On Monday, March 14, 2022, at 12:54 p.m., the West Yellowstone Police Department received a 911 call from a group of snowmobilers reporting that a member of their group was possibly having a heart attack. GPS coordinates from the call indicated that the group was 11.27 miles south of West Yellowstone.

Volunteers from Gallatin County Search and Rescue in West Yellowstone, Gallatin Custer National Forest, National Park Service, Hebgen Basin Rural Fire Department and a helicopter from Air Idaho responded to assist with the rescue.

Rescuers located the patient who was experiencing stroke-like symptoms. Rescuers loaded the patient into a specialized rescue snowbulance and met the helicopter at a more suitable landing site. The helicopter transported the patient to the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center for further evaluation.

Sheriff Dan Springer would like to thank the snowmobilers in the group who rendered aid to the snowmobiler while waiting for rescuers to arrive.

Photos courtesy of Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office.

Let’s celebrate March Madness Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks style with Marias River March Migration Madness, aka #FWPFishMadness.

What is FWP Fish Madness? A fun way to learn about fish species in Montana, and this year we are focusing on eight species (or teams) in the Marias River. Just like March Madness, these teams will go head to head to compete for the title in the Caudal Fin-al.

Fluvial Four
How does it work? Starting with the first round, the Otolith 8, which begins on March 18, teams compete against one another to advance to the Fluvial 4 (March 25 and 28) and the Caudal Fin-al (April 4). Game winners will be decided by fan polls and votes on social media. Follow along on Facebook and Instagram and vote for your favorite teams.

How to play along? To play, fill out the bracket and enter submit or email it to FWPFishMadness@mt.gov by March 17. You can also take a snapshot of your bracket and post on social media using #FWPFishMadness, make sure your post is set to public so we can see it, or upload online. Games will be posted weekly and fans get to vote on Facebook and Instagram to determine the winner of the match-up.

What do you win? The best bracket (most accurate) wins! You will be showered with respect from your peers, fame, adoration of fans, and even some special gifts from FWP.

>> DOWNLOAD BRACKET <<

Follow along on social for expert reviews, game match-ups (don’t forget to vote for your teams) and all things #FWPFishMadness!

Questions? Contact Kelsey at KAllison.mt.gov

The Big Sky Country State Fair is now accepting entries for the various competitive
events taking place in the 2022 Fair. These events range from the much-loved Barnyard Brawl (think Calf Scramble, Mutton Bustin’, and more!), the hair-raising Bozeman Roundup Ranch Rodeo, and the traditional competitive exhibits with fun NEW classes!

Open Class Competitions in horticulture, photography, fine arts and quilts – to name a few – are a mainstay in Fair programming and connect directly to the cultural landscape of the region. The Big Sky Country State Fair is excited to see these skills passed down through the generations and is proud to be able to provide a platform where they can be showcased to the public and next generations.

The Big Sky Country State Fair is pleased to offer all new Divisions and Classes this year! Creative Arts Division has a new High School Related Projects Division and Digital Arts Division for both youth and adults, new classes include leather and metalwork classes. Culinary Division has a new Healthy Baked Goods Division, Homemade Beer and Wine Division, with all new themed classes this year! Horticulture Division added new classes including Kale, Berries, Cilantro, Petunia, Flavored Basil, Themed Classes, Edible Landscape, and Team Container Grown Plants. Photography Division added a NEW Wedding Photography Division along with a Videography Division! The Big Sky Country State Fair is also taking Digital Photography entries this year!

Information on all competitions, as well as entry forms, are available at 406StateFair.com. Big Sky Country State Fair is held Wednesday, July 20 through Sunday, July 24 in Bozeman, MT. The Fair opens to the public Wednesday, July 20. Tickets and admission packages are available starting Friday, May 27, 2022. Check out 406StateFair.com for continually updated information on entertainment, tickets, and competitions.

The Big Sky Country State Fair is managed by the Gallatin County Fairgrounds, under the direction of  Gallatin County. The first fair – called Inter-State Fair – was held in 1902 and morphed over the years to its function today. The Fair serves citizens of the Gallatin Valley and regional visitors from agricultural, urban, rural, and tourist backgrounds.

Do you mainly use marijuana for recreational purposes but want to know more about how it can be used medicinally? Do you want to know if medical marijuana is something that can be helpful to you?

Although there is so much stigma attached to the world of cannabis, it is slowly drifting away and becoming less and less. This is largely due to the legalization efforts that have been made in the last decade or so.

These days, many people use cannabis for recreational purposes but also for medicinal purposes as it has proven to be incredibly effective at managing a multitude of different conditions and disorders. If you want to know more about cannabis for medicinal purposes, continue reading.

What is medical marijuana?

