Hyalite Road closes annually on April 1 – May 16 to motorized use while the road subgrade thaws and gets saturated due to snow melt.  As one of the most popular recreation destinations in Montana, Hyalite receives an overwhelming amount of traffic and the asphalt road is unable to support the repeated motorized use during the spring thaw which causes additional surface cracking and potholes.  This transition period provides a great opportunity to clean-up Hyalite, Bozeman’s well-loved backyard.  It also provides an opportunity for non-motorized recreational pursuits during the spring season.

“Hikers, bikers, runners and other recreationists all enjoy and look forward to experiencing Hyalite in a different way during this time,” said Wendi Urie, Bozeman District Recreation Program Manager.  “The plowing and winter access provides a fantastic winter opportunity.  We are thankful to Gallatin County and Friends of Hyalite for their community involvement helping continue to keep Hyalite plowed.”

Over 20,000 visitors a month explore Hyalite during the winter, and more than of 40,000 a month during the summer.  That makes Hyalite one of the most sought after destinations in Montana.  With all that love from recreationists, it is also important to take care of our backyard treasure.  Friends of Hyalite, a local non-profit providing support, conservation and year-round recreational opportunities in Hyalite will be hosting a clean-up day on Sunday, May 12 at 12:30.  Volunteers are needed to help clean up along the road, trailheads, parking lots and other heavily used areas.   We need your continued support to help keep Hyalite enjoyable to all.

For additional information please contact the Bozeman Ranger District at (406) 522-2520 or visit us online at www.fs.usda.gov/custergallatin.  For information about the Friends of Hyalite group and the clean-up day on May 12 please visit www.hyalite.org. 

ENNIS – The Valley Garden Fishing Access Site has reopened to public visitors.  

The site, about two miles northeast of Ennis along the Madison River, was closed following a flooding event in February. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks staff have repaired damaged areas and resolved potential safety issues stemming from the flood and ice.  

The Ennis Fishing Access Site, which was also damaged during the flood, remains closed until FWP staff can repair the road and other infrastructure.  

Each spring, FWP receives calls from people who have picked up deer fawns or other wildlife. It’s important to remember that Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks no longer accepts, holds, or rehabilitates moose, deer, elk, and most other animals.

Oftentimes, people think they are rescuing an orphaned animal. However, it’s important to understand that wildlife care for their young much differently than humans. They have strategies to provide the highest chance of survival for their young.

One strategy that some species, particularly those species that are more commonly seen as prey (deer, rabbits, birds), use is to distance themselves from their young for many hours at a time. This helps to keep predators away from their young. For example, fawns are born without a scent and it is safer for them if their mother, who has a scent, is not nearby. This also can potentially distract a predator into focusing on the doe vs. their offspring.

FWP believes wild animals thrive better in the wild where they have plenty of natural habitats (food, water, shelter, space) and thrive better with other wildlife than with humans, who they consider an apex predator. Nature provides them the best options for survival and a better quality of life.

The potential to spread wildlife disease is also a good reason to leave young wildlife alone. Baby ground squirrels, raccoons, and rabbits can carry zoonotic diseases, which means diseases that are infectious for humans. Examples include plague, hemorrhagic diseases, and tularemia.

If you see a baby animal, whether a goose or a grizzly, keep your distance and leave it alone. Handling baby animals can be dangerous, and usually, once young animals are picked up by people they can’t be rehabilitated.

What can you do? 

• Leave It There. It’s natural for deer and elk to leave their young alone for extended periods of time.

• Control Your Dog. Keep your dog under control, especially in the spring when newborn wildlife is most vulnerable. Pet owners can be cited and dogs that harass or kill wildlife may by law have to be destroyed. 
• Keep Cats Indoors. Many birds nest and feed on the ground. Young birds are also learning how to fly, making them vulnerable to cats. The bacteria in cat saliva are toxic to birds, so even if a cat does not immediately kill a bird, its bite often leads to infection and death.
• Keep in Mind. It is illegal to possess and care for a live animal taken from the wild. 

As a wildlife agency, FWP’s priority is to keep wild animals wild. When people keep and raise elk, deer, or other animals, it habituates wildlife to humans, potentially causing problems once released back into the wild. 

Should someone bring a deer or elk to FWP, they'll be asked to take the animal back to the site where it was found.  If the animal can't be returned, it may need to be humanely euthanized. 

