With the help of key collaborators, the Western Sustainability Exchange is helping farmers adopt rotational grazing management plans that improve carbon sequestration by providing them with a way to sell carbon credits through NativeEnergy.

CO2, or carbon, is a dirty word these days–and for good reason. Due to a number of causes including the burning of fossil fuels and widespread deforestation, there is far too much CO2 being returned to the atmosphere, resulting in climate change. The US Energy Information Administration estimates that in 2017 the United States emitted 5.1 billion metric tons of energy-related carbon dioxide, while the global emissions of energy-related carbon dioxide totaled 32.5 billion metric tons.

Despite the grim outlook, there are ways of reversing the abundance of CO2, including sequestration, which is the process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide. An entire marketplace has developed around CO2 mitigation that enables CO2 emitting industries to purchase carbon credits from businesses engaged in offsetting activities, such as the production of renewable energy through wind farms or biomass energy, as well as energy efficiency projects, the destruction of industrial pollutants or agricultural byproducts, reducing landfill methane, and forestry projects.

The price that the company pays for these credits is used to support projects and businesses that help sequester carbon. In general, a carbon credit gives the purchaser the right to emit one ton of CO2.

There is a voluntary carbon offset market, but some larger companies are required by law to purchase carbon credits to offset their carbon-producing activities in the so-called compliance market.

For the Western Sustainability Exchange, there’s no reason that the carefully managed, rotational grazing of livestock can’t also qualify for the carbon credit market.

“We have been working with ranchers to implement rotational grazing for about 25 years since we started. That was one of our founding principles: to manage land better through grazing animals,” Chris Mehus, ranching program director at WSE, told AFN. “Carbon credit broker Native Energy approached us about four years ago to discuss the concept of getting ranchers into a program that allows them to trade carbon credits and to get paid for using rotational grazing because of the carbon that it sequesters.”

In partnership with international carbon credit broker NativeEnergy, Syracuse University soil science organization Soils for the Future, and the US’ largest national park concessionaire Xanterra Parks and Resorts, WSE is helping farmers figure out whether implementing rotational grazing practices make sense for their ranches through the Montana Grasslands Carbon Initiative.

What’s Rotational Grazing?

Essentially, rotational grazing mimics the way that large herds of bison would migrate through North America’s grasslands centuries ago.

Rotational grazing involves controlling livestock’s access to pastures, allowing animals to graze in designated paddocks for limited periods of time. The livestock are rotated to fresh pasture before they graze the grass down to the ground. This provides the grazed pastures with ample time to rest so that the leaf matter can regrow. The more leaf matter a plant has, the more sunlight it can process through photosynthesis and the longer its roots will be. These root systems are key to maintaining healthy soils.

Using ruminant animals like cattle, sheep, and goats to manage grasslands also helps restore ecosystem balance as one type of forage is prevented from taking over and shading out other vital plant types. As they deposit manure more evenly through each pasture, it helps feed microorganisms in the soil that further enrich its health. Ensuring the presence of ample forage and allowing adequate rest also creates more habitat for wildlife.

If livestock are allowed unrestricted access to pasture, they graze it down to the ground exposing the soil and killing off their favorite forages entirely, allowing other forages to take over. Overgrazing is a major cause of plant destruction, soil compaction and erosion, and water pollution resulting from runoff.

“Higher stocking densities on pastures, shorter grazing periods, longer rest periods – all of those things equate to healthier plants, a greater plant diversity, and more plants on the soil surface, which equates to more roots in the soil, which means more carbon sequestered,” Mehus explains.

Certifying and Paying for Soil Sequestration

WSE has brought together various players to help pay farmers for making the transition to rotational grazing.

Using Soils for the Future’s computer modeling system that predicts the amount of carbon that can be sequestered through rotational grazing, NativeEnergy is certifying the predictions through the world’s leading program for the certification of GHG reduction, the Verified Carbon Standard. Xanterra has signed on as the first carbon credit purchaser for the program.

“There aren’t many business models that are higher risk than farming and ranching, so by nature, these ranchers are risk-averse. They’ve learned that you have to be very careful with your decisionmaking and your capital because you don’t have a lot of it to spend on improvements. Avoiding big risks is something that I think has been built into their thinking.” Mehus explains. “By offering them financial investment through this program, it gives them an opportunity to take this risk without having to use their own capital or borrow money.”

