On August 18, 2023, at 10:00 am Gallatin County 911 was contacted regarding an injured trail runner on the Blackmore Mountain Trail. The runner had hyperextended their knee and had limited mobility and loss of feeling in their foot.

Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue volunteers from the Valley Section and Heli Team, as well as AMR medical personnel responded to the Blackmore Mountain Trailhead. Search and Rescue volunteers deployed a one wheeled litter up the trail to meet with the injured runner.  Volunteers located the patient about 5 miles up the trail where they assessed their injuries and assisted the runner in getting back to the trailhead.

Sheriff Springer would like to remind backcountry enthusiasts to be prepared when recreating in the backcountry. Having the ability to communicate with rescuers cuts down the amount of time it can take to get medical attention when things go bad.

Photo courtesy of Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office.

BILLINGS, MT  – The 6th annual MINT Film Festival, presented by MT Film Office,  will showcase over 40 films from 8 countries, offering a diverse selection of domestic and international cinematic gems for all film enthusiasts. Festival dates are September 21 - 24, 2023, in Downtown Billings.

Attendees will have the chance to watch films on the big screen at the historic Babcock Theatre and engage in Q&A sessions with filmmakers, actors, and producers, gaining insights into the creative processes behind the films.

Festival Passes are on sale. The VIP Festival Pass provides access to all films, events, parties, and special events. New this year are day passes for Friday and Saturday for those who can't attend the entire festival. Individual tickets go on sale on Sept. 5.

The MINT Film Festival is thrilled to welcome esteemed actor Bill Pullman, who will grace the event with his presence for a special screening of two iconic films – "THE LAST SEDUCTION," directed by John Dahl, and "LOST HIGHWAY," directed by David Lynch. On the evening of Saturday, September 23rd, Bill Pullman will share his perspectives in a Q&A session alongside director John Dahl for "The Last Seduction," followed by his introduction to "Lost Highway." This double-feature presentation is set to be a highlight of the festival.

Opening night, Thursday, September 21st, promises an exclusive North American sneak peek screening of the Made In Montana feature film "TOKYO COWBOY," directed by Marc Marriott. Join the director, producer, cast, and crew for this exciting premiere.

The MINT Film Festival lineup boasts diverse feature narratives and documentaries. Narratives Features include "PUSH PAUSE" from Japan, directed by Ryoma Kosasa; "SCRAP" from the USA, directed by Vivian Kerr, featuring a stellar cast including Anthony Rapp (ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING, RENT, DAZED AND CONFUSED), Lana Parrilla (ONCE UPON A TIME, THE LINCOLN LAWYER), and Khleo Thomas ("Zero" from HOLES); and "THE CRIMINAL" from the USA, directed by Hayden Endicott.

Fans of documentaries can look forward to a stimulating assortment of films, including the Billings-based "RETURN" (pictured), directed by Peter Tolton and produced by Stan Parker, "THE SECRET SONG," directed by Samantha Campbell, and "A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM IN PRISON," directed by Bushra Azzouz.

The festival's narrative short films promise to leave a lasting impression, with titles like "BLUEBIRD" by Sara Crow, "WHO'S ANNIE?" by Sophia Peer, "SAWDUST" by Blake Rice, "THAT'S ENOUGH NOW THANKS" by Aquila Chase-Daniel, and "NORDO" (pictured) by MINT Alumni Kyle Taubken.

International contributions include "SELF SERVICE" from Israel, directed by Keshet Gadish, and "CITY OF LOST SOULS" from Germany, directed by Nikos Mpouyioukas. Other captivating short films include "ORIZURU" from Japan, directed by Masaaki Onaka, and "LACHIE & JOHN" from Australia, directed by Lee McClenaghan.

The documentary short films offer a blend of compelling stories, including "LEO AND CHESTER" by Andrea Wing, "THE WINTERKEEPER" by Laurence Topham and David Levene, and "YOU CAN'T SHRINK LOVE" by Veena Rao. Additional titles include "MIDDLE AMERICA" by Dana Larson, "THE ROAD" by Cale Green, "ANDREW AFTER ANGOLA" by Will LaCalle, "THE DREAM THAT I HAD" by Evelyn Lee, "A PLACE OF PEACE: A CENTURY AT THE RANCH" by Jennifer Moore, and "A TOUGH BREED" by Sara Reardon.