Marijuana is a substance or a plant that has been around for a very long time. It has been used for recreational and medicinal purposes for just as long however many people are still of the understanding that recreational marijuana and medicinal marijuana are two very different things that serve two very different purposes. While they are used for different purposes, when it comes down to it, they are essentially just the same thing, and the use of the term medical marijuana and recreational marijuana comes in when it comes to the legality of the product and the purpose that you are using the product for.

Her multiple different strains of cannabis from sativa to indica, to a hybrid of these two, and by far one is better suited to that of medicinal use in that it offers more medicinal properties such as healing, pain relief, and more

When it comes to talking about cannabis and the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes something that we look into is CBD. cannabis is composed of various cannabinoids including the most popular of these being CBD and THC. While THC is responsible for the high that is commonly associated with the consumption of cannabis, CBD is referred to as the healing compound and is what offers the medicinal effect that you get from cannabis. Typically, when you use cannabis for medicinal purposes you will use a strain that is much higher in CBD or has a higher ratio of CBD to THC.

How to consume it?

There are several different ways that one can consume marijuana for medicinal purposes, and these include all of those that you would buy from retailers like Daily High Club and use for recreational purposes such as bongs, joints, dab rigs, vaporizers, tinctures, and more.

The most common way to consume cannabis for medicinal purposes is through tinctures, topical application products, edibles, and even capsules or tablets.

What benefits does it provide?

In recent years many people have come to understand why marijuana is so beneficial when it comes to using it for medicinal purposes or medical benefits and there are so many things that it is used to help treat or manage in terms of its medical consumption.

By far the most common use of medical marijuana is for pain relief or reduction of inflammation common or more likely a combination of the two of these. The consumption of cannabis for medicinal purposes works similarly to that of pain medication that you could get over the counter however it comes with none of the negative side effects that you would experience from those.

Another common use of marijuana for medical purposes is that it can help those who suffer from mental disorders such as anxiety and depression as well as those who suffer from PTSD and insomnia.

Although it is used less frequently for these it is also proven to be helpful when it comes to treating things such as epilepsy, Alzheimer's, arthritis, and even managing the symptoms of cancer or cancer treatment.

Is it legal?

Marijuana is still something that is not legal worldwide just yet however when it comes to the medicinal use of cannabis or marijuana products it is often more readily available than recreational cannabis.

There are many places in the world where the use of cannabis for recreational purposes is legal and therefore for medicinal purposes as well. However, there are more places where the use of medicinal cannabis is legal without the use of recreational cannabis, and in these places, you need to have some kind of prescription or medical card that shows that you need to have cannabis and this will come from a registered doctor.

Are there any side effects?

It is important to note that there are side effects that do come along with the consumption of marijuana even for medicinal purposes; however these side effects generally only take place if you consume far too much for your body to handle.

Side effects can include nausea, drowsiness, and ultimately the high there comes along with consuming marijuana.

Most people believe that they have a perfect understanding of bullying. The typical picture most of us have is that of a much bigger or louder person coming around and making a ‘smaller’ person their toy. The victim here will have something the tormentor can exploit, such as low self-esteem, gender disparity, or even fewer resources than others. Bullying comes in various other forms, but most of the less obvious ones are overlooked, especially by those not directly affected. Adults at workplaces as well as kids in college are subjects of bullying even though one would be forgiven for thinking this habit dies in high school.

Bullying is often considered a problem that affects kids and high school teens, and once they outgrow the high school years, they will be safe at a university. However, this is an unfortunate misconception as there is a severe cause and effect of bullying in colleges and other institutions of higher learning. Numerous essay examples show just how tormenting the consequences are for victims. It has been discovered that some hurt others as a form of their own insufficiencies, but they cannot be allowed to get away with it all the time as the pain they cause could torment their victims for a long time.

If college bullies are not stopped, disciplined, or taught to take responsibility for their actions, they will likely continue these tendencies in their post-college lives, including marriages. It is possible that the habit comes from inner feelings of insufficiency that they project on others, and if not stopped, they keep at it for much longer.

What is Bullying?

It is more than name-calling, as many people probably believe. It is a repetition of unacceptable, aggressive behavior that involves one person or a group of people using their power to deliberately abuse, intimidate or hurt another individual physically or emotionally. Bullying in college can be verbal or physical, and both the bullies and their victims may have lasting problems. To be considered bullying, the incidents must have these three characteristics:

Types of Bullying

Research studies show that there might be more acts of bullying than meets the eye. Most people believe that it only consists of physical and verbal abuse. There are, however, six types of bullying which include:

What Does Bullying Cause?