WSE works closely with each rancher through the enrollment process to create a rotational grazing plan that fits each rancher’s land and management goals. Any infrastructure needs including fencing, range riding, and water systems are included in the plan, as well as education about regenerative grazing.

Farmers can take one of two 30-year contracts: the first track offers immediate financing to help cover the infrastructure costs of following a rotational grazing plan, and the second provides a regular payment structure for ranchers who don’t need the upfront financial investment.

Although a three-decade commitment may cause some ranchers to balk, the timeframe is necessary for the carbon credit purchaser to know that its investment will yield enough carbon credits over the course of the project. Ranchers also have to keep records regarding their rotational grazing practices, including when animals are moved to a new pasture, how often they are moved, and how many days of rest a pasture had before it was regrazed.

In order to ease the management and recordkeeping burden, WSE has enlisted the help of two agtech startups, PastureMap and Maia Grazing that both provide a comprehensive software platform for rotational graziers.

“These are records that ranchers should be keeping anyway, but many of them have lifetimes and generations of experience that helps them intuitively understand the land, grass, and soil health. Putting more of that down on paper or in these digital tools can help others see the benefits of a more deliberate grazing plan, however,” Mehus explains.

In order to vet the project’s sequestration powers, the partners are conducting baseline monitoring on 165 sites throughout Montana to measure the current carbon baseline level in the soil. The samples will be sent to Soils for the Future’s lab to validate the model’s predictions.

So far, 34,000 acres have been enrolled in the program spanning four ranching operations.

A Major Tipping Point for the Livestock Industry?

For many conventional ranchers, switching to a rotational grazing system may seem overwhelming, especially when the ranch spans several thousand acres. Once a rotational grazing system is in place and the animals are trained to move to fresh pasture, however, the system is usually more efficient and less time-consuming compared to feeding grain year-round or feeding hay during winter.

“I think their hesitation is based on a misunderstanding of the potential of rotational grazing. Many of them feel that their energies are better spent elsewhere on their ranches such as irrigation improvement or farming hay fields,” Mehus says. “I won’t say rotational grazing is easy, but it’s less difficult than what they are imagining. And once they split up a few pastures with fence, add some water improvements, and move their livestock for a week or two, they start to see how easy it is and the benefits it provides. The cows learn that moving to new pasture means fresh forage and they practically move themselves once the gate is opened.”

To entice ranchers, WSE is also implementing an outreach campaign about the new opportunity including a rancher-oriented blog series called Ruminate on This. It’s also hosting ranch public ranch tours profiling the landowners who are already using rotational grazing and yielding serious benefits on their ranches – and pocketbooks – as a result.

NativeEnergy and WSE are recruiting additional carbon credit buyers including foundations, nonprofits, and businesses to buy the carbon credits through this program. The more carbon buyers WSE can recruit, the greater the number of ranchers that can participate in the program to sequester more carbon, and the healthier Montana’s grasslands will become.

WSE hopes to enroll 100,000 acres by this time next year. Although farmers can certainly adopt rotational grazing practices voluntarily, the added bonus of financial capital to help them transition their farming operations could help tip the scales when it comes to making regenerative agriculture mainstream in livestock production.

Regenerative Ag Initiatives are on the Rise

WSE is not the first to see agriculture’s viability as a carbon credit source. In June, Boston-based Indigo Agriculture unveiled its latest project, the Terraton Initiative, with the aim of sequestering one trillion tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by incentivizing farmers to adopt regenerative agriculture practices.

According to Indigo, farmers can increase the level of carbon in their soils by an average of 0.5% globally, which could reverse the one trillion ton increase in atmospheric carbon since the Industrial Revolution.

Some of the practices that Indigo is encouraging farmers to adopt include no-till, crop rotation, reducing reliance on chemical and synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, and incorporating livestock. According to Indigo, the conversion of pastureland to cropland production has reduced soil organic carbon by a factor of 2-4 times in arid and humid climates.

Through a new marketplace called Indigo Carbon, the startup will facilitate an incentive payment per ton of captured carbon by food companies wanting to sell carbon-negative products. The credentials of the crops grown will be traceable through Indigo’s Transport service.

Indigo will guarantee farmers who join Indigo Carbon in the first year a price of $15 per ton of carbon, but ultimately this price will be set by supply and demand.

