Hundreds of malls across the nation are closing their doors on Thanksgiving and Gallatin Valley Mall is no exception. The mall closed the last three years on Thanksgiving; a decision that will be repeated this year after receiving overwhelming support from retailers and customers.

GVM General Manager, Deb Jacupke states, “It has always been our priority to allow for our retailers, both national and local, to determine what works best for their employees, families, and customers concerning Thanksgiving shopping hours.” Although the stores will be closed, the mall will be open for any community members who would like a warm, dry place to take a walk and window shop after finishing Thanksgiving dinner.

Making the transition from New York to Bozeman was nothing short of radical. Shopping goes beyond existing as its own language in such a grand metropolis; shopping is a sport and a coveted one at that. Whether you recognize it or not, shopping is an experience and that experience is tailored to you based on where you choose to invest. Find yourself in Gucci or Dior, you should expect to be offered champagne on your endeavor to find the best suit or dress. Find yourself in JC Penny, you should expect to find items misplaced on racks or screaming children running through the various isles. All in all, experience is pivotal to the retail industry and customers value that, whether it's on the forefront of their mind or not. Some particular Bozeman transplants may understand this and with the holidays coming fourth, should big-name department stores continue to be our go-to? How about the experiences we have in local boutiques in town?

Looking largely at the retail stores located in Bozeman, locals are offered quite a lot in such a small area. We fall short of luxury brands although Schnee’s downtown carries Canada Goose for both men and women; Revolr and Evrgreen downtown carry contemporary Netherlands brand Scotch & Soda. Sure, you can pick yourself up something decent from Kohl’s, Macy’s or Target too but let’s pull our focus in on the local shoppes that deserve more recognition.

Collective by Dawn Josephine, centered in downtown Bozeman, is one example of how a local shopping destination can offer impeccable homemade craftsmanship, high-end furniture, and luxurious accessories minus the label. Her three lines of distinctive jewelry capture the essence of Montana; some with the choice of being one-of-a-kind, embezzled with precious/semi-precious gemstones with sterling silver and gold hand wiring wrapping, or simply, a vintage flare. The artists she selects all come from her worldly travels where she pinpoints unique, quality products with affordable pricing.

If you’re interested in quality furniture, all Dawn Josephine Furniture is handmade in the USA with 80% of the materials having been derived from within the United States. You can choose from over 300 fabrics, frame, leg and arm styles, wood and nailhead finishes to cushion firmness and throw pillow design. In-home consultations are free when you select furniture from Dawn Josephine’s store! This kind of experience immediately sets you apart from non-independent retailers in the city. Collective by Dawn Josephine longs for you to have personable experience; your delight in choosing a local establishment over a big-name brand ensures their success. I highly recommend Dawn’s boutique; the unique pieces you can find are stylish, modern and alluring in their design. Moreover, the candles are far better than those you can find at Anthropologie.

If somebody can’t seem to find something on someone’s wishlist here in Bozeman, it would make sense to run away to the world of deep online shopping. Purchasing clothing on the web amongst other goods we probably don’t need is one of the first things people do when they type into their search bar. Lately, FashionNova has become extremely popular amongst the younger demographic as well as Tobi, ASOS, TopMan, TopShop, Pretty Little Thing US, and Revolve. I have definitely had to turn to online shopping due to the fact that Bozeman’s selection isn’t as voluminous as other major cities. With that being said, I decided to rethink my approach to clothing in terms of experience. You can’t necessarily know how something fits unless you’ve shopped a certain brand before. I know what size I am in J. Crew and that knowledge will forever support me; the same goes for Club Monaco and AllSaints. I can shop online and not have to worry about whether or not I will have to come face to face with the U.S. Postal service for a return. Shopping locally, however, inspired me and I figured, why not just translate my understanding of shopping locally of household furniture, etc. for clothing? Surely, I would be able to find similar items that cater to my taste and preferred style.

