Gallatin Valley Land Trust (GVLT) is excited to announce the dedication of a permanent trail easement on a .6 mile-long section of the Bridger Ridge Trail. The 18.9-mile-long Bridger Ridge Trail lies almost entirely on public land managed by the United States Forest Service (USFS).  A small but key section of the trail near Mount Baldy crosses private land owned by the Newhall family.

The Newhall family has historically provided public access to the Bridger Ridge Trail since purchasing the property over 50 years ago. “This trail, in particular, is so important to the Bozeman community, it felt especially important to ensure this access forever; we're all trail users so we recognize the value in trails,” said Katy Kelly, granddaughter of Jay and Jane Newhall who originally purchased the property in 1963.

“As a family, we like to consider ourselves stewards of our land but realistically there may be a day when we aren't in a position to keep it. This easement ensures that if anything happens to us the trail will be protected for future generations. I think my granny Jane would have wanted us to be thinking about the future in this way.”

Eventually, this trail easement will be conveyed to the USFS, where it will be protected and remain open to public access forever. Losing access could have resulted in a challenging and costly reroute as this section of trail sits on the Bridger ridge spine, surrounded by steep, rocky slopes that are not conducive to trail building.

“The Bridger Ridge Trail is an important community asset with tremendous recreational value,” said GVLT Executive Director Chet Work. “People come from all over the world to compete and play on this trail. The Newhalls have given us a gift that will be forever cherished in our community and beyond.”

The Bridger Ridge Trail is the site of the renowned annual Bridger Ridge Run. Local athletes rallied to support the project. “This is a historic section of trail on the iconic Bridger Ridge,” said Mike Wolfe, founder and head coach of The Mountain Project, and current course record holder for the Run. “This place means so much to our community of athletes, and any Bozemanite who recreates in the Bridgers. It is surely a place – and a trail - worthy of protection for future generations.”

Lead project support came from SITKA, who made a generous gift through the SITKA Ecosystem Grants program. Additional support was provided from the Trom Family, KnoffGroup Real Estate, Seessel Family, Bridger Canyon Property Owners’ Association, The Mountain Project, Mystery Ranch, onX, Megyn, and William Lansing, Dan Porter, and dozens of individual supporters.

This trail easement ensures that the entire Bridger Ridge Trail will remain open and accessible to the public forever. GVLT would like to sincerely thank the Newhall family and the project supporters who made this trail easement possible. Project supporters are invited to a GVLT ribbon-cutting ceremony and trail project workday on the Bridger Ridge Trail that will be scheduled for late spring 2022.

What is a trail easement? A trail easement is a voluntary legal agreement that allows public access across private land within a specified corridor.

What is a conservation easement? The Gallatin Valley Land Trust (GVLT) partners with private landowners to conserve working farms and ranches, fish and wildlife habitat, open lands and scenic views through the use of conservation easements, voluntary agreements that limit development on a property while keeping it in private ownership.  Each easement is tailored to the specific property and runs with the title of the land in perpetuity. GVLT is responsible for upholding the easement’s terms.  Because a conservation easement limits development rights and therefore decreases the value of the land, landowners may be eligible to write off the difference as a charitable donation. In some cases, landowners receive financial compensation for a portion of the value of the conservation easement.  The public benefits from the protection of conservation values such as prime agricultural soils, wildlife habitat, river corridors, and the overall character of our region.

About Gallatin Valley Land Trust

Gallatin Valley Land Trust connects people, communities, and open lands through conservation of working farms and ranches, healthy rivers, and wildlife habitat, and the creation of trails in the Montana headwaters of the Missouri and Upper Yellowstone Rivers. For more information, visit www.gvlt.org.

When it comes to planning your wedding, the first thing that probably comes to mind is the cost. After all, it's one of the most important days of your life, so you want it to be special. So, when it comes to creating a wedding budget to pay for your big day, you need to know exactly how to divvy up your money to have the wedding of your dreams. If you’re in the planning stage, here are some of the best ways to save for your nuptials.