Another startup worth noting in the carbon sequestration space is COMET-Farm, a voluntary carbon reporting tool for farmers quantifying how much carbon they sequester from the atmosphere by implementing conservation practices on their land. The startup’s founder, Dr. Keith Paustian, received a $250,000 grant to accelerate the project as part of FoodShot Global’s recent Innovating Soil 3.0 contest

The 2018 Farm Bill also included funding for a new USDA pilot project that will incentivize farmers in a dedicated region, through payments, to adopt agricultural practices aimed at improving soil health and sequestering organic soil carbon.

And in Europe, Danone recently launched a regenerative dairy initiative in collaboration with animal health and wellness groups — MSD Animal Health, Neogen and FutureCow; animal nutrition and health company DSM; crop nutrition leader Yara; crop science company Corteva Agriscience; and farm data analytics and artificial intelligence startup Connecterra (one of AgFunder’s portfolio companies!). Netherlands-based Wageningen University and Research, renowned for its food and food production research, will be a research and advisory partner.

The time for regenerative agriculture, it appears, is now!

A Montana State University doctoral student has received a $100,000 fellowship from a honey bee-focused nonprofit to advance his work studying antiviral defense mechanisms in bees.

Alex McMenamin is a Ph.D. candidate in the Molecular Biosciences Program, partnered with MSU’s Microbiology and Immunology Department in the colleges of Agriculture and Letters and Science. McMenamin has been working with adviser Michelle Flenniken, an assistant professor in the Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology Department and co-director of MSU’s Pollinator Health Center, since 2015.

McMenamin was one of five finalists and two award winners for the Project Apis m. Costco Scholar Fellowship, given every three years to researchers who show promise as “tomorrow’s bee scientists.” The nonprofit gets its name from Apis mellifera, the scientific name for honey bees. It was founded by beekeepers in 2006 and supports honey bee research, forage for pollinator populations and best management practices for beekeepers nationwide. The fellowship will provide funding for the next two years of McMenamin's research, which focuses on key proteins involved in honey bee antiviral defense, including a class of proteins called “heat shock proteins.”

“Heat shock proteins are special proteins that help maintain the proper structure of other proteins,” McMenamin said. “These proteins are also involved in a variety of ways in responding to other stresses, including virus infection.” 

Flenniken said that while researchers are interested in the impact of viruses on overall honey bee colony health, McMenamin’s laboratory experiments help reduce the number of variables to consider and focuses on individual bees’ antiviral responses.

“Alex’s work focuses on investigating the impact of viruses at the individual bee and the cellular levels, so we can determine the mechanisms that bees use to defend themselves against viruses,” she said.

For McMenamin, who received a bachelor’s degree in immunology and infectious disease and a master’s in entomology from Pennsylvania State University, coming to MSU allowed the opportunity to collaborate with one of the best researchers in the field of honey bee virology. In 2011, Flenniken was part of a team that discovered a previously unknown bee virus, Lake Sinai Virus 2 (LSV2). McMenamin also utilizes that virus in his studies.

“That virus is very important because even though LSV2 is extremely prevalent and globally distributed we’re not sure how it affects honey bee health,” he said. “But, in some studies, LSV2 has been associated with poor colony health.”

McMenamin initially intended to pursue medical school when he began his studies at Penn State, but early in his undergraduate studies he took an entomology course and fell in love with studying honey bees. He became an undergraduate research assistant and focused his research on the health and behavior of Kenyan honey bees.

When he came to MSU, McMenamin also worked in the Wiedenheft Lab and Young Lab as part of the Molecular Biosciences Program’s rotations for first-year students. Research in the Wiedenheft Lab focuses on bacterial immune systems and the cellular mechanisms that drive them. In the Young Lab, which focuses on viruses and human microbial processes, McMenamin conducted research on viruses native to some of Yellowstone National Park’s hot springs.

Those rotations are a unique element of the MBS program, which allows for an interdisciplinary approach to doctoral studies by partnering with departments and research centers around the university. McMenamin credits the ready access to such diverse resources as one of the defining elements of his time at MSU.

“In addition to being in the lab of an expert, MSU is a small school with a lot of resources I wouldn’t have had access to otherwise,” he said. “It’s easy to make friends and colleagues across campus, and I’ve appreciated that a lot.”

