B Bar Gazette – September 2025
| Issue #28 September 2025 |
| Perched on a fence post, a bluebird ruffles its feathers to shake off the morning dew, signaling me to look up. Just beyond the old corral, three grizzly bears—a sow and her two yearling cubs—dig for a breakfast of caraway root. This will be the last fall the cubs follow their mother before setting off on their own, a journey that likely began right here in Tom Miner Basin. Through my binoculars, the silver gleam of a cub’s fur catches the light just as the high, piercing bugle of an elk fills the air. Further up in Reed Pasture, tan bellies of cows and bulls move like slow rivers through a veil of green aspens. At the stroke of 7 a.m., Steamboat Mountain glows red, shifting to blue as the grassland before me welcomes the warming sun and stirs tender roots awake. |
| A mother grizzly bear and her cubs from summer 2024. |
| I try not to pick favorites, but September wins the blue ribbon of all the months. From my little home on wheels—Rox—I sip coffee as gratitude floods through me for the chance to steward this extraordinary place. Driving up to the county road near the first entrance of the ranch, I find a half-dozen cars already parked, wildlife enthusiasts bent over spotting scopes. From their vantage point, a few more bears appear—black splotches moving through a sea of green and gold. Conversations around me buzz with rutting elk and antler counts, but I can’t help pointing out the aspen stand in the background. “Do you see the wood chips on the ground between the trees? That’s a healthy grove.” |
| Before and after Dash's "surgical" approach on Section 17 to save the aspens. |
| A few puzzled looks lead me to explain: our forester, Dash, spent weeks clearing out invasive firs that were choking our beloved poplars. While wildlife steals the show today, in two weeks the aspens—drenched in gold—will claim the attention they deserve. We’ll continue this forestry project under recommendations from Matt Ricketts last summer. Stewardship means not only asking for outside expertise, but also acting on it. This and other projects will soon become touch points for guests to learn how we make decisions with the whole ecosystem in mind. |
| Fortress Mountain, Ramshorn Peak, Twin Peaks, Steamboat Mountain, and Packsaddle Peak of the Gallatin Range. |
| Later, scrambling up Big Horn Peak on the Sky Rim Trail, I catch sight of a small patch of snow clinging to a shaded cliff. Straddling the boundary of Yellowstone National Park and Gallatin National Forest, the vantage point makes clear why wildlife thrives thousands of feet below. The Basin spreads out like a high-desert oasis: mountain ridges folding into sage-green pastures, which soften into willow thickets nourished by Tom Miner Creek and its tributaries. Our daydream, blurred by wildfire smoke, midday heat, and twelve miles of trail, gave way to cool reality with a soak in Shelf Lake, blue dragonflies dancing above the water. Following cow pies, a salt lick, and a horse path, we found our way back toward the ranch—quietly admiring the grit of our two-person land and livestock team, tracking cattle across 20,000 acres of public and private ground. Our work in Tom Miner Basin doesn’t just stay here—it’s available for delivery to your home. Visit our partner, Regen Market, to see what cuts are available. Warmly, Jackson |
| B Bar Ranch hats in Lamar Valley. Photo taken by Denise Werker. |
| Our B Bar Family Maryanne Mott- General Manager and Owner Matthew Tousignant- Guest Ranch Manager Annie Statham- Assistant Guest Ranch Manager Amy Berndt- Administrative Assistant Kenney Berndt- Maintenance Foreman Troy Lerwill- Maintenance Technician Collin Layng- Maintenance Technician Mark Rose- Land & Livestock Manager Naomi McCormack- Horticulture Lead El Stone- Bookkeeper Mary Malley- Tom Miner Office Assistant Jackson Stewart- Marketing & Sales Manager Mihail Kennedy- Production Manager Shea Kennedy- Cattle & Grazing Coordinator Randy Mesce- Maintenance Technician Kristian Mesce- Big Timber Office Assistant Esme Wessel- Big Timber Ranch Hand |