In July of 2013, Revolvr Menswear was opened in Bozeman, Montana by Jon and Christine Davis. Their intent was to offer affordable clothing of quality to men who want to appear professional and feel comfortable at the same time. At least, that’s how I interpret their store. Revolvr offers beautiful sports coats and button-down shirts. They also provide numerous opportunities to go back and forth between contrasting styles of tank-tops for the summer. Keep in mind, however, that the material is much sturdier and cleaner-cut than your average tank top. In plain language, you should expect to try on clothing with clean lines, beautiful quality but nothing too over the top. Their sister store, Evrgreen is located only a couple stores away in Downtown Bozeman and caters most specifically to women. In spite of that, I did pick up my Herschel backpack there that I absolutely love for the aesthetic. In whatever way, Revolvr and Evrgreen sell clothing that reflects the vibe of Urban Outfitters and J.Crew. They meet in the middle, offering a local shopper the sort of style that would be familiar in both a major city like Boston and the kind of “outdoor” clothing you’ll typically come across in Bozeman. Designated as the “fancier” stores by those I’ve talked with about the fashion scene in Bozeman, Evrgreen and Revolvr would be the perfect spots to pick up a gift for your friend or loved one this holiday season. If you’re searching for the promise of incomparability to a big box store, these are your best two options.

Many people may claim that “they don’t care” when it comes to style when in fact, style is what defines us. We wear clothing that reflects who we are as people just as how a haircut shapes our identity during a certain period of time. It’s important to care about what you put on your body and where you’re buying that clothing from. The same exact thing goes for furniture. If you were supposedly buying a painting by a brilliant artist for around 6.5 million dollars and later learned that the style was emulated and achieved by a six-year old, would you be angry? Of course you would be; the place you go to for a certain product makes all the difference in quality, customer experience and loyalty to where you live. If that isn’t convincing for you, think about your last vacation. Wouldn’t you have chosen to get a souvenir from a local artist instead of picking up some random crap at the local gas station or airport? That’s because your desire to take something more memorable home is the most important thing on your journey. Bozeman is a beautiful place and if someone were to tell you that they traveled all the way across the country to Bozeman just to buy you a chair from Target, would that chair truly be from Bozeman?

Supporting local retailers should be on the forefront of your mind this holiday season because the luxury of having local places to shop is rare. There comes a time when you see those businesses going out of business because too many people don’t want to take the time and invest in something that is most likely better than what they’re currently throwing too much money at. A local understands what another local wants. How is Target or Macy’s going to understand someone living in Bozeman if they themselves, do not?

Challenge yourself in discovering the other local hot spots in Bozeman this winter. If you’re hyped up about the upcoming sale going on at Macy’s or JC Penny, chances are, those were the items people didn’t want in the first place. (Insert teeth-clenching smiley face here). I believe that everyone who has moved out to Bozeman came here with a similar mindset. That mindset was to get away… to get away from the hustle and bustle of wherever they originated and find themselves in the mountains. They didn’t come all of the way here just to stand in Barnes and Noble and wonder what is worth reading. They came here to explore the local bookstores with staff picks and the local eateries to discover something new about their tastebuds. You came here with the intention of letting go of what you used to know and get into the minds of people who want the same thing as you. At least, I did. I came here with an open mind and by giving it a try, I found countless treasures along the shelves and display cases of local boutiques that I never would have found otherwise.

Montana State University freshman Rachael Koss has ridden horses since she could sit up, and her love for the animals led her to pursue a degree in the equine science program in MSU’s College of Agriculture and Department of Animal and Range Sciences. Inspired by the beauty of Montana and the livestock she works with and studies, Koss created a piece of art that won the College of Agriculture’s fifth annual Science as Art contest, part of the Celebrate Agriculture event Oct. 31 through Nov. 2.

The Science as Art contest began in 2015 as a way for students within the College of Agriculture to combine scientific and creative elements of their academic and hands-on agricultural experiences. Past winners, as well as Koss’ project, can be viewed at http://agriculture.montana.edu/celebrateag/scienceasart.html.

Koss, a Michigan native, submitted a time-lapse video of her progress on a digital painting of a Santa Gertrudis bull, which took nearly 12 hours to complete. It was the first video project to win the contest. Though her studies focus on horses, Koss had reasons for selecting a breed of beef cattle as her subject matter.

“I’ve always really been taken with the King Ranch in Texas. They decided there needed to be a cow that was hearty and could withstand any climate, and they created the Santa Gertrudis, which is like the perfect breed of cattle,” Koss said.