Highlighting Indigenous perspectives, cultures, and stories, the festival presents notable works such as "PADDLE TRIBAL WATERS" by Paul Robert Wolf Wilson and Rush Sturges, "NATIVE BALL: LEGACY OF A TRAILBLAZER" by Jonathan Cipiti and Megan Harrington, "WEAVING A LEGACY: ELLA MAE BLACKBEAR" by Danielle Culp, "MI'KMA'KI: GWITNA'Q (LAND OF THE MI'KMAW: TRAVEL BY CANOE)" by Wendell G. Collier, and "WHO SHE IS" by Jordan Dresser (Northern Arapaho), Sophie Barksdale.

A new thematic block named Call-to-Adventure offers documentary films exploring the natural world through recreation and exploration. Notable selections include "BE HERE NOW | A JOURNEY TO THE GRAND TETON" by Evan M Jenkins, "DRIVING SWEEP" by Gregory Cairns, "MINISTRY OF SURF" by Keith C Reagan, "SENDING" by Carlos Mason, and "TWO WHEEL FREEDOM" by Evan M. Jenkins.

For those seeking late-night thrills, the festival offers a late-night, action-packed selection of short films, including "MATTRESS EXPRESS" (pictured) by Noah Morse, "TOOTH" by Jillian Corsie, "TWENTY-ONE AT THE BELLE SALOON" directed by Scott Seagren, and the Montana-made "A FIRE INSIDE" by Levi Hawkinson.

This year, MINT Film Festival introduces a new category called Cinema Salon, celebrating low-budget films with exceptional production value, storytelling, and creativity. Featured works include the narrative feature "THE CRIMINAL" by Hayden Endicott and the animated short film "NECKTIE CINEMA" by MINT Alumni John Akre.

The festival extends beyond screenings with enriching workshops. Notable sessions include "DOCUMENTARY STORYTELLING," led by acclaimed documentary director and editor Maureen Gosling, and "DIRECTING ACTORS," a collaborative effort led by director John Dahl and actor Bill Pullman.

From September 21st to 24th, the MINT Film Festival promises an immersive celebration of cinema, workshops, parties, and community engagement. Take advantage of this opportunity to experience the magic of movies at the Historic Babcock Theatre.

On August 16, 2023, at 12:35pm Gallatin County Dispatch received a 911 call that an individual had crashed their mountain bike 5 to 6 miles up the Sourdough Trail. According to the reporting party, the individual had sustained a broken arm and a possible head injury resulting from the bicycle accident.

Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue volunteers from the Valley Section and Hyalite Fire Department medical personnel responded to the Sourdough Trailhead. Search and Rescue volunteers deployed several UTV’s up the trail to meet with the mountain biker.  Volunteers located the patient about 6 miles up the trail where they assessed their injuries and packaged the patient.  The bicyclist was transported back to the trailhead and transferred to the awaiting Hyalite Ambulance. Custer Gallatin National Forest Service personnel who were in the area doing trail work also assisted by transporting the bike back to the trailhead for the patient. The patient was ultimately transported to Bozeman Health Deaconess Regional Medical Center for further evaluation.

Sheriff Springer would like to commend the individual that called 911 and provided dispatch with the cyclist’s location and extent of the cyclist’s injuries. This type of information can expedite rescue and ensures our crews have all necessary supplies, resulting in a faster and more efficient rescue.

Photos courtesy of the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office.

THREE FORKS – A daily fishing restriction will be in effect for the lower Madison River starting today, Aug. 16.

A hoot-owl restriction, which prohibits fishing between 2 p.m. and midnight, will be in place from the river’s confluence with the Jefferson River up to the Warm Springs Day Use Area. Water temperatures in this reach have exceeded 73 degrees for several consecutive days, meeting criteria for the fishing restriction.

