Sampling services available in southeastern Montana

MILES CITY – Chronic wasting disease (CWD) was recently detected in a mule deer buck that was euthanized within Baker city limits by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials on Oct. 27.

FWP officials collected the deer after residents reported the buck was acting lethargic and was visibly emaciated and had droopy ears, which are classic symptoms of the disease. 

Earlier this week the initial test came back positive for CWD and the results of the second, confirmation test should be available next week.

“We are awaiting a second test to confirm the positive, but given that the animal was symptomatic and we are in the middle of hunting season, we wanted to get the information out to the public as quickly as possible,” said Baker-area wildlife biologist Melissa Foster.

CWD is a progressive, fatal neurological disease that infects members of the deer family, such as mule and white-tailed deer, elk and moose. Animals may be infected and contagious for a very long time, sometimes two years or longer, before symptoms appear. An animal can appear perfectly healthy and still be infected; that’s why testing is so important.

There is no known transmission of CWD to humans. However, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that hunters harvesting a deer, elk or moose from an area where CWD is known to be present have their animal tested for CWD prior to consuming the meat, and to not consume the meat if the animal tests positive. Remember that dumping carcasses is illegal. Carcasses, including the head and spinal column, should be either left at the place of harvest or disposed of in a class II landfill after butchering and processing to prevent spreading CWD and other diseases.

CWD exists in the wild in several places in the state, including northwest Montana, along the highline, southcentral Montana and southwest Montana. FWP has conducted CWD surveillance and monitoring efforts around the state since 2017, including this year.

CWD has been found in Region 7 previously. This season, southeast Montana’s Hunting Districts 700 and 703 are within the Priority Surveillance Areas for CWD sampling, but hunters harvesting an animal in any area can seek sampling services.

In southeast Montana, hunters can have their deer, elk or moose tested at the regional office in Miles City during normal business hours or at the check station in Hysham, which is being operated on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays from 9 a.m. to dark throughout the remainder of the hunting season. Hunters are also encouraged to submit their own samples. Information on sample collection, the submission form, and ways to submit their samples can be found on FWP’s website at fwp.mt.gov under Chronic Wasting Disease Management.

For more information about CWD in Montana including maps where CWD has been found, maps of surveillance areas and information on getting an animal tested, visit fwp.mt.gov/cwd.

BOZEMAN — Montana State University Extension has three new, free publications available about weeds and pests in Montana.

“Narrowleaf Hawksbeard: Identification, Biology and Integrated Management” is a four-page MontGuide, or factsheet, written by Shelley Mills, Jane Mangold and Tim Seipel. The authors note this adaptable and difficult-to-control weed is present in northcentral and northeastern Montana, northwestern North Dakota and in parts of Canada. It can be a problem in reduced and no-till fields, rangeland, land in the Conservation Reserve Program, along roadsides and in other disturbed areas. Narrowleaf hawksbeard can reduce crop yields and forage quality due to competition and low palatability.

“Scotch Broom: Identification, Biology and Integrated Management” is an eight-page MontGuide by Noelle Orloff and Mangold. Scotch broom is a shrub on Montana’s noxious weed list. It can be recognized by its bright yellow flowers, clover-like leaves and green, woody stems. Scotch broom is found in disturbed sites, pastures, roadsides and open woods. Control is difficult once this species becomes established, with repeated treatments often required. Scotch broom currently has limited distribution in Montana, so prevention and early detection are key to its management, the authors say.

“Codling Moth Management in Commercial Apple and Pear Orchards” is a 32-page, full-color booklet which describes the codling moth, an insect pest of apple, pear, quince and walnut. The booklet includes models for monitoring of codling moths and multiple conventional and organic management methods and products for commercial apple and pear growers. The booklet was written by Rebecca Richter, Rachel Leisso, Katrina Mendrey and Zach Miller. Printed copies of the booklet are limited to one per person.

These publications are available for download or in print from store.msuextension.org or by calling the MSU Extension Distribution Center at 406-994-3273.

MSU Extension provides Montana citizens with unbiased, research-based education and information to strengthen the social, economic and environmental well-being of individuals, families and communities. More information is available at msuextension.org/.

On Saturday, November 13th, Montana Science Center will host local professionals in science and technology careers with the Women in STEM event. Montana Science Center supports diversity and equity in STEM Careers through hands-on experiences in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). Montana Science Center frequently holds a Women in STEM Series, celebrating international days of recognition for women in STEM careers. Each of these celebrations features interactive activities for families with children of all ages.