How Much Do Weddings Cost?

The cost of your wedding depends on a variety of things. The size of the venue, location, the number of guests, and even the type of centerpieces and napkins you choose all contribute to the final cost. The key to keeping costs low and still having a day to remember is being honest with yourself. Trying to cover the cost of a huge soirée when you can’t afford it will only lead to stress, turmoil, and possibly unnecessary arguments.

Create a Budget

Before you start booking services or putting down a deposit for a reception hall, create a wedding budget. Go over your finances and see how much you realistically can afford. Even if you’ve been saving, there’s always the possibility of unforeseen expenses. If you don’t have much money put away, you have a few options. You can push your wedding date out and continue to save, use your credit cards (not the best idea), or apply for a personal loan with a private lender. In terms of interest rates and repayment plans, private lenders can usually offer more favorable terms than your bank or credit card company.

Set Goals

Once you’ve created a realistic budget, you can start working towards your goals. For example, if you want to have the caterers paid in full by a certain date, set the date and stick to it. While this may mean eating at home more or not going out as much, it'll be worth it once you reach your goals.

Compare Prices

Money is one of the factors that affect daily living so the need to consider it when wedding planning should not come as a surprise. Before throwing caution to the wind and going with the first photographer or DJ or even venue you tour, take the time to shop around. Get several quotes and set aside time to review them. Weigh the pros and cons of each prior to signing a contract. You’d be surprised how often the excitement of getting married can cloud the bride and groom’s judgment.

Think About the Season

When you decide to tie the knot is another consideration. In general, the wedding season starts late spring and continues through late autumn. During this time, everything from wedding attire to airfare and hotel rates are more expensive. If possible, try to book your big day during mid to late winter when prices are lower. You might even get discounts simply for booking during this time of year.

Limit the Guest List

When it comes to the guest list, you need to have an open mind. Many catering companies and hotels charge by the head. That means you will pay for these people whether they show up or not. It’s better to have a smaller reception with guests who are closest to you than to invite a lot of people simply for the sake of inviting them.

74 year old female dementia patient last seen on Slough Creek Dr. has been LOCATED. Thanks to Bozeman and Gallatin County residents for your assistance.

*****

A search is ongoing for a 74-year-old female dementia patient last seen on the 200 block of Slough Creek Dr. in Bozeman. She left sometime between 10 PM and 4 AM on Feb. 17-18. She is described at 5-feet-5-inches tall, 165 pounds with gray/blonde hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a blue sweatshirt, blue pants and only socks on her feet.

If you have seen this person, please call 911 immediately. People with dementia can travel quite a distance, even on foot, so we encourage everyone to keep an eye out for this woman. She is unfamiliar with the area and make seek refuge where available, like an open vehicle or shed for example.

Gallatin County Search and Rescue, the Bozeman Police Department, Bozeman Fire Department and Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office are working on this search.

For media: Operations are staged in a parking lot at the corner of Resort Drive and Field Street, just north of Huffine Lane. Questions can be directed to Whitney Bermes, public information officer, by call or text at 406-595-8963.

BOZEMAN -  In an effort to create more access and opportunities for female anglers in and around Bozeman, Two Gals and a Boat, LLC, in conjunction with TroutChasers Lodge, has launched a series of women-specific fly fishing educational programs which focuses on curriculum designed by women, for women. 



"We are on a mission to break down barriers so women feel confident in exploring Montana's rivers on their own, with family, or with new fishing friends whom they meet through these classes," said Two Gals and a Boat's Founder and CEO, Sue Kerver.  "Our goal is to provide space so women can learn fly fishing fundamentals through small, personalized classes which will be conducted on the water and through workshops."



Sessions begin on March 31, 2022 and will be held monthly, through December.  Discounted pricing for the 10-session package is available until the end of February. Starting March 1, individual classes will be sold online. Space is limited to 15 participants per session, so interested individuals are encouraged to sign up early. 



