By Jack Reaney SENIOR EDITOR
Across Little Coyote Road from the Big Sky Community Park, a pond under renovation will be named “Huntley-Kern Pond” after Big Sky visionary Chet Huntley and his surviving Big Sky lineage, Huntley’s niece Kristin Kern and her late husband Frank Kern.
Kristin Kern, who has owned the Hungry Moose Market and Deli since 2019, made a “significant” financial contribution to help the pond’s steward, the Big Sky Owners Association, finish the beautification and public amenity phase of its long-awaited pond renovation. The project will result in environmental benefits and recreational access to the public—primarily fishing, boating and swimming.
Kern was reading a book on conservation and re-wilding, “American Serengeti” by Dan Flores, and she noticed construction happening at the Little Coyote Pond. Once she learned how the project aligned with her new knowledge, she was eager to contribute.
“I thought, this is really so timely,” Kern told EBS. She was also encouraged to see a community project happening on the north side of Montana Highway 64—much of Big Sky’s recent business and amenity developments are located on the south side of the road, in the fast-growing Town Center area. Kern is proud of Big Sky’s Meadow Village community, where the pond is located. She and her friends call it “Old Town” as the historic center of Big Sky.
“Not everything happens at the Wilson Plaza… It’s like, we’re the OG over here,” Kern said. “We have a water feature, and now everybody is going to be able to take advantage of that. And I just love it.”
The pond happens to be where Kern, as a high school student in the late 60s, remembers meeting Arnold Palmer. The golf icon was visiting to design the Big Sky Golf Course with Kristin’s uncle Chet, and Palmer and Huntley rolled up to the pond in a golf cart, Kern recalls.
“That pond has been in my life forever,” Kern said. “And it’s always just sort of been a feature on the golf course. But now it can be shared by everyone… Now it’s just going to be all dressed up.”
She is grateful that this pond will add another recreation feature beside BSCO’s Big Sky Community Park, where her Hungry Moose employees compete as the “Mooseketeers” in the Big Sky Softball League.
“I just think it’s a really exciting project for the community,” said Kristin’s daughter, Hungry Moose co-owner Kelly Kern, adding that she looks forward to summer visits to the Huntley-Kern Pond with friends.
Kristin is working with local entrepreneur Andrew Robin of Peak Creative Designs to design a H-K (“H bar K”) brand for a new sign at the entrance to the recreational facility.
Stacy Ossorio is glad the pond will anchor the Huntley family name. Ossorio sits on the board for Benefit Big Sky, a nonprofit established to allow BSOA to collect donations for community-oriented projects like the pond renovation. Stacy’s husband, former BSOA board member Eric Ossorio, said Benefit Big Sky is intended to benefit the entire community, not any smaller constituency—projects funded by Benefit Big Sky will be open to all. The Huntley-Kern Pond project is the largest to date, by a wide margin.
“It has taken a while. We’ve had some road blocks, we’ve had some delays. But we’re very excited to get this project completed,” said Suzan Scott, BSOA executive director. “And thus far, we have completed the construction of the pond, we’ve separated the West Fork from the pond… At this point we have the amenities to still complete.”
With $1.6 million already spent on the project—Resort Tax granted $262,000 and Lone Mountain Land Company donated $100,000—BSOA still needs to raise between $200,000 and $300,000 through Benefit Big Sky to finish the amenities, including a parking lot, picnic area, native plant garden, landscaping and a multipurpose boathouse.
Kenny Holtz, a local developer and Benefit Big Sky board member, hopes everyone in Big Sky who plans to use the pond will make a financial contribution at the level they’re able. He thanked the Kerns for taking the lead, and Kristin added that she hopes the community will join in contributing. Donors will be recognized at various nature-themed tiers.
“This is the icing on the cake,” Stacy said. “This is the fun part, this is where you can actually donate to an amenity that will memorialize a legacy of your choice.”
Holtz said the amenities will take cues from other waterfront experiences around Big Sky, like Ulery’s Lake at Moonlight Basin or Lake Levinsky at Big Sky Resort. BSOA plans to construct a boathouse to allow patrons to rent equipment such as kayaks and paddleboards, while offering a public restroom beside the pond. BSOA also plans to collaborate with Camp Big Sky, to help kids learn to fish.
“A boathouse or pond cabin is going to be a quality asset to go along with the pond to be able to store those things, and maybe grab an ice cream or some worms to fish with,” Holtz said. BSOA plans to complete the building by the middle of summer.
Holtz said the project is a win-win for river health and recreation.
The Gallatin River Task Force helped with planting willows to help filter water flowing downstream. Gallatin County provided $100,000 grants in two consecutive years through its Open Lands Program. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has granted $92,000 through various programs, and Grow Wild has expressed interest in helping plant native species.
Eric Ossorio said this project represents a new era—back in the 1990s, it was “man versus nature” and people used machinery without regard for the environment. Now, it’s being done thoughtfully to benefit the river and create a pond that will survive on its own.
Kristin Kern said her late husband Frank was very involved in Big Sky and would have loved this project. She thinks the pond is going to be the town’s wealth, and the community will share the health it offers.
“That little pond has always been significant,” Kern said. “But it was so underappreciated. And now I just think it’s going to have a whole new life.”
