In recent years, the effect of trauma on students’ educations has become more widely recognized, but Montana State University researcher Christine Stanton says an important question remains: How can education research help when education itself is traumatic for many students?

Stanton, an associate professor in the Department of Education, and Robert Petrone, a former MSU faculty member who is now an associate professor at the University of Missouri, have published an article in a prominent academic journal exploring the question. “From Producing to Reducing Trauma: A Call for ‘Trauma-Informed’ Research(ers) to Interrogate How Schools Harm Students” was published in May in Educational Researcher. Petrone is the article’s lead author.

“Trauma-informed education is really a bit of a hot topic right now,” Stanton said. “The essence of it is recognizing that some students – many students, maybe – have experienced trauma in their own lives. Because of that trauma, they are unable to learn as effectively or they might act out in certain ways.”

However, trauma is often regarded as something that has happened outside the schools, Stanton said, neglecting that schools themselves sometimes produce trauma.

“What we don’t necessarily see is the opportunity for educators and educational researchers to recognize the very complex ways that we continue to reinforce – and sometimes produce in new ways – trauma,” Stanton said. “The piece talks about historical trauma as a way to think this through.”

One example of historical trauma is the school experiences of Indigenous youth in the U.S.

“From the mid-1800s to the 1970s, officials removed Indigenous children from their families and sent them to boarding schools, where their hair was cut, their clothes replaced, and their language forbidden — all in the service of their being ‘civilized,’” Stanton and Petrone write. “In addition to the sexual assault and physical abuse that Native youth endured at these schools and later imported to their home communities, the lasting effects of the boarding school era includes endangerment of language, loss of knowledge systems, and a fracturing of family, cultural practices, and overall cultural identity.”

Another example comes from Stanton’s own work as a high school teacher, when she worked with Native students on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. During her time there, she learned some Native parents felt uncomfortable coming to the school for parent-teacher conferences because, she said, school had not been a good, comfortable place for them, their parents or grandparents. As a result, some chose not to attend conferences.

“The assumption, then, is they don’t want to be involved in child’s education, but that is far from true,” Stanton said. “Once we moved our parent-teacher conferences to a different site on the reservation, we had a very different response rate.”

In addition, Indigenous histories can sometimes be excluded in curriculum materials, Stanton said, making some Native students feel more invisible in the classroom and leading them to have to deal with misconceptions.

“The reality is, many of our students, especially students of color and from minoritized communities, are not bringing with them individual traumatic experiences,” Stanton added. “They’re bringing collective traumatic experiences – trauma experienced by whole communities – and bringing historical, intergenerational trauma as well.”

To address what Stanton and Petrone see as a gap in current trauma-informed education, they suggest in their article ways for schools and universities to play a role in addressing the role of schools in producing trauma, especially in terms of educational research.

“We’re arguing for a more participatory, community-based and student-centered framework that recognizes the complexities of the social environments and the historical nature of trauma,” Stanton said. “To do that, we acknowledge that many researchers, ourselves included, have not experienced the same type of trauma that maybe our students have experienced.”

One way to modify educational research is focusing on the research setting, they wrote. Educational researchers will often invite parents to come to a school and have a conversation or take a survey, or they may mail a survey to prospective research participants. Those common practices, however, miss the complexities of historical trauma, Stanton said.

“Families may not be comfortable in the school setting, and a lot of families on reservations don’t have mailing addresses,” Stanton said. “They would never get the survey, and they might not want to fill something out and send it to a white researcher they don’t know, given the history of how white people have collected and misused data about education.”

A more culturally appropriate alternative, Stanton said, would be conducting interviews at a community center.

Stanton and Petrone also advocate for more community-based participatory research —that is, research done in partnership with the community. 

“A community-based approach to trauma-based educational research positions the community as an asset – a potential source of knowledge and healing filled with networks of support,” Petrone said.

