Julia Haggerty, Montana State University associate professor and acting manager of the new EPA partnership based at MSU, speaks during the Friday, Jan. 19, event. MSU photo by Colter Peterson

BOZEMAN – At a Jan. 19 event on campus, officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that Montana State University will receive at least $10 million to establish a regional partnership to help communities and tribal nations in six states address environment- and energy-related priorities.

Funded by the EPA’s Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers Program, the MSU-hosted initiative will provide resources and assistance to underserved entities, such as rural and Indigenous communities. With offices on the MSU campus, the program will employ outreach and engagement specialists stationed throughout EPA Region 8, which includes Montana, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, South Dakota and North Dakota.

“Together, EPA and MSU will help break down the barriers to resources that underserved and overburdened communities have always faced,” said KC Becker, EPA regional administrator. “These communities deserve support and fair access to the historic levels of funding EPA offers to protect families’ health and homes.”

Julia Haggerty, associate professor in MSU’s Department of Earth Sciences in the College of Letters and Science, is serving as acting manager of the new program at MSU, which aims to start operating this spring. A resource and rural geography specialist, Haggerty has spent her career working with communities and tribal nations to identify strategies to enhance resilience and well-being as energy and natural resource markets and policies shift.

Haggerty said that the program will promote student engagement through opportunities for students to support the TCTAC’s activities as interns, part-time workers and through directed study.

“What excites me as a faculty member is that this creates an incredible opportunity to elevate our game when it comes to identifying service-learning opportunities for students as we support program participants,” Haggerty said. “Many students and faculty care deeply about doing work to improve well-being in the region. There will be tremendous opportunities for students to learn from and participate in these efforts.”

MSU’s is one of 13 regional centers being established by the EPA under the White House’s Investing in America agenda. The EPA, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy, selected MSU based on its ability to provide technical assistance related to energy and environmental justice, according to an agency press release.

The EPA-funded centers will provide training and other assistance to program participants in such areas as navigating federal grant application systems, developing strong grant proposals and effectively managing funding. The centers also will help identify funding opportunities and support community engagement, meeting facilitation, and translation and interpretation services. An additional focus of the program is accessing experts for consultation on technical and policy issues.

The program at MSU will use the expertise of partner agencies and organizations.

Some of them, such as the Extension programs at MSU, Colorado State University, Utah State University and the University of Wyoming, will receive funding under the five-year grant. Haggerty emphasized the prominent role of Extension programs at all the Region 8 land-grant universities in supervising the community engagement specialists assigned to their specific areas.

“The specialists – five new positions in total – will connect the knowledge and leadership in Region 8 communities with resources to empower local solutions,” she said. “There are currently many funding opportunities to address environmental and energy problems, but those opportunities can fly by underserved communities, where resources needed to apply and manage those funds are stretched thin by existing priorities.”

In keeping with its commitment to improve lives and communities, MSU Extension will use its expertise in community vitality and community-based leadership for the benefit of rural and tribal communities, said Cody Stone, Extension executive director.

MSU’s approach engages the Montana IDeA Community Engagement Core, which works to foster and enhance tribal and rural community partnerships to mitigate health disparities and enhance health equity, and the expertise of faculty and staff across the university.

The Colorado State University Center for Environmental Justice is serving as the executive co-lead alongside MSU. Also funded at CSU are the Center for the New Energy Economy and the Prevention Research Center.

Funded partners not affiliated with any of the land-grant schools in the region are the Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy and The Center for Social Creativity.

Other partner organizations include the Extension programs for North Dakota State and South Dakota Stateuniversities; the Milken Institute Community Infrastructure Center; Environmental Partners Network; Just and Equitable Transition Network; National Renewable Energy Laboratory; Green Latinos; Save Energy Coalition; and Resources Legacy Fund.

More information about the center and the services it will provide is available athttps://ou.montana.edu/thrivingcommunities/index.html.