Restrictions of this nature are designed to protect fish that become more susceptible to disease and mortality when stressful conditions combine, such as warm water temperatures, low flows and high angling pressure.

Anglers can help reduce stress and mortality for fish by following these practices when catching and releasing fish, though fish mortality may still occur:

• Fish during the coolest times of the day where permitted.
• Keep the fish in water as much as possible.
• Let the fish recover while releasing it.
• During times of high temperatures, consider fishing in areas with lower temperatures, such as larger lakes or reservoirs, or higher elevation waterbodies.

For the latest waterbody restrictions and closures, visit fwp.mt.gov/news/current-closures-restrictions/waterbody-closures.

What:
The Montana Pitmaster Classic is a 2-Day community event with lots of great food for sale or sample + free live music
Friday - Bozeman BBQ & Blues Night w/Andre Floyd (Montana's Original Blues Artist)
Saturday – BBQ Pro Demo Day + Official State BBQ Championship of the State of Montana (Officially Endorsed in 2017 by Gov. Bullock & sanctioned by the Kansas City BBQ Society)
 
When:
Friday - August 25th (5pm - 8pm)
Saturday - August 26th (10am - 4pm)
 
Who:
40+ BBQ Pitmasters from all over the USA & Canada 
 
Where:
Hosted by Kenyon Noble Lumber & Hardware - 1243 West Oak Street, Bozeman
 
Why:
A finger lickin’, mouthwaterin’, family friendly good time + a great community event to benefit & support the Gallatin Valley YMCA
 
The Montana Pitmaster Classic is a non-profit event created to increase awareness of the competitive world of barbeque & a community event that will benefit the Gallatin Valley YMCA. This event is a KCBS (KANSAS CITY BBQ SOCIETY) sanctioned competition where Kenyon Noble Lumber & Hardware of Bozeman is hosting over 40 professional and amateur contestants from all over the US and Canada. All these Pitmasters will be competing for the Montana State BBQ Championship in the categories of chicken, ribs, pork and brisket. The overall highest scorer in all categories of this competition will become the Grand Champion of the tournament and state champion which will make them eligible for the Jack Daniel’s World Championship BBQ contest in Tennessee which is one of the biggest barbeque competitions in the world. This year, the 2022 Pitmaster Classic Grand Champion, Beer Belly BBQ of Glendive Montana, will be there to try to bring a world BBQ championship trophy back to Montana!

 
Friday, August 25th is Bozeman’s BBQ & Blues night, and features over 20 of the competition teams serving a variety of specialty BBQ foods at their booths with blues from Montana’s Original Blues Artist, Andre Floyd setting the mood for a great family event. On this night, all cash is converted over to BBQ chips that can be spent at the serving booths. All BBQ chips spent throughout the evening are collected, counted and whichever team sells the most food will receive the award as People’s Choice of the Montana Pitmaster Classic! A large portion of the revenue generated from this 2-day event will going directly back into the community & the Gallatin Valley YMCA.

 
On Saturday the 25th is Pitmaster Competition day and from 10am – 4pm during the competition there will be plenty of BBQ food sampling and grilling demonstrations from the professionals from the biggest names in grilling and barbeque, such as Big Green Egg, Trager, Weber, and Pit Boss. Also, Pizza Ovens from Ooni & Gozney will be holding informative demo & live shop classes that will inform folks about innovative ways to produce great barbeque with ease. This year, Traeger Wood Fired Grills will be bringing in a special guest, World Champion Pitmaster Chad Ward, who will be delivering in-person demos + classes, sharing his tips & tricks for top-notch wood fired BBQ. After the competition, stick around until 4:30 and see who will be crowned the 2023 Montana Pitmaster Classic Grand Champion at the trophy ceremony.

 
www.montanapitmaster.com

BOZEMAN – A grizzly bear was euthanized Friday after a cattle depredation on private land in the Tom Miner Basin.

Following the depredation, Wildlife Services with the U.S. Department of Agriculture captured the bear on Aug. 10. The bear—a 20-year-old male—was identified as having been captured and relocated previously due to cattle depredations. It also had significant tooth decay. Bears in this condition will sometimes prey on cattle as an obtainable food source, especially if they have a history of conflicts with livestock.

