~ CROSSROADs ~  A commissioned report for the National Science Foundation
 re: ~Down @ the Crick~ or Field Science by Wireless
 written by Terry Casey ( aka etlady@postmark.net )
 Tuesday, May 5, 1998             
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owdy from the heart of Montana! Welcome one and all to a good, old~fashioned show 'n tell complete with all the Western hospitality we can muster up from the Treasure State of these United States. We're mighty pleased that you stopped by today...We're fixin' to take you to a Blue Ribbon Trout Fishing angler's paradise...Did you bring your fishing pole? First thangs first...Make yourself comfortable...Kick back...Put your boots up and sit a spell.


"Water is the principal or the element,
of things."
 -Aristotle


We want to tell you a tale that's bound to bring a smile to your face...We are proud of our stewardship of our surroundings, specifically always watching over some of the finest water in America.

And, the good news that we have to share is what's happening at Brewery Flats - a fishing access spot along Spring Creek. Like the resource we seek to protect, as conditions change, we seek to become more effective stewards...and...Our efforts are inexpensively and clearly demonstrating how life science education, water quality monitoring, no~license wireless technology, and Internet connectivity can come together way out here in rural America and offer a fresh, alternative way to preserve and protect precious waterways. Big Spring Creek covers 31.5 miles. Always moving downstream to its confluence at the Judith River, this body of water runs right through the geographical center of the state, through the Fergus County seat of Lewistown, a small town with 6,000 or so folks with no community college, college or University.


   photo: StarGazers


"We must remember that one determined person can make a significant difference, and that a small group of determined people can change
the course of history."
-Sonia Johnson


In the heart of Central Montana, agriculture reigns...cattle graze and amber waves of grain blow in Chinook breezes that come and go with a comforting regularity to interrupt long and sometimes harsh winters. High above...the snow~capped Big Snowy Mountains, an island range within nearby Lewis and Clark National Forest, cap the second largest aquifer in the continental United States and catch clouds in this fertile, Big Sky Country returning captured moisture to go with the flow of world class springs bubbling up from wetlands...far below.     
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