Santa Gertrudis was created by crossing breeds native to southeast Asia and central America, and that unique background also provided Koss with inspiration.

“It shows the diversity of the United States, and also the beauty of the United States, our ability as people to withstand undesirable conditions,” she said.

Koss worked for 11 hours and 44 minutes to illustrate the image on an iPad, capturing the process with time-lapse video. The project allowed her to share her love of art while also paying homage to her new home in Montana, which she said provides further inspiration.

“When I look around at the mountains, it’s like living in a video game. It almost doesn’t look real,” Koss said. “I’m just so blessed to look out at the mountains every day and see that.” 

Koss’s video can be viewed online and will also be on display at the Celebrate Agriculture pre-game event on Saturday, Nov. 2, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. The event will take place in the Strand Union Building ballrooms and is free and open to the public. 

For a full schedule of events for the 20th annual Celebrate Agriculture weekend, visit http://agriculture.montana.edu/celebrateag/index.html.

It looks and feels like mid-winter today, with temps just starting to climb above zero, snow guns blazing, and natural snow covering Lone Peak. With 51” of total snowfall this month, Big Sky has received 237% of average snowfall, making this the third snowiest October in the past 20 years. Big Sky saw wind chill values as low as -20 this week, allowing for 80 hours of prime snowmaking conditions to build on a solid base.  Please see the below link for b-roll and photos of this week’s snow. Feel free to share on web, print, broadcast and social. And keep up the snow dances!

One day, instead of requiring a painful needle injection, vaccinating against a host of formerly fatal diseases could be as simple as swallowing a pill. But getting to that point means first gaining a better understanding of how the immune system works in the complex human gut, according to Montana State University researcher Diane Bimczok.

"There's a big gap in our understanding," said Bimczok, assistant professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology in MSU's College of Agriculture and College of Letters and Science. Studies suggest a number of ways that immune cells surrounding the wall of the gastrointestinal tract interact with what's on the inside — whether harmful bacteria or an ingested vaccine — and trigger the body's response. But much about the exact mechanisms remains unclear, she said.

That's why she's excited to be part of an interdisciplinary MSU research team that won a $3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health in September. The five-year project will explore the capabilities of a new, miniaturized way to simulate and study the gut's immune system.

"We're definitely pushing the boundaries with this technology," said associate professor of microbiology and immunology Seth Walk, who is co-leading the project with Bimczok and James Wilking, assistant professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering in MSU's Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering.

The technology is a cellphone-sized "chip" of plexiglass etched with laser-cut channels and chambers less than a millimeter wide. The chambers house spherical "organoids" engineered from human stem cells — "basically mini-guts," Bimczok explained. The channels, as well as tiny needles inserted into the organoids, allow the researchers to introduce bacteria and immune cells in a precisely controlled environment that mimics the gut's natural behavior, then observe the results.

The tool was inspired by Walk's ongoing research on microbial interactions in the human gut. Walk came up with the idea of an engineered organoid system with long-time collaborator Jason Spence of the University of Michigan. Along with MSU's Blake Wiedenheft, associate professor of microbiology and immunology, they won a grant from the Gates Foundation in 2013 to develop a working prototype. Walk then approached Wilking, a specialist in 3D printing, with the idea of developing a more sophisticated chip that could flow fluids through the organoids.

In September, Wilking and Walk published a paper with MSU chemical engineering graduate student Barkan Sidar in Lab on a Chip, a journal of The Royal Society of Chemistry, showing that the new chip could sustain controlled fluid flow through organoids for days at a time. Adding to the experimental setup for the new project, Bimczok recently developed a way of incorporating immune cells into organoids.

"Nobody has ever done this before," Wilking said. "And we think there's a lot of potential for further improving this technology (during the study funded by the new grant)."

Assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering Connie Chang, a partner on the project, will help the team harness new advances in microfluidics, in which the droplet-forming behavior of oil-infused liquid in the etched channels is used to enclose and transport tiny samples. In this case, Chang will help the team capture individual immune cells.

By examining the immune cells under powerful microscopes and analyzing their genetic material, the researchers hope to answer fundamental questions about the gut immune system: Do the immune cells work primarily by changing shape to penetrate the organ lining and probe the gut's contents? Are the biochemical cues secreted by the organ wall mainly what trigger the immune cells to turn on certain genes?