Storing non-perishable foods effectively is crucial for maintaining their quality and ensuring safety. This type of food, often seen as the backbone of emergency preparedness and pantry stocking, includes items like canned goods, grains, and dried beans. Unlike perishables, these foods have a longer shelf life, but that doesn't mean they're impervious to spoilage or quality degradation. Proper storage is key to preserving their integrity, flavor, and nutritional value. The goal is to protect them from factors like moisture, light, and pests, which can compromise their quality. By understanding the fundamental principles of non-perishable food storage, households can maximize the lifespan of these essential items, reduce waste, and maintain a reliable food supply. This introduction sets the stage for exploring practical and effective storage tips that ensure your non-perishables remain safe, accessible, and ready for use whenever needed.

Choosing the Right Containers

Selecting appropriate containers for storing non-perishable foods is a critical step in preserving their quality. The ideal containers are airtight, durable, and made of food-safe materials. Airtightness is crucial to prevent exposure to air, which can lead to staleness or moisture buildup, potentially causing mold or spoilage. Glass jars with tight-sealing lids are excellent options, as they don’t impart any flavors to the contents and are easy to clean and reuse. Plastic containers can also be used, provided they are BPA-free and designed for food storage. For larger quantities or bulk items, heavy-duty plastic bins or metal containers are suitable, especially when looking for options to store items in locations like self storage units in Baltimore. Such environments require sturdy, pest-resistant, and moisture-proof solutions. 

Additionally, ensuring the transparency or labeling of containers helps in quick identification and rotation of stock, keeping the oldest items at the front for use first. This approach not only helps in efficient space utilization but also contributes to minimizing waste and maintaining an organized pantry.

Ideal Storage Locations

Selecting the perfect spot for storing non-perishable foods is as important as choosing the right containers. The location should safeguard the food from environmental factors that can compromise its quality. A cool, dry, and dark area is ideal, as it minimizes exposure to heat, moisture, and light, all of which can accelerate degradation. The United States Department of Agriculture offers comprehensive guidelines on food storage, emphasizing the importance of temperature control. 

According to their recommendations, the following guidelines should be considered:

                • Avoid areas near stoves or ovens, as heat can spoil food faster.
                • Steer clear of damp places like under the sink, which can invite mold.
                • Keep food away from windows where sunlight can cause temperature
                   fluctuations.
                • Choose a spot that's not prone to drastic temperature changes, like a
                   basement or a pantry.
                • Ensure the storage area is far from chemicals or cleaning agents, to prevent
                   contamination.

These locations, when chosen correctly, not only prolong the shelf life of non-perishables but also help maintain their nutritional value and taste. Proper storage location selection, combined with the right containers, forms a comprehensive strategy for keeping your non-perishable foods safe and consumable for longer periods.

Managing Expiration Dates

Effective management of expiration dates is pivotal in ensuring the safety and quality of non-perishable foods. While these items are known for their long shelf lives, they do not last indefinitely. It's essential to be vigilant about expiration dates to avoid consuming spoiled foods, which can lead to health risks. One effective strategy is to practice the “first-in, first-out” principle, ensuring that older items are used before newer ones. When stocking your pantry, place newly purchased items at the back, allowing older ones to be consumed first.

Regularly checking expiration dates is also crucial. Set aside time monthly to inspect your pantry and remove items that are past their expiration or best-before dates. This not only helps in maintaining food safety but also in avoiding unnecessary waste. In addition to the printed dates, pay attention to the appearance and smell of the food. If something looks or smells off, it’s safer to discard it.

Remember, managing expiration dates is not just about safety; it's also about enjoying your food at its best quality. By keeping a close eye on these dates and organizing your pantry accordingly, you ensure that your non-perishable foods are always fresh and ready to enrich your meals.

Organizing for Easy Access

An organized pantry not only makes finding items quicker but also ensures efficient use and rotation of your non-perishable food stock. A systematic approach to organizing can make a significant difference. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highlight the importance of organization in preventing foodborne illnesses.

To streamline your pantry, consider the following steps:

1. Group similar items together – place all grains, canned goods, and spices in their respective sections.
2. Use clear, labeled containers for bulk items – this makes identification easy and keeps food fresh.
3. Allocate specific areas for different food categories – designate a shelf for breakfast items, another for baking supplies, and so on.