Being a victim can be severely heartbreaking and miserable. However, many people who haven’t experienced this suffering rarely understand just how much damage it can cause the victims, including university students. They fail to acknowledge or realize the impacts and lasting consequences of this habit that leads to:

How to Stop Bullying

School staff, parents, victims, and bystanders have a role to stop this habit. You can: 

What to do if you Witness Bullying

If you are a bystander when another is being abused, there are practical actions you can take to stop the incident, such as:

Conclusion 

The subject of college bullying is one that many people might ignore because they believe it only happens to teenagers in high schools. However, it is just as rampant and severe as all others. Students who abuse others have underlying problems themselves and are usually unhappy with their private lives.

These students should always face the consequences for their behaviors. However, they also need support to help them change their actions. Therefore, in addition to implementing valuable measures such as anti-bullying lessons and essays, talking openly about it, and punishing the offenders, you can learn more effective ways of preventing or stopping acts of bullying, such as hiring a professional for both parties.  

Gallatin County voters will be asked to decide on two local-option marijuana taxes as part of this year’s primary election ballot.

On Tuesday, March 8, the Gallatin County Commission unanimously voted to add the following two questions to the June 7 ballot for Gallatin County voters’ consideration:

• A 3% local-option sales tax on all non-medical (recreational) marijuana products sold in Gallatin County.
• A 3% local-option sales tax on all medical marijuana products sold in Gallatin County.

In November 2020, Montana voters passed Initiative Measure 190, which allowed for the operation of various categories of marijuana businesses and taxation of marijuana retail sales in Montana counties in which a majority of voters approved the initiative. The initiative passed in Gallatin County with 65.6% of the vote.

State law does not allow county governments to impose similar taxes on any other product. The state already imposes a 20% tax on recreational marijuana and a 4% percent tax on medical marijuana.

“This is a really unique, brand-new feature in state law and that’s the reason we have this opportunity to even put this question in front of the voters,” said Gallatin County Commissioner Zach Brown. “We’re not making this decision on behalf of the voters. The voters get to weigh in.”

If voters in an eligible county pass a local-option marijuana tax, 50% of the tax must be retained by the county, 45% apportioned to the cities and towns in the county based on population, and the remaining 5% given to the Montana Department of Revenue to defray state costs associated with the tax.

State law allows counties or cities and towns that receive local-option sales tax revenue for any activity, undertaking or administrative service authorized by law, including costs resulting from the imposition of the tax.

If passed, the local-option taxes would go into effect on Oct. 1, 2022. Gallatin County Commissioners say that, if passed, they will use the county’s portion of the local taxes to fund mental health services.

Other Montana counties that have already asked voters to decide on similar local-option marijuana taxes include Yellowstone, Missoula, and Park counties. Lewis and Clark County has opted to also put questions on their June ballot. And Butte-Silver Bow is also considering the ballot questions as well.

Over the past 100 years, human activity has led to increasingly severe environmental challenges related to water quality, quantity, and distribution. Water pollution is one of the most pressing global challenges facing us today. It's a widespread global problem that has been threatening human health, ecosystems, food chain and has put too many marine species on the brink of extinction. Freshwater is a fundamental necessity for humans and numerous types of life, however, just about 3 percent of the Earth's water is potable.

With limited access to fresh water and extensive contamination of freshwater, people in developing countries are tackling major challenges that threaten their health and well-being. The wastes from industrial and agricultural lands and sewage are one of the prime causes of water pollution. In the coming years, the freshwater crisis is likely to reach its peak causing havoc worldwide.

This article further elaborates on five facts about water pollution that everyone should be aware of. Because awareness is the first step to moving towards a solution. There are a lot of essay examples that you can check out to know about water pollution along with air pollution, land pollution, plastic pollution, thermal pollution, and so on.

Does Water Pollution Kill? 

The effects of water pollution are far-reaching to the extent of being lethal, damaging marine life and their habitats as well as putting human populations at risk. Every year, around 250 million who lack access to adequate sanitation facilities disproportionately suffer the consequences, including disease and death. Poor people are more prone to getting water-related diseases as they drink untreated water, which directly affects their health. In total, 2.5 billion people have no access to improved sanitation facilities.

“Dead Zones”

One of the major triggers of water pollution is eutrophication, which occurs after excessive levels of phosphorus and nitrogen enter the water from sources like agricultural runoff or sewage. The nutrient-rich water causes an overgrowth of algae, which then sinks to the ocean floor and decomposes, using up all of the oxygen in the water, sometimes creating low- or no-oxygen conditions (hypoxia and anoxia, respectively), making it hard for marine animals to survive, and ultimately causing large swaths of water to become uninhabitable. These are called dead zones.

Dead zones can also form when organisms in the water use up almost all the dissolved oxygen even before aquatic animals can consume it. Generally, this occurs either due to warmer water sitting on top of cold water or due to freshwater sitting on top of saltwater, e.g., the tidal mouth of a river. Due to less solidity, the top layer of water, in either case, floats, giving the layers little scope for blending. Thus, very little atmospheric oxygen can reach the lower water layers.

