Layla of Belgrade is 11, soon to be 12, and dealing with the challenges of Scoliosis—a curvature of the spine. Knowing what it’s like to wear a hard plastic torso brace 24/7 to middle school, dealing with bullies, and worrying about having spinal surgery to correct the growing curve, she wants other girls with scoliosis to know they are not alone. Layla was diagnosed with scoliosis during a routine exam with her pediatrician at age 7. She has been wearing a brace 20 to 23 hours per day ever since, until now. Layla was able to hold back her curve with bracing, but now is scheduled for spine fusion surgery in April and will be adding that to her scoliosis journey.

Curvy Girls brings girls together to raise awareness and to support one another at monthly meetings, hospital visits, and brace-wear shopping trips. Because teens with Scoliosis typically feel self-conscious about their appearance and often have to wear a hard plastic torso brace up to 23 hours a day, they tend to isolate and may experience depression. Support groups provide an important opportunity to share concerns and information.  

Curvy Girls of Bozeman is a chapter of an international group started in 2006 by then 13-year-old Leah Stoltz of Long Island, N.Y. Since being featured on national television’s Nickelodeon HALO (Helping and Leading Others) Awards Show in 2009, and the 2017 Inégal campaign in collaboration with TeenVogue and model Martha Hunt, Curvy Girls has grown to over 100 chapters throughout the world.

Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) is a medical condition of unknown cause in which a preteen/teen has an abnormal lateral curvature of the spine. On an x-ray, the spine of an individual with scoliosis may look more like an "S" or a "C" than a straight line. Conventional treatment is through bracing, scoliosis-specific exercises and surgery. Scoliosis progresses 10 times more frequently in girls. In an attempt to halt curve progression and avoid spine surgery, bracing is continued throughout the growing years.

“Scoliosis affects us both physically and emotionally. While the back brace supports our bodies, Curvy Girls is our emotional brace,” says founder Leah Stoltz. “We need to help our girls feel better about themselves from the inside out.”  

Layla welcomes girls with Scoliosis to contact her so that together they can continue to make a difference. Visit www.curvygirlsscoliosis.com and learn more about Layla and Curvy Girls of Bozeman.

GREAT FALLS – The deadline for Smith River float applications is Wednesday, Feb. 14. The permit drawing will be held on Feb. 22. Permits are required to float the 59-mile section of river between Camp Baker and Eden Bridge and are issued each year through a lottery.

To apply for a Smith River float permit online, go to the FWP Online Licensing System. A $15 nonrefundable permit application fee is required. Successful Smith River applicants will be notified via email shortly after the lottery drawing is conducted. 

This year is the first time applicants can buy a bonus point for the Smith River Permit. A bonus point is essentially an extra chance you can purchase for the permit drawing. These points accumulate year after year if you are unsuccessful in the drawing. Residents can purchase a bonus point for $5; nonresidents can purchase a bonus point for $50. The bonus point is applied to your application the year it is purchased. You can apply for a permit through FWP’s Online Licensing System..

Another change this year, FWP staff will remove pit toilets at the boat camps along the Smith River this spring. All float parties will be required to pack out their human waste from the Smith River corridor. This requirement is similar to many other river systems in the West and necessary to keep the corridor pristine for visitors now and for decades to come. The rules implementing this pack-out system were passed by the Montana Parks Board in early 2022.

Floaters will need to pack portable toilet systems. To see a list of FWP-approved, portable, hard-sided toilets that will be allowed, click here. Alternative waste disposal systems, including bag systems, such as Clean Waste and RESTOP2, will not be allowed. 

Floaters can clean and sanitize their portable toilet system with a SCAT (Sanitizing Containers with Alternative Technology) machine, which has been installed at the Eden Bridge take-out. To watch a video of how the SCAT machine works with FWP-approved toilets, click here.

Finally, starting in 2024, the number of permits available for nonresidents may not exceed 10 percent of the available permits. This new law was passed as part of House Bill 846 in the 2023 Legislative Session.

In addition to the permit lottery, the public may purchase as many $5 Super Permit chances as they wish. FWP issues one Super Permit each year through a separate lottery. The recipient of the Super Permit will be allowed to launch on any date of their choosing for that float season.