“It’s important to draw attention to the fact that schools are not neutral or inherently ‘safe’ places for many students,” he added. “For us, this has to be the starting point for any intervention for school reform, especially those understood as ‘trauma-informed.’ It may not be comfortable to sit with this, but it’s imperative we acknowledge that schools have been – and for some students continue to be – harmful places, and then inquire into how to mitigate this harm rather than assume schools are safe places of refuge for some students.”

“From Producing to Reducing Trauma” grew out of Stanton and Petrone’s previous work with Indigenous communities.

Stanton, who came to MSU in 2010, conducts research in collaboration with Indigenous communities throughout the state. Those projects – more than half a dozen since coming to MSU – have been driven by requests from the communities, she noted.

As MSU colleagues, she and Petrone also frequently worked together in collaboration with Indigenous communities. One particularly transformative experience occurred several years ago, when several students, teachers and a counselor from an alternative high school on a Native American reservation in Montana visited the MSU campus, Stanton said. During their visit, the high school students met with MSU students who were studying to become English and social studies teachers.

“During that experience, we were all sitting in a big circle in a classroom in Reid Hall, and the three young men from the alternative high school that came to visit were so open and candid about their individual and collective experiences with trauma,” Stanton recalled. “It just blew the minds of the MSU students, almost all of whom identified as non-Indigenous. Every jaw hit the floor. It proved to be transformative not only for the (MSU) students, but also for Rob and me, and most importantly, for the high school students, some of whom went on to college themselves.

“(Rob) and I … have continued to work with (that particular community),” Stanton said. “So that ongoing 10-plus years of partnering with that community and a continued promise to continue that work is central to being able to learn about these particular experiences and that led to this particular piece.”

Alison Harmon, dean of the MSU College of Education, Health and Human Development, said the article has the potential to transform educators’ and researchers’ understanding of trauma-informed teaching.

“Schools should be safe places for children and youth to learn,” Harmon said. “Educators who understand the impact of individual and intergenerational trauma can make a difference for their students and families, improve schools, and advance the profession of education.”

Stanton noted that she and Petrone hope the article will help encourage and empower educators and educational researchers to make changes in their work.

“We can’t control what happens in their home, or the history, or the intergenerational experience that they bring with them,” Stanton said. “But we can certainly control what we do as educators in our classrooms, schools, universities and systems. Finding a way to address trauma within our own professions is really the optimistic outlook of the piece.”

OVANDO – On the morning of July 6, the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ Wildlife Human Attack Response Team responded to a fatal bear attack in Ovando.

The incident happened early Tuesday morning.

FWP biologists, conflict specialists and game wardens are on the scene and searching for the bear.

A video camera from a local business caught footage of a grizzly bear Monday night, and a bear also got into a chicken coop.  

Grizzly bears are common in the Blackfoot Valley where Ovando is located.

More details on the incident will be released as they are available.

UPDATE 7/7/21:

FWP keeps traps in Ovando area, more details released

OVANDO – After two days of searching by helicopter and on the ground, the grizzly bear that killed a woman Tuesday morning has not been found. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks bear specialists and wardens are continuing to monitor culvert traps set in the area.

The search even included the use of infrared technology from Two Bear Air Rescue out of Kalispell, but efforts to find the bear are now focusing on traps near Ovando.

Details surrounding the circumstances of the attack indicate the bear entered town Monday morning and came to an area near the post office at about 3 a.m., where the victim was sleeping in a tent. Another couple in her party were sleeping in a tent nearby.

The bear initially woke the campers but then ran away. The three campers removed food from their tents, secured it, and went back to bed.

The bear was captured by a video camera at a business less than a block away at about 3:15 a.m.

At about 3:30 a.m. the two people in the tent adjacent to the victim were awakened by sounds of the attack. They exited the tent and sprayed the bear with bear spray. It has not been seen since.

The bear pulled the victim from the tent during the fatal attack.

At some point during the night the bear also got into a chicken coop in town, killing and eating several chickens.

While the initial search for the bear was unsuccessful, FWP wardens and bear specialists will continue to monitor the area closely.

