E-11: $350 Each Because Montana Matters

Greetings fellow Extravaganzers in the post glow of it all!

 

With now nine [count ‘em] round trip cross-Continental Divide motor coach trips now fully under our E-11 belts, I want to reach out again to each of you E-11ers to restate and repeat my request that each and every one of you look inside your hearts and wallets to make a (tax deductible) contribution to our growing Montana Matters bison restoration campaign—a collaboration for conservation between the 75 year old Montana Wildlife Federation and the equally 75 year old National Wildlife Federation.  The goal of this campaign is, in further collaboration with other organizations such as the American Prairie Foundation, to raise sufficient funds to restore bison to the Eastern Montana prairie—providing a 4.5 million fully preserved habitat for their free roaming and repopulation.

 

Whether you were on Group One’s “The Trout Tub”, or Group Two’s “The Extravaganza Express”, or Group Three’s (appropriately named!) “Montana Matters”, collectively you saw all that makes Montana truly matter in this world—wide open spaces, big unpolluted sky, wild animals galore (including the black bear, deer, antelope, elk, eagles, osprey and beaver that some or all of us had the privilege of seeing in their natural habitat), and the over 2,000 wild trout that tantalized our collective fishing lines. 

 

The only reason we were able to see and experience what we did, unlike any other prior Extravaganza, was because those before us saw the same thing and fought hard to keep what is there in place.   As I mentioned to you at each of our closing night’s ceremonies, our witnessing that beauty and success gives rise to a duty and privilege to give back a bit to Montana to make sure that others in our footsteps/bustracks have the privilege of the experiencing the same thing(s) decades and centuries after us.

 

Montana Matters is the perfect way to make that expression.  What I ask of each of you (every man, woman and child who experienced E-11) is to step up to this (very small) plate and each make a $350 cash donation to this wonderful campaign.  You can do so in one of three ways:  (a) going on line to www.montanamatters.com and making a credit card donation (in addition to purchasing some wonderful MM gear, if you so choose!); (b) sending your check made payable to “Montana Matters” to our mailing address P.O. Box 1175, Helena MT 59624 or (c) my sending your Montana Matters check to my attention at the address below.  

 

Right now Group One is leading the donation pack with wonderful $1,000 donations from each of “Josh ‘ Gosh” and “Spit” Genser and Brian “Moraine” Shepard and an equally special $500 check from Mechanics Bank co-owner Eddie “Two License” Downer, followed by Group Three with Geri “Stick It To ‘Em” Flynn’s marvelous $1,200 individual MM donation.   And this is just the beginning, gang!

 

Each of you think back on what you experienced during E-11 and do not tarry in giving back to the wonderful Montana based on what you experienced; please make your gift in any amount you deem appropriate, but, again, my special request is that we get a 100% E-11 contribution of $350 per capita to Montana Matters, which would aggregate into a nearly $25,000 cumulative gift—a sum that truly would matter to this wonderful campaign.

 

Best to all in the aftermath glow of it all,

 

Rock Creek Ron

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p.s.  Stay tuned for upcoming announcements of the dates for next year’s to-be-truly lights Tenth Extravaganza blow-out event, to which each of you E-11ers are hereby wonderfully invited.

 

RCR