The opportunity to purchase chances for the Smith River Super Permit will be available through March 22. The Super Permit drawing will take place on March 26. Super Permit chances may be purchased online through FWP’s Online Licensing System.

For more information about Smith River State Park visit: http://stateparks.mt.gov/smith-river/

BOZEMAN — Montana State University is offering a free program to help entrepreneurs take their business ideas to the next level. 

The Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship’s 406 Labs is accepting applications for its spring 2024 incubator. The 10-week program aims to help those who have developed business concepts or researched a potential new business to create solid business plans and identify the steps needed to clarify their approach to markets, customers, strategy, financials and more.  

Montana residents and MSU students, faculty, staff and alumni are eligible to apply for the program. MSU faculty and graduate students with research projects working toward commercialization of a technology are especially encouraged to apply. Details and the application can be found at montana.edu/business/entrepreneurship/406labs.html. The deadline to apply is Friday, Feb. 20. The program is free to all participants. 

Ron June, a professor in MSU's Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering in the Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering, participated in the 406 Labs incubator program in 2023 with a venture idea called OpenBioWorks with co-founder Priyanka Brahmachary, a research associate in the engineering college. 

"406 Labs was an incredibly valuable experience for our new startup,” June said. “We gained valuable tools and key metrics to help move our company forward.  I'm confident that these tools and lessons have improved our position compared to where we'd be without them, and I strongly recommend this for any academic entrepreneurs at MSU.” 

Pat LaPointe, managing director of Frontier Angels and the founder of Early Stage MT, is the facilitator for the spring group. 

406 Labs is also looking for established entrepreneurs and subject matter experts to mentor those accepted to the incubator. The mentor application can be found on the program website. 406 Labs is hosted by MSU’s Blackstone LaunchPad, an arm of the business college that supports the MSU community in entrepreneurial endeavors. 

For questions about 406 Labs and the incubator program, call 406-994-4383 or email info@msulaunchpad.org.

BUTTE – Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks staff recently captured elk in the Highland Mountains south of Butte as part of a multi-year Targeted Elk Brucellosis Surveillance Project.

All 122 blood samples collected from captured elk tested negative for brucellosis.

Capture operations in the Highland Mountains were conducted in late January. Thirty elk were outfitted with GPS collars that will be active for one year to help wildlife managers better understand their seasonal ranges, migration routes and potential mixing with other elk herds.

The goal of these operations is to evaluate the presence and understand the movement of brucellosis in Montana’s elk populations. The research also helps wildlife managers and animal health officials understand the overlap between elk and livestock on the landscape.

Brucellosis is a bacterial disease that can infect humans, cattle, bison and elk and can result in abortion or the birth of weak calves. The disease is primarily transmitted through contact with infected birth tissues and fluids.

The Montana Department of Livestock (DOL) administers a brucellosis surveillance program for livestock in an area of southwest Montana called the designated surveillance area (DSA). Requirements within the DSA protect the state and national livestock industry from the spread of brucellosis. Livestock within the DSA are at risk of exposure to brucellosis from infected wildlife and are therefore subject to additional brucellosis testing requirements for movement and change of ownership, as well as additional traceability requirements.

Live elk captures in and around the perimeter of the DSA inform decisions on boundary adjustments by DOL. The Highland Mountains are outside of the DSA. The recent test results from the Highland Mountains provide support for keeping the current DSA boundary unchanged.

Montana’s Targeted Elk Brucellosis Surveillance Project is a joint effort between DOL and FWP, with support from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. In addition, this project and capture operation would not be possible without the generous support and permission from landowners to capture elk on their property.

More information about the surveillance project can be found online at fwp.mt.gov/conservation/wildlife-management/elk.

For more information about how brucellosis is managed in Montana livestock, visit liv.mt.gov/Animal-Health/Reportable-Animal-Diseases/Brucellosis.

BOZEMAN — An ongoing project that aims to help Indigenous people prosper alongside buffalo at the Fort Peck Indian Reservation has received a four-year, $5 million grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes. The grant was awarded by the America the Beautiful Challenge program, with funding support from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Robert Magnan, director of the Fish and Game Department of the Fort Peck Tribes and grant leader, said he is thrilled with what this award will generate in improved herd and grasslands health, as well as expanded acreage and workforce for the Fort Peck Turtle Mound Buffalo Ranch.

