The City of Bozeman and the Bozeman Public Library have partnered with the Bozeman Public Library Foundation and Minneapolis-based library specialists MSR Design to plan an expansion and enhancement to the current Main Street Library campus. The MSR project team includes four Bozeman firms as partners, some of which worked on the current Library before it opened in 2006. The expansion will accommodate future growth and address the evolving role of public libraries in the world. As a part of the project the Library is conducting a community engagement process to collect input on how the new space can best benefit the whole community.

Susan Gregory, Bozeman Public Library Director says, “This is an exciting new chapter for our beloved Library! We’re thrilled to have so many ways our community members can us give us ideas to guide us in this endeavor. Our goals are to help our community members remain curious, have the chance to explore ideas and then have the opportunity to create connections that will impact their lives.”

 
Director Gregory adds, “Public libraries everywhere are adapting as the world changes around us.  Our goal as the Bozeman Public Library is to ensure that we provide spaces that encourage public dialogue, teach new skills, connect patrons to the world and enable our community members to enrich their lives.”

 
Community engagement opportunities will happen during the first two weeks of February. Members of the Bozeman community are encouraged to take an online survey or sign up to participate in a 30-minute interactive discussion with the Library’s architects:
• Tuesday, February 9th, 10am
• Wednesday, February 10th, Noon
• Thursday, February 11th, 10am
• Thursday, February 11th 5pm
 
The Bozeman Public Library Foundation will fund the entire Library expansion project. In addition to the first phase of community engagement, there will be additional opportunities for community members to provide input as the process continues. For more information visit www.bplforward.org

According to Montana State University Extension, some Montanans can qualify for state and federal tax credits that may provide funds for working families with children who have faced dire financial consequences during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Marsha Goetting, MSU Extension family economics specialist, said Montanans should look into the earned income tax credit, the federal government’s largest program for helping working Americans. Created in 1975, the EITC is a refundable federal income tax credit for low- to moderate-income workers. When the EITC exceeds the amount of taxes owed, Goetting explained, the result is a refund to eligible taxpayers who claim and qualify for the credit. 

“For 2020 the earned income tax credit at the federal level ranges from $548 to $6,660,” Goetting said. “The amount depends on income and number of children.”

If individuals’ earned income was higher in 2019, they can use the 2019 amount to figure their federal EITC for 2020. This temporary relief is provided through the Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2020, Goetting said.

For 2019, earned income and adjusted gross income at the federal level must each be less than $50,162 — $55,952 married filing jointly — with three or more qualifying children; $46,703 — $52,493 married filing jointly — with two qualifying children; or $41,094 — $46,884 married filing jointly — with one qualifying child.

For the Montana EITC, Goetting said, the basic qualifying rules state that individuals must have investment income below $3,650 in the year they claim the credit, must have a valid Social Security number and be a U. S. citizen or a resident alien for the entire year. In order to claim the credits, individuals have to file both a federal 1040 form and Montana Individual Income Tax Return, also known as Form 2.

“For most people in Montana, the state EITC is worth 3% of the federal EITC claimed,” Goetting said. “The credit is refundable, meaning that if it exceeds the total amount of taxes you owe, you will receive the difference.”

For those who are unsure whether they can claim the EITC, use the EITC assistant from the IRS at irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/earned-income-tax-credit/use-the-eitc-assistant.

The following is adapted from Choose Better.

Living well means creating values that are aligned with your individuality. So how do we know our values? There are several ways to begin a dialogue about values.

As a starting point, discern your personal values and what is most important to you. By identifying your individual values, you establish a universal baseline for your decision-making. Your values become the reference point with which you compare your decisions.

For those who are new to identity formation work, figuring out values may require experimentation with different facets of identities and experiences. 

A Simple Start in Identifying Your Values
One great way to identify your values is through psychological assessments. After all, a vital part of finding the right answers is asking the right questions. Psychological tests can reveal important information about yourself, and can help organize that information into understandable answers about your values. 