Considering these factors, and in consultation with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks euthanized the bear on Aug. 11.

This is the third management removal of grizzly bears in Montana’s portion of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Two male grizzly bears have been removed due to cattle depredations, and one female grizzly was removed recently after becoming food conditioned to unsecured attractants in Big Sky.

Grizzly bears in the lower 48 states are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Management authority for grizzlies rests with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, working closely in Montana with FWP, the Forest Service, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Geological Survey, Wildlife Services and Native American tribes. This collaboration happens through the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee.

For more information and resources on bear safety, visit fwp.mt.gov/conservation/wildlife-management/bear.

On August 13, 2023, at 10:44am Gallatin County Dispatch received an agency assist request from Park County Sheriff’s Office.  Park County had received a call from the International Emergency Response Coordination Center (IERCC) after an emergency beacon activation reporting a climber had fallen and was injured about 200 feet from the summit of Granite Peak near Cooke City.  The climber was the guide in a group of 4 and due to the injuries, location, and experience of the other climbers, they were requesting help to extract the group from the mountain.

Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue volunteers from the Heli Team and Comms Team responded.  After a reconnaissance flight around the area, a GCSSAR paramedic was inserted near the climber’s location.  The medical assessment found the patients injuries didn’t require immobilization, which meant the patient was able to be flown to an awaiting Guardian Flight medical helicopter in a “screamer suit.”  The remaining members were ultimately flown off the mountain and back to the trailhead.

Just as the first mission was wrapping up, a call for help was received again from Granite Peak. A second group of climbers had a member of their group fall and sustain injuries. The injured party was short-hauled off Granite Peak and transported by a private party to a higher level of medical care.

Sheriff Springer would like to remind recreationalists that accidents can happen to anyone and being prepared with a GPS communication device can make all the difference. The backcountry is vast and rescues can take hours, so being prepared with proper equipment, extra clothing, food, and water, is essential in emergency situations.

Photos courtesy of the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office.

Montana State University and The Downtown Bozeman Association Presents:
The 11th Annual Community Cat Walk
 
Montana State University and the Downtown Bozeman Association present the 11th Annual Community Cat Walk on Friday, August 18th from 11 AM – 1 PM on Main Street in Downtown Bozeman.
 
MSU President Waded Cruzado, Champ, the MSU Spirit of the West Marching Band, students, student-athletes, and community members will make their way down Main Street to create “Bobcat Buzz” throughout the community. The group will visit businesses along the way, play the fight song and pass out Bobcat gear, treats for kids, and game schedules. Also, get a chance to meet the MSU Athletic Director Leon Costello and Football Coach Brent Vigen and get autographs from your favorite football, basketball, and volleyball players!

 
The walk will begin at 11 AM at First Interstate Bank located at Grand Avenue and Mainstreet and will move east down the south side of Main Street. Mid-way through the event, walkers will make a 20-minute stop at Soroptimist Park located at Rouse Avenue and Main Street for refreshments and player autographs.

 
Walkers will then head west down the north side of Main Street and will end at Wells Fargo Bank located at Grand Avenue and Main Street around 1 PM. Bobcat fans are encouraged to walk with us and spread Bobcat spirit!
 
This event is free and open to the public! It will take place rain or shine!
 
For more information, please visit www.downtownbozeman.org/catwalk & www.msubobcats.com  or call 406-994-6267 & 406-586-4008. 

BIG SKY, MT - (August 14, 2023) — There’s a new opening date in town, and it’s the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. This season (and all future years from here on out), Big Sky Resort is starting winter a little earlier, with a planned opening date to fall on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  

"Our shift to an earlier opening gives our guests and team members more time to celebrate opening day and Thanksgiving with family and friends, and more skiing to look forward to in November," said Troy Nedved, general manager, Big Sky Resort. 

Planned operating dates for the resort's 50th anniversary season are Wednesday, November 22 through Sunday, April 28, for a total of 159 ski days, the longest season in Big Sky history. 

Today marks 100 days until Big Sky Resort's (new) opening day.