The award also supports an ongoing, comprehensive, grassroots effort to engage members of the tribes in community-building initiatives intended to rejuvenate connections with buffalo. With Magnan’s support and leadership, part of those efforts has led to the establishment of a trail on the southern end of the ranch that is home to transferred Yellowstone National Park buffalo; the new grant will expand the existing .6-mile trail to nearly 11 miles.

Montana State University is one of a number of a collaborators on the project. MSU’s portion of the grant, which will go toward trail design and buffalo and native plants science education, is approximately $1 million. Other core partners include Fort Peck Community College and Defenders of Wildlife.

The project originated through discussions by and with the Pté Group, a grassroots organizing initiative at Fort Peck that includes Magnan and a dozen other community leaders, said Elizabeth Bird, principal investigator at MSU and project development and grants specialist in the College of Education, Health and Human Development.

“When the Pté Group formed, one of the themes that came out fairly early in discussions was that they and other tribal members needed ways to connect with buffalo physically,” Bird said. “(They needed to) be in their presence, see them, smell them, hear them, pick up sloughed fur.”

A couple of years later, MSU architecture professor Michael Everts was looking for a project for his students to work on designs integrating environmental, public health and socioeconomic issues, Bird recalled. MSU colleagues soon connected him with the Pté Group, and in the spring of 2016, Everts and the first group of MSU architecture students to work on the project were able to speak with members of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes, tour the area and discuss potential projects.

“Fairly early in those conversations, the idea of a trail emerged as something that would be a really good way to connect people to the land and the buffalo up there,” Bird said. With broader community input, the Pté Group named the trail Pté Bahá Ocą́gu. (In Nakoda, Pté Bahá Ocą́gu means “buffalo hills,” and in Dakota, Wamákhaškaŋškaŋ means “all that moves on the land.”)

In addition to the trail itself, the group also discussed plans to place interactive story poles – or structures that visitors can engage with in culturally meaningful ways – along the trail, and the School of Architecture organized several independent design courses for students to collaborate with community members to design the story poles. Bird said one story pole is currently in place, and four or five more will be added. The first pole is designed to catch fur that comes off buffalo when they rub against the pole, so that people can gather the fur. A second story pole will channel the wind to make tones, and people will be invited to place their hands over apertures to generate different sounds. A third story pole will feature an internal stairway that children can climb to gain a different perspective on the surrounding area. A fourth story pole may be related to stargazing, Bird said.

The group has received several smaller grants since 2018 that enabled the work to begin, resulting in trail design and environmental and cultural review, development of roughly a half-mile of completed ADA-accessible trail, along with a parking lot, toilet, picnic and bench facilities and the first two story poles. The new grant will not only lengthen the trail but also help restore the buffalo ranch grasslands, expand the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes’ capacity to manage buffalo herds through increased wildlife-friendly fencing and workforce development and expansion; fund educational programs to foster a deeper connection between tribal youth, buffalo and their culture; increase eco-tourism capacity, including dark-sky programming, led by Jonny Lee Bearcub Stiffarm; and enhance Fort Peck Community College science faculty Steven Coon’s and Joanne Stewart Kloker’s and their students’ collaborations with the ranch. The education and eco-tourism initiatives are also key Pté Group aspirations, Bird said. Stiffarm has advocated for the Pté Group aim of buffalo-related educational programming for all ages. Another partner, Kai Teague, will help lead access to augmented native plants along the trail.  

An overarching goal is to strengthen ecosystem and community resilience and support tribally led conservation and restoration.

Bird, who has collaborated with partners at Fort Peck for more than a decade, is leading MSU’s involvement with the project. She will engage citizen science experts with Fort Peck partners in developing lessons for K-12 students, and she will help Everts and students in MSU’s School of Architecture deliver planning and constructability services for the trail, as well as design and fabrication of story poles.

Other MSU collaborators include Suzi Taylor, director of the Science Math Resource Center, and Jill Falcon Ramaker, assistant professor in the Department of Food Systems, Nutrition and Kinesiology and director of the Buffalo Nations Food System Initiative.

Bird hopes that by the time the grant concludes in 2027, more people – especially youth – will be involved and that infrastructure will be in place to enable the work and connections to continue.

