Thursday, December 4 is the last day to: •Make a reservation for the Dec. 8 Billings After 5 Dinner Connection Program on the theme “Let It Snow, Let It Snow.” Marc Moraniec tells what to expect with “It’s Going to WHAT???” and Pennsylvania transplant Josie Fisher, a retired psychiatric nurse, speaks about “A Spacious Place.” 6:30 p.m., Elks Lodge. $10. Call Sue at 256-9133.

Friday, December 5 is the last day to: •Comment on two requests for recreation special use permits submitted to the Forest Service’s Beartooth District of the Custer National Forest in Red Lodge. The first proposal, from three recreation residence permit holders in Camp Senia, seeks approval to install septic tanks and drain fields to allow for indoor plumbing. The second proposal, from the Beartooth Recreational Trails Association, asks to groom a portion of the West Fork of Rock Creek Road 2071 for Nordic cross-country skiing from Timbercrest Girl Scout Camp to Cascade Campground. Contact Jeff Gildehaus at the Beartooth Ranger District, 6811 U.S. Highway 212, Red Lodge, MT 59068, or at 446-4584. •Submit nominations for Montana first BetterBricks Awards, which go to Montana developers, owners, engineers and architects who build or operate high performance commercial buildings with an emphasis on energy efficiency. The awards are sponsored by NorthWestern Energy and the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance. Visit the Montana Awards section at www.BetterBricks.com/Awards. •Sign up for the Montana Weight Loss Challenge, an event aimed at encouraging health and wellness, fitness and nutrition. Challengers weigh in, track their weight loss and participate in weekly online or phone conferencing support meetings. The challenge begins at 7 p.m. Monday. $29. Call Penne Swenson at (406) 873-2589.

Saturday, December 6 is the last day to: •Comment on the West Fork cleanup and fuels reduction project, an effort to clean up trees damaged in a November 2007 windstorm 2.5 miles southwest of Red Lodge. Portions of the 935-acre cleanup area also were burned in the 2008 Cascade Fire. Project maps and information are at www.fs.fed.us/r1/custer/. Send comments to Dan Seifert at the Beartooth Ranger District, 6811 U.S. 212 S., Red Lodge, MT, 59068; by telephone to (406) 446-2103; or by e-mail to comments-northern-custer-beartooth@fs.fed.us.

Sunday, December 7 is the last day to: •Comment on an environmental assessment of an easement that would give the Tongue River Railroad Co. a right of way over land occupied by the Miles City Fish Hatchery. The assessment examines the potential impacts to the hatchery during construction and operation of the rail line. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, which owns the hatchery, has only two options: Negotiate an easement that mitigates concerns or deny an easement, in which case the railroad company could initiate condemnation proceedings to appropriate right of way. The assessment is at fwp.mt.gov under “Recent Public Notices.” Send comments to bsnyder@mt.gov or to Bob Snyder; FWP Fisheries Division; P.O. Box 200701; Helena, MT 59620-0701. For information, call (406) 444-2447.

Monday, December 8 is the last day to: •Make a reservation for the Yellowstone County Republican Women’s Christmas Luncheon on Thursday with guest speaker Kim Brown, who talks about her insights into the inside of a statewide political campaign. 11:30 a.m., with program at noon, Hiland Golf Club. $25. RSVP to Tonia Fisher-Clark at 656-9557 or at carousel@bresnana.net. •Reserve a place at Thursday’s community gathering on Assessing Children’s Health Needs sponsored by the Montana Council for Maternal and Child Health, RiverStone Health, Billings Clinic and the Montana Coalition of Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies. 7 a.m., Rooms B and D of Mary Alice Fortin Health Conference Center at Billings Clinic. Call 247-3360. •Apply for grants and scholarships offered by the Phil Tawney Hunters Conservation Endowment and Montana Wildlife Federation to promote Montana’s hunting, wildlife and outdoor heritage. One-year grants of $500 to $5,000 are offered to nonprofit organizations that emphasize the interface between hunting and wildlife management, especially issues that affect youth; strategies to promote wildlife habitat; public policy changes to improve conservation habitat; strategies to improve and promote hunting ethics and safety; and activities to stimulate the recruitment, mentoring and involvement of youth in hunting and conservation. Scholarships of $1,000 go to Montana college students with a major in a field related to conservation. For information, contact the MWF at 1-800-517-7256 or Land Tawney at tawney@nwf.org or (406) 541-6733. Students can also contact college financial aid offices. •Make a dinner reservation for a tribute to Buck Jones at the Dec. 10 meeting of the Yellowstone Corral of the Westerners. The family of Warren Baxter “Buck” Jones, a rancher, educator and businessman, talks about what he meant to them and what he gave to Montana. No-host cocktails, 6 p.m.; dinner, 6:45 p.m.; tribute, 7:30 p.m.; Elks Lodge, 934 Lewis Ave. $15. RSVP to Jan Wallace at 328-7019 or at jansie@nemont.net.

Tuesday, December 9 is the last day to: •Submit a letter requesting a phone call from Santa Claus between 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. Local calls only will be made to children up to age 10. Submit phone number, name or names of children, gender, age, grade, school, teacher, parents’ name, siblings’ names, information about pets and friends, achievements, activities and a wish list to Billings Parks and Recreation Department, Attn: Santa, 390 N. 23rd St., Billings, MT 59101. No faxes or e-mails accepted. •Order tickets for the Senior High School music department’s Madrigal Dinner on Dec. 11-13. Students recreate a 15th-century castle feast, complete with costumed royalty, servers and performers. A prime rib dinner with all the trimmings is, and numerous soloists and ensembles entertain. 6:30 p.m., St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 119 N. 33rd St. $20. Tickets are available from any member of Varsity Singers, Expressions or Harmoniques or call 247-2219.

Wednesday, Dec. 10 is the last day to: •See an exhibition of artwork by graduating art major Anne Marie Wodrich and by two art minors, Brittany Alberson and Ashley Doerrer. Ms. Wodrich’s exhibition, “Stolen Childhood,” contains paintings concerned with neglected and poverty-stricken children. To assist needy children in the Billings community, canned goods are collected for the Montana Rescue Mission throughout the exhibition. Rocky Mountain College’s Ryniker-Morrison Gallery. •Comment to Artspace Projects on space needs of artists, cultural organizations and creative businesses in Billings and the surrounding region. The study will assist in developing affordable new space where artists can live and work. Go to www.artspacebillings.org. For more information, see story on Page 2.

Friday, December 12 is the last day to: •Register for $195 to attend the 2009 Crop Pest Management School on Jan. 6-8 at MSU. The first day of “Back to the Basics” focuses on insects, the second day on disease and pathogens and the third day on weeds. For a registration form, contact Irene Decker at decker@montana.edu. •Apply for a share of $80,000 in state tourism grant funds available from the Montana Department of Commerce, Travel Montana Special Events Grant Program. The grants are designed to be matching funds for nonprofit organizations involved in developing new annual events as well as enhancing existing community-based tourism festivals and events. Funds must be used to advertise and promote the event to markets outside a 100-mile radius of the event site. For an application, contact Carol Crockett at Travel Montana, (406) 841-2796, or go to www.travelmontana.mt.gov/forms.