This isn’t your average prescription.  It doesn’t come in the form of a pill and it doesn’t have scary side effects. The Gallatin Valley Land Trust (GVLT) has teamed up with physicians to write prescriptions for trail walks. The new TrailsRx program encourages medical providers to think about trails as part of a comprehensive treatment plan for patients dealing with obesity, lack of endurance, physical therapy, depression, anxiety and more.

Seven medical offices in the Bozeman area are currently using the TrailsRx program, a fold out brochure with beginner trail routes, recommended exercise, walking tips, and trail information. Over 60 trail prescriptions have been written in the Bozeman area. Providers include family practice physicians at Bozeman Health, physical therapists from Mometum Physical Therapy and Lone Peak Physical Therapy, naturopathic doctors at Spring Integrative Health, and mental health professionals from Gallatin Mental Health Center and Gallatin Psychotherapy.

For 26 years GVLT has been partnering with the City of Bozeman to expand and improve the Main Street to the Mountains trail system. Recently, they decided to start promoting trails as pathways to a healthy life. And the research supports it. Walking outdoors is good for the mind. It reduces stress, improves attention, and decreases anxiety.  And of course, walking is exercise and has numerous health benefits for our bodies.

This information isn’t new or surprising.  Doctors have been encouraging patients to exercise for years. But for many, a gym membership is both expensive and intimidating. A trail prescription can be conveniently located near their home or work and provide them with an easy, entry level way to start exercising on their own terms. Many of the trails in Bozeman are flat and wide, perfect for beginners or patients who have limitations. The TrailsRx brochure further breaks down barriers for patients by providing in depth information about trails such as where to park, distance, difficulty, and what to expect. One physician said she’s been using the prescriptions for “folks that have depression and need motivation to get out. This is an easy way to prescribe clients to do something for self, not others, as it is not ‘scary’ or hard”.

GVLT has launched a weekly walking group, Walk for the Health of It, which meets on Fridays at noon at the base of Peets Hill. Everyone can receive the mental and physical benefits of a trail walk during their work day! Bozeman joins communities around the country who are thinking about trails not just as recreation, but an integral part of a healthy community.  

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.

Reserve your advertising placement in the December issue of Bozeman Magazine now! This issue will include winter recreation articles as well as featuring a Shop Local ad section for Holiday buyers. (1/4 page ads $150 for Shop Local).

Get in front of an audience hungry for something new. 7,500 copies will go to 200 locations Dec 2.

Have a December event? Submit it by 11/20 at  http://bozemanmagazine.com/events/submit and receive a discount on display advertising! Advertising deadline is Nov 20, but don't wait, the early bird gets the worm.

Contact Angie for a personalized proposal: angie@bozemanmagazine.com or 406-579-5657

(BOZEMAN, Mont.)—Nearly three thousand hunters passed through game check stations in southwest Montana on the opening weekend of the 2016 general deer and elk season.
 
It was an average start to the season with pleasant fall temperatures across the region. Most check stations reported harvest numbers very much on par with the past several years.
 
The check station at Alder saw the highest percentage of successful deer and elk hunters at 13 percent with the highest number of deer harvested in the region. Meanwhile, the most elk (44) were taken in the Madison, also where the highest number of hunters was reported.
 
Here’s a look at the data:

*Only operated on Sunday (first time check station run at this location).                                                                                
 
In addition to deer and elk, many of the stations reported other game taken:
 
Alder: Three antelope and a black bear;
Cameron: Four antelope;
Divide: Three antelope and a black bear;
            Gallatin: One moose, one mountain goat, and one bighorn sheep ewe;
Mill Creek: One wolf and two antelope.
 
Hunters are reminded that they must stop at all check stations that they pass on their way to or from hunting—even if they have not harvested any animals.  The general rifle season for deer and elk runs through Sunday, Nov. 27.
 

Montana State University and Bobcat Athletics are sponsoring the fourth annual Cap on Cancer promotion to coincide with breast cancer awareness month, which is recognized in October each year.
 
The promotion features a limited edition pink, white and blue Under Armour Bobcat hat. Both men’s and women’s hats are available for $20 each. All proceeds from sales of the hats will benefit Cancer Support Community Montana, a local organization that is committed to helping families impacted by cancer, according to Becky Franks, executive director.

“Cancer Support Community is honored once again to be a part of MSU and Bobcat Athletics’ Cap on Cancer,” Franks said. “All funds raised will allow us to provide free support, education and hope for our community members affected by cancer.”
 
