Back To The Bakken

Who's NOT talking about the oil boom these days? There's a documentary on Montana-PBS this evening (Thursday) at 7 and it should be worth watching for all of us here in the Golden Triangle and on the Rocky Mountain Front. With thousands of folks flocking to eastern Montana and western North Dakota, looking for work in the Bakken oil boom, students in the University of Montana Department of Radio-Television journeyed to the Williston basis this spring to document the boom and bring the story to viewers across the state. Towns like Sidney, Montana and Williston, North Dakota are struggling to deal with the increase in population, crime and traffic. What's going to happen out HERE in the coming months and years? 13 Students talked with oil workers and landowners, bartenders and cops, school teachers and children to learn how the boom has impacted their lives. They met long-time locals who call the boom a double-edged sword, bringing both jobs and money along with drugs and crime. The film makers met newcomers to the area, anxious for jobs but finding no place to live in the struggling towns. I'm looking forward to tuning in this evening and I only wish that our Shelby mayor, Dr. Larry J."His Worship" Bonderud and/or Jim Anderson from Grizzly Sports in Choteau would have had a part in this film. Both these guys have their fingers on the pulse of what's happening oil-wise in the Golden Triangle and on the Rocky Mountain Front. Bonderud has referred to me a time or two as a "nodding donkey"! That said, I'm sure the 7 o'clock hour this evening on PBS will be worth watching for all of us.