"I firmly believe that we all should be able to engage in outdoor pursuits without anxiety or fear," added Kerver.  "And I'm thrilled that Two Gals and a Boat is positioned to build an angling community that focuses on growth, inclusivity and education in a nonjudgmental and empowering way.

"

Two Gals and a Boat desires to provide fly fishing education and outdoor experiences for all women, regardless of financial position.  Limited scholarship opportunities are available and more information, including sign-up details, may be found on the website. 

BOZEMAN — While newly renovated Romney Hall is providing much-needed classroom space and student services at a growing Montana State University, the century-old structure's upgrade also marks progress by demonstrating that even the oldest buildings on campus can achieve high energy efficiency as part of an ambitious strategy to reduce operating costs and carbon emissions.

Originally constructed as a gymnasium in an era when leaky windows, thin insulation and fuel-intensive central heating were the norm, the repurposed Romney, which opened last November after an extensive remodel, is expected to use roughly half the energy as the old building.

“What we’ve shown here is that we can take the same technologies and strategies that we've proven with new construction and make them work with a major retrofit," said Megan Sterl, engineering and utilities director in MSU’s University Services. "It highlights how these older buildings can be a key part of our energy-saving vision for the future of campus."

At the core of the building's energy performance is a geothermal system that benefits from the relatively constant temperature deep underground. In tandem with the Romney renovation, 80 geothermal boreholes — each 700 feet deep — were constructed in the open space north of the building. The boreholes house closed-loop pipes, encased in a special grout, that circulate a water solution to store unused heat extracted by Romney Hall's ventilation system, such as when the building is being cooled. The stored warmth can later be extracted and concentrated to heat the building. Modeling by the design team shows that the annual cycle of heat storage and extraction is relatively balanced, resulting in minimal change to the ground temperature.

The boreholes also store unused warmth captured by a "solar wall" on the building's south face that converts sunlight to heat. During sunny weather in cooler months, the solar wall pre-warms the ventilation air before it’s circulated to roughly 40 heat pumps throughout the building. The heat pumps, which are like air conditioners that can also operate in reverse, are what transfer heat to and from the geothermal system. The geothermal system and solar wall provide most of the heating for the building, meaning that the main energy input is electricity that efficiently runs the heat pumps and ventilation units.

Romney joins six other campus buildings with geothermal systems. MSU first applied the technology during its biggest energy conservation project, a multi-phase effort in 2011-2015 that was integrated with the construction of Jabs Hall. The Jabs geothermal system, which also serves three other MSU buildings that are much newer than Romney, has reduced energy costs by an average of $130,000 per year. Norm Asbjornson Hall, which opened in 2018, as well as the recently completed American Indian Hall, also each have geothermal systems.

Compared to those projects, however, integrating a cutting-edge geothermal system into Romney's 98-year-old structure was a challenge, according to Michael Bowers, project manager in MSU's Campus Planning, Design and Construction, who oversaw the Romney renovation with Grant Peterson, MSU construction manager. With a premium put on space for 17 classrooms as well as centers for mathematics, writing, veterans and students with disabilities, "we had to get really creative with fitting in the heat pumps and other equipment and tying it all together," he said. "It's definitely a lot harder than with new construction, but we were able to make it happen."

The renovation included other upgrades to improve energy performance, Bowers noted. To reduce heating and cooling losses, high-performance insulation was added throughout the exterior walls, and all the windows were replaced or restored. All lighting is provided by LEDs, which use significantly less energy than traditional bulbs.

Besides demonstrating what's possible for an older building, the Romney project directly opens other opportunities for advancing energy efficiency on campus, Sterl noted. The geothermal boreholes under the Romney Oval are situated and sized so that they can also easily serve other nearby buildings, including the forthcoming Student Wellness Center, to form what's called an energy district.