“At this point, our best chance for catching this bear will be culvert traps set in the area near the chicken coop where the bear killed and ate several chickens,” said Randy Arnold, FWP regional supervisor in Missoula.

FWP bear experts believe the bear was an approximately 400-pound male, judging by behavior and footprints. DNA from the bear was collected at the scene of the attack and will be analyzed. Should a bear be caught in a trap, DNA can quickly be compared to the DNA already collected to determine if it is the same animal.

Anyone who spots a grizzly bear near Ovando should call the FWP Missoula office at 542-5500.

7/9/21 Officials kill grizzly bear near Ovando

OVANDO – Wildlife officials shot and killed a grizzly bear early Friday morning less than two miles from Ovando, where a woman was killed in a grizzly bear attack early Tuesday morning.

The bear was killed at the scene of a second chicken coop raid that was very similar in nature to the one that happened in Ovando the night of the fatal attack.

Given the proximity to Tuesday’s attack, the evidence found at the scenes and the fact another chicken coop was raided, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials believe this is the same bear but confirming DNA analysis will take a few days.

The second chicken coop raid occurred Wednesday night, about 48 hours after the attack in Ovando. FWP specialists set a trap at the second coop on Thursday and USDA Wildlife Services specialists were monitoring the trap Thursday night when the bear approached and was shot. Wildlife Services specialists were assisting at the request of FWP officials, anticipating the bear would return to the coop. They used night vision technology to aid in shooting the bear.

DNA samples from the bear will be compared to samples taken from the scene of the fatal attack Tuesday to determine if this was the same bear. In the meantime, FWP staff will remain vigilant and keep at least one trap set near the first chicken coop on the outskirts of Ovando.

If people see a bear in the area of Ovando, please call FWP at 542-5500.

8/4/21 Update: Wildlife officials, Blackfoot community work together on fatal bear attack details and next steps

OVANDO – Wildlife officials and the local Blackfoot Valley community are working together to wrap up details of the July 6 fatal grizzly bear attack of a camper in Ovando.

Soon the information will be sent on to the Board of Review, a group of wildlife staff from federal and state agencies assembled to look at the details of all human-bear attacks and record them in a final report. The board will release its final report, containing all details of this Ovando case sometime later this year.

On July 14, DNA results confirmed that the bear killed by wildlife officials was the same bear that fatally attacked Leah Davis Lokan in her tent in the early morning hours of July 6. DNA samples from the bear, saliva samples at the scene of the attack and samples from two chicken coops in the area that the bear raided all matched up.

The tragic event brought community members and wildlife officials together to respond, collect information and discuss next steps.

On July 4, 2021, at approximately 10:15 pm, the Bozeman Police Department responded to the Bozeman Pond walking trail in the 600 block of South Fowler Avenue for the report of two adults who had been shot.

Officers located two gunshot victims who were being cared for by nearby residents and were told the suspect had fled the area. Both victims were transported to an area hospital for emergency care and are expected to survive.

With the assistance of the Montana State University Police Department, Montana Highway Patrol and the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office an exhaustive search of the area was conducted although the suspect has not been located.

The suspect is described as having a slender build, wearing a dark gray hooded sweatshirt, black mask covering their nose and mouth and approximately 5-09 to 6-00 feet tall. It is unknown at this time if the suspect is male or female.

No other persons were injured as a result of the shooting. This matter remains under investigation and anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact Detective Quinn Ellingson at 406-582-2956 (qellingson@bozeman.net) or email crimetips@bozeman.net.

Persons with information that help solve this crime may remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward. The Bozeman Police Department thanks the local residents for assisting the victims and encourages all residents to promptly report suspicious activity to 911 or to the police department’s non-emergency line at 406-582-2000.

 Gallatin College Montana State University is offering a job-preparedness training program for those interested in a career in the high-demand field of construction.

