Thanks to many valuable local partnerships, Gallatin County is in the process of awarding the MT Highway 64 TIGER Grant project to the low bidder. Pending approval from the Federal Highway Administration, the project is likely to begin in 2022.

In 2017, the community of Big Sky was awarded a TIGER grant from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in the amount of $10.2 million dollars for major infrastructure improvements along the Lone Mountain Trail/MT Highway 64 corridor. Once the agreement was signed in June 2019 between Gallatin County and FHWA, Sanderson Stewart was awarded the contract to oversee design and construction for the improvements in September 2019. In partnership with Stahly Engineering, the team has worked diligently with Gallatin County, the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) and FHWA to work through the design, acquisition of land (right-of-way) for the expanded roadway, and the required permitting for the project.

After multiple rounds of bidding and amendments to the TIGER agreement with FHWA, Gallatin County has made a recommendation to award the project to the current low bidder. This was made possible by contributions from MDT, Gallatin County, Madison County, and Big Sky Resort Area District (Resort Tax) to close the funding gap and allow the project to move forward.  FHWA is currently reviewing the award recommendation and it is anticipated that we will receive their approval in time to start construction in 2022.

The amount of work to be completed in 2022 will be somewhat dependent on the timing of the notice to proceed, but public notice will be issued once the start date and sequence of projects have been determined.  MDT will be donating the time of one of the public involvement firms to the project in order to provide regular updates to the Big Sky community.  In the meantime, construction on the Powder Light turn lanes will continue this spring, as will the utility relocations that are needed ahead of the TIGER grant project.

HELENA – Montana’s spring male turkey season opens April 15. Turkey hunters can purchase a turkey license for a general area at FWP offices, license providers or online.

The 2022 turkey regulations are included in the 2022 Upland Game Bird Regulations Booklet. Regulations are available at FWP offices, license providers and online at fwp.mt.gov.

BOZEMAN – Registration is now open for Montana State University’s Peaks and Potentials program, a weeklong enrichment camp for high-potential students entering grades 5-7 in the fall, offered June 12-17 on the MSU campus in Bozeman. 

Peaks and Potentials offers students the opportunity to explore special topics of interest and work with experts in various subject areas. 

Sessions for this summer's camp include a variety of topics in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM. There will also be topics in the arts and humanities, including ceramics, drawing, sign language and more. 

Students have the option of staying on campus or commuting to and from camp each day. Evening activities include a trip to the Museum of the Rockies, movie night, bowling and more. 

Instructors are MSU faculty, graduate students and experienced professionals from the area. University students and professionals act as director and counselors throughout the week. All classes emphasize personal instruction and small group interaction, as well as a hands-on approach. The academic, recreational and social activities offer students a chance to interact with their peers and sample campus life. 

Enrollment is limited, and the camp generally fills to capacity. For more information and to register, visit https://ato.montana.edu/peaks/. 

Peaks and Potentials is a program of Academic Technology and Outreach at Montana State University. ATO works across MSU and the state to support and advance its land-grant mission through unique and innovative opportunities for outreach and engagement.

If wine makes the party, why not make your party all about wine? Hosting a wine-tasting soiree is a great way for wine lovers to spice up their evening and expand their wine palate all while having fun with their guests. Regardless if you are a lifelong connoisseur or just a beginner in the world of wine, with a few tips and a little planning you will be able to make your next wine party an unforgettable success. So let's take a look at what it takes to great organize a great evening.

Choosing a theme and getting the wine
The first thing you will need to do is pick a wine theme for the party. You can choose a wine based on a specific country, region, or vineyard. This can take up a lot of time and research if you are a beginner and don't have a lot of previous wine knowledge. You will also need to do research on which brands to choose once you have decided on your theme. Ideally, you will end up with several bottles of quality wines. In all honestly, if this is your first wine tasting event you are probably overwhelmed.

To make this process easier for you, consider joining a wine club. You will not have to worry about the quality of wine, the variety, and the theme. Each shipment you get will allow you to try a unique tasting. There are wine clubs for all purposes such as traditional wines, organic, regional, and so on. If you are interested, you should visit bestwineclub.com and find your ideal club.

Buying the necessary supplies
For any successful party, you need proper “tools”. This covers everything from glassware to pallet cleaners, spit buckets, corkscrews, etc. One glass per person is enough, however, having two glasses per person is better so that the guests can taste and compare two wines simultaneously. Color is also an important aspect when comparing wines, so avoid tinted glassware and look for simple clear glassware. You will also need proper palate cleansers like crackers or simple bread. Don’t forget the water, professional wine tasters use plain bread and wash it down with still water to completely cleanse their palettes. Avoid buying carbonated or spring water. Getting spit buckets for your guest allows them to taste the wine, stay sober, and better assess the flavors of each wine.