To participate in the promotion, individuals are invited to purchase a hat and wear it to the Oct. 22 Bobcat football game versus Eastern Washington. Kickoff is set for noon.
 
Hats will be available through Oct. 22 or while supplies last at the following locations: MSU Bookstore (both its SUB and Bobcat Stadium locations); Universal Athletic stores in Billings, Bozeman, Butte, Great Falls, Helena and Kalispell; Bob Wards in Bozeman; and Scheels in Billings. Hats will also be on sale during the Bobcat football game on Oct. 22.

For more information, contact Amy Kanuch at 406-994-7462 or amy.kanuch@montana.edu.

The events calendar at bozemanmagazine.com and in print each month in Bozeman Magazine hold thousands of local events for the Bozeman community to find out about before they happen, and in turn be a part of. Events can be added by individuals for free, or are found by our staff and added in advance. This user friendly calendar is powered by by our location library (a database of hundreds of area venues), each post includes a google map indicating the venue location as well as the event title, cost, age appropriateness, many events include images.

We are seeking a local or regional business to become our calendar sponsor and show their love of community by supporting our efforts to bring the most events to our readers. The Bozeman Magazine Event Calendar sponsor will receive several marketing positions with in the print magazine and at bozemanmagazine.com for a fair amount of marketing dollars.

If your business is a looking for a new way to be recognized in the Bozeman community as a leader this is a great start! Please contact us today for a personalized proposal detailing the sponsorship details and begin getting seen in Bozeman Magazine.

Contact: Angie Ripple, Publisher/Owner/Champion of the People

406-579-5657 or angie@bozemanmagazine.com

A Montana State University alumna whose doctoral work at MSU contributed to the groundbreaking discovery of the first detection of gravitational waves has received a prestigious fellowship for her research in the field of gravitational wave astrophysics.

Laura Sampson, who earned her doctorate in 2014 from MSU’s Department of Physics in the College of Letters and Science, has been named a 2016 Women in Science Fellow by the L’Oréal USA For Women in Science fellowship program.

The award provides Sampson with $60,000 to advance her postdoctoral research and includes visits to the White House, National Academy of Sciences, a New Jersey public school and L’Oréal headquarters.

Sampson is one of five winners of the fellowship, which is awarded to women scientists based on evaluations of their intellectual merit, research potential, scientific excellence and commitment to supporting women and girls in science, according to a press release by the L’Oréal Foundation. The fellowship program also requires that awardees be committed to serving as role models for younger generations. Experienced scientists in the candidates’ respective fields reviewed the applications through a partnership with the American Association for the Advancement of Science, which manages the application process.

Sampson, of Boulder, Colorado, is currently pursuing postdoctoral studies at Northwestern University’s Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics, or CIERA.

“This grant will allow me to extend my appointment at Northwestern, giving me time to complete my research program, as well as to continue mentoring students through their degree paths,” Sampson said.

Her research at CIERA focuses on developing data analysis algorithms to learn about the physical processes that lead to the systems that produce gravitational waves in the universe.

“Gravitational wave astronomy allows us to observe systems that don't emit light -- in particular, black holes,” Sampson said. “These observations will help us to learn about how stars evolve and interact, and will help to determine if Einstein's theory of gravity is correct.”

The fellowship will also allow Sampson to work on a music-based outreach program that will incorporate many of the components that were developed and showcased at MSU’s “Celebrating Einstein” event. The event, which was held at MSU in 2013, incorporated music, art and scientific workshops to celebrate the centennial of Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity and the then-impending detection of gravitational waves.

While at MSU, gravitational physicist Neil Cornish, professor in the Department of Physics and director of MSU’s eXtreme Gravity Institute, served as Sampson’s adviser.

She is a member of the Cornish-led MSU team that last September contributed to the detection of gravitational waves – ripples in the fabric of spacetime -- proving Einstein’s theory of relativity and opening the door for a new era of astrophysics. News reports called it “the scientific discovery of the century,” and the story was featured in leading scientific journals and on the front pages of newspapers worldwide. The results from the MSU team’s analysis are displayed in the first figure of the discovery paper.

“Work from Laura’s thesis was used in the analysis of the first-ever gravitational wave detection to constrain deviations from Einstein’s theory to less than a few percent,” Cornish said.

Cornish added that he is proud of Sampson’s success and the strides she has made in the field.

“Laura has made significant contributions to the new field of gravitational wave astronomy,” he said. “She is also a very talented science communicator, and I'm sure she will excel in the role of a Women in Science fellow.”