MSC’s Women in STEM Series focuses on local women in our community who are students, undergraduate and graduate, at Montana State University, professionals, or retirees. These women are building careers in a STEM field. The Series event also features women who are part of the Science Center’s Women in STEM Advisory Group. The guest presenters at Women in STEM share their field of study through interactive, hands-on activities that relate to their careers. This event’s group includes Montana PBS, a volcanologist, an ecology and conservation biologist and an environmental engineer. “We look forward to partnering with women in STEM careers in our community because it encourages visitors of all ages to consider career paths that they might have not considered before. Additionally, visitors of all ages can see women in non-traditional career paths. Many children are curious about how real world problems are solved by professionals in our community, and the Women in STEM Series invites visitors to learn something new about companies, industries and available careers in our community,” says Executive Director, Abby Turner.

The public is invited to this event, which will be held at the Montana Science Center at 2744 W. Main St. from 10am to 1pm on Saturday. The event is free with admission and included with a family membership. All questions can be directed to Emma Papasian, program coordinator for the Montana Science Center.

Gallatin Valley Mall has been closed the last five years on Thanksgiving; a decision that will be repeated this year after receiving overwhelming support from retailers and customers. The mall will be open 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM on Black Friday, with select retailers opening at 6:00 AM.

Gallatin Valley Mall Assistant Mall Manager, Erin Brester, states: “It has always been our priority to allow for our retailers, both national and local, to determine what works best for their employees and customers concerning Thanksgiving shopping hours. We’re pleased to give this day back to our employees and their families”.

Gallatin Valley Mall’s business hours will continue to be 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM Monday through Saturday and 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM Sundays. Beginning Monday, November 22, select retailers will open as early as 10AM and close as late as 8PM Monday – Saturday and 6PM Sundays. Individual store hours may vary and can be found at gallatinvalleymall.com, or just call first!

The Bozeman Symphonic Choir will present Elements of Life, a celebration of choral music that highlights faith, music, love, and living, in works by Z. Randall Stroope, Bruckner, Pärt, Whitacre, Bernstein, and Andrea Ramsey. This introspective program features comforting harmonies, like those found in Bernstein's Psalm 23 from his Chichester Psalms as well as Stroope’s Os Justi (The Mouth of the Righteous). This transcendent collection of pieces will be on display in the beautiful acoustic setting of Holy Rosary Church in Bozeman.

When Bozeman Symphonic Choir Conductor Jon Harney set out to program this performance, three over-arching themes emerged: faith, music, and love/living, and thus the title of this program, Elements of Life.

“These themes, that have become even more relevant throughout our pandemic-challenged lives, will be shared in this concert that we hope will leave you inspired and hopeful,” said Harney.

Due to the pandemic, the Bozeman Symphonic Choir last performed at the 2019 December Holiday concert during the Bozeman Symphony’s Music Director Search season when current Music Director Norman Huynh conducted for the first time in Bozeman.

“It's been nearly two years since the Bozeman Symphonic Choir last performed for you, and so we are delighted to bring live choral music to Bozeman audiences again,” said Harney.

Additionally, the choir will join the Bozeman Symphony Orchestra for two performances during the 2021/22 season, including the first Bozeman Symphony Presents series concert, Holiday Spectacular, on December 11th and 12th, and for the final classical series concert of the season, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, on May 21st and 22nd.

Elements of Life performances will be held in person on Friday, November 12th at 7:00 PM and Sunday, November 14th at 3:00 PM, at Holy Rosary Church (220 West Main Street, downtown Bozeman). The Symphony wishes to thank Michael and Sharon Beehler for sponsoring this performance.

Ticketing: All tickets are general admission for $27 and are available for purchase online at bozemansymphony.org or by phone at 406-585-9774. Tickets at the door based on availability. Please contact the Bozeman Symphony at 406-585-9774 or info@bozemansymphony.org with questions you have regarding performance, ticket sales, venue, seating information, and COVID-19 safety protocols.