Living in this beautiful town, we may not always realize how truly fortunate we are to have as much access to the rivers as we do in and around the Gallatin Valley and in such short distances. Around this time, as July comes to a close and August arrives, we ask ourselves the same question: Where did summer go? As much as I could dwell over the short summer remaining, I’d like to approach August with an open mind. Even with the harsh high temperatures, fire-inducing wind, and ever increasing back-to-school advertisements in the newspaper, the fleeting days can still be enjoyed outside.

If you can relate to any of these feelings, I share this list with you in the hope you will share with others, and they will inevitably share their go-to August adventures with you. We Montanans didn’t endure eight months of snow to succumb to an abbreviated version of our beloved summer. June is fleeting and often wet and gloomy, July is booming, and August is all the sweeter, knowing what is sure to follow. So, in a short salute to August in Montana, be sure to partake in every last best thing what’s left of the summer has to offer.

Seeking relief from the heat, most of us run to the nearest body of water. Rivers abound within a short drive from Main Street. For professional or amateur fishing, floating, rafting, kayaking, or just simply jumping in for a swim to relieve the heat of the day, I recommend the following:

Gallatin River ~ 16.1 miles from Bozeman
With a wide-ranging variety of water to experience, the scenery and serenity on the Gallatin is hard to beat. Thanks to the increasing number of pullouts on the side of the highway, fishing along the uppermost section requires as little as pulling off the road and walking down to the river. Whitewater rafting is popular in the wild currents near Big Sky. Below the Gallatin Canyon, there are many access points to wade and cast lines. Best fishing recommended is around mid-to late summer, but fish can be caught on any given day of the year on the Gallatin.

Madison River ~ 26.8 miles from Bozeman
A stretch of this river is known as “The Bikini Hatch” because of floating popularity from Warm Springs to Black’s Ford. This is a crowded section, so fishermen need to go early in the morning or further downstream from the Bikini Hatch into the lower Madison towards Three Forks. A boat can be helpful to cover the vast distance from one hole to the next.

Jefferson River ~ 51 miles from Bozeman
The Jefferson runs along state highways starting from Twin Bridges and to Whitehall, Willow Creek, then Three Forks. It flows through mainly private land, but there are eleven official access sites, seven with boat ramps. The gentle flows also make for a peaceful float, and the Williams Bridge is the ultimate ending of the float to do some bridge jumping. Even though it’s the shortest (83 miles) of the three tributaries that make up the Missouri, the Jefferson is big and wide with a slow and steady flow. It’s an ideal destination to cool off in these summer months.

Yellowstone River ~25.9 miles from Bozeman
The expansive landscape and big open water make the stretch of the Yellowstone from Livingston to Big Timber a favorite with guides and locals. The size and braided channels makes drift boating an unforgettable experience. It is very much known to be a fisherman’s paradise from early August until the cooler days of September, considered to be the most amped up time to fish the lower Yellowstone. Casting oversized grasshopper flies to rainbow and brown trout is about as good as it gets.

Firehole ~105.5 miles from Bozeman
You’ll find a local favorite swimming hole toward the end of Firehole Canyon Drive past West Yellowstone and through the park entrance. Beaches line the side of this stretch to lay out on. The water is warm and brilliantly blue, flowing through a deep canyon for a unique experience in swimming.

Boiling River ~ 75 miles from Bozeman
Located just 2.9 miles south of the north entrance to Yellowstone, you’ll find this must-stop spot where Mammoth Hot Spring enters the Gardiner River, making the hot and cool waters collide and create just the right temperature to soak in. This natural spring makes a great place to stop and relax in the daytime along the way (to or from) adventuring in the park. The only period of time the hotspot is closed is during the spring when the river rises and becomes dangerous, sometimes not even opening 'til mid-summer some years.  

People come from all over the world to fish Montana’s rivers. It can be intimidating at first for a beginner, but there’s no other feeling quite like hooking a fish on the end of a line and reeling in the first one. Fly-fishing is a purely recreational activity. The best rivers in Montana to fish are right in our surrounding area. Many of us find therapy and meaning through fishing. It is something we choose to get out and do. We are lucky we get to fly fish and have access to streams and other waterways. Whatever it is you decide to do, whether it’s fishing, boating, or floating, take advantage of every day on the water and live it up. Be kind to your fellow boaters, anglers and non-anglers alike, and kind to the environment.  