Pairing wine with the right food
If you want to serve the right food do a little extra research on how the acids, tannins, and sugars in foods interact with different types of wines. Dry whites are light, bright, and acidic, and they usually pair best with similarly oriented foods. For example spring vegetables, lighter fish, grilled chicken, and citrusy, herby dishes. However, sweeter white wines go along with salty appetizers or rich desserts, also spicy Asian dishes. Bigger, creamier whites pair with bigger, creamier flavors. This is why chardonnay pairs great with salmon. Rich white wines are usually less acidic so they pair well with a variety of learner meats like pork loin or chicken. On the other hand, lighter red wines interact best with leaner red meats, fattier fish, and earthier vegetables like mushrooms. Medium red wines are the safest choice because they are the most versatile. They can be paired with anything from a cheese plate to a salad, tomato-based pasta, and rich chocolate dessert. Bold red wine is a classic steak wine, they are rich and tannic enough to cut through the fat. They also can be paired with hard cheese, starches, red meats, BBQ chicken.

Serving the Wine Correctly
When throwing a wine party it is very important to serve the wine correctly. If you are having a party with a diverse palate, the serving order should be something like this: sparkling wines or champagnes, light whites, rich whites, rosés, light reds, bold reds, and then dessert wines. Furthermore, serving the wine to its ideal temperature can make a huge impact on its taste so do a little research on the right temperature for each wine before starting the party. For example, red wine tastes better when served slightly below room temperature from 53 °F – 69 °F, white wine tastes great from 44 °F – 57 °F. Zesty white wines taste best on the cooler side while oak-aged whites on the warm side. Affordable sparkling wine should be served at 38 °F – 45 °F and high-quality Champagne and sparkling wines at white wine temperatures.

Limiting Other Aromas
Our sense of smell has a profound effect on the way our brain processes flavor. The aroma of the wines usually comes from the unique grape. As wine ages, chemical reactions among acids, sugars, alcohols, and phenolic compounds create new smells. This smells makes the wine taste better or worse. Surrounding aromas can affect the wine. So having this in mind when setting the table you should avoid decorating with scented candles or aromatic flowers. Also, you should inform your guest, to refrain from wearing perfumes or scented lotions that might impact the wines’ aromas.

BOZEMAN — Montana State University today announced a $5.6 million gift from Larry and Anne Hambly that will enhance the university’s offerings in the rapidly growing field of computer science, enabling groundbreaking research and expanded opportunities for graduates whose skills are increasingly in demand in Montana and nationwide.

The donation will establish the Hambly Chair in Computer Science, an endowed professorship that enables MSU to hire an additional faculty member with demonstrated expertise that will benefit MSU students, according to John Paxton, director of the Gianforte School of Computing in MSU’s Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering. Paxton anticipates the new professor would start in fall 2023.

"The Hambly Chair will enable us to provide students with additional cutting-edge research opportunities and expanded course offerings in fast-growing areas such as data science or cybersecurity," Paxton said. “Our students have an increasingly broad set of computing interests, and the industry need for students with computing skills has never been higher. The Hambly Chair will be an accomplished professor who can help our organization better serve students, expand our research portfolio and better meet workforce needs.”

Larry Hambly earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from MSU in 1968 and a master’s degree in physics from California State University, Los Angeles in 1972. He pursued a 35-year career defined by the rise of computing, first in the aerospace industry and culminating with 20 years at Silicon Valley-based Sun Microsystems, where he held numerous executive positions in sales, marketing and services.

“My physics degree provided an excellent foundation for my career in aerospace and computer systems development,” Hambly said. “Endowing this professorship allows us to return something of value to MSU and the state of Montana.”

While Hambly was at MSU, computing was so primitive by today's standards that the university had only one computer, a blue box that could be laboriously programmed to perform numerical calculations, he recalled. Students could use the machine as part of a one-credit class, the only computing course then offered. Graduates with any amount of engineering, science or computing experience were highly sought after during the Space Race and the Cold War. Hambly had a job offer from an aerospace company months before he finished his studies.

“Each wave of computer advancement has totally revolutionized our lives,” Hambly said. “Computer science has such a high impact in today's world, and MSU is making great strides to grow its educational capacity in one of the most critical intellectual disciplines of the 21st century.”