In addition to her research, Sampson said she is passionate about mentoring, particularly for women in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM. She co-founded and served as president of MSU’s Women in Science and Engineering chapter, which organizes retreats for female graduate students and holds monthly lunches with female faculty and postdoctoral researchers, as well as social networking events.

“Strong mentoring relationships have been shown to be important for both men and women, but are stronger predictors of women's success than men's,” Sampson said. “It has also been shown that developing these relationships is easier between people of the same gender, and so I see it as one of the most obvious things I can do to help young women in STEM.”

Sampson said support from her advisers and the stimulating academic environment in MSU’s gravitational physics group contributed greatly to her education and success.

“We have an outstanding gravitational physics group at MSU, and have for decades,” she said. “The leadership at the university is also dedicated to the advancement of women in STEM and puts resources behind their rhetoric. It's a great place to be a student.”

Over the last 13 years, L'Oréal USA's for Women in Science fellowship program has awarded more than $3 million in grants to 65 postdoctoral women scientists at a critical stage of their career.

A diverse group of local leaders, volunteers and advocates gathered Monday to highlight their support for a new Gallatin County Law and Justice Center.

Supporters included business leaders, conservationists, crime victim advocates and voter education groups.

“A new law and justice center will serve all members of our community and keep us safe,” Friends of Law and Justice spokesman Robert Lee said. “So, it’s appropriate that we have broad representatives from across the community demonstrating their support.”

Friends of Law and Justice has been steadily adding to its list of local supporters in advance of Election Day Nov. 8. To date, over 370 people, businesses, and community organizations and associations have publicly endorsed the Law and Justice Bond.

Local organizations that have endorsed the bond include: the Bozeman Area Chamber of Commerce, the Bozeman League of Women Voters, Gallatin Ahead-Future West, Gallatin County Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)/Guardian ad Litem, Gallatin County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, Gallatin Valley DUI Task Force, Gallatin Valley Democrats and West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce.

Anita Nybo, past director for Gallatin County CASA/Guardians ad Litem, said a modern law and justice will ensure the safety of the growing number of crime and abuse—especially children—who seek help from the center’s on-site advocates.

“Right now, there aren’t secure holding areas for prisoners facing trial,” she said. “There’s a risk that victims will run into their abusers in the halls, because there’s just so little space. We need private areas where victims can speak to advocates and know that their safety isn’t compromised. The new law and justice center will provide this space and keep victims safe.”

Bozeman Area Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Daryl Schliem said that voting “yes” for the Law and Justice Center will provide the police and sheriff’s agencies with the space and technology needed to keep the community safe into the future.

“People and businesses locate and stay in Gallatin County because it’s a great, safe place to live. We want to keep it that way,” he said. “The community is growing and we need to help law enforcement keep pace with that growth so that we can all continue to thrive.”

Randy Carpenter of Gallatin Ahead – Future West, also cited growth as a reason to support the bond.

“Our county’s growth has created the need for a new law and justice center. The current building just isn’t adequate. The building was constructed as a private high school 55 years ago and it can’t be updated to meet our needs,” he said.

Building the new center near its current site will allow the police, sheriff and courts to remain in one consolidated and central location, he said. “That’s smart growth. It saves us from developing new areas to house these services and it saves us all money by reducing the cost of operations and maintenance because the city and county are doing this project together. The new building will also be safer for the public and much more efficient in terms of energy.”

Judy Mathre, Board Member and Second Vice President of the Bozeman League of Women Voters, said her group is supporting the bond because it’s “good government.”

“Our law enforcement and justice system are critical parts of our democracy,” she said. “If we don’t adequately support them, we’re shortchanging ourselves and putting the safety of our community at risk.”

Mathre said the center will provide “privacy, security and access for all.”

“We’ve been making do for far too long in the old building,” she said. “An updated, modern law and justice center for Gallatin County is long overdue.”

Gallatin County Sheriff Brian Gootkin and Bozeman Police Chief Steve Crawford led a tour of the existing center following the speakers’ remarks.

About the Law and Justice Bond

The current law and justice center is located in a 55-year-old former high school that is structurally unsafe and cannot be cost-effectively updated. It lacks safety and security features such as holding areas for individuals in custody and facing trials, and is not wheelchair accessible. There is no space to grow.

The Gallatin County Law and Justice Bond and Bozeman mill levy would approve construction of a new $68.3 million facility for sheriff, police and courts to be located near the current center at 615 S. 16th Ave. in Bozeman.

Residents can get more information at www.yesforlawandjustice.org

Paid for Friends of Law and Justice,
Jim Drummond, treasurer.
2125 Baxter Dr.
Bozeman, MT 59718