August brings the heat, but it is also the perfect time to wade in rivers and streams as the water recedes just enough after the long winter (and wet spring) we’ve had. Missouri Headwaters State Park encompasses the confluence of the Jefferson, Madison and Gallatin Rivers. The geography, history and natural beauty of the confluence is an ideal August destination. Weather can often be unpredictable and change fast, so pack some snacks, water, rain jacket and water shoes, and venture out. No doubt it will feel great to say you’ve seen these places and done these fun things before summer comes to a bittersweet end.

“They say you forget your troubles on a stream, but that’s not quite it. What happens is that you begin to see where your troubles fit into the grand scheme of things, and suddenly they’re not such a big deal anymore.” –John Gierach

Summer brings sunshine, warmer weather, and the opportunities to get out and explore. Many choose to leave the state and visit islands, other continents, or big cities. Summer vacations give us the chance to escape our normal, everyday lives to go see something new. Nevertheless, with so many adventures and activities right here in Bozeman, it’s hard to justify going anywhere else. But, sometimes it can be nice to get away from the everyday scenery and try something new. There are so many incredible places for families, friends, and even oneself to go and see. It may be hard to get up and leave, or take off work, so I decided to compile a list with places to visit this summer which may not break the bank or cause too harsh of a conversation with the boss. Since these places are still in Montana, these trips can even be done in a day! But, they still offer fun, relaxation, and the chance to do something a bit different. So, take a look and see if anything sparks an interest.

Located in Butte, which is about an hour and a half drive from Bozeman, the Berkeley Pit is a former copper mine turned into a huge hole filled with acidic water. Though you can’t take a dive into the pit, it does offer some incredible views and a fun afternoon in the Mining Museum attached to the pit. It gives the history of the mining that took place in the copper mines and explains why the water is so contaminated now. It is quite the story. If you’re looking for a cool story and a unique picture, the Berkeley Pit is the place to go for a quick afternoon adventure!

A perfect quick getaway for a day over the weekend! August 9-11, 2019, the An Rí Rá Montana Irish Festival will take place in Butte. The festival offers food, FREE admission, and the chance to appreciate Irish heritage from across the country. So, grab your lawn chair and get out to enjoy some sun and Irish dances!

If you find yourself stressed with work or summer classes, I highly suggest visiting one of the remote hot springs near Bozeman for a quick soak and a great moment of relaxation. There are two well-known and respected hot springs that are a quick drive from Bozeman: Norris Hot Springs and Chico Hot Springs.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is preparing to build a new bridge at the Cobblestone Fishing Access Site on the Madison River, about 10 miles south of Three Forks. The new construction will replace the current foot bridge over Darlington Ditch.

Construction is scheduled to begin Aug. 5 and expected to last about two weeks. Users of the site will need to wade the ditch to access the Madison River and beware of heavy equipment in the area from Aug. 5-6. The site may also be closed for a short time while the cattle guard at the entrance to the site is cleaned out. 

This project is funded through cooperative efforts between the Madison-Gallatin Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Northwestern Energy and FWP.

BIG SKY, Mont. (July 19, 2019) – Today the Big Sky Community Organization (BSCO) announced several major achievements in its “ALL IN. BIG SKY” campaign to create a multi-use community center and parkland—culminating in a groundbreaking for the project on Saturday, July 27, 2019, at 11 a.m. Groundbreaking festivities will take place at the future site in the Big Sky Town Center on the corner of Aspen Drive and Simkins Drive.

To date, BSCO has raised $19 million in less than nine months, including a recent, generous donation of $4 million from Jill and Nick Woodman—full-time Big Sky residents and the founders of GoPro who are raising their family here.

“We feel so lucky to call Big Sky home and contribute to the community-wide effort to make this center possible. Our mountain is awesome, but it’s the people of Big Sky that make this such a magical place. Having a gathering place will only make our community stronger and we’re beyond grateful to be a part of this amazing effort the Big Sky Community Organization has organized. We can’t wait for the doors to open!” says Nick Woodman.