"This is a true collaboration between engineering and biology," Chang said. "Some of the most interesting problems in engineering right now are at the interface with human health."

According to microbiology and immunology department head and MUS Regents Professor Mark Jutila, the fifth member of the team, the project is part of a bigger push by the National Institutes of Health and others to find experimental tools that can more accurately predict how the human body will respond to new therapies. Traditionally, treatments are tested on animals and then cultures of human cells that are not as life-like as organoids. "I think this could be a huge advance for the field," he said.

That would open up new possibilities for developing and testing medicines that specifically target the complex immune system in the human gut. "If we understand this system at a fine level, we can design better oral vaccines," Walk said. "There's a lot of potential."

On the launch pad at White Sands Missile Range, the 10-foot section of a NASA sounding rocket housing scientific instruments designed and built by a team at Montana State University to observe explosive events in the sun’s atmosphere was encased in Styrofoam to shield it from the New Mexico sun.

Graduate student Catherine Bunn monitored the instruments’ temperature, chilling them as needed with liquid nitrogen. Fellow graduate students Roy Smart and Jacob Parker, along with Charles Kankelborg, a professor in the Department of Physics in the College of Letters and Science, made last-minute checks.

But would the rocket fly?

It was late September. The launch had originally been scheduled for Aug. 20, but a critical vibration test shook a screw loose and left a mirror out of alignment.

“They were essentially trying to rattle the payload apart and more or less succeeded,” said Kankelborg. “As much as we dread vibration tests, they are a necessary test to ensure the payload is ready for launch. It is much better to break a screw on the ground than in flight.”

So, the team shipped their camera assembly to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for repairs. They converged back at White Sands at the beginning of September and again readied for launch.

But on Sept. 24, the clock counted down to zero on the second launch attempt, the ignition key turned, and — nothing happened. An open circuit fault in the ignition system pushed the launch back yet again.

Third time was the charm, however, for the first flight of ESIS, an Extreme ultraviolet Snapshot Imaging Spectrograph built by MSU’s Space Science and Engineering Laboratory and the Marshall Space Flight Center. Its predecessor MOSES, or Multi-Order Solar Extreme ultraviolet Spectrograph, was also on board.

While the ESIS and MOSES programs represent huge potential for future development as a primary instrument on a future satellite, the sounding rocket missions are only a part of the scope of the Space Science and Engineering Laboratory’s work, according to David Klumpar, a professor of physics and director of the laboratory. The interdisciplinary laboratory was founded in 2000 and has about four active projects with launches expected in the next few years. Those include tiny satellites between 2 and 15 pounds that will end up in orbit around the Earth and giant 1000-pound instrument payloads for large balloons that reach the edge of the atmosphere. Teams for each project include both undergraduate and graduate students.

“We work proactively to have students at all levels involved in what it takes to design and build and operate hardware for research in space,” Klumpar said.

This is the third time an MSU team has worked with NASA scientists at White Sands. The previous two launches in 2006 and 2015 carried only versions of MOSES.

“We just build the instrument,” Kankelborg said before the launch. “They’re going to launch it into space and point it at the sun.”

ESIS observes the sun’s atmosphere, specifically looking for explosive events in the solar transition region at the roots of the corona. The explosive events are powered by magnetic reconnection, where magnetic fields within a plasma rearrange and discharge heat and kinetic energy. This is the same process behind solar flares — extreme and sudden energy releases Kankelborg likens to nuclear bombs, if one were to multiply their power by a “very big number.”

While the team can’t plan for solar flares, even with a so-called quiet sun, free of sunspots or visible prominences, the smaller explosive events are common. On its first launch in February 2006, the MOSES instrument detected 41 explosive events in a five-minute window, Kankelborg said. And that was also a quiet sun.

“The magnetic network is always moving around, always changing,” Kankelborg said. “As the magnetic fields move around and crash into each other, they create little explosive events. They can be Earth-sized and reasonably powerful but are not spectacular like solar flares.”

The explosive events form jets of gas that emit light. Studying the images from a spectrograph frame by frame allows the team to measure the velocity of that gas through shifts in the light’s wavelength.