Jon Harney, Bozeman Symphonic Choir Conductor - Jon Harney is an associate professor of music at MSU where he teaches voice and choir. He received his Bachelor of Music degree in music education from Luther College, Decorah, Iowa, where he studied under Weston Noble, and Masters and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in vocal performance from the University of Minnesota where he studied with Clifton Ware. As a tenor soloist, he has sung more than twenty-five principal and supporting roles in opera, operetta, and major works with orchestra and chorus. While active with the University of Minnesota opera theater, he appeared as The Sailor in Dido and Aeneas, Fenton in Falstaff, Nemorino in The Elixir of Love, Don José in Carmen, Ferrando in Cosi fan tutte and Junki in the US premier of Rautavaara's Aleksis Kivi. Other roles in the midwest included Dr. Caius in Falstaff and Basilio in Le Nozze di Figaro with the Pine Mountain Music Festival, Fenton in The Merry Wives of Windsor with Dorian Opera Theatre and Frederick in a touring production of The Pirates of Penzance with the Madison-based Opera for the Young. He earned an honorable mention award in the 1998 Minnesota District Metropolitan Opera Auditions. Performances in Montana have included the roles of Edmondo in Manon Lescaut and Remendado in Carmen with the Intermountain Opera as well as Bach's Magnificat and Handel's Messiah with the Bozeman Symphony, Mozart's Vespers with the Butte Symphony and Mozart's Requiem with the Great Falls Symphony. Full biography, HERE.

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BOZEMAN -- A Montana State University professor’s book on the history and science of wheat has been named to the longlist for a national award.

“Amber Waves: The Extraordinary Biography of Wheat, from Wild Grass to World Megacrop,” written by Catherine Zabinski, has been included in the 2022 AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books in the Young Adult Science Book category.

The prize celebrates outstanding science writing and illustration for children and young adults and is meant to encourage the writing and publishing of high-quality science books for all ages. Some criteria finalists had to meet include having the ability to engage young adult readers in all aspects of science; encourage the discussion and understanding of scientific ideas; enable high school readers to view science and technology thoughtfully; and more. Finalists for the 2022 prize will be announced in November. The winners will be announced in January 2022.

The book, Zabinski’s first, was published in September 2020. The professor in the Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences in MSU’s College of Agriculture said she wrote the book to tell the story of how humans have altered the evolution of wheat for people who don’t necessarily have a science background.

The longlist titles in the 2022 Young Adult Science Book category are: 

• “Amber Waves: The Extraordinary Biography of Wheat, from Wild Grass to World Megacrop,” by Catherine Zabinski. The University of Chicago Press, 2020.
• “Chemistry for Breakfast: The Amazing Science of Everyday Life,” by Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim. Illustrated by Claire Lenkova. Translated by Sarah Pybus. Greystone Books, 2021.
• “Genesis: The Story of How Everything Began,” by Guido Tonelli. Translated by Erica Segre and Simon Carnell. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2021.
• “Great Adaptations: Star-Nosed Moles, Electric Eels, and Other Tales of Evolution’s Mysteries Solved,” by Kenneth Catania. Princeton University Press, 2020.
• “How to Make a Vaccine: An Essential Guide for COVID-19 and Beyond,” by John Rhodes. The University of Chicago Press, 2021.
• “The Loneliest Polar Bear: A True Story of Survival and Peril on the Edge of a Warming World,” by Kale Williams. Crown, 2021. 
• “Ms. Adventure: My Wild Explorations in Science, Lava, and Life,” by Jess Phoenix. Timber Press, 2021.
• “Pipe Dreams: The Urgent Global Quest to Transform the Toilet,” by Chelsea Wald. Avid Reader Press, 2021.
• “A Series of Fortunate Events: Chance and the Making of the Planet, Life, and You,” by Sean B. Carroll. Princeton University Press, 2020.

In August, the Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted several changes to the 2021/2022 wolf hunting and trapping regulations.

Changes include eliminating quotas, increasing the number of wolf trapping and hunting licenses allowed for individual hunters, extending wolf trapping seasons and the allowance of snares to harvest wolves.

The changes also specified that hunters are allowed to purchase and possess 10 wolf hunting licenses – a separate license for each wolf they harvest – and trappers are allowed a bag limit of 10 wolves. This means an individual who hunts and traps can take a total of 20 wolves in a license year.

The regulations initially said hunters and trappers could take 10 wolves total. The regulations will be corrected to align with the intent of the commission.

“We want to make this clarification so hunters, trappers and members of the public are clear about the wolf regulations for this hunting and trapping season,” said FWP Director, Hank Worsech.

For more information on hunting and trapping wolves in Montana, visit fwp.mt.gov. To view the current wolf harvest status, visit the online harvest page.