My personal favorite is the Enneagram personality test. This is a great tool to discover your personality type. It uncovers what makes you tick and why! It also reveals your personality under pressure and reveals the “dark and unhealthy” aspects of yourself. Other personality tests to consider include:

• Big Five Personality Test (e.g., 16PF, NEO-PI-R, IPIP-NEO)

• DISC

• LIFO Survey

• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) 


These are great tools to get yourself asking some honest questions. Get to know yourself first! 

Though these results may not explicitly spell out your values, the answers of these tests will point to your intrinsic strengths and personal qualities. Understanding your personality will then help sort out the characteristics that inform your values. 

My Enneagram Results
As a brief example, I will share a small portion of my Enneagram results. My highest score for my personality type was a Type Three. Type Three is also known as the Achiever, whose leading motivation is success and efficiency.

It revealed my strong desire for accomplishment and being the best version of myself. This is partially why I was driven to write my book, Choose Better, because the values of being my best and helping others be their best matter to me! 

With these Enneagram results, I became more aware of my strengths and shortcomings.My value in personal growth helps me leverage my strengths while also addressing my shortcomings. 

What Do Your Personality Test Results Reveal About You?
Then there are specific tests that reveal other aspects of yourself. Hogan’s Motive, Values, Preference Inventory (MVPI) identifies your natural affinity toward certain values (e.g., aesthetics, affiliation, altruism, commerce, hedonism, power, recognition, science, security, and tradition). Preferences are neither good nor bad. People are simply wired to care about certain things over others. 

CliftonStrengths 34 (also known as StrengthsFinder 2.0) by Donald O. Clifton and The StandOut Assessment by Marcus Buckingham highlight your top strengths and provide ideas on how to incorporate them into your life. 

Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves utilizes the four domains that comprise emotional intelligence, assesses your ranking in each area, and suggests specific skills to strengthen that domain. 

The Speed of Trust by Stephen Covey also has a short assessment to identify your level of trust and provides ways to improve areas of weakness. 

To identify your values within a romantic relationship, consider taking the Prepare/Enrich assessment, which will identify areas of growth and strength across the most important nine domains in a relationship in relation to your partner’s scores. 

Whatever assessments you decide to take, the important thing is to acquire information that helps you discover your identity and values. 

Beyond Personality Tests
If you do not want to take these formal assessments, there are other ways to uncover your values. I have personally experienced more informal methods to gain additional clarity about myself. The Passion Test by Janet and Chris Attwood goes through a series of questions and has you rank your interests from most important to least important. 

You could also do a modified version by using a list of more generic values for consideration. 

Before referencing a list of values, consider writing out values from memory first and see what you can identify.

Then, simply search for “list of values” on a search engine like Google. There are lists that range from 50 to 200 values. Pick a list (perhaps choose a shorter list for starters). 

You can add your own values and write them down. Review the list and circle the values that resonate more strongly for you. 

Thoughts and Feelings Play a Vital Role
When you are comparing each item to see which value ranks higher than another, I would recommend starting with your feelings. Which values provoke a stronger feeling? When you take a moment to marinate with that value in mind, does it induce a weightiness in your heart? 

Identifying the most essential values allows you to mindfully incorporate them in your decision-making. Although most of these values may be nice to have, which ones are most important to you? This principle is reflected in Gary Chapman’s book The Five Love Languages (another great assessment). 

Love languages are ways in which people communicate and receive love. 

The five love languages are: 
1. Words of affirmation

2. Physical touch

3. Quality time

4. Acts of service

5. Gifts


Now, most people want to experience love in all five ways, but they are not weighted equally! 

Probably one or two of these love expressions resonate more strongly, and if missing, you would not feel loved. For example, I am a “words of affirmation” and “physical touch” kind of guy. 

Just as we want our lives filled with the right love language (the one that matters to us most), we also want our everyday living to reflect the values that matter to us. 

