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Mont-golia? Montana outfitters help Mongolian herders build tourist economy

February 21, 2019 /

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The soaring peaks. The lush grasslands. The trout streams. The herds of reindeer and yaks.

The Darkhad Valley of northern Mongolia could easily stand in for Montana’s Bob Marshall Wilderness, except for a few peculiarities.

“It’s one of the most remote places you can get to,” said Greg Schatz, a builder and outfitter from Columbia Falls. “It’s so big and so few people.”

Greg and wife Deborah Schatz made two visits to the nomadic shepherds of the Darkhad as consultants for the region’s tiny tourism industry. While the Schatzes’ next-door neighbor, Glacier National Park, gets between 2 million and 3 million visitors every summer, the Darkhad has a goal of hosting 1,000 a year. Even that will require some major cross-cultural education.

ROB CHANEY [email protected]

https://ravallirepublic.com/outdoors/article_b5e30391-1300-56bd-a3fe-005eccaf5d91.html

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Back Country Horsemen of Montana

OUR PURPOSE; To perpetuate the common sense use and enjoyment of horses in America’s back country and wilderness. To work to ensure that public lands remain open to recreational stock use. To assist various agencies responsible for the maintenance and management of public lands. To educate, encourage, and solicit active participation in the wise and sustained use of the back country resource by horsemen and the general public, commensurate with our heritage. Foster and encourage formation of new Back Country Horsemen organizations.

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