Montana State University’s doctoral program in educational leadership has been recognized nationally.

MSU’s program earned the No. 4 spot on a list of the top 16 colleges offering educational leadership doctoral degrees in 2021 by Best Value Schools. The online education publisher researches thousands of colleges and universities to find the best schools that meet the needs of prospective students at the best price. Best Value Schools looked at tuition costs and enrollment figures to rank the schools. 

Best Value Schools noted that MSU’s Doctor of Education in educational leadership program uses both distance learning and face-to-face meetings, and courses can be chosen according to interests and desired career path. Additionally, MSU’s educational leadership program trains both principals in a 30-credit degree program and superintendents in a 15-credit certificate. The full ranking is available at bestvalueschools.org/phd-in-educational-leadership/.

MSU’s doctoral program in educational leadership is designed to prepare graduates to assume district leadership positions in large school districts or in university school leader preparation programs. Students in the program research problems encountered in educational settings from kindergarten through college. Graduates are expected to have a rich knowledge base in educational theory and practice and leadership theory needed to conduct practical educational research and engage in service to the greater education community. The program also offers opportunities to engage in research and collaborative activities in diverse educational settings.

To learn more about the program, visit https://www.montana.edu/education/grad/edlead/edlead_edd.html. More information about the MSU College of Education, Health and Human Development is available at montana.edu/ehhd/.

Visions West Contemporary Bozeman is pleased to announce our newest exhibition, "Herd Mentality." Visions West Contemporary will be showing the work of multiple artists in this whimsical and colorful show. The exhibition opens to the public on March 12, 2021 and continues through May 1, 2021 at 34 W Main St, Bozeman, MT 59715.  

Herd Mentality
Participating artists include: Rocky Hawkins, Malia Landis, Robin McCauley, Travis Walker, Taryn Boals, Adonna Khare, Jennifer Nehrbass, Julie Buffalohead, Aaron Zulpo, Johnny Defeo, David Rathman, Theodore Waddell

     Throughout history, prey animals have learned to stick together to survive. There is even fossil evidence that some dinosaurs roamed the ancient earth in flocks and herds. In banding together, predators are unable to discern where one animal ends or begins, cannot sneak up on the whole herd undetected, and allows some of the prey to relax and feed while others "keep watch." Visions West Contemporary is proud to announce our creative take on this concept in our newest Montana show - Herd Mentality. This lighthearted show plays off the idea of "strength in numbers"; that work grouped together by a single artist allows for each piece to uniquely shine while also morphing into a cohesive body of work. This salon-style display highlights each artist's color palette, stylized brushstrokes, and reoccurring metaphors or themes and allows the viewer to make their own connections between individual pieces. Participating artists include Rocky Hawkins, David Rathman, Julie Buffalohead, Malia Landis, Robin McCauley, Travis Walker, Taryn Boals, Adonna Khare, Jennifer Nehrbass, Aaron Zulpo, Johnny Defeo, and Theodore Waddell.

If you love the nightlife, you probably enjoy all the opportunities that it provides. You might love to go out dancing at some of the hottest nightclubs. Maybe you prefer a sports bar where you can shoot some pool and enjoy a pitcher of IPA from one of your city’s breweries.

Sexual opportunities can come along with nightlife as well. If you’re single and looking for a partner, either long-term or for the night, there’s nothing wrong with hitting the bars or clubs and seeing if you connect with someone.

However, you need to make sure that consent happens if you’re going to get physical. Let’s take a couple of moments and talk about consent and precisely what it means.

Express and Implied Consent
Did you know that there’s a difference between implied and express consent? The law calls it consent when someone freely agrees to do something. You have to make sure someone consents to have a sexual encounter with you, or else you might find yourself facing down a sexual assault allegation sooner rather than later.

However, the law also talks about two consent types, implied and express. With express consent, a person you meet gives you a direct, clear agreement statement. That statement does not have to be something like “yes, I agree to have sexual intercourse with you,” but it should be something along the lines of “yes, I’m fine with what’s happening.”

Implied consent can be trickier to identify. If you start making out with someone, and they don’t rear back and slap you, you might feel like that implied consent has occurred, and a court may side with you. The person with whom you’re interacting is demonstrating consent through their actions.