Identify Your Values for Better Decisions
Whatever method you decide to execute, clarity on your identity and Values of Self is crucial for optimal decision-making. If you truly want to make optimal decisions, do not skip these exercises! There are no shortcuts. Identity formation requires dedication and hard work. Even if you managed only to identify one or two values, run with them for now! 

Keep those values in the forefront of your mind and incorporate them in your decisions. Values that truly matter will rise to the surface while inferior matters will drift into the background. Take the time to identify your values because your purpose depends on them. Your values become the north star in guiding your everyday decisions, which creates authenticity and greater self-esteem. 

For more advice on making better decisions, you can find Choose Better on Amazon.


Timothy Yen is a clinical psychologist with a doctorate from Azusa Pacific University, practicing in the East Bay area and leading conferences and retreats around the globe. Between his years in private practice and another eight years as a Mental Health Staff Sergeant in the US Army, he’s empowered hundreds of individuals, families, organizations, and teams to develop authentic relationships and grow into their best selves. He currently resides in Northern California with his wife and son.

A statewide survey conducted by Montana State University researchers during the COVID-19 pandemic determined that food security — or having consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life — has decreased substantially among Montanans. At the same time, anxiety and other feelings of mental distress are on the rise.

The survey results, released in December under the title “The Impact of COVID-19 on the Health of Montanans,” include the responses of 1,944 participants between April and September 2020. The research received grant support from MSU’s Center for American Indian and Rural Health Equity, or CAIRHE.

“This survey was the first of its kind in Montana to report about the immediate impacts of COVID-19 on food security,” said lead researcher Carmen Byker Shanks, a CAIRHE investigator and associate professor in MSU’s Department of Health and Human Development. “In addition, we investigated a variety of health variables, since the causes and consequences of food insecurity are multifaceted. To build solutions to food insecurity in our state, we must understand the entire scope of the issue.”

Byker Shanks leads a separate CAIRHE project that aims to increase the availability of healthy foods at two rural Montana food pantries while promoting nutritious diets to decrease health risks. When the pandemic reduced her ability to work with her food pantry partners last year, she pivoted a portion of her research to include the statewide survey. The project is supported by a three-year, $464,943 grant from the National Institutes of Health.

Byker Shanks’ co-investigators on the survey project are Michelle Grocke, assistant professor in the Department of Health and Human Development and an MSU Extension specialist; Justin Shanks, former faculty at the MSU Library; Eliza Webber, CAIRHE research project manager; and graduate research assistant Kimberly Scanlon.

“This research casts light on an often overlooked consequence of COVID-19, which is greater food insecurity and anxiety among many sectors of our rural population that are already facing health disparities,” said Dr. Alexandra Adams, director of CAIRHE and a nutritional scientist. “It should be an important tool for those who are working to make sure underserved populations aren’t left behind as the pandemic continues.”

During the early months of 2020, the research team developed the online survey to assess the impact of COVID-19 on Montanans’ food security, health behaviors and health outcomes, then distributed it statewide through email and social media beginning in late April.

Among the survey’s most significant findings is the reported increase in food insecurity. Prior to the pandemic, 11% of the survey respondents were food-insecure, while 18% reported food insecurity during the pandemic.

“Recommendations to stock up on food and limit trips to the grocery store aren’t possible for those who can’t afford to purchase large amounts of food, or who live in communities without access to a consistent food supply,” Byker Shanks said. “COVID-19 requires considerable and rapid behavioral shifts for everyone, including food management skills to cook more, plan ahead and reduce waste. Not everyone has the resources to navigate our new situation.”

Not surprisingly, with food hoarding rampant in the early weeks of the pandemic, respondents reported a decline in food availability, particularly in remote communities, Byker Shanks said. About 77% of respondents indicated that some of the foods they needed were unavailable. Nearly half of the respondents reported buying more food out of fear or anxiety.