The number of computer science students at MSU has more than doubled in the past decade, to 530 this spring, driven by the availability of high-paying jobs, according to Paxton. Companies in the Montana High Tech Business Alliance were expected to add 1,500 jobs last year, according to a 2021 report by the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana. Average national starting salaries for computer science graduates jumped 7.1% last year to $72,000, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that employment of computing professionals is projected to grow 22% between 2020 and 2030, much faster than the average for all occupations.

MSU has responded to this demand by significantly expanding its degree offerings, adding an interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science that prepares students to apply computing across diverse fields, a teaching minor that prepares computer science educators, and a minor in data science, which allows students to specialize in a field where salaries start around $100,000. With the university in the process of rolling out two additional degrees, a Master of Science in Cybersecurity and a Bachelor of Science in Data Science, the Hambly Chair professor could bring expertise that would significantly enhance those programs, Paxton said.

“The growth in the field of computing at MSU has been tremendous and exciting to be a part of,” said Brett Gunnink, dean of the Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering. “We're very grateful to Larry and Anne for their generosity and excited to see with them the contributions that the Hambly professor will make to educating our students, conducting groundbreaking research and advancing our land-grant mission to serve Montana.”

Larry and Anne Hambly have previously given more than $500,000 to MSU, primarily for scholarships that support students in science, math, engineering, and computer science. This latest gift comes after the Gianforte Family Foundation pledged $50 million in February for constructing a new building to house the Gianforte School of Computing and computing-related fields such as cybersecurity, optics and photonics, electrical and computer engineering, and creative industries. That gift ties for the second largest in the university’s history and is one of the largest philanthropic gifts in the history of Montana. Hambly said he sees synergy and a larger effort to advance computing education and research at MSU.

"MSU is going to have a new computer science building, and it's important that we fill it with the best talent possible," he said.

                                                                                                                                                   Bozeman Creek

Bozeman, MT – As Gallatin County moves closer to spring, the risk of spring flooding increases.  While we can not predict if Gallatin County will see any spring flooding in 2022, we know that now is the time to prepare your property in order to minimize the potential effect of flooding.

The most prevalent cause of localized flooding are obstructed waterways that block the flow of water and cause it to go where you don’t want it.  Now is the time to make sure ditches, culverts and other waterways on your property are clear of debris so we can keep as much water in them as possible.

Additionally, if you feel your property is at risk of flooding, you may want to consider flood insurance.  Flood damage is not covered by homeowners insurance.  Flood insurance has a 30 day waiting period for the policy to take effect, so you can not wait until flooding is imminent to get a policy.  Contact your insurance agency for policy information.

Now is also the time to develop your plan on how you will protect your property if you are affected by flooding later this spring.  Once flooding occurs, the damage is done.  So developing your plan now, and implementing it early is critical to minimizing damage.

More information on flooding is available at:  http://www.readygallatin.com/community-resources/preparedness-information/flooding-in-gallatin-county/.

View the Keep It Flowing educational video at:  https://youtu.be/z_LtMhhyiqo

Responsibility is something that many of us are told to emulate in our day-to-day lives. It is a trait that feels concisely adult and it can often feel impossible to replicate given the stresses of the world we live in today. That said, many people think that responsibility is less of a trait and more of a skill. It’s hard to learn and it must be practiced every day, but once it is mastered, you will be the better for it. Making the decision to live a responsible life may be easy in theory, but it is much harder in practice. This article should guide you on your way to becoming someone who is more mature, grounded, and responsible.

Stay Organized

Arguably, the key to living responsibly is all in your organizational skills. If you are able to keep on top of all the moving parts of your life, you can easily keep yourself on track. Make use of tools such as bullet journals or planners to keep organized. Don’t underestimate the power of the to-do list because you are less likely to forget things when you take a pen to paper.

Furthermore, checking off boxes on a list gives you a rewarding sense of achievement, even if it is only for something small. You should also get into a daily routine; this will help you keep things in order. If you find you are constantly late to work or handing in projects late, it may be due to a lack of organization. Settling into a routine will help you get prepared and set you on the right track.

Manage Your Finances

Your finances play an important role in your life; if you do not manage them correctly, you may get in trouble. Budgeting can help you to keep your income and outgoings balanced and, as a responsible adult, you should always ensure you have enough funds to cover rent and living expenses. However powerful tracking is, sometimes budgeting cannot account for everything. Sometimes financial emergencies can happen, and you may need a quick injection of cash. As a new graduate, it may be hard to apply for a loan due to any residual student loan debt you may have. In a situation such as this, you could consider a student loan refinance plan. Refinancing your student loans is a quick and simple process, with some applications taking only minutes to complete. The important thing to remember is there are always options available so never let your financial situation get the better of you.