The Job Site Ready Construction Training Program is available as noncredit workforce training, pre-apprenticeship hours or a Montana University System credit option. The program is designed to equip participants in a short amount of time with real-life work experience and the essential skills to start an entry-level job in the construction trades. Participants will learn skills such as power and hand tool use and maintenance; construction materials; workplace safety; industrial practices; basic print reading; basic framing and concrete work. The JSR program is a statewide collaboration between Gallatin College, Great Falls College, Missoula College, Billings City College at MSU, Bitterroot College and Hellgate High School.

“The idea is to give students the basic tools to go into an apprenticeship program with a head start over someone else without this training,” said Frank Harriman, construction trades adviser and instructor for the program. “We want to provide them with exposure to the field and give them the confidence they can do the jobs they are asked. We feel once they are exposed to this industry, they can see why a lot of us find it fun and a likable job.”

The program is open to interested individuals age 16 and older statewide, especially high school students considering their next move, individuals who are looking for a new skillset or career change and the potential to earn more income. According to program leaders, JSR will give participants the equivalent of six months of job site training in just a few days. They say participants will leave the program feeling confident in their skills, understanding how to work onsite safely and highly marketable for an industry that has a strong need for employees.

“We already have companies that have contacted us regarding access to students who participate in this program,” Harriman said.

The program consists of 30 hours of online modules and 15 hours of onsite hands-on workshop. The modules let students work at their own pace and cover construction topics as well as workplace development. Participants must complete the online portion with a 70% or higher pass rate before they can qualify for the onsite workshop. Interested individuals are encouraged to register by July 7 in order to have ample time to complete the online portion, as the workshop will take place July 17 and 18 at Gallatin College’s campus, 705 Osterman Drive in Bozeman. Current industry professionals, such as Harriman, have built the program’s curriculum and serve as instructors.

Participants will build a tool shed that has the basic framing of a house. Harriman said participants will do everything, including framing floors, walls, windows and doors; installing windows and doors; building the roof and mounting siding.

Graduates of the program could work in a variety of construction fields, such as carpentry, plumbing, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration and more. Harriman and Riley Duecker, a consultant for Gallatin College’s new HVAC-R program, will lead the onsite lab.

“Riley and I spent a lot of time in the field, boots on the ground, so we have a good idea of what an employer is looking for,” Harriman said. “If you look through the program modules, they aren’t just construction but also related to general workforce development. How do you communicate with coworkers, and topics like that. Riley and I have a good handle on what the expectation is when you show up on the first day of work.”  

The course is $750 and includes the online instruction, in-person lab workshop and a 20-piece tool set for graduates to utilize and take to their future employment. Scholarship opportunities and early registration rates are also available. For more information and to register, visit gallatin.montana.edu/jsr.html.

Gallatin College MSU is southwest Montana’s two-year college, offering general education, one-year professional certificates and two-year associate degrees. Gallatin College complements the four-year programs at MSU, with a mission of helping individuals fulfill their potential and ensuring access to workforce development that promotes a vibrant local economy.

Saving money for large purchases, such as furniture, a car, a house or a vacation, can be difficult. To help make saving easier, Montana State University Extension has published the MontGuide “Track’n Your Savings Goals.”

The MontGuide discusses different free tools MSU Extension has available to aid individuals in efficiently saving money. One of the tools is the Track’n Your Savings Goals register, a 36-page booklet that fits inside a checkbook. It contains detailed instructions on transforming a checkbook into a budgeting tool, according to Marsha Goetting, MSU Extension family economics specialist.

“It keeps information at your fingertips about the progress you are making toward your savings goals,” she added. “The register also provides you with immediate decision-making opportunities. Yes, I could spend that $100 on fancy sneakers, or I could buy cheaper ones and put the $50 difference towards our goal of a family vacation next summer.”

Goetting said the register was designed for those who want a simple way to track their savings without spending a lot of time and hassle and using multiple systems.

Special savings registers and the MontGuide are available at no charge through funding from the First Interstate BancSystem Foundation and the Montana Credit Unions for Community Development. Order copies at https://store.msuextension.org/. Copies are also available at county and reservation Extension offices.  