“My hope is that by the time this grant ends it will be multi-generational and robust and those people will be able to carry the work forward,” she said. “To me the goal of this grant is to firmly establish the infrastructure for achieving the intentions of the Pté Group. If we can establish strong infrastructure and a set of lessons for and connections to (Fort Peck Community College) and (local) schools, that will go a long way.” 

Turnbull, co-chair of the Pté Group and key partner for the grant, said that all the proposed work “helps ensure that our wonderful, restored Yellowstone buffalo herd also advances the cultural, physical and economic health of our Fort Peck communities.”  

HELENA – Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking public comment on several draft environmental assessments (EA) and emergency closures. For more information, including how to submit comments, click on the link provided or visit fwp.mt.gov/public-notices.

Manley Choke to Death Private Pond

A private landowner is applying for a Private Fish Pond License and proposes to stock Yellowstone cutthroat trout in an unnamed private pond. The pond is a 0.38 surface-acre pond located in the Crazy Mountains north of Springdale that is fed by a combination of groundwater and seasonal surface water. A screened Agri Drain structure serves as the outlet for the pond which will prevent escapement during normal operations. Although native Yellowstone cutthroat trout inhabit streams downstream of the pond, the associated risks with stocking the pond with hatchery-reared fish are minimal.

The project is sponsored by the private landowner, and the license would be active for a period of 10 years from the year of issuance (2024). The license can be renewed for additional 10-year intervals at the end of each term, and the license is transferable.

Comments due Feb. 8.

Emergency Rule Closing the Fairweather Fishing Access Site in Gallatin County

FWP has determined that flooding and ice jams justify the adoption of emergency rule closing the Fairweather Fishing Access Site.

Comments due Feb. 12.

Spotted Dog Wildlife Management Area Grazing and Water Development Plan Draft EA

FWP is seeking public review and comment through Feb. 12 of its proposed approach to livestock grazing and associated water development on Spotted Dog Wildlife Management Area (WMA).

The draft EA for the plan outlines how cattle grazing agreements with neighboring private landowners would be implemented for the overall benefit of wildlife. The plan also prescribes how water sources for livestock would be developed on the WMA.

The draft plan does not approve specific grazing agreements on the WMA, instead it provides a framework for where it could be allowed, what types of practices would be used and how grazing would be monitored and managed. Any future grazing agreements would require public review and Fish and Wildlife Commission approval as part of a separate process.

Comments due Feb. 12.

Adoption of Emergency Rule Closing the Selway Park Fishing Access Site in Beaverhead County

FWP has determined that flooding and ice jams justify the adoption of emergency rule closing the Selway Park Fishing Access Site.

Comments due Feb. 26.

Adoption of an Emergency Rule Closing the Valley Garden Fishing Access Site in Madison County

FWP has determined that flooding and ice jams justify the adoption of emergency rule closing the Valley Garden Fishing Access Site.

Comments due Feb. 26.

Adoption of an Emergency Rule Closing the Ennis Fishing Access Site in Madison County

FWP has determined that flooding and ice jams justify the adoption of emergency rule closing the Ennis Fishing Access Site.

Comments due Feb. 26.

On February 4, 2024, Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office Deputies were flagged down by a mother, who informed them that her 12-year-old child had ran away from a local indoor trampoline park in the Four Corners Area. Deputies searched the area before calling Gallatin County Search and Rescue to assist.

While on their way to the area to assist, a Search and Rescue Member spotted a child matching the missing juvenile’s description walking southbound along Highway 191 near Axtell Anceny Road. The Search and Rescue Member stopped and spoke with the child before Deputies arrived on scene and confirmed it was the missing child.

The child was in good health and was given a ride back home and returned to the care of his mother. Sheriff Dan Springer would like to commend the sharp-eyed Search and Rescue volunteer for locating the child before they could come to harm.

Gallatin Valley residents are invited to the first Winter Bloom Lantern Parade organized by the local non-profit Random Acts of Silliness beginning at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 10, at Gallatin Regional Park. Spectators will enjoy hundreds of colorful lanterns inspired by the natural world as the parade meanders through the park accompanied by singers from the Bozeman Symphonic and Threshold choirs.