Responsiveness
If someone tells you, in plain and simple language, that they’re okay with having a sexual encounter with you, then you should be fine to move forward from a legal standpoint. You might feel like it kills the mood to stop kissing someone once you have gone back to their apartment to suddenly ask them, “hey, are you okay with what we’re doing?” If you want to cover yourself legally, though, it’s always best to do this.

Another scenario might arise, though. Maybe you met someone at a bar or nightclub. You danced with them, or you did some shots together. You were laughing and having a good time, and they suggested heading back to their place.

They have now given explicit consent to return to their domicile, so no problems there. Once you get back to their place, you start making out with them, and they seem to be into it. Then, abruptly, they stop responding, and their body goes slack.

What is Your Responsibility Now?
You might feel like you can go further with that person because they invited you back to their place, you were kissing them, and they had no issues with what you were doing. If they lose consciousness, though, you cannot do anything further. They can no longer give either implied or explicit consent, and you have to back off.

If you ever get into a situation like this, you need to take a moment to consider what you’re doing. Maybe that’s a little difficult if you’ve consumed quite a bit of alcohol that night, as sometimes happens.

You have to remain at least clearheaded enough to realize the situation in which you find yourself. You might be on the verge of making a huge, life-altering mistake if you let your impulses carry you further than what the law allows.

When someone cannot give either implied or explicit consent to a sexual encounter, then legally, an encounter cannot take place. If you force one, such as if you continue to touch or otherwise engage with a person who cannot or will not consent, you are committing a crime. This isn’t a gray area, and you need to realize that in the moment, intoxication or no.

If the Other Person Doesn’t Have Control, Back Off
You might meet someone at a bar, and it seems like sparks fly, and there’s magic between you. The evening might culminate with a sexual encounter, and both of you will be fine with what happened when you wake up the next morning.

If the other person gets to the point where they slur their speech or they’re no longer in control, it’s best to back off. Ask for their number and extricate yourself from the situation.

Warmer weather can only mean one thing for Montana: construction season is here and the Rouse Ave – Main to Oak project is about to start the final steps towards completion. Starting the week of March 29, the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) and Missouri River Contractors will work on Rouse Avenue, primarily between Tamarack Street and Lamme Street, Monday through Friday.

“We are thankful for residents’ patience throughout this busy project,” Geno Liva, District Construction Engineer for the Montana Department of Transportation, said. “We completed the bulk of road improvements before winter last year and now need to put the finishing touches on the project. We look forward to completing these much-needed pedestrian improvements so that everyone can fully enjoy walking, biking, and driving on this road this summer.”

During the first week of construction, Rouse Avenue will be closed to thru travel from Tamarack Street to Peach Street on weekdays, and fully open on weekends. Temporary closures at the intersection of Rouse Avenue and Peach Street and on Rouse Avenue between Peach Street and Lamme Street are expected in later weeks as construction continues. Travelers are advised to detour via Oak Street, Seventh Avenue, and Main Street, and local traffic will continue to have access throughout construction.

Though work on the roadway itself is complete, crews still need to paint the final roadway lines, finish sidewalks and entrances into properties, place topsoil down on areas that were under construction, and plant new seed on topsoil to re-establish grass. Pending good weather and no contractor delays, this work is expected to wrap up in May.

The Rouse Ave – Main to Oak project is increasing capacity for nearly a mile of Rouse Avenue, from Main Street to Oak Street. In 2020, crews added a center turn lane and bike lanes throughout the project. They also improved all intersections within the project limits, adding in new ADA ramps, curb and gutter, sidewalks, crosswalks, and new signals at Oak Street, Tamarack Street, Peach Street, and Mendenhall Street. Underneath the road, crews installed a new storm drain system and new box culverts which allowed Bozeman Creek to flow under the road.

Once complete, pedestrians will be able to enjoy walking on paved sidewalks from Main Street in downtown Bozeman to the businesses within the Cannery District on Oak Street. Prior to this project, pedestrians did not have complete access and would resort to walking on the edges of resident yards or on the road itself next to moving vehicles.

MDT reminds everyone this construction season to practice the Three S’s of work zone safety: speed, space and stress. Slow down when approaching work zones and follow posted speed limits. Leave adequate braking room between your vehicle and the one ahead of you. Keep your cool, pay attention, and plan for delays.

Those interested in updates or information on the Rouse Avenue – Main to Oak project are advised to email takami@bigskypublicrelations.com. Text updates are also available by texting “ROUSE” to 41411. Information is also available on the project web page, https://bit.ly/rouseavenue will be continually updated throughout the course of the project.    