The Gallatin Valley Land Trust (GVLT) is pleased to announce that they’ve reached the 50,000 acres conserved milestone with the successful completion of a conservation easement in the Amsterdam-Churchill area of Gallatin County on the Madison-Gallatin Plateau. The 395-acre Bruce Visser Farm features prime agricultural soil, wildlife habitat, and scenic open space that will now be protected forever. The property adds to an existing block of 7,900 acres of conserved farmland that GVLT and farmers and ranchers have worked for decades to protect. As development marches west of Four Corners and Belgrade, this large block of conserved land will serve as a buffer to ensure that agriculture remains viable and the wide-open spaces and scenic quality of the area stays intact. A conservation easement, GVLT’s primary tool for conservation, is a legal agreement between GVLT and the landowner that limits development on the property in perpetuity, keeping the landscape open and scenic forever.

“The Visser Farm is a productive working farm in an area of intense development pressure,” GVLT Lands Program Manager Chad Klinkenborg said. “The area has some of the best soil in the state of Montana and represents the open landscape of the Gallatin Valley. We had to protect it.”
The farm was first purchased in 1946 by Bruce Visser’s father, Henry. Today, Visser runs a small cattle operation on the property, and farms wheat, barley, and hay. His land provides excellent winter-range habitat for mule deer. Native montane grassland systems on the property are home to several species, including coyote, red fox, badger, and a variety of game and non-game grassland bird species.

Located just six miles from Four Corners and less than five miles from Churchill, the Visser Farm was at high risk of development. Nearing retirement and faced with increasing pressure from developers, Visser realized he would be forced to sell his family farm if he could not find a financially viable option to keep it in agriculture. 


In a letter to the Gallatin County Open Lands Program, a funding partner on the project, Visser penned:

“An easement is the only way that I can preserve my ranch and ownership without sales or development. I have a lifetime of work and memories here as well as my dad before me. We have put everything we have ever achieved back into this ranch. I hope to be able to preserve it as a ranch property and continue to raise cattle, hay and grain.”

When a landowner places a conservation easement on their property they are transferring a property right, their ability to develop or split the property, to the land trust and therefore reducing the value of their land. While some landowners can fully donate the value of the development rights they are transferring through a conservation easement, many cannot afford to do so. In those situations, GVLT works with the landowners to apply for funding to help cover the value of the conservation easement. The landowner always donates a portion of the value of the conservation easement, but the local and federal funding sources are critical to make these transactions possible for many farmers and ranchers. The Visser conservation easement was funded by the Gallatin County Open Space Program, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Agricultural Lands Program, as well as a significant amount of value donated by the landowner. Now that his land is protected by a conservation easement, Visser hopes to retire and lease the land to a local farmer.

“This property will forever be 395 acres,” said Klinkenborg. “It will never be fragmented or developed for additional residences and has to remain in agricultural production forever. We are humbled to have been part of this effort and thankful to Bruce for this contribution to our valley’s future.”
 The Bruce Visser Farm Conservation Easement represents GVLT’s 117th conservation easement for a grand total of 50,007 acres conserved. The 50,000 acres conserved milestone is a significant achievement for GVLT, and the Gallatin Valley.

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. To protect these special places, GVLT uses conservation easements, which are voluntary agreements with landowners 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.

Bozeman, MT—The City of Bozeman Public Works Department and Water Conservation Division are carefully monitoring drought conditions in Bozeman and preparing for the possibility of a declared drought stage. The City has an established Drought Management Plan which outlines four “stages” of drought that can be declared by the City. No official drought stage has been declared at this time.

 
Bozeman is considered a semi-arid climate and relies on Hyalite Creek, Sourdough Creek, and Lyman Spring for its water supply.  The City’s Water Conservation Division monitors for drought by tracking local data such as stream flow, reservoir volume, and snowpack, as well as national climate data.  Snowpack and streamflow levels in Bozeman’s municipal watershed are currently below normal.

 
Water Conservation Program Manager Jessica Ahlstrom says, “It should come as no surprise to residents that hot temperatures and low precipitation have made us concerned about water usage and water supply levels going into the summer. Drier than normal conditions means we are more likely to experience drought this year.” 