With the gathered data, the team will seek insights into how the sun stores and releases energy through magnetic reconnection. Large energy releases on the sun can hurl clouds of magnetized plasma into space. When that plasma nears Earth, it causes some beautiful phenomena, such as the northern lights. However, it could also expose flight crews to radiation or interrupt satellite signals.     

For the Sept. 30 launch, ESIS and MOSES were a roughly 600-pound payload on the NASA sounding rocket, which was otherwise loaded with equipment to control its trajectory, aim the instruments at the sun and bring the rocket safely back to Earth. Sounding rockets are suborbital rockets that carry instruments into outer space for scientific research but do not go fast or high enough to orbit the Earth.

That’s not to say they’re slow. Unlike rockets carrying people, the sounding rockets launch at incredible speeds, producing G-forces that would be dangerous to humans. The rocket’s engines carried the instruments 164 miles above the surface of the Earth on the 15-minute flight, creating about 12 Gs of force off the launch pad. After the rockets burnt out and separated from the payload, a door opened at the end of the experiment for the five-minute data collection window.

To ready for the launch, grad student Parker focused on optics, testing the alignment and focus of ESIS and MOSES over and over. Smart was focused on the software and data collection. He designed a powerful neural network to take the data from the 2-D detectors and process it into 3-D images.

The debut of ESIS looks to be a success in terms of sun data collection, Kankelborg said. Initial images from MOSES didn’t show solar features, a possible indicator of shutter failure, but what it did capture revealed something unexpected. High energy electrons above Earth's atmosphere passed easily through the aluminum skin of the experiment section to the MOSES cameras, leaving bright spots and tracks on the otherwise dark images.

“High energy electrons like that are normally associated with the Van Allen radiation belts,” Kankelborg said. “They are commonly detected in sounding rocket launches from Alaska or other high latitude locations. It is exceedingly rare to observe them as far south as New Mexico.”

Two of MSU’s Space Science and Engineering Laboratory satellites in orbit since early 2015 collect data on these high energy electrons from an altitude about 150 miles above MOSES. According to Klumpar, these satellites may have serendipitously been in position to directly measure the electrons that caused the tracks to appear on the MOSES camera images.

Much of how the sun works remains a mystery, Smart explained, but the local star has long been a source of advancement in physics.

“It’s an awesome laboratory within our view,” he said.

Montana State University has launched a planning initiative that will involve Montana tribes in a "true equitable partnership" during every step of research that involves Native entities.

The university began the collaboration recently during the inaugural MSU Tribal Partnership planning meeting held at MSU. More than 100 tribal representatives and university administrators, faculty, staff and students involved in research, education and outreach attended. MSU officials said they believe the effort to involve tribal representatives at every step and build a truly equitable partnership may be "game-changing" when it comes to procedures for how research is conducted within tribal nations.

"The meeting was really historic," said Walter Fleming, director of MSU's Department of Native American Studies.

Fleming explained that, very often, researchers, many of whom may be well-meaning, plan projects that involve Montana tribal members without asking for the tribe's permission or seeking their feedback. After the research is finished, the tribes may not receive the results, much less integrate those findings to improve lives in the community. As a result, tribes often mistrust researchers, he said.


Fleming said that even in projects that are based on a community-based participatory model, which seeks the input of communities that are being studied, the partnership between tribe and academic researcher can be imbalanced.

However, MSU is working to involve tribes from the beginning and strive for more balanced partnerships.

"It's going to be a gamechanger," Fleming said.

Fleming said tribal representatives at the meeting recommended several changes. First, they said that members of the tribal communities need to be co-principal investigators, or co-PIs, from the beginning of a research proposal. Also, resources, including funding, need to be shared.

"There needs to be a true partnership, and we think that's going to be a major improvement to business as usual," Fleming said. "(MSU has) great programs and "(is)doing great things. However, our mission is to do even better."

The MSU Tribal Partnership planning meeting was facilitated by Loren BirdRattler, a member of the Blackfeet Nation who was recently appointed Katz Endowed Chair in Native American Studies at MSU. His mandate in the professorship is to lead the tribal partnership initiative statewide and nationally.

