Thanks to the over 1,100 voters in our 2nd annual Bozeman's Choice Reader Poll!

The results from this poll will be published in the January issue of Bozeman Magazine and online on Jan 1, 2017.

Montana’s Fastest Growing Tech Company Earns Spot on "National Dream Job List"
 
(Bozeman, MT) – The fastest growing tech firm in Montana, learning management system (LMS) provider Wisetail, has earned yet another national recognition as #32 on OUTSIDE's 100 Best Places to Work 2016. As part of the assessment, Outside Magazine helps its readers identify dream jobs around the country. Each year, OUTSIDE recognizes the top 100 companies in the United States that help their employees strike the ideal balance between work and play. These companies encourage employees to lead an active lifestyle, are eco-conscious, and prioritize giving back to the community.

 
In addition to weaving adventure into the company’s manifesto, Wisetail sets aside a $1,000 stipend every quarter to help team members fund, “adventures, unique professional development opportunities, and vision quests.”

Wisetail is also known for its dedication to local trail projects and giving back to the community through the company’s charitable giving arm, Wisetail Works. Earlier this year, Wisetail was named one of the fastest growing companies in America by Inc.com and one of the 50 Best Small Businesses in America by Fortune Magazine.

“Honestly, this is the only business recognition I’ve ever wanted because it represents the intersection of business performance, being a great place to work and a commitment to social and environmental responsibility. This recognition validates our commitment to adventure often and enjoy Montana’s wide open spaces so we can be a healthier, more inspired and a higher performing team,” said Wisetail CEO, Justin Bigart. “Because we are an #INDIETECH company, we are free from the strings attached to venture capital and free to prioritize our core cultural values.”

 
“This year’s list of Best Places to Work highlights employers who go above and beyond for their staff,” said OUTSIDE Online Editor Scott Rosenfield. “Included are organizations that emphasize a healthy work-life balance and promote, encourage and reward employees to live active and healthier lives.”

From day one, Wisetail has both culturally supported and actively encouraged employees to lead an active balanced lifestyle. The Best Places to Work list represents the gold standard: companies who cultivate a comfortable and collaborative workplace, enable their employees to enjoy the great outdoors and take pride in their roles in the community and the environment.

To create the best places to work 2016 list, OUTSIDE started by comparing employers to five core categories, reflecting the magazine’s values and focus: Adventure/Travel, Wellness, Culture, Gear, and Media. OUTSIDE then conducted a rigorous vetting process in partnership with the Best Companies Group to assess the policies, practices, and demographics of hundreds of companies.

 
Powered by employee workplace reviews and taking into account factors like corporate culture, job satisfaction, work environment and overall employee engagement, the Best Places to Work list represents only the top companies that are not only empowering but also encouraging their employees to live better, healthier and more active lives.

About Wisetail
Located at the base of one of Montana’s best trail systems, Wisetail’s #INDIETECH business model has successfully bucked the Silicon Valley tech startup trend by growing to serve more than 1 million users without a dime of outside financing. Wisetail is an award-winning learning management system (LMS) company hand-built from scratch in 2009 in Bozeman, Montana. Wisetail has grown 100% per year becoming both a rising star and a disruptive force in the fields of eLearning and employee engagement by delivering world class learning management and unequaled customer support. An elite group of discerning clients are choosing Wisetail’s unique platform to build their brand, culture and community in the same place their organization learns, grows and communicates. The company powers great places to work.

 
About OUTSIDE:
OUTSIDE is America’s leading active lifestyle brand. Since 1977, OUTSIDE has covered travel, sports, adventure, health, and fitness, as well as the personalities, the environment, and the style and culture of the world Outside. The OUTSIDE family includes OUTSIDE magazine, the only magazine to win three consecutive National Magazine Awards for General Excellence, The Outside Buyer’s Guides, Outside Online, the Outside Podcast, Outside Television, Outside Events, Outside+ for the iPad, Outside tablet edition, Outside Books, and Outside GO, a revolutionary, 21st-century adventure-travel company.

 Montana State University Extension has published a new MontGuide which details how to transfer a Montana vehicle title after the death of an owner.
 