Beyond the pandemic’s particular effect on food security in Montana, the survey also explored the broader impact on the well-being of respondents. For example, 34% reported financial hardship due to COVID-19, and 37% said they had engaged in negative health behaviors, such as greater alcohol consumption and more screen time, since the start of the pandemic.

In a six-question assessment of psychological distress, respondents indicated an increase in all six measures since the pandemic began. For example, thinking back to the period before the pandemic, 2.4% of respondents answered “all of the time” or “most of the time” in response to the question “How often did you feel nervous?” That number jumped to 21.5% for the time after COVID-19 struck Montana.

“Navigating a variety of information in the media was stressful to Montanans because it was unclear what was accurate,” Justin Shanks said. “The public needs to be equipped with tangible strategies to access, analyze and share media in the contemporary digital era that’s defined by an ever-increasing pace of access and quantity of information from multiple sources.”

But the news isn’t all bad, Byker Shanks said. A majority of respondents, 54%, also reported positive health behavior changes since the start of the pandemic, such as more exercise and greater connection with family and friends. At the community level, the survey highlighted a greater sharing of resources and more flexible federal food assistance for those in need.

Last August, with early results of the Montana survey in mind, Byker Shanks published an editorial in the American Journal of Public Health titled “The COVID-19 Pandemic: A Watershed Moment to Strengthen Food Security Across the U.S. Food System.” In it, Byker Shanks and her three co-authors from institutions in Arizona and Nebraska said the pandemic provides “an opportunity to develop policy, systems and environmental strategies to enhance food security, reduce inefficiencies and decrease inequities, now and into the future.”

Also prompted in part by the survey, Byker Shanks and her colleagues published a position paper in Translational Behavioral Medicine titled “Scaling Up Measurement to Confront Food Insecurity in the USA” that outlines strategies to bolster measurement of food security.

In their report on the Montana survey findings, Byker Shanks and her MSU co-investigators make similar recommendations for state and local policymakers. Those recommendations include leveraging policy and programmatic support to promote food security; reorienting food systems to ensure adequate food for all; formalizing strategies for resource sharing and the use of federal aid; making mental health resources more readily available; communicating to Montanans through a variety of methods; and creating support systems to encourage positive habits.

“This moment in time highlights a food insecurity crisis that’s existed for decades,” Byker Shanks said. “We have a responsibility to solve an inexcusable problem in a society where enough food and resources are available, but we don’t distribute them equally to everyone.”

To learn more about the survey, visit montana.edu/cairhe/projects/byker-shanks/COVID-19-food-security.html.

A hiker was injured during a surprise close encounter with a bull moose while hiking east of Ennis on Wednesday, Jan. 27.

Two men in their 70s were hiking on U.S. Forest Service Trail 6317, commonly called the Jack Creek Trail, about 10 miles east of Ennis. Two miles up the trail, the men encountered a bull moose standing about 10 yards off one side of the trail.

The moose charged at the hikers. One of the men stood behind a standing tree while the other took cover under a fallen tree. The moose continued its approach and kicked at the man under the fallen tree until the other hiker was successful in driving the moose away.

The man who was kicked while under the tree was treated at Madison Valley Medical Center for injuries that were not life threatening. The other man did not require medical treatment.

Moose can be defensive and dangerous in surprise close encounters with people. FWP staff have posted signs at the entrance to this trail advising recreationists of the encounter. No further management action is planned at this time.

Moose can be found throughout most of Montana. Keep these precautions in mind to avoid negative encounters with moose:

• Be aware of your surroundings and be especially careful around creeks and in areas with dense brush.
• Travel in groups whenever possible and make casual noise to alert animals to your presence.
• If you encounter a moose, give it lots of space and don’t approach it. Keep dogs under control at all times.
• If a moose charges or chases you, take cover behind something solid, such as a tree.

Montana State Parks recorded more than 3.4 million visitors in 2020, a 29.5 percent increase over 2019.