BSCO has been encouraging everyone in Big Sky to get involved in the community space’s creation—whether through fundraising, showing up to support the cause, or simply spreading awareness. “Every gift counts,” states Ciara Wolfe, BSCO, Chief Executive Officer. “This campaign represents how Big Sky has evolved from a sometimes desolate and seasonal resort destination to a thriving community of thousands of committed, year-round residents and compassionate part-time residents, all of whom truly love this place and its people.” In addition to the Woodman’s gift, BSCO received four other charitable gifts of at least $1 million each and a $1.5 million grant of public funds from the Big Sky Resort Area Tax District, along with hundreds of other gifts of all sizes to get to this point.  

In recognition of the Woodman’s gift, the building will be named BASE. The name represents opportunities for every individual in Big Sky to lead a healthy, happy, engaged lifestyle, building the base of the community, and also describes the experiences that people will have at the BASE: Big Adventures, Safe Environment.

For more information about the community groundbreaking ceremony, to make a donation, or to learn more about the new BASE center, visit https://www.bscomt.org/all-in-big-sky.

About The Big Sky Community Organization
For more than 20 years, the Big Sky Community Organization has been striving to serve Big Sky by creating exceptional facilities, trails, public spaces and experiences through community collaborations and recreational opportunities. Its mission—to engage and lead people to recreational and enrichment opportunities through thoughtful development of partnerships, programs and places—has come to fruition through multiple successful initiatives including: Ousel Falls Open Space Park & Trailhead, Big Sky Community Park, RT & Ralph’s Beehive Preserve, expansive community trail system, Camp Big Sky and more. All of these projects started as ideas, realized through community leadership, collaboration and philanthropy. To learn more about the Big Sky Community Organization, visit www.bscomt.org

Erik Grumstrup’s research focuses on the smallest of particles yet has the potential to make a big impact on the technologies we use every day, from computers to solar cells.


That potential was awarded last week when Grumstrup, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry in the College of Letters and Science at Montana State University, earned a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor the U.S. government gives to independent researchers near the beginning of their careers.

“It was really a surprise, honestly,” Grumstrup said.

According to a release from the White House, PECASE winners “show exceptional promise for leadership in science and technology.” The award draws from recipients of early career awards through 10 government agencies, in this case the U.S. Department of Energy.

Nicol Rae, dean of the College of Letters and Science said the award is “wonderful recognition” for the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Materials Science Graduate Program at MSU.
“Eric is one of MSU’s outstanding junior scientists, and I am very proud of his achievement in securing the highly prestigious PECASE award,” Rae said.

The PECASE honors those who are doing more than conducting innovative research. Awardees must also have a commitment to outreach, education and leadership within their community.

“This PECASE award is a well-deserved recognition of an extraordinary young faculty member,” said chemistry and biochemistry department head Joan Broderick. “Erik's research is characterized by creativity, combined with an unusual breadth of understanding across the fields of chemistry, physics and materials science. He is also an outstanding and inspiring mentor to the research students working in his lab.”

Grumstrup considers his path to be one paved by a host of mentors, including a high school chemistry teacher who sparked his interest in the science and an undergraduate professor who pushed him to consider graduate school and research to continue his education.

“It’s exciting to be that person for young people as well,” he said.

Grumstrup has been at MSU since 2014, when he was the first person hired for the Materials Science Graduate Program, a collaboration with Montana Tech and the University of Montana that spans the fields of chemistry, physics and engineering. His lab now houses more than 10 researchers ranging from the undergraduate to postdoctoral level who study materials based on the way electrons move through them.

“We are doing what I really believe is world-class research,” Grumstrup said. “I think this reward reflects the capabilities of our students.”

Technology, Grumstrup said, is governed by physical laws. He recalls the “systematic march” of computer processor speeds in the 1990s and early 2000s, with each new model drastically faster than the one before. Today, those speeds have all but topped out near 3 GHz due to fundamental limitations of the materials used, Grumstrup explained.

“What really compels me to go forward is trying to push that boundary back a little bit,” Grumstrup said. “If we understand properties that exist in the universe and discover how to use these properties to our advantage, there are infinite possibilities.”  

Material defects hinder the movement of electrons and thus prevent technologies from reaching higher levels of efficiency. The Grumstrup Research Group looks at the movement of these microscopic particles within substances to understand these defects in materials at the very basic level in hopes of finding a way to remove obstacles from the electrons’ paths.