"After a Montana resident passes away, there are many tasks to be completed to settle his or her estate,” said Marsha Goetting, MSU Extension family economics specialist and co-author of the MontGuide "Transferring a Montana Vehicle Title After the Death of an Owner." “One question family members often ask is, ‘How is the title of a vehicle transferred to the person who inherited it?’"

 
The newly released MontGuide explains the four steps survivors should follow to transfer the title of a deceased person’s vehicle to the person who inherited it.
 
According to the MontGuide, family members first need to determine if the vehicle owned by the deceased person is one that requires a title with the Montana Motor Vehicle Division.
 
"There are very few vehicles that are not (required to be) titled in Montana," said Nancy Hargrove, co-author of the MontGuide and customer support liaison for the Montana MVD. The guide, however, gives detailed information about how to find this information.   
   
The second step, as listed in the guide, is to find the original title to determine how the vehicle was titled. Was it issued only in the deceased’s name (sole ownership) or were there other owners (joint ownership)?  Was it registered in the name of a trust?  If the vehicle was used in a business, was it registered in the name of the business?

 
The third step is to determine the legal heir(s) of the vehicle, according to the guide.
 
"If the deceased person owned the vehicle with another individual, his or her ownership automatically ceases upon death and the survivor becomes the sole owner," said Kendra Seilstad, co-author of the guide and MSU Extension family and consumer science agent in Blaine County.
 
After the legal heir(s) of the vehicle is determined, the final step is to complete the appropriate paperwork with the Title and Registration Bureau of the MVD, noted Goetting.
 
According to the MontGuide, the MVD requires specific paperwork, which depends upon how the vehicle was titled and the dollar value of the estate, to transfer title from a deceased owner to a legal heir(s).
 
"The MontGuide provides processes for common circumstances occurring in Montana," Goetting said.
 
A copy of “Transferring a Montana Vehicle Title After the death of an Owner” can be obtained at no charge from local county Extension agents or it can be printed for free from the web at http://store.msuextension.org/publications/FamilyFinancialManagement/mt201613HR.pdf.
 
For more information about MSU Extension, see http://www.msuextension.org.

Friends of Law and Justice will focus on solutions for public safety and law enforcement. Thanks to the diverse group of endorsers for your support.

Advocates for the Law and Justice Bond on Wednesday thanked their diverse group of local supporters and vowed to focus on solutions to address the many shortfalls present in the existing law and justice center. The need for a new facility continues and it is essential we address it.  We cannot continue to delay this important investment in our public safety.

“Community members from all walks of life and numerous business and civic groups helped voice the need for a new law and justice center, and we thank them for their tremendous work in moving the project forward,” said Dave Weaver, Chairman of Friends of Law and Justice.

“Despite this setback, the need remains, and we are committed to finding solutions that protect public safety and help our law enforcement, judicial officers and victim services advocates do the best job possible,” Weaver added.
Local sheriff and courts offices have operated in the current law and justice center, located in an outdated, unsafe, 55-year-old former high school building, since 1979.

The current facility, at 615 S. 16th Ave., has numerous deficiencies. It lacks safe meeting spaces for victims seeking help from advocates, along with secure holding areas for accused individuals facing trial. Storage space for vital evidence and court records is also a serious problem. There are no fire sprinklers and only limited access for disabled individuals. The center cannot be cost effectively renovated and does not meet modern building codes for safety.

“Our city and county officials and staff put together a forward-thinking proposal for a law and justice center that would keep our community safe now and into the future, as well as save millions of dollars due to cost-savings and efficiencies,” Robert Lee, Friends of Law and Justice said.

“This is a complex project and it was a complex vote. We must continue to emphasize the need of building a safe, up-to-date and functional law and justice facility. Unfortunately, such a project is likely to become more—not less—expensive for voters” Lee added.

 “Am I disappointed? Yes, but we will continue to educate our community on why it is essential to replace the old law and justice center with a safe place for people to conduct their business,” Brian Gootkin, Gallatin County Sheriff said. “We will move forward and work with our community members to find a solution to this pressing problem. We cannot wait any longer.”

“We need to stay focused. Our law enforcement officers don’t have the space and technology needed and our county continues to grow rapidly. Those are serious challenges, we’ll need to address them, regardless of this current vote,” Steve Crawford, Chief of Bozeman Police said.