This method not only simplifies the process of finding what you need but also helps in tracking your inventory and understanding what needs restocking. An organized pantry reduces the time spent searching for items, minimizing the frustration that can come from a cluttered space. By maintaining a structured approach to storage, you can ensure that every item is easily accessible and used efficiently, reducing waste and saving time.

Pest Prevention Strategies

Keeping pests away from your non-perishable food is essential for maintaining its quality and safety. Pests like rodents and insects are attracted to food sources and can contaminate your supplies. To prevent such infestations, it's important to maintain cleanliness in your storage areas. Regularly cleaning shelves and containers removes crumbs and spills that can attract pests. 

Also, ensure that all food is stored in tightly sealed containers. This not only keeps the food fresh but also makes it inaccessible to pests. Another effective strategy is to periodically inspect your pantry for signs of pests, such as droppings or damaged packaging. Immediate action can prevent larger infestations. Just as restaurants must adhere to strict hygiene standards to ensure food safety, the same principle applies to home food storage. Keeping your pantry clean, organized, and well-maintained is key to preventing pest problems and ensuring your non-perishable foods remain safe and consumable.

Wrapping Up Safe Storage Practices

In conclusion, the proper storage of non-perishable foods is a blend of choosing the right containers, finding ideal locations, managing expiration dates, organizing for accessibility, and preventing pests. These practices ensure that your food remains safe, nutritious, and flavorful. By following these guidelines, you can confidently maintain a well-stocked pantry, ready for everyday meals or unexpected situations.

BOZEMAN – Emergency closures went into effect on Tuesday at three fishing access sites in southwestern Montana due to flooding.

The sites include Selway Park Fishing Access Site on the Beaverhead River, and Valley Garden and Ennis fishing access sites on the Madison River. These sites will be closed until further notice.

Recent cold weather has led to ice jams on rivers in these areas, causing ice and debris to flow into the sites. The combination of unsafe conditions includes flooded areas, moving ice and debris, and potentially unstable trees. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will reopen the sites when conditions allow.

Additional site closures may be in effect already or required later, depending on weather and river flows. Current restrictions and closures of FWP-managed lands and waterbodies can be found online at fwp.mt.gov/news/current-closures-restrictions.

Recreationists are encouraged to use caution when visiting rivers because of unseen hazards, as well as flow and ice conditions that can change suddenly. For more information about river recreation safety, visit fwp.mt.gov/activities/boating/river-ethics.

Every musician struggles to find his target audience. Beginning musicians struggle with finding their first listeners, but even after building a considerable audience, they need to constantly work so their listeners don't forget about them. If you've tried all the ways to promote your music on Spotify and are still unhappy with the results, Spotify playlist promotion can be a life-changing solution for you. Let's discover what that is and how to choose the best Spotify playlist promotion for your Spotify account.

When promoting your music on Spotify, it's essential to have a carefully planned promotion strategy. You need to first decide what results you want to achieve. Do you want to help more people find out about your music? Do you want to boost your new track? All this is important when choosing the type of Spotify promotion. So, if you're struggling to get recognition in the industry, getting a Spotify playlist promotion is one of the best ways to help people notice you.

How does it work?

So, what is Spotify playlist promotion? We all know what Spotify playlists are. Such playlists usually contain songs that have something in common. For example, they are dedicated to a particular topic, are composed in the same genre, or simply have a similar mood. The main advantage of those playlists is that they gather together an audience that is fond of a particular type of music. We call this a target audience. When promoting your music on Spotify, you need to be able to find the people who are interested in your songs. It's not only about improving the visibility and making anyone notice your music. If you want to get a real result and find new fans, you need to have a chance to reach the right people. When placing your signs on Spotify playlists, you immediately get access to a specific group of people who are potentially looking for the kind of music you make. Working with your target audience is really important if you want to gain appreciation and build a solid audience.

How do you choose the best Spotify playlist promotion?

