On Saturday, December 17, 2022, at 2:54 p.m. Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue responded to assist Fremont County Idaho Search and Rescue in looking for a snowmobiler that had become separated from their group. The snowmobiler was reported to have no food or water and had a history of heart problems. White-out conditions were present, and the temperature was dropping rapidly.

HELENA – Those interested in entering a lottery for a guided trophy bison hunt on the Blackfeet Reservation will have two opportunities to enter the drawing. The first lottery drawing will be held Jan. 17; the deadline to enter is midnight on Jan. 16. The second lottery drawing will be held Feb. 24; the deadline to enter is midnight on Feb. 23. The hunts will be held in March.

Chances are $10 each, and hunters can purchase up to 20 chances. The lottery is open to all hunters – tribal members, nonmembers, Montana residents, and nonresidents. Winners must pay the Blackfeet Tribe $2,500 within one week of a successful draw to secure the hunt. Successful hunters can keep the bison’s head, hide and meat.

To enter the drawing, go to: fwp.mt.gov/buyandapply.

For more information, contact the Blackfeet Fish and Game office at 406-338-7207.

BOZEMAN — Kalani Madrona says that when he walks across the stage Friday in Montana State University’s Brick Breeden Fieldhouse during fall commencement, he’ll become the first person in his family to earn a college degree. He’ll have marked this accomplishment while working full-time, taking more than a full-time class load, and filling the role of parent to both his younger brother and younger cousin. He’ll have successfully earned his degree while contending with ADHD and dyslexia, which both were undiagnosed until his sophomore year of college. And he’ll have done it while earning the respect of MSU’s professors, advisers and administrators, as well as the fifth grade students and fifth grade teacher with whom he worked as a student teacher.

Joe Hicks, assistant dean in the MSU College of Education, Health and Human Development, said Madrona has served as a “true inspiration” to both faculty and peers while he has been at the university.

“His investment in relationships has been particularly noteworthy,” Hicks said. “He has demonstrated exceptional determination throughout our program, serving as a tremendous ambassador in the process. His ability to connect in an authentic way really results in memorable relationships both on campus and off. Kalani has a bright teaching career ahead of him.”

John Melick, director of field placement and licensure in the Department of Education, agreed. He noted that Madrona always looked for what he could learn from a situation.

“He stood out to our faculty and staff, and he made a huge impact in his student teaching placement this fall,” Melick said. “Kalani asks for help, listens to advice, talks through problems and seeks to leave any situation he encounters stronger than he entered it.”

Madrona, who grew up in California City, California, said he chose to attend MSU out of a desire to go somewhere new. He received a promotional mailing from the university and figured he would take his chances and apply.

“Without seeing the school, I applied,” he said. “I wanted to restart my life.”

He started out studying computer science and then switched to kinesiology. But then something happened that made him decide to go into education: A young nephew had a serious illness and six-month hospital stay, and doctors predicted that he would never be able to learn to walk, talk or have any memory, Madrona said.

“I told my family I would be his teacher,” Madrona said. And, he said, studying education was a good choice, as he quickly found teaching to be both his passion and something that makes him happy.

But, he said, it has not been easy. He combined being a full-time student with working full-time in restaurants, as a tutor and for his own photography business. He became the legal guardian of both his brother, Kyle, and his cousin, Randy, (whom he calls a brother, as well.) He struggled to find and pay for housing for the three of them. He also felt a large responsibility to show them the value of hard work.

(Madrona said his cousin graduated from Gallatin High School in May and is now enrolled in Gallatin College MSU. His brother, who is currently a senior in high school, plans to enroll in Gallatin College MSU, as well.)

In addition, when he first enrolled at MSU, Madrona said, he knew nothing about things like good study habits, financial resources and more. But he began to take advantage of resources available at the university, he said, and those have been invaluable.

He said the most valuable resource is people.

“No matter who I went and talked to (in the Department of Education), they made me feel like part of the family,” Madrona said. “Whenever I had a problem, they were always there to help.”

Specifically, he said, his professors and staff members in the advising office helped him identify and access resources.

“Without (my teachers and my advising office), I don’t think I’d be here today,” he said. “There were several times I thought about giving up, but I couldn’t. I needed to make my little brothers proud.”

It also helped to be diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia, he said.

“Before (the diagnosis), I thought it was just me,” Madrona said. “I thought I couldn’t read. I thought I couldn’t write.  … Being diagnosed reassured me that it was not my fault. It’s the way I think. That really helped me emotionally, especially in school.”