Whales and dolphins are extremely deep divers, diving to over 1,200 feet (405 meters) to find food. Unfortunately, there is little carbon dioxide in the air at that depth, and the animals are forced to use oxygen reserves in their muscles and take in gases that lead to nitrogen narcosis. These conditions may be dangerous for human divers as well.

Lakes and reservoirs are more prone to these dead zones than seabeds because they don’t have strong currents to redistribute the nutrients. There are about 415 dead zones worldwide identified by scientists, with the majority situating along the eastern coast of the US, Japan and the Korean Peninsula, and the coastlines of the Baltic States.

North America’s Lake Erie

Lake Erie in North America is among the many dead zones in the US. Fertilizers and other agricultural wastes strewn all over large farmlands get washed by rainfall and flow directly into the lake, acting as a fuel to massive algae bloom each year. These wastes make the water automatically toxic, making it harmful for more than 11 million people, whose drinking water comes from the lake. But more than that, the eutrophication caused by these wastes endanger the population of aquatic species in Lake Erie.

How many animals have already consumed plastic?

Research says that more than 200 species of animal, including whales, seals, fish, sharks, turtles, and birds, have already consumed plastic. Plastic is reported to kill around one million sea birds every year. Around 100,000 marine animals lose their lives due to plastic entanglement annually.

How many percent of garbage clogged the water?

Roughly 70% of garbage (mostly plastic), weighing around fourteen billion pounds that clog the ocean every year, sinks to the ocean floor and endangers marine life. These contaminated wastes include tons of solvents, heavy metals, toxic sludge, and other wastes.

Conclusion

With the rapidly deteriorating condition of the environment, it is crucial for young people, especially school, college, or university students, to learn thoroughly about the facts and causes of environmental pollution and spread awareness among others. Proper distribution of education is highly needed to achieve a fully aware society where everyone understands and values the importance of ecosystems and a healthy environment.

Steve Hagen of East Helena reeled in a record Utah chub on March 7 from Canyon Ferry Reservoir. The fish weighed in at 2.39 pounds and measured 15.9 inches in length and 10.4 inches in girth. The previous record Utah chub, caught at Canyon Ferry in 1992, weighed 1.81 pounds.

Hagen’s catch adds to the list of Montana record fish caught in the last year and a half including a walleye, a chinook salmon, a smallmouth bass, a yellow bullhead, a brown trout, a longnose sucker, and a largemouth.

With a total of 91 native and introduced fish species found in Montana, interest in fish records has increased in recent years. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks maintains the list of record fish, and it is available on FWP’s website at https://fwp.mt.gov/fish/anglingData/records.

Anglers who think they caught a state record fish should keep the following things in mind:

• To prevent loss of weight, do not clean or freeze the fish. Keep the fish cool — preferably on ice.

• Take a picture of the fish.

• The fish must be weighed on a certified scale (found in grocery stores or hardware stores, etc.) and witnessed by a store employee or other observer. Obtain a weight receipt and an affidavit from the store personnel if no FWP official is present.

• Measure the length and girth.

• Contact the nearest FWP office to have the fish positively identified by a fisheries biologist.

GARDINER – An angler caught a smallmouth bass on Feb. 19 while fishing on the Gardner River at its confluence with the Yellowstone River, just outside of Yellowstone National Park.

Smallmouth bass are not native to this area, and an established population could pose threats to native fish in the upper Yellowstone River and others.

How the bass arrived at this location is unknown. It is illegal for people to move live fish from one waterbody to another without prior authorization from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.

Anglers have previously reported finding smallmouth bass in two locations on the upper Yellowstone River in the past seven years: Two smallmouth bass were caught at the Highway 89 bridge downstream of Livingston, and one near Emigrant. One smallmouth bass has also been found in the Shields River, a tributary to the Yellowstone east of Livingston.

FWP fisheries staff have not found smallmouth bass during yearly sampling efforts in the upper Yellowstone River.

One of FWP’s primary management goals in this area is to protect native Yellowstone cutthroat trout, which spawn in the tributaries and upper reaches of the Yellowstone River. An established population of invasive smallmouth bass could occupy the same areas, preying on and displacing trout and other native fish.

Anglers are the primary means of managing smallmouth bass where needed. FWP staff are preparing a proposed emergency rule for the Fish and Wildlife Commission to consider, which could require anglers to kill and report any smallmouth bass caught in the upper Yellowstone River.

Until any proposed rules can be implemented, anglers are asked to voluntarily kill, remove and document any smallmouth bass caught in the Yellowstone River and its tributaries between the Springdale Fishing Access Site east of Livingston upstream to the Yellowstone National Park boundary and provide them to FWP for testing.