Since promotion works with Spotify's algorithms, this is not an easy task, and it's better to have someone experienced do it for you/ special promotion services allow you to buy different types of Spotify playlist promotions. When searching for such a service, you need to make sure about a few things:

• Whether the traffic it brings you is organic. When promoting Spotify playlists, you want to get a chance to reach real active Spotify users. Simply faking the statistics and getting plays from bots is not going to work
• Check the efficiency of promotion by reading the feedback from users. Make sure that the service you are using is legit and is popular among other users.

One of the best Spotify promotion services is PromoSound. This platform offers users various ways to promote themselves. With years of experience, the platform's professionals offer different Spotify playlist promotion packages that would fit the needs and the budget of any musician. When searching for a reliable platform, you need to check if there's any legitimate information proving its success, and Promotosund is such a platform. Its experience is based on placing over 20,000 tracks on premium Spotify playlists, offering its users over 5 billion organic Spotify plays and more. If you really want to rock the industry, you need to invest in promotion wisely, so when choosing one, make sure to pay attention to such numbers.

Spotify playlist promotion is the key to success now; let's suppose you've chosen a promotion service. Then how do you choose the best promotion package? When choosing one, think of the budget you're ready to invest. Here, there are various strategies. If you want to get a quick result and have everyone around talking about you, you need to play big. However, you can take another strategy and develop your Spotify account gradually. For example, if you're just at the beginning of your music career, it is a good idea to invest in malles but regular promotion. This will help you to get organic growth and gradually develop your audience.

What are you waiting for?

Let's sum up all the advantages of Spotify playlist promotion:

• it gives you access to a big audience since such curated playlists usually have a significant fixed number of listeners
• help you get noticed by your target listeners. When placing your song in the right playlist, you are maximizing your chance to reach your future devoted fan.
• reasonable price. Spotify playlist promotions are usually offered at a very reasonable price compared to the result they bring. Just one investment in spoofy promotion can change your music career forever!

So what are you waiting for? Stop wasting your time and get down to promoting your music! Let everyone find out your name and bring your career to a whole new level!

Methamphetamine, commonly known as meth, is a highly addictive stimulant drug that has ravaged individuals, families, and communities worldwide—a rampant global issue. The meth epidemic poses significant health, social, ad economic challenges.

This article will delve deeper into the origins, appeal, destructive effects, and societal costs of the meth epidemic while shedding light on strategies to combat it. Read more!

The Origin of Methamphetamine

Methamphetamine was first developed in the early 20th century from its parent drug, amphetamine, and was used during World War II to increase alertness and endurance in soldiers. In the 1950s, it was prescribed as a diet aid and an antidepressant. 

However, by the 1960s, the harmful effects of meth became apparent, leading to tougher regulations. Despite this, illegal manufacturing and distribution flourished in the 1970s, leading to today's crisis.

Understanding Meth's Allure

Methamphetamine has a powerful effect on the brain's reward system. This destructive substance operates by altering fundamental systems and functions in the brain.

      • Firstly, it boosts the production of dopamine, a neurotransmitter responsible
         for feeling pleasure.
     • This artificial and intense pleasure creates a strong sense of euphoria, making
        the drug highly addictive.

At this crucial point, it's essential to remember that, according to Diamond Rehab, there are ways to avoid methamphetamine addiction. These prevention methods are vital in thwarting the onset of addiction in the first place.

     • Despite the allure of this drug, users often start a dangerous cycle, consuming
        more meth in an attempt to recapture the initial high. This cycle furthers the
        depths of addiction and harm to the body and mind.

Meth’s Devastation to Health

The destruction meth causes can be both short-term and long-term, impacting various health aspects and leading to life-threatening conditions.

Short-Term Effects

The short-term effects of meth are immediately apparent after use, dropping hints of the multitude of health problems that are on the horizon:

Increased Activity: Meth stimulates the nervous system and floods the brain with dopamine. This results in an increase in energy and hyperactivity, often leading to sleep disorders.
Decreased Appetite: Meth abuse often triggers a lack of interest in food. The immediate suppression of appetite can lead to unhealthy weight loss.
Rapid Heart Rate: Meth causes an increase in heart rate and blood flow. This places enormous pressure on the heart and can lead to a variety of cardiovascular problems, including heart attacks.
Increased Blood Pressure: The surge in energy caused by meth comes with a spike in blood pressure. Prolonged high blood pressure can weaken the heart and potentially result in strokes.