As a student in the Department of Education, Madrona took advantage of opportunities such as the Rural Experience for Teachers, a program designed to give teachers new tools for teaching science, technology, engineering and math, and completing a practicum at the Cottonwood Day School, a school for students with special needs.

This fall, Madrona completed his student teaching in Tracy Babcock’s fifth grade classroom at Morning Star Elementary School in Bozeman.

Madrona said the most valuable lesson he learned from the experience – out of several valuable lessons – is how much a connection between a teacher and a student can impact a student’s life.

“No matter how many disciplinary actions you try to take or how many times you try to get a student engaged, they will not engage if they’re not connected to you or if they don’t feel you support them,” he said. “Same with disciplinary things. Outbreaks will be minimal if you connect with students and show them you care.”

In addition, Madrona said he learned as a student teacher to take pride in his dyslexia and ADHD.

“Lots of students face the same problems,” he said. “Telling them I have ADHD and dyslexia, and that I’m going to mess up words when I’m reading and it’s OK, helps to create a safe learning environment for everybody.”

Babcock, who has been teaching at Morning Star since 2011, said she loved how open Madrona was with the fifth graders about his struggles.

“He makes it OK not to know how to do something,” Babcock said. “He demonstrated how you can be brave when you’re not great at something and you still go out and try to do it.”

The students responded well to Madrona’s honesty, she added.

“He really connected with our students, better than any student teacher I’ve had,” she said. 

Now, with his student teaching experience wrapped up, Madrona is looking forward to commencement on Friday.

He’s not entirely sure what’s next, but he hopes to stay in Bozeman for now and work as a long-term substitute teacher in the school district. Eventually, he’d like to go to graduate school to further his education. Whatever he does, he said, one thing is clear:

“My heart is in the classroom. It feels like I was put on this earth to teach.”

GALLATIN GATEWAY – Wildlife health staff with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks recently detected chronic wasting disease in a white-tailed deer buck that was harvested by a hunter in hunting district 304.  

This marks the first detection in hunting district 304. The deer was harvested near Gallatin Gateway, along the hunting district’s eastern border with hunting district 309.  

CWD is a contagious neurological disease that infects deer, elk and moose. It is always fatal, and there is no known cure. It was first detected among wild cervids in Montana in 2017. The disease is known to exist in other parts of southwest Montana, including the Paradise and Ruby Valleys, as well as in other areas of the state.  

FWP has conducted rotating surveillance for CWD throughout the state for several years. Hunting district 304 is within this year’s priority surveillance area. 

Hunting is the primary tool for sampling and managing CWD in Montana. Several hunting license opportunities remain valid through Jan. 15 for harvesting antlerless white-tailed deer in adjacent hunting district 309. Hunters who harvest deer or elk in the Gallatin area are encouraged to submit samples for testing to help further FWP’s understanding of CWD prevalence and distribution.  

FWP pays for the testing, making it free for hunters. FWP has provided resources to help hunters collect and submit samples for testing on their own. These resources can be found at fwp.mt.gov/cwd. Hunters can also call a regional FWP office to schedule an appointment if they need help collecting a CWD sample.  

CWD is not known to infect humans. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people not eat meat from infected animals and have their harvested animals tested before eating them if they were taken from an area where CWD is known to exist. For more information on CDC recommendations, please visit go.usa.gov/xAcnc. 

BOZEMAN – On Thursday, December 15 at 11:30am, John McFerran, Lieutenant Governor of Optimist Club, will present a Proclamation, A Tribute to 75 Years of Optimist Service to the Bozeman Optimist local chapter. This tribute will take place in the conference room in the southwest entrance of Family Promise, 1603 Tschache Lane.

Founded in 1947, the Optimist Club of Bozeman provides opportunities, activities, camps, areasand materials for youth to develop skills and improve their self-worth and confidence. According to Bob McFadyen, Optimist Club International President, “Since August 13th of 1947 you have been a constant presence in the lives of the fine people in Bozeman. In thousands of ways, both remembered and life changing, you have touched the hearts of people, young and not so young. Through all these years, you have provided hope and positive vision, and in doing do you have continually brought out the best in youth.”

The Bozeman Optimist Club is the oldest Optimist Chapter in Montana. For 75 years, the Club has been a presence in the community, most notably through the annual Garagarama, the annual charity garage sale that has been held the first weekend in April for 57 years, and through the Optimist Park (also known as the Bozeman Ponds), located behind the Gallatin Valley Mall on Fowler Avenue.