Practice Self-Discipline

Being dedicated to improving your financial wellness is admirable but don’t stop there. Especially since deep down, we would all love to be irresponsible. We would all love to buy things we can’t afford or attend parties when we shouldn’t. The true mark of a responsible person is the ability to ignore that frivolous voice inside their head. Of course, this doesn’t mean you can’t treat yourself or have fun, but you must know when to say no. There are many to practice self-discipline. One of the best strategies to use is to avoid procrastination. Whenever there is a task that needs completing, don’t turn to your phone and fall down the rabbit hole of endless distraction. Instead, try to get the job done immediately and you’ll feel much better for doing so.

HRDC’s food bank plans spring food drive — Spring for Food — across Bozeman and Belgrade to support childhood nutrition programs and to replenish its supply of fresh produce. 

As part of Fight Childhood Hunger Week taking place April 4th – 9th, HRDC’s Gallatin Valley Food Bank is hosting a food drive. The food bank has set a goal of gathering 15,000 pounds of donated food with an emphasis on securing fresh produce to help support our neighbors in need.

Spring for Food will take place at grocery stores across the community from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm on April 9th and will shine a light on the prevalence of childhood food insecurity as well as the benefit of providing fresh, nutritious produce for customers at the food bank. Using supermarkets as a central donation point allows community members the convenience of making food donations while they are shopping. 

"In the past six months 26% of our customers using the Gallatin Valley Food Bank were children.  Between the impacts of Covid and the rapidly rising cost of living across the valley, the people we see have more need than ever,” said Jill Holder, HRDC’s Food and Nutrition Director. 

Holder continued, “We know the number one way we can support our community is to help ensure no one goes to bed with an empty belly. The measures we take through our KidsPack and Summer Lunch programs connect kids with nutritional food options every week of the year. Through various outreach programs and our physical store, we were able to provide nearly 12,000 boxes of food to those struggling to stretch their budgets last year. But we can’t do this alone. Our community has a track record of generosity, and we are most grateful for every ounce of support we receive.”

HRDC is seeking community volunteers to assist in collecting food for its Spring for Food drive at participating grocery stores on April 9th. Contributions in every form — whether food donations, monetary gifts, or volunteer work — directly support HRDC’s ability to distribute groceries to area families in need. 

More information about HRDC’s Gallatin Valley Food Bank and its Spring for Food campaign can be found at https://thehrdc.org/food-nutrition/ and https://gallatinvalleyfoodbank.org.

Proposal detailed in draft environmental assessment

DILLON – Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks staff are seeking public comments on a proposed fee-title acquisition of about 3.5 acres of private land west of Dillon to become a new fishing access site along the Beaverhead River.

FWP is undertaking the process of acquiring the parcel as a donation from the Beaverhead Trails Coalition, a nonprofit in Dillon. A neighboring landowner donated the property to the coalition in 2021.

The site would be known as Cornell Park Fishing Access Site.

Following the acquisition, FWP staff would restore 325 feet of streambank for improved habitat and shoreline stability. The development would also include installing a gravel put-in boat ramp, a new concrete vault latrine, walk-in access points along the river and other facilities. Parking would be moved to Park Street, a Beaverhead County road.

A draft environmental assessment has been published and is available online at go.usa.gov/xztHa. Comments on the proposal are due by 5 p.m. on April 25. They can be emailed to jpape@mt.gov or sent by mail to:

Jay Pape
Regional Maintenance Manager
1400 S. 19th Ave.
Bozeman, MT 59718

On April 3, 2022, at 1:53 pm, Gallatin County 911 received a call from skiers caught in an avalanche while ascending the north face of Wilson Peak in Big Sky.

One skier was able to self-extricate immediately.  The other skier was swept down the slope, through some trees, and ultimately was able to self-extricate at the bottom of the slide. That skier sustained injuries that would not allow them to hike or ski out.

The reporting party had a GPS communication device and was able to call for help. Gallatin County Sheriff SAR members from Big Sky and the Helicopter team responded to the patient’s location. They were able to land near the patient, load both into the helicopter and fly them to a waiting Big Sky Fire Dept Ambulance. The patient was transported to the Big Sky Medical Center for further evaluation.

Sheriff Dan Springer would like to commend the skiers for having a communication device that allowed them to call for help immediately and be rescued in a timely manner. Having a plan and equipment for emergency events when recreating in the backcountry can make the difference between a quick rescue or spending an unexpected night in the mountains.