
2020 Outstanding Tourism Volunteer— Todd Hunkler of Butte, Montana Folk Festival
This award acknowledges and celebrates significant commitment demonstrated by an individual who exemplifies the positive impact volunteers have on Montana's tourism and recreation industries and who goes above and beyond to ensure visitors' experiences are positive and worth repeating. It may also be awarded to a group. Judges consider the following criteria and measurements:
- Contributions to a specific tourism-related event, attraction, organization or project and results that include increased participation, extended visitors' stays, leveraging of financial and in-kind contributions or a combination of any of these things
- Contributions made by the volunteer without which would have left a goal unmet, a gap in funding, staffing or resources, or reduced the offering; and that the volunteer is not regularly paid for the specific body of work they are being nominated for.
From humble beginnings as part of the Bucket Brigade to collect contributions on the festival grounds during the event, Todd Hunkler has recruited, scheduled, shaped and refined a group of nearly 75 elite volunteer festival ambassadors who accept donations in small buckets in a systematic approach developed by Hunkler that leaves no inch of the festival uncovered during the event. Since Hunkler has assumed coordination of this important aspect of the festival, the group has surpassed collection records each year.
Hunkler's impressive skills as a planner, strategist and manager are on full display each year as he dispatches ambassadors throughout the festival to not only encourage essential donations but they also have become the face of the festival for information about tourism opportunities in the Butte area and throughout the region after attendees leave the festival and Butte for other places in Montana.
We'd also like to acknowledge the other nominees in this category and thank them for all they do for Montana tourism:
- Jackie Feigel, Livingston MT
- Pamela Harr, Glendive MT
- Mike Strang, Lima MT
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Choose Local
As Montana reopens, we encourage you to support your local Taste our Place establishments by ordering takeout, delivery or dining in. You can also purchase gift cards from your favorite retailer or shop directly from your favorite Made in Montana producer online. Visit MADEINMONTANAUSA.com to find Made in Montana producers and retailers near you.
“The Last Beyond” a Montana-Made film 14 years in the making, is available this week. Featuring Stephen Small Salmon and Noah Watts, two outstanding Native American actors, it’s a story set in the beginnings of the Great Depression. You’ll recognize many familiar places around Livingston, Montana. For more information, click here.
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Bison Coming Back to Rocky Boy
In December of this year, Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation will become home to 15 head of Yellowstone bison for the first time since the late ’90s.
The announcement was made on the Rocky Boy Sustainability Facebook page Monday, along with the announcement that the program now has accesses to funds for fencing which will be discussed in a meeting sponsored by Rocky Boy Sustainability/Planning on Friday.
Rocky Boy Sustainability Director Jason Belcourt said this is a huge deal for the reservation.
“It’s a big cultural win for us,” Belcourt said, “Buffalo was part of every part of our society back in the day, he was our primary food source, he was present in our ceremonies, there were songs tied to him.” Read more from the Havre Daily News here.
PBS Presents "Prehistoric Road Trip"
Beginning June 17, get ready for an epic adventure through dinosaur country to discover the mysterious creatures and bizarre ecosystems that have shaped Earth as we know it.
With popular YouTube personality Emily Graslie as host and guide, the new PBS series "Prehistoric Road Trip", produced by Chicago’s PBS station WTTW, takes viewers on a journey to some of the world’s most active and dynamic fossil sites for an unforgettable expedition through hundreds of millions of years.
Watch on PBS stations nationwide on Wednesdays, June 17 - July 1, 2020 at 10/9c, and stream on PBS member station websites and the PBS app.
Extend the PREHISTORIC ROAD TRIP experience on the companion website, wttw.com/prehistoricroadtrip, featuring original digital content, behind-the-scenes travel journals, an interactive road trip map and more.
Filming locations in Montana include:
- Grass Range (Bear Gulch)
- Malta (Great Plains Dinosaur Museum)
- Bozeman (Museum of the Rockies)
- Jordan, Montana
- Ekalaka (Carter County Museum) – “Dino Shindig”
- Yellowstone River/ Glendive
2020 Business of Outdoor Recreation Summit
In light of the unprecedented times and staying dedicated to furthering the conversation of outdoor recreation as an economic driver and integral to the economic diversity and well-being of communities in the State of Montana and greater transboundary Crown of the Continent region including Alberta and British Columbia, the 2020 Business of Outdoor Recreation Summit is being adapted to be held virtually.