 
Ahlstrom adds, “Now is the time to start proactively conserving water. Every drop we save now is a drop available for tomorrow.”
 
In order to ensure a healthy water supply throughout the summer, the City asks all residents to do their part. The single biggest thing that residents can do is decrease outdoor water use by reducing watering days and/or watering times on your sprinkler system, and avoiding watering during the middle of the day.  Watering between 4am and 8am is the most efficient time of day to water. Residents can also install high efficiency toilets, clothes washers, showerheads, and faucet aerators in their homes. To learn more about ways you can decrease water usage at home visit: https://www.bozeman.net/government/water-conservation.

 
The City is monitoring conditions and will continue to update the City’s website and social media with the latest information.

HELENA - Angling restriction on several rivers go into effect today due to warming water temperatures and low flows.

The restrictions include what are commonly known as “hoot owl” closures, which means fishing is closed from 2 p.m. to midnight, and some full fishing closures. The closures and restrictions will stay in effect until conditions improve.

The closures and hoot owl restrictions include:

• Beaverhead River hoot owl restrictions from the mouth to Laknar Lane Bridge;
• Smith River hoot owl restrictions from the confluence of the North and South Fork of the Smith River to Eden Bridge south of Great Falls;
• Shields River full fishing closure from the mouth to Rock Creek;
• Lower Big Hole River hoot owl restrictions from the confluence with the Beaverhead River to Notch Bottom FAS;
• Upper Big Hole River full fishing closure from Saginaw Bridge on Skinner Meadow Road to the North Fork Big Hole River;
• Jefferson River entire river hoot owl restrictions;
• Sun River hoot owl restrictions from the mouth of Muddy Creek to the Highway 287 Bridge.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ drought policy provides for angling closures when flows drop below critical levels for fish, when water quality is diminished, or when maximum daily water temperatures reach at least 73 degrees for three consecutive days. The current forecasts for hot daily temperatures and existing low flows prompt implementing restrictions now.

These closures are designed to protect fish that become more susceptible to disease and mortality when drought and warm water conditions exist.

All stress to fish at this time of year is cumulative, and anglers should consider fishing in cooler waters during times of low flows and high water temperatures in rivers. Anglers can help reduce stress for fish by following these practices when catching and releasing fish, though fish mortality may still occur: 

• Fish during the coolest times of day, where permitted. 
• Land the fish quickly. 
• Keep the fish in water as much as possible.  
• Remove the hook gently. Using artificial lures with single and barbless hooks can make hook removal faster and easier.  
• Let the fish recover before releasing it. 

If high temperatures and extremely low flows persist anglers may want to consider fishing areas with less stressful temperatures and conditions, such as larger lakes or reservoirs, or higher elevation waterbodies.

Bozeman, MT – The City of Bozeman and the Bozeman Fire Department are asking residents to take precautions this summer and the Fourth of July holiday. The Bozeman area continues to experience continued dry and hot weather and the City is urging the community to consider not using fireworks at all this year.  Though this one of the few times a year, when Bozeman residents are legally allowed to use fireworks within city limits, celebrating unwisely, could lead to the loss of life or property.

Bozeman Fire Chief Josh Waldo says, “According the National Interagency Fire Center, in 2020 there were 53,563 human caused wildfires in the United States.  With a record setting heatwave forecasted for next week and heading into the 4th of July amidst seasonal drought conditions across Montana, we’re urging people to celebrate and recreate responsibly this year. While we encourage everyone to have a great 4th of July, we are asking that we all do so safely and take necessary precautions to reduce the risk of fire.”

 
Additional information about Bozeman’s fireworks restrictions can be found in the City of Bozeman Municipal Code and on the City of Bozeman website.
 
Additionally, during this time of year our area 911 dispatch center gets hundreds of calls to report complaints of non-compliance with fireworks restrictions. If they are non-emergency calls they should be directed to 406-582-2000. If emergency assistance is needed, call 911.