BILLINGS (LEE) - Alternative energy, recreation, health and fitness, and agri-tourism are subjects to be explored in a new online publication for eastern Montana being launched today by Plentywood resident Dennis Ketterman.

Alternatives Magazine is about the possibilities for a region of the state that has been losing population for years, Ketterman said.

The magazine's full name includes the explanatory phrase "Eastern Montana Economic Solutions and Opportunities."

"It doesn't say problems or anything," he said of the subtitle. "It's solutions."

Take the energy crunch facing the world as demand for fossil fuels grows and prices skyrocket. Ketterman sees solutions in eastern Montana's wind, sunshine and agriculture. "This is farm land. We can grow anything out here," he said. "What are the alternatives for them to produce fuel?"

Ethanol and biodiesel fuels are possibilities along with solar and wind power, he said. "And it's happening."

Another focus of the magazine will be tourism based on the region's wildlife and agriculture. Wildlife tourism and birdwatching both are multibillion-dollar industries, and Ketterman thinks eastern Montana has plenty to offer.

There is the Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge, located about 20 miles south of Plentywood, he said. The refuge has one of the largest breeding populations of American pelicans in North America and is a stopover for migrating birds. "There's people in this town who have never been there. I think there should be a bird festival," he said. "I like the raptors."

Ketterman also sees potential in promoting agri-tourism, including hunting, and turning abandoned farms into bed and breakfasts and attracting families.

A mountain biker who enjoys racing, Ketterman, 62, has been trying to introduce "prairie" biking and envisions a prairie bike trail system. He sees opportunity in the region's cow paths that "go on for miles and miles."

Health and fitness topics also will be explored, from obesity and diabetes to the methamphetamine problem.

Even in Sheridan County, with a population of about 2,800 people, meth is present. Law enforcement has busted two meth labs, he said.

Alternatives Magazine, along with Ketterman's other online project, Montana Sports Guide, recently teamed with the Montana Meth Project to help promote the statewide drug awareness and prevention campaign through a series of cycling and running races called the Montana Duathlon Challenge. Four races are planned for this year with the first one set for July 8 in Plentywood. More are planned throughout the state next year.

The recreational event, Ketterman said, is an example of a sustainable resource for eastern Montana economic development programs.

Ketterman got interested in economic development for eastern Montana after returning to his hometown in 2002 to help his elderly mother, who was recovering from a fall.

"How come nobody cares about this area?" he said.

Ketterman said he saw people living on grants and subsidies and inheritances with "no sense of urgency." People were leaving, especially young people. Business owners were waiting to retire, sell and move to Billings. And if they're staying in eastern Montana, they're shopping and seeking entertainment in Billings or Williston, N.D.

To change the trend, eastern Montana has to "reinvent" itself, Ketterman said. With promotion and support from the state, the region could attract jobs and people who "don't mind having some elbow room" and who could "put up with some cold winters." Good schools, clean air, no traffic and wide open spaces are selling points, he said.

Ketterman published a similar magazine for the northeastern Montana counties two years ago. He printed three issues and received a good response, he said.

This time, Alternatives includes all of dastern Montana and is starting life online.

Ketterman is looking to freelance writers for articles. "I don't want to write it. I want to publish and make trouble," he joked. "We've put out e-mail" about the magazine, he said.

He paused to correct himself. "I keep saying 'we,'" he said. "It's just me."

Ketterman also plans to print the publication. "We'll do a bimonthly for the first couple of issues," he said.

"I keep saying 'we' again. I wish 'they' would get to work," he laughed. "My goal is to be monthly."

Ketterman has both publishing and promoting experience throughout the West.

After growing up in Plentywood, Ketterman went to California to visit his brother and got into the event management business. He published a softball magazine in Southern California, where he lived for 25 years. He left in 1990 and moved to Park City, Utah, to learn to ski. There Ketterman got involved in adventure sports promotions of triathlons, ski racing and mountain biking.

During the next 10 years, Ketterman lived and worked in Sedona, Ariz., Jackson Hole, Wyo., Loveland and Steamboat Springs, Colo., and Lake Tahoe, Calif. When he returned to Plentywood a few years ago, he decided to run his business from there.

In addition to Alternatives, Ketterman operates Montana Sports Guide, a full-service online resource for recreational and adventure sports information. The site features a calendar of events, which are monitored and updated daily. Each Monday, Ketterman e-mails current listings to more than 4,000 subscribers, clubs and organizations as a reminder of coming events.

Shortly after moving to Plentywood, Ketterman organized the town's first marathon, Run for the Border. His Web site got 6,000 hits about the event but few people were registering for the race. Curious, Ketterman called a few people to find out why. "Well, you only have one motel in town," people told him.

Nevertheless, 100 people entered the race and 70 runners finished in a pouring rain. "We ran to the Canadian border," Ketterman said. The runners had their pictures taken as they went around a large concrete pylon marking the international border. "Two guys from Minnesota did the whole thing and set personal bests," he said. "We've been trying to do it again."

On the Net:

www.alternatives-magazine.com

www.montanasportsguide.com

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