That would effectively allow Romney Hall to exchange excess heat with other buildings, creating an added dimension of efficiency, Sterl said. As a result, the Romney geothermal boreholes are projected to reduce MSU's associated carbon emissions by 1 million pounds per year, or about 20,000 metric tons over the lifetime of the system — a significant step toward the goal in MSU’s Sustainability Framework of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040.

A recent report by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory featured MSU's innovative use of energy districts as one of 15 case studies showing how smart planning and new technology can dramatically reduce energy consumption. Aiding in future MSU efforts, last September the Montana Board of Regents authorized the university to spend up to $500,000 on comprehensive energy planning that's expected to yield millions of dollars in energy savings over coming decades.

"Romney is just the first building to be connected to what we envision as the South Campus energy district," Sterl said. "It's the cornerstone for continued energy conservation in that part of campus."

The Madison River Work Group will meet Thursday, Feb. 24, at 6 p.m., in Bozeman at the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Region 3 office, 1400 South 19th Ave. The meeting will be livestreamed on the FWP website. The focus on the meeting will be on non-commercial recreational use.

An agenda will be posted to the website before the meeting.

The 12-member work group was organized by the Fish and Wildlife Commission, per an administrative rule. This is the fourth meeting of the work group.

For more information on the work group, including videos of their past meetings, visit fwp.mt.gov/aboutfwp/madison-river-workgroup.

HELENA – A poaching investigation in northeastern Montana that lasted more than two and a half years, ended with several men being sentenced last month in the Montana 16th Judicial District Court in Garfield County.   

TOWNSEND – A Helena man received a lifetime ban from hunting and trapping in Montana as part of his sentence for illegally killing a trophy moose east of Townsend in 2019.

Shiloh Berry, 41, was sentenced Friday in Broadwater County District Court after pleading guilty last fall to unlawful possession of a game animal, hunting without a valid license and waste of a game animal.

In addition to the lifetime ban from hunting and trapping, Berry’s sentence includes a three-year suspension of fishing privileges, $12,100 in fines and restitution, and a suspended five-year imprisonment term.

In November 2019, game wardens with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks received a tip via the department’s 1-800-TIP-MONT hotline about a dead moose with its head cut off and the meat abandoned. Wardens responded and found the carcass on Blacktail Road, about 17 miles east of Townsend. Wardens also found distinctive tire tracks and boot prints at the scene.

In April 2020, wardens received another tip that Berry possessed moose antlers he claimed to have found in the same area where the moose carcass was discovered. Wardens executed a search warrant and discovered the antlers, as well as boots and tires that matched the tracks at the kill site. During an interview with wardens, Berry confessed to killing the moose.

The moose’s antlers were 56 inches wide and had a Boone and Crockett gross score of 167 and a net score of 145.

Montana game wardens rely on tips from people who observe crimes against wildlife. FWP’s 24-hour hotline for reporting these crimes is 1-800-TIP-MONT. Callers could be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000.

DILLON – Fisheries staff at Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks are seeking comments on a proposal to construct a fish barrier on Reservoir Creek near Dillon. This project would help protect a genetically pure population of westslope cutthroat trout from non-native trout.

Reservoir creek is one of eight streams within the Beaverhead watershed that still supports an unaltered westslope cutthroat trout population. However, the population is only seasonally protected from non-native trout downstream. This proposal includes constructing a wooden barrier that would protect more than 5 stream miles of habitat for native trout.

Once protected, westslope cutthroats in Reservoir Creek could be used to repopulate future fisheries projects, which would help restore the species to more of its historical range. Today, westslope cutthroat trout in the upper Missouri River basin occupy approximately 5 percent of their historical habitat.

A draft environmental assessment has been prepared for this project. To view the assessment, visit go.usa.gov/xtF72.

The deadline for comments is 5 p.m. on March 12. Comments can be emailed to native fish biologist Ryan Kreiner at rkreiner@mt.gov or mailed to:

Ryan Kreiner
730 ½ Montana St.
Dillon, MT 59725