BirdRattler led a community developed planning effort that created the first in-house tribal Agriculture Resource Management Plan in the country for the Blackfeet Nation. He has more than 20 years of public and private sector experience in organizational development, strategic planning, policy development, project management and civic engagement, much of it at the national level. Last year, BirdRattler addressed the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues about the Blackfeet ARMP, a presentation that was so successful he was invited to return to address the General Assembly.

BirdRattler said that about $25 million of MSU's annual research dollars come from Native-based projects. An equitable relationship between university and tribal communities has the possibility of "raising everyone up," both Native communities and MSU, he said.

At the meeting, several of MSU's Native partners spoke about their work and advised the group about what they felt was important in building tribal/academic relationships. They included Emily Salois, INBRE community research associate, of the Blackfeet Tribe; Alma McCormick, Apsaalooke, executive director of the Messengers for Health program; and Jill Falcon Mackin, an MSU doctoral student in history who is from the Anishinaabe: Ojibwa, or Chippewa, tribe. After those presentations, participants at the meeting broke into groups to discuss examples of MSU research that includes positive tribal partnership as well as how to build on those models in future research.

BirdRattler said the next step in the process will be to share information gathered from the meeting with all participants and then create an advisory group to continue the work.

"I think we made great progress in getting faculty to the table to listen to what meaningful partnerships look like from tribal partners and their perspective," BirdRattler said. "I think we also were successful in getting interested faculty members to share their ideas on the same topic as well."

President Waded Cruzado told the group that increasing mutually beneficial collaborations with tribal nations and partners was a goal expressed in MSU's new strategic plan, Choosing Promise.

"MSU puts tremendous importance on our partnerships with tribal nations," Cruzado said. "So, when we wrote MSU's new strategic plan, we carefully considered where we as an institution wanted to go."

Fleming said he is optimistic that MSU can be a national leader in fashioning this new approach.

"I think we can communicate to our tribal partners that this is our mission as a land-grant institution and that our commitment is committing the university as a whole," Fleming said.

Montana’s general hunting season for deer and elk began Saturday, with lower-than-average hunter participation and success in most areas of southwest Montana due to challenging weather and travel conditions. 

Wildlife biologists with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks operated seven check stations in Region 3 over the weekend, checking 2,657 hunters. Biologists use check stations to collect data on hunter participation and success, as well as the species, sex and age class of the animals harvested. This supplements data collected through hunter harvest phone surveys. 

All stations saw slightly fewer hunters than the running five-year average for opening weekend, except for Cameron, which checked close to 600 hunters — about 40 hunters above average — between Saturday and Sunday. Overall, hunter success was below average, ranging from 5.3 percent at the Mill Creek check station to 9 percent at the Townsend check station. 

These figures do not account for different hunting season regulations over the years, which have varied from liberal to restrictive for elk and mule deer, depending on population status. 

In total, biologists checked 15 white-tailed deer, 35 mule deer and 130 elk in the region. Elk harvest was below average at each station, except for Mill Creek. Mule deer harvest was below average at each station except for stations at Townsend and Canyon Ferry. White-tailed deer harvest was above average at the Cameron check station, average at the Canyon Ferry check station and below average elsewhere. 

“Typically, hunter harvest success is improved by additional snow and winter-like conditions during the hunting season,” said Howard Burt, FWP’s Region 3 wildlife manager in Bozeman. “This could bode well for hunter opportunity and success if these conditions continue.” 

A Montana State University economics professor known for his research on domestic and international agricultural trade policy is featured on a new Netflix documentary series, “Rotten,” which explores environmental and equity issues associated with food production and the politics of food policy.

Vincent Smith, co-director of the MSU Initiative for Regulation and Applied Economic Analysis in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics in the College of Agriculture and College of Letters and Science, is interviewed in “A Sweet Deal,” the fourth episode of the series’ second season. The episode, which premiered earlier this month, examines the sugar cane industry in Florida and the Dominican Republic.

On average, U.S. sugar prices are about twice as high as global prices due to federal limits on imports and domestic production, according to academic research presented in the episode.

“The stakes associated with ensuring the sugar program continues are high for producers, especially in the concentrated sugar cane industry in Florida, and leads major processing companies to actively seek support from state and federal policy makers,” Smith said.