Originally donated to the Montana Fish and Game Commission in 1954, the land was originally swamp area for duck hunting until 1986, when the Optimist Club sponsored the first annual Fishing Derby in the original 3 ponds. In 1992, after years of successful Fishing Derbies, the Optimist Club began development of the 3 ponds into the community recreational area that exists today. Construction was completed on the pond in 1996, and the pavilion was finished in 1998. Approximately $500,000 in cash and in-kind donations from the Optimist Club and area businesses were raised to help finance the Optimist Park project.

Currently, the Optimist Club of Bozeman supports several non-profit organizations, serving the needs of over 200 kids and young adults annually. In addition to Garagarama, previously selling Christmas trees, and the Fishing Derby, the Optimist Club of Bozeman sponsors a Warm Clothing drive, which provides warm clothing to children and families in need, a sport scholarship in conjunction with Play It Again Sports to help children afford sports equipment.

To learn more about the impact of Optimist Club of Bozeman or to join, visit https://www.optimistclubofbozeman.org/ or call Amy at 406.599.3535

HELENA - Muzzleloader season opens on Saturday, Dec. 10, and runs through Dec. 18. This season is for muzzleloaders only; no other means of taking game, such as archery, is allowed. Note that some areas have elk shoulder seasons through Feb. 15, where firearms and archery equipment may be allowed.

Hunters should also note that many of Montana’s Block Management Areas (BMAs), even though they are open for upland bird or waterfowl through Jan. 1, are not allowing the harvest of deer or elk during the muzzleloader heritage season. Make sure to check BMA rules before you hunt.

• Find Block Management Program information here

In addition, although all Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) in Region 7 are open year-round, many other WMAs allowing hunting across the state are closed through May 14. If planning to hunt a WMA, see a list of WMAs and their seasonal closure dates here.

Hunters should check the hunting regulations to make sure they are compliant with all rules and regulations for this season. Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted the following regulations, most of which are based on language from the statute:

• A person may take a deer or elk with a license or permit that is valid on the last day of the general hunting season.

• Any unused license-permit valid on the last day of the general season (i.e., Nov. 27) is valid during the muzzleloader heritage season.

• Any license that can still be purchased is valid. For example, if a person had not already purchased a general deer tag, they could purchase one for the muzzleloader heritage season.

• Hunters can use plain lead projectiles and a muzzleloading rifle that is charged with loose black powder, loose pyrodex or an equivalent loose black powder substitute and ignited by a flintlock, wheel lock, matchlock or percussion mechanism using a percussion or musket cap.

• The muzzleloading rifle must be a minimum of .45 caliber and may not have more than two barrels.

• During the muzzleloader heritage season, hunters may not use a muzzleloading rifle that requires insertion of a cap or primer into the open breech of the barrel (inline), is capable of being loaded from the breech, or is mounted with an optical magnification device.

• Use of pre-prepared paper or metallic cartridges, sabots, gas checks or other similar power and range-enhancing manufactured loads that enclose the projectile from the rifling or bore of the firearm is also prohibited.

The nine-day season muzzleloader heritage hunting season was established when House Bill 242 was signed into law by Gov. Greg Gianforte last year.

Keep vigilant with grizzly bear awareness 

With the mild weather, bears are still active. All bears are potentially dangerous. Hunters should be prepared to encounter a bear. Here are some tips to keep in mind: 

• Stay alert and look for bear activity, especially where visibility or hearing is limited (woods, bushy areas, streams). 

• Travel in a group and keep members together (especially kids). 

• Make noise whenever possible to avoid surprising a bear, especially where visibility or hearing is limited. 

• Carry bear spray close at hand and know how to use it. 

• Avoid traveling at night, dawn or dusk. 

• Avoid carcass sites and scavenger concentrations. 

For more information on hunting in Montana, visit fwp.mt.gov/hunt.

ENNIS – Valley Garden Fishing Access Site northeast of Ennis has been closed temporarily due to flooding. 

Ice jams on portions of the upper Madison River have caused water, ice and debris to flow into the site, inundating the access road and creating unsafe conditions for visitors. Access to the site will be restored as soon as conditions allow. 

Seasonal flooding may impact access at other sites throughout the winter. Visit fwp.mt.gov to learn more about temporary closures that may be in effect across the state.   

Sellers holds degrees in News/Editorial Journalism from the University of Saint Thomas and Public Administration from Montana State University. In her 18 years working at MSU, Sellers helped launch the University System-wide performance evaluation process; conducted supervisor/leadership training; secured grant funding from and developed and/or managed programs for NASA, NSF, NIH, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the Dept of Education; and wrapped up her time at MSU as Assistant Dean of the Honors College. Immediately prior to joining MWS, Sellers raised money for People and Carnivores, working to protect bears and wolves.