The in-person Business of Outdoor Recreation Summit in Great Falls will move to next year (2021) with new date(s) to be announced. You can help decide how to move forward with the 2020 Business of Outdoor Recreation VIRTUAL Summit by filling out this survey by end of day June 8, 2020.
Complete the 2020 Census Now!
Filling out the Census is quick, easy, and safe. It will take less than 10 minutes to complete and your information and privacy are protected by federal law. Montanans can fill out their Census forms online at my2020census.gov or by phone at 1.844.330.2020. The Census is also available via TDD (Telephone Display Device) at 844.467.2020. Learn more at CENSUS.MT.GOV.
Coronavirus Relief Fund Grants
Families, small businesses, non-profits, health services centers and individuals across Montana hardest-hit by impacts of COVID-19 are eligible to apply for grants through 11 new programs created in response to the emergency.
The following programs join the state’s suite of existing support services and direct federal appropriations:
- NEW: Montana Meat Processing Infrastructure Grant
- Montana Business Adaptation Program
- Montana Business Stabilization Program
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Montana Innovation Grant Program
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Montana Food and Agriculture Adaptability Program
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Social Services Nonprofit Grants
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Emergency Housing Assistance Program
See a complete list of new grant programs, eligibility requirements and apply at
Rural and Tribal Community Funding
Montana Community Foundation (MCF) and Montana Nonprofit Association (MNA) have partnered to create and administer the Montana COVID–19 Fund. This statewide fund will provide safety-net funding for Montana's rural and tribal communities adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The fund will specifically support those communities that do not have established community-specific funds. The fund will grant directly to nonprofit intermediary organizations (community foundations, United Ways, etc.) and rural tribal communities for re-granting in the areas identified by the Montana COVID-19 Fund Steering Committee. For more information, click here.
USDA Implements Immediate Measures to Help Rural Residents, Businesses and Communities Affected by COVID-19
USDA Rural Development has taken a number of immediate actions to help rural residents, businesses and communities affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. Rural Development will keep our customers, partners, and stakeholders continuously updated as more actions are taken to better serve rural America.
Effective March 31, 2020 until September 30, 2020, lenders may offer 180-day loan payment deferrals without prior agency approval for Business and Industry Loan Guarantees, Rural Energy for America Program Loan Guarantees, Community Facilities Loan Guarantees, and Water and Waste Disposal Loan Guarantees. Read the full announcement here to learn more about the opportunities USDA Rural Development is implementing to provide immediate relief to our customers, partners, and stakeholders.
USDA’s COVID-19 Federal Rural Resource Guide Lists Federal Programs That Can Help Rural Communities, Organizations and Residents Impacted by COVID-19
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue on Monday unveiled a one-stop-shop of federal programs that can be used by rural communities, organizations and individuals impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 Federal Rural Resource Guide is a first-of-its-kind resource for rural leaders looking for federal funding and partnership opportunities to help address this pandemic. The USDA has taken many immediate actions to assist farmers, ranchers, producers, rural communities, and rural-based businesses and organizations impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, click here.
October 4-6, 2020—Northwest USA Spotlight Tourism Conference (Helena)—Spotlight is a 2.5 day tourism conference with educational seminars, networking functions, site-seeing tours and a supplier trade show. Attendance will consist of 30-35 QUALIFIED group tour operators and buyers (coming from all over the US and Canada) along with about 25-30 Suppliers. For more information, click here.
October 6-8, 2020—The 2020 NAISMA (North American Invasive Species Management Association) Annual Conference (Virtual)—The 2020 NAISMA Annual Conference will be held on a virtual platform rather than our traditional in-person meeting in order to keep everyone safe and healthy.
This year’s virtual conference will be presented live during the conference dates. Sessions will also be recorded for post-event attendee access. Attendees will be able to log in to view presentations for up to 1 year after the event. To learn more, click here.
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