The Bozeman Symphony presents its first-ever Composer-in-Residence, Scott Lee, a dynamic composer who combines classical form with the more visceral rhythmic language of contemporary popular music. During his residency starting in May 2021, Lee has been commissioned by the Bozeman Symphony to write a piece inspired by the unique spirit and energy of Bozeman that will open the much-anticipated 2021 – 2022 concert season. In addition to this world premiere piece, Lee will engage with the community through multiple virtual events in February 2021.   

  
Never before, in the Bozeman Symphony’s 53-year-history, has the organization hosted a Composer-in-Residence to create a piece to premiere for the community. Music Director Norman Huynh is honored to introduce composer Scott Lee to the Bozeman community through a number of events during the remainder of the 2020 – 2021 concert season, including a virtual composers forum, an online composition masterclass, and a new contemporary music series, Current Commotion.  

  
“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to come be a part of a flourishing musical community, which includes the Bozeman Symphony musicians, audience members, and patrons as well as the students and faculty at Montana State University,” said Lee. “As a composer with an outsider’s perspective on Bozeman, I hope to write a piece that will bring some fresh energy and new ideas that will invigorate the orchestra.”  

  
Lee will first be introduced to the Bozeman community during one of two virtual events via Zoom on February 11 and 12, 2021. Huynh will moderate the first online event, “Composers Forum: Turning Ideas into Music,” featuring Scott Lee and local composer Eric Funk. Together, they will discuss how composers take people, places, and ideas, and represent them through music. The following day, Lee will host the Bozeman Symphony’s Composition Masterclass at Montana State University for student composers to hone their craft and showcase their pieces of written music.  

  
Following the virtual events, Lee will start his residency in Bozeman on May 24 through May 31, 2021. During this time, Scott will experience everything the community has to offer – from the spectacular landscape to the incredible live arts scene – where he will derive inspiration to write his commissioned piece presented during the first concert of the 2021 – 2022 season.  

  
“I enjoy the outdoors, and it seems to me that Bozeman offers unparalleled access to all of the kinds of activities I love, like hiking, skiing, and fishing,” said Lee. “At the same time, it appears that there’s quite a thriving arts and culture scene in Bozeman, which I’m very excited to engage with and participate in.”   

  
On May 27, 2021, Lee will participate in the arts scene first-hand during the Bozeman Symphony’s new contemporary music series, Current Commotion, for the orchestra’s inaugural performance at a downtown music venue. Music Director Huynh and Lee curated the program in a cabaret-style format featuring musicians of the Bozeman Symphony.   

Lee will return to Bozeman for the world premiere of his piece during the first concert of the 2021 – 2022 season. 
  
For more information about the Bozeman Symphony’s Composer-in-Residence Scott Lee, season updates and events, please visit bozemansymphony.org, or contact the symphony office at (406) 585-9774 or info@bozemansymphony.org. The Symphony wishes to thank David Ross and Risi for their season sponsorship and the season subscribers, donors, and patrons who have provided support this 2020 – 2021 concert season. 
  
Scott Lee, Composer: Praised as “colorful” and “engaging” (The Philadelphia Inquirer), Scott Lee's music often takes inspiration from popular genres, exploring odd-meter grooves and interlocking hockets while featuring pointillistic orchestration and extended performance techniques. His music marries the traditional intricacy of classical form with the more body-centered and visceral language of contemporary popular music, creating complex music of the present with broad appeal. The Berkshire Edge described the world premiere of his Slack Tide at Tanglewood Music Center as having “moments both of calm and maximum tension...we’ve never heard anything like it.”  

 
Lee has worked with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the North Carolina Symphony, the Portland Symphony Orchestra, Symphony in C, the JACK Quartet, yMusic, the Da Capo Chamber Players, and pop artist Ben Folds. Recent commissioners include the Tanglewood Music Center, Aspen Music Festival, Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra, loadbang, and the Raleigh Civic Symphony. Notable honors include a Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and two ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards.  