Long-Term Effects

Long-term effects of meth abuse are far more severe, with outcomes often irreversible and devastating:

Severe Dental Problems: Chronic meth users often suffer from "meth mouth," a syndrome that results in rapid tooth decay, gum disease, and tooth loss. The acidic nature of meth combined with poor oral hygiene and dry mouth condition commonly seen in meth users drives severe dental problems.
Extreme Weight Loss: Continuous neglect of nutrition due to suppressed appetite leads to excessive, unhealthy weight loss. Users become frail, with noticeable wasting of the body's muscles and tissues.
Skin Sores: Meth often induces hallucinations of bugs crawling under the skin. This, in turn, leads to obsessive scratching, resulting in sores and lesions on the skin that can lead to infections and scarring.

The Social Cost of the Meth Epidemic

Inextricably linked to crime, violence, and socioeconomic decay, the meth epidemic carries a significant societal cost:

The strain on healthcare systems: Emergency departments are increasingly dealing with meth-related incidents, from overdoses to drug-induced psychosis.
Impact on children and families: Children living in homes where meth is used or produced face numerous risks, including neglect, abuse, and health risks.
Meth-related crime: From production to distribution, the illegal meth trade contributes to a cycle of criminal activity.

Addressing the Meth Epidemic

Resolving this epidemic requires a multi-faceted approach encompassing prevention, treatment, and law enforcement action. Key strategies include:

Prevention: Education initiatives are crucial to raise awareness about the dangers of meth use.
Treatment: Accessible, affordable, and effective treatment options are needed for those struggling with meth addiction.
Law enforcement: Coordinated international efforts can disrupt the production and trafficking of methamphetamine.
An important note: Reversing meth addiction is not easy but is possible.

Comprehensive treatment that addresses not only drug use but underlying issues such as trauma or mental health disorders can lead to successfully overcoming the addiction.

Final Thoughts

The meth epidemic is a pressing public health crisis that continues to cause extensive damage to individuals, families, and societies. After unraveling its chaotic influence on health and society, we realize it requires intense, sustained efforts to mitigate its destructive impacts.

Let's commit ourselves to fostering understanding, compassion, and action against this epidemic, paving the way to healthier societies free from the tyranny of drug addiction.

BOZEMAN, Montana (Jan. 9, 2024) — The City of Bozeman was recently accepted into the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), becoming the first city in Montana to have this designation. Bozeman joins over 100 cities and transit agencies in the mission to provide safe, sustainable, accessible, and equitable transportation choices to all.

“This designation further demonstrates our deep commitment to increasing safety in Bozeman across all modes of travel,” Transportation & Engineering Director Nicholas Ross shared. “Having this network of cities working collaboratively on transportation issues is incredibly valuable and will help us bring innovative and new ideas back to Bozeman.”

Many of the existing NACTO cities are larger. Ross commented, “This association is just as, if not more so, valuable for smaller and more rural areas like ours, as many cities like ours operate on a scarcity model and focus on the highest needs first. It can be challenging to also think about best practices while you’re trying to address issues, but it can go a long way in improving your transportation network.”

NACTO has several programs and initiatives that help cities design better streets and develop better transportation policies. The group shares findings on everything from bike shares to autonomous vehicles to stormwater design, helping cities improve their existing infrastructure and prepare for the future.

"We're so excited to have Bozeman joining the NACTO community," said Corinne Kisner, NACTO's Executive Director. "An engaged, vibrant network of transportation leaders that shares ideas and best practices is the foundation of everything NACTO does. We look forward to learning with and from the team at Bozeman as we work together to grow the movement to build safer, more sustainable, and more equitable cities."

More information on NACTO and its member cities can be found at www.nacto.org.