To conduct the research, Grumstrup works in tiny increments of time. Lasers to test electron movement pulse in picoseconds — trillionths of a second — and femtoseconds — which are a thousand times smaller yet. There are more femtoseconds in one hour than there are seconds in the entire 13.7-billion-year history of the universe. The lasers are fast enough to capture slight changes in color as electrons absorb and use energy.  

"We’re making significant contributions toward understanding, particularly in next generation solar materials,” Grumstrup said.

Hunter and Bowhunter Education courses have been scheduled in several locations throughout southwestern Montana this summer. Registration has opened for many of those courses. 

Students can find the course closest to them and register online at fwp.mt.gov/education/hunter. 

Students may be required to pick up materials and complete the course manual before the first day of class. Dates, locations and specific instructions for each class, as well as contact information for the instructors, are available in the event description online.  

A student must be at least 10 years old to register for Montana Hunter Education courses. Students ages 10-11 can take the course and hunt as an apprentice but will not be fully certified until the year they turn 12. There is no maximum age limit. Students must attend all classroom sessions, the field course and pass a final exam. Anyone age 18 or older can complete an online course but must still attend a field course to become certified. 


To purchase a Montana hunting license, any person born after Jan. 1, 1985, must provide proof of having successfully completed a hunter and/or bowhunter education course issued by Montana, any other state or any Canadian province.

Hunter and bowhunter education courses are led by volunteer instructors who are passionate about preserving Montana’s hunting tradition, teaching firearm safety and other outdoor skills. Instructors are needed in communities across southwest Montana. If you are interested in mentoring new hunters, please contact Morgan Jacobsen, Region 3 information and education program manager for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, at 406-994-6931 or visit fwp.mt.gov/education/hunter for more information. 

The following courses have been scheduled, but additional courses may be posted later this year.

This summer, the Continental Divide Trail Coalition (CDTC) will partner with recreation, conservation, and community organizations and the diverse communities along the Continental Divide to invite people to connect with their public lands through a series of events and storytelling: Faces of the Continental Divide: Sharing Stories, Connecting Communities. 

Beginning on July 13, at the start of Latino Conservation Week, and ending on National Public Lands Day on September 28, Faces of the Continental Divide will highlight the diverse communities along the Continental Divide engaged in outdoor recreation and conservation and celebrate their relationships with public lands.“Too often we only see one image of who participates in outdoor recreation,” said Teresa Martinez, Executive Director of the Continental Divide Trail Coalition. “That image simply doesn’t reflect the diverse communities who value the landscapes of the Rocky Mountain West. It’s time to share a more complete picture of who cares for and loves our natural places.”  

Throughout the summer, the CDTC will engage with local groups along the length of the Continental Divide from New Mexico to Montana to underscore the importance of providing access to the outdoors for all people. Joining forces with organizations already working to change the face of public lands, such as Denver Environmental Learning for Kids (ELK), Big City Mountaineers, Hispanic Access Foundation, and Latino Outdoors, CDTC aims to inspire new people to explore the Continental Divide, as well as to amplify the often untold stories of communities who value and steward its lands. From day hikes and overnight backpacking trips to an outdoor poetry workshop, Faces of the Continental Divide events are as varied as the landscapes they span.  

Many Faces of the Continental Divide events are open to the public and free of charge. CDTC is offering resources to help plan and publicize events for groups interested in organizing an event, and financial assistance to support transportation and meals is made possible with support from the Hydro Flask Parks for All Charitable Giving Program and REI Co-op. Gear loans are also available thanks to in-kind donations from Osprey. 

As part of these efforts, the Continental Divide Trail Coalition will also spend the summer collecting and sharing stories of participants’ connections to the landscapes of the Rocky Mountain West. The stories will be catalogued and showcased on the CDTC’s website and communications and will provide a more comprehensive perception of how people in the Rocky Mountain West connect to landscapes, the Trail, and conservation as a whole. 

In Las Cruces, N.M., the Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project, Friends of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks, Latino Outdoors, and Hispanic Access Foundation will team up to raft the Rio Bravo as part of this effort. 

“The history of the Rio Bravo in southern New Mexico is deeply tied to our cultural and traditional uses of the river, from Indigenous to Mexican American communities today. Floating the Rio Bravo allows us to explore that culture, history, and tradition, and to encourage new stewards of our water and natural resources here in the Chihuahuan Desert,” said Gabe Vasquez, founder of the Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project.