 
Lee is currently Assistant Professor of Composition at the University of Florida School of Music. Lee earned a PhD in Composition at Duke University, and also holds degrees from the Peabody Institute and Vanderbilt University. Learn more at scottleemusic.net. 
 
  
Eric Funk, Composer: A former student of Tomas Svoboda, Sandor Veress, and Krzysztof Penderecki in the 1970s, Mr. Funk has composed numerous works, including nine symphonies, four operas, six ballet scores, three large works for chorus and orchestra, nineteen concertos, several orchestral tone poems, and numerous works for chamber ensembles, solo instruments, and vocal works. Eric Funk just completed a new solo violin work entitled "Melisma, Op 147," homage and farewell to our dear friend Andre Melief, the recording by Vilmos Olah can be heard on the works/recording page of this site.  Prominent premieres of his works include “From the Dreams of Montana Children” [Carnegie Hall, NY]; his one-act solo opera-ballet for contralto and ballet troupe, "Akhmatova," based on key texts from the Russian poet's life; his solo concerto "Vili: Concerto for the Violin Alone, Op 109" (now an award winning PBS-TV documentary "The Violin Alone,"  was awarded six 2018 Emmy Awards: "Music Composition," Best Documentary-Cultural, Director, Photography, Editing, Audio; "Best Documentary" 2017 Chicago Amarcord Arthouse Television Awards,) triple string quartet (The Old Masters,) commissioned by New Music USA for the Cassatt String Quartet, and "Variations on a Theme by Jan Hanus, Op. 127" for violin and string orchestra which was awarded The American Prize in Composition Special Judges' Citation as "Best Concerto of the Year" 2017.  His newest commissioned score, a piano trio "Les Soeurs, Op. 142" was written for the renowned Ahn Trio and the James Sewell Ballet Company and premiered in Minneapolis in 2017. Funk most recently created a transcription for piano trio for the Ahn Trio of his 3 BeBop tunes: Flyswatter, Raid, and Deet. Learn more at ericfunk.com 

The City of Bozeman City Commission is expected to review $2,145,167 dollars in total grant awards to Bozeman non-profits on Tuesday, February 2nd at their regular meeting. If approved, the recommended grant awards would distribute Coronavirus Relief funding to 48 different grants.  Of the grant dollars being allocated more than three-quarters of the total funds are expected to be allocated toward housing, medical/basic needs, and behavioral health service providers and programs.

 
In November 2020 the City Commission approved Resolution 5230 which allowed for the funding of grants to non-profit entities. The funds used for the grants are from the State of Montana’s reimbursement program from the Coronavirus Relief Fund. Currently, the $2,145,167 recommended grant amount will distribute the entire amount of funding made available to the City by the State. 

 
City Manager Jeff Mihelich says, “The Bozeman community is still hurting from the effects of this pandemic. We know that it’s critical to get money to those needing it most. Our choice as a City is to get support directly to those folks most impacted by intentionally and strategically getting money to our non-profits.”

 
Assistant City Manager Anna Rosenberry adds, “We are proud to recommend grant distributions in support some of our most critical sectors like housing and health care. Funding grants that provide things like new behavioral health emergency rooms, assistance for those experiencing housing challenges, and even supporting additional affordable housing projects – these dollars will go a long way.”

Applications for the grant dollars were accepted in December and were open-ended for non-profits impacted by the pandemic. Grant applicants were evaluated primarily on how their services impact Bozeman residents. Application materials can be found online. A full breakdown of the primary categories receiving funding is below.
 
If approved the City will move forward to engage all applicants in a grant agreement. Applicants will be required to adhere to non-discrimination in service delivery under the City’s non-discrimination code, acknowledge equal pay requirements, commit to operate within accordance with local, state and federal health rules for COVID-19, and report back to the City on use of funds.