Inspired by the rich history of lantern parades and festivals around the world, Random Acts of Silliness is excited to start a new tradition in this community, said Executive Enchantment Director Danielle Thomsen. To spark light, joy, creativity, and connection during a dark time of year, the Winter Bloom theme was inspired by a similar event in the UK. Focusing on plants, animals, and insects felt like the perfect fit for this Valley of the Flowers, the name used by some indigenous people for the Gallatin Valley. 

“People are going to be blown away by the vibrance and creativity of our community!” said Thomsen. “We are going to light up the night with a glowing garden of gorgeousness!”

Hundreds of lanterns will come from a variety of sources: lanterns are being made by professional artists, Montana State University Art students, and members of the community. Some lanterns will be made in community workshops led by Random Acts of Silliness and at drop-in sessions at the Bozeman Public Library. Led by an enormous queen bee, the procession will contain a kaleidoscope of lantern themes, shapes, and sizes under the ambiance of choral and folk music.

“The Bozeman Symphony is proud to partner with Random Acts of Silliness for this first annual event,” said Education and Community Engagement Coordinator Cierra Wallace. “Members of our Symphonic Choir will be singing under the warm glow of lanterns, voices uniting in this uplifting experience of a creative community.”

The parade is expected to take approximately 45 minutes and will be visible from most parts of the park. Spectators are encouraged to carpool as parking is limited, and to dress for the elements as there is no seating, shelter, or concessions on the parade route. 

This event is free for our community to enjoy thanks to generous support from sponsors Design 5 Landscape Architecture and Sarah Day Bozeman Real Estate. For more information, please visit  https://www.randomactsofsilliness.com/winter-bloom-2024

BOZEMAN — John Paxton, a computer science professor and director of Montana State University’s Gianforte School of Computing in the Norm Asbsjornson College of Engineering, has been named student Advisor of the Year by oSTEM, a national organization whose acronym  stands for Out in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

A faculty member since 1990 and adviser of MSU’s student chapter of oSTEM since its formation in 2017, Paxton helps chapter members with their professional and personal development.

“Personally, I am honored and humbled to receive this award," Paxton said. "Institutionally, this award recognizes Montana State University’s deep commitment to helping all students succeed. The students in the oSTEM at Montana State chapter are inspirational and it is deeply gratifying to play a small role in preparing them for impactful STEM careers and happy lives.”

Paxton received the award at the national oSTEM conference in Anaheim, California, in November. The mission of oSTEM is to help members of the LGBTQ+ STEM community lead more successful lives in the professional, academic and personal realms. Along with breakout sessions and keynote speakers, the annual conference features a career fair where students can meet and engage with industry professionals.

“This is an award that I share with the students and the university,” Paxton said. “There would be no award without students who are comfortable being members of our student oSTEM chapter. And there would be no award without Montana State University’s fantastic support of students who historically have encountered barriers to success.”

Before MSU had its own 0STEM student chapter, Paxton organized a trip for students to attend the national oSTEM conference in Denver in 2016. Shortly thereafter, MSU students formed an official club, with Paxton serving as its adviser.

Currently, MSU’s oSTEM chapter has about 25 members and meets twice a month. Meetings tend to focus on professional development, with presentations on topics such as resume writing and interview skills.

Bau Sauvage, a computer science major and the club’s co-president, along with junior psychology major Jacob McCandless, said Paxton has been a positive impact personally, while also making the computing school more accessible to all students, including women and minorities.

“I think the biggest thing I’ve learned from him is how to advocate for myself,” Sauvage said. “He’s taught me things about communicating with people, how to phrase things in ways that are not aggressive or more facilitating of open conversations.”

Meanwhile, Paxton enjoys seeing these students succeed while bringing their full identifies to both their personal lives and to the workplace.   

“To advise our local oSTEM chapter and watch these students grow both personally and professionally is incredibly satisfying,” Paxton said.

Now in his 34th year at MSU, Paxton has developed a reputation not only as a leader in his field but as a faculty member who takes pride in helping his students succeed in all aspects of life.

“His care for the students is evident in everything he does, and I saw how much the students care for and appreciate him,” said Ryan Anderson, associate professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering who also attended the oSTEM conference. “He is a joy to be around, talk to and work with. Attending the conference with him and getting to interact with such a great group of students was a true highlight of my fall semester.”