Alternative accessible formats of this document will be provided on request. Persons who need an alternative format should contact the Office of Civil Rights, Department of Transportation, 2701 Prospect Avenue, PO Box 201001, Helena, MT 59620. Telephone 406-444-5416 or Montana Relay Service at 711.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is requesting public comment on an environmental assessment for improving public access within the trail system at Madison Buffalo Jump State Park and protecting the resource from degradation.  

Proposed developments include rerouting two trails, revegetation of multiple social trails and delineation of the current trail system. The project would eliminate some of the excess social trails that are heavily eroded and lead to the same areas within the park.  

Rerouting the trails would eliminate some extremely steep grades, providing safer access to park visitors. A clearly defined and safer trail system would also discourage off-trail travel and minimize subsequent impacts to the many sensitive cultural sites that exist within the park.  
The environmental assessment can be viewed online at https://go.usa.gov/xsd5f.  

The public comment period will be open until 5 p.m. on April 8. Please submit comments by email to mark.filonczuk@mt.gov or by mail to:  
            Mark Filonczuk 
            Region 3 Parks Maintenance Supervisor 
            1400 S. 19th Ave.  
            Bozeman, MT 59718 

When a person sets a goal to do something, there is a big chance that they will be able to achieve it because it is part of human nature to persevere to reach the finish line. As a beginner who wishes to learn to play an electric violin or any other instrument, one should be determined and have the patience in learning it. If you immediately give up as soon as you encounter difficulties you will never progress. Consistency is always the key in learning to play a musical instrument.

Playing an electric violin might be a bit more complex than an acoustic one. An acoustic violin only has 4 strings, while an electric violin has 5 to 6, therefore, the more strings it has the more notes you’ll need to learn.  So it would be better to start off with an acoustic violin to get a better grasp of how they work. Although, you can still learn to play an electric violin first if you prefer, but it would take more effort to succeed. As long as you have the determination to learn how to play it as well as how to use it’s electric components, you’ll be able to play an electric violin in no time.

Pros and cons 
Aspiring violinists may encounter numerous things as they start with their journey. The following is a list of probable pros and cons that beginners might experience:

Pros

• Ease stress, depression, and anxiety.

• Produce happy hormones.

• Physical attributes improvement.

• Enhance brain capacity. 

• Help in boosting confidence.

• Earn money in the long run.


Cons

• Continuous maintenance of instruments and accessories.

• If not a fast learner, the person might lose patience.

• Rivalry or competition may occur during individual recitals.

• Frustrations may be visible after failing a performance.

• Expensive cost of the instrument.


After distinguishing the pros and cons of playing the electric violin, and you’re still set on in acquiring your own, here are some things you need to consider:
• Do a self-assessment to know how long you can learn to play the electric violin.

• Check your financial capacity or status before buying the instrument.

• Search for reliable and relevant information about the instrument.

• Choose the brand wisely.


If you finally have an instrument to use, below are some tips you can do in order to learn to play an electric violin:

Take Electric Violin Lessons
There are plenty of schools offering music lessons, especially for electric violin. Some are budget-friendly, and there are also that might cost a lot of money. As a beginner, it is relevant to ask someone who already knows where to enroll or look on the internet for probable schools that offer free tutorials or have a considerable discount to save money.

Practice by yourself to master your skill
Beginners must set a schedule for practice and to evaluate themselves. It is also advisable to ask someone like a friend or family member to watch you while playing the instrument, and afterward, ask them for feedback.
 
Look for Videos or Apps about Electric Violin Lessons
Another alternative way to learn how to play an electric violin is simply visiting YouTube for video tutorials. It is a hassle-free way of learning, and payment is not a problem because most videos are for free.

Hang out with other electric violin players
Besides self-monitoring, it will be an excellent way to join online groups or people near the vicinity who are already experts in the field and bond with them. Make friends and learn from them, and use their advice to grow more as a musician. 

Enjoy and have fun
During free time, beginners can join music jams and watch live performances to have more inspiration and motivation to continue learning the instrument. Music can relax the person and also be the reason for a new opportunity.

Conclusion
To sum it up, beginners can play the electric violin only if they have the means to do so. Dedication, patience, and perseverance are badly required when learning something new.