But sugar subsidies are costly for workers, consumers and taxpayers, he said.

“In the United States, fewer than 4,500 farm businesses produce sugar,” said Smith. “Yet, a broad range of studies consistently finds that on average the U.S. sugar program costs taxpayers between $3 and $4 billion annually in subsidies.”

Smith said producers contacted him to be featured in the episode based on his work on a two-volume book, “Agricultural Policy in Disarray,” published in 2018. He has presented research from that book during briefings of more than 200 congressional delegations on the structure and impact of the U.S. sugar program. Smith’s interview took place in New York City in late January, and he appears in several segments throughout the episode, which is available for online streaming.

“Rotten,” which premiered in 2018, was created by Zero Point Zero Production, the company behind the travel and food shows “Parts Unknown” and “No Reservations.” It examines the ins and outs of the world’s food supply chain to reveal hidden forces that shape what we eat, according to the series synopsis.

Bozeman, MT — Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is investigating a grizzly bear mortality after a hunter reportedly shot the bear in self-defense. The incident happened Saturday afternoon in Eureka Basin in the south Gravelly Mountains. The hunter, who was uninjured, reported the incident to FWP that day. Further details are unavailable as the investigation is ongoing. FWP and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service are also investigating two other human-caused grizzly bear mortalities that happened last week in the West Yellowstone area. The interagency investigation is still ongoing, and details of those incidents will be released as they become available. 

Bear activity during fall hunting season 
FWP reminds all recreationists that bears are still active, and precautions should still be taken when hunting and recreating in bear country. Many black and grizzly bears will remain active during Montana’s general deer and elk hunting season, which began Oct. 26 and lasts through Dec. 1. Hunters and other recreationists should continue practicing situational awareness and be prepared for a bear encounter. 

Grizzly bear distributions have expanded to and become denser in areas in western and central Montana where they haven’t been in recent decades. Bears can remain active—even at low elevations—through December, and some grizzlies will even roam around for brief periods anytime during the winter. 

The fall hunting season also coincides with when bears are actively seeking protein- and calorie-rich foods in final preparation for hibernation. Certain hunter behaviors can increase the likelihood of encountering bears, such as elk bugling, wearing cover scents, processing animal carcasses and moving quietly in the field. 

Most bear attacks on humans happen in surprise close encounters and usually in timber or brush. As bears get closer to denning, they become lethargic and sleep more each day before they finally go to their dens. Sleeping bears can easily be approached at potentially dangerous distances. So be alert to your surroundings. 

Hunting safely in bear country 
In addition, black bear hunters need to be sure of the species they are hunting. Black bear hunters in Montana are required to pass a bear identification test, which is intended to prevent grizzly bear mortality as a result of mistaken identity. 

Proactive preparation can help hunters avoid negative encounters with grizzly and black bears. Avoid hunting alone whenever possible. Hunting with a partner has helped in both ending bear attacks and getting medical attention. If you must hunt by yourself, give someone details of your hunt plan and check in periodically with them. 

Carry bear spray and be prepared to use it at a moment’s notice. Bear spray has proven to be a valuable deterrent tool in surprise close encounters.  

Pay attention to fresh bear sign. Look for bear tracks, scat and concentrations of natural foods. Use caution when hunting in areas that have evidence of bear activity or areas with scavenging birds. Animal carcasses can attract bears, so avoid them. Follow U.S. Forest Service food storage regulations. 

If you harvest an animal during your hunt, get it home as quickly as possible. Some grizzly bears may move in the direction of gunshots because they have learned to associate hunting activities with a gut pile or animal carcass.  

If you need to make multiple trips to pack out your animal, leave the carcass in a place away from the gut pile where you can observe it from a distance of at least 200 yards, if possible, and cover it with a tarp. As you return, look for bear activity at the site. Then make noise while slowly approaching the carcass. If a bear is at the site, do not attempt to scare it away if it doesn’t leave when it becomes aware of you. Leave the area and contact FWP.  

If you are attacked by a bear, use your bear spray. Don’t run. Lie face-down, covering your neck and head with your hands and arms until the bear is gone. You shouldn’t play dead if you encounter an intent, calm or curious bear.  

For more information on avoiding negative encounters with bears, visit fwp.mt.gov or igbconline.org.