The Law and Justice Bond was endorsed by over 400 community members and by a wide variety of businesses and organizations, including:
    •    Belgrade City Council.
    •    Bozeman Area Chamber of Commerce.
    •    Bozeman League of Women Voters.
    •    Gallatin Ahead.
    •    Gallatin County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)/Guardian ad Litem.
    •    Gallatin County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council.
    •    Gallatin County Democrat Central Committee.
    •    Gallatin Valley DUI Task Force.
    •    MSU Student Democrats.
    •    West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce.
    •    Southwest Montana Building Industry Association (SWMBIA).
    •    Three Forks City Council.

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

The Implications of Having Sociopathic, Narcissistic, Paranoid and/or Neo-Fascist Personality Types in Positions of Power – Especially in the White House

By Gary G. Kohls, MD

A megalomaniac is a pathological egotist, someone with a psychological disorder who exhibits symptoms like delusions of grandeur and an obsession with greatness, power or wealth.

A sociopath is a person whose behavior is antisocial, often criminally greedy, and who lacks a sense of moral responsibility, empathy or social conscience. Sociopaths never sincerely apologize nor are they capable of exhibiting remorse for wrongs that they have committed.

A narcissist is person who has an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for admiration, sexual gratification, applause and a lack of empathy for others.

 A paranoid person or group exhibits excessive or irrational suspiciousness and distrustfulness of other individuals or groups.

A xenophobe is a person who is fearful or contemptuous of that which is foreign, especially of strangers or of people from different countries or cultures.

A demagogue is a political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular desires and prejudices rather than by using rational argument.

Once upon a time, there was a megalomaniacal, sociopathic, narcissistic and paranoid national leader who was attempting to rise to political power in his politically-divided, post-war nation. This deeply flawed demagogue, who was worshipped by millions of rabble-rousing, beer-drinking, racist, sexist, gun-toting, anti-Semitic, flag-waving, uber-nationalist, xenophobic white supremacists, professed that his goal in running for national office was only to make his supposedly-weak, supposedly under-militarized country great again.

This sometimes charismatic political leader was one of the richest persons in the country but was often joked about by courageous comedians of the time. He was sometimes regarded as a buffoon, but he impressed his followers at his frequent campaign stops by dramatically flying in to his political rallies on a private airplane.

This leader often used inflammatory and hate-filled language in his speeches, actually inciting violence among his listeners, and was thus widely covered by the press as an aberration in the struggling, once-civilized, democratic nation. He amassed a devoted coalition of angry, under-employed, xenophobic white supremacists, especially among the millions of psychologically-wounded combat veterans from the last war who were easily recruited to participate in street-fighting for the cause – indeed, even a violent revolution. His followers revered and exuberantly pledged allegiance to the flag.

His nation had suffered the loss of a recent war that had essentially bankrupted the nation – both economically and morally. The lost war had resulted in serious economic challenges. The war had been stupidly started by an out-of-touch, over-privileged, ultra-wealthy, right-wing, all-male leadership that was controlled by the nation’s bankers, industrialists and militarists, all of whom had urged on the war because they sought military glory and potentially huge economic benefits by pillaging the wealth of other nations, especially their oil wealth.

The nations targeted by the nation’s banks and assorted corporations were actually not military threats. In fact, in order to start the war, the political and military leaders of the nation secretly conspired to orchestrate a false flag operation that falsely alarmed the nation into war-readiness. After the Big Lie operation had been accepted as truthful by the masses (thanks to the corporate-controlled media that never questioned the deception) the soon-to-be-unjustly-invaded nation was accused of provoking a war and the brain-washed, duped electorate endorsed the invasion.

This particular megalomaniacal political leader had successfully purged from his adopted right-wing party many of the old establishment leaders that had originally been somewhat centrist. He had seemingly come out of nowhere and gained notoriety and political momentum after a sudden, world-wide economic collapse and recession that had been created by powerful Wall Street speculators and predatory investors. The leader chose to blame the disastrous war that ruined everything not on the 1% uber-wealthy corporate war-hawks and traitors – including himself - that had actually been behind the loss of jobs and lack of economic opportunity. Instead, he blamed the disastrous situation on liberal democratic party members who had taken on the impossible situation of economic depression and massive unemployment that they had not