By encouraging communities to connect with their own story of conservation, Faces of the Continental Divide will show that although some communities are absent from the current narrative, they are conservationists nonetheless.  

“Outdoor recreation and conservation have typically been white-dominated spaces in spite of the changing face of America. But the reality is that it will take urban and underserved communities and people of color to lead this fight into the future if we want to protect the land, water, and natural resources that we all collectively use and cherish,” Vasquez said.

Faces of the Continental Divide was made possible by a grant award from Hydro Flask’s Parks for All program and donations from REI Co-Op. Events will take place from July 13 to September 28, 2019. View a map of events, sign up to host your own event, or tell your story at continentaldividetrail.org/faces. 

About the Continental Divide Trail
The CDT is one of the world’s premiere long-distance trails, stretching 3,100 miles from Mexico to Canada along the Continental Divide. Designated by Congress in 1978, the CDT is the highest, most challenging and most remote of the 11 National Scenic Trails. It provides recreational opportunities ranging from hiking to horseback riding to hunting for thousands of visitors each year. While 95% of the CDT is located on public land, approximately 150 miles are still in need of protection. 

About the Continental Divide Trail Coalition
The CDTC was founded in 2012 by volunteers and recreationists hoping to provide a unified voice for the Trail. Working hand-in-hand with the U.S. Forest Service and other federal land management agencies, the CDTC is a non-profit partner supporting stewardship of the CDT. The mission of the CDTC is to complete, promote and protect the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, a world-class national resource. For more information, please visit continentaldividetrail.org.

A black bear was humanely euthanized this week after multiple conflicts with humans and livestock in Bozeman.
 
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks was first notified of the two-year-old male bear on June 28 when it was seen at a Bozeman residence in the middle of the day. Additional reports followed on July 2 when the bear was seen in other residential areas along Bridger Drive and Hillside Lane.
 
On July 5, a homeowner found the bear in a pen with goats and chickens, chasing the animals. Montana law allows property owners to kill predators found in the act of pursuing livestock. The homeowner shot at the bear, and the bear left.
 
During the day on July 9, the bear visited a residence in the Story Hills area, where it was on a deck and at the back door of the house. Residents there attempted to chase it off and deter it with rubber slugs, but the bear did not leave.
 
FWP biologists set traps and made repeated attempts to capture the bear as its presence was reported. Photos, videos and descriptions from witnesses indicate the same bear was involved in each incident.
 
Additional reports came on July 11 as the bear was seen on Haggerty Lane and, later, following a woman who was walking two dogs in Lindley Park. The bear was eventually darted and captured that day along Bozeman Creek, with help from the Bozeman Police Department and Animal Control Officers.
 
FWP’s bear management policies guide the agency’s actions in dealing with captured bears. In this case, the bear was clearly habituated to receiving food rewards in urban areas and being undeterred by humans, posing risks to property and public safety. Based on these factors, FWP decided to euthanize this bear humanely.

“This is a sad news story with an all-too-common sad ending,” said Mark Deleray, FWP’s Regional Supervisor in Bozeman. “At Fish, Wildlife and Parks, we manage for wildlife—the key word being wild. Unfortunately, this bear was habituated, received food rewards, attacked livestock and showed no fear of humans. In these cases, we have no choice but to remove the bear.”

Bear captures in urban areas are not uncommon in southwest Montana. So far this year, FWP has captured five bears in Gallatin County. Most of those bears were relocated. While the circumstances of any bear capture can vary, food rewards from humans are a common factor in most bear captures. The bear captured this week, for example, frequented homes with bird feeders.

 
“Our goal is to keep wildlife in the wild,” Deleray said. “In today’s world it is getting harder to do so as our urban interface with wildlife expands. It is very difficult to control wild animal behavior, but we have a better chance of modifying human behavior to reduce conflicts with wildlife.”
 
State statute prohibits people from intentionally feeding wildlife, and doing so is a citable offense. Bears habituated to unsecured food sources from humans can pose repeated threats to human safety and property throughout communities.
 
Residents can help eliminate the need to relocate or destroy bears by securing feed, garbage and other attractants. The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee has compiled resources for reducing conflicts with bears, both in the wild and in urban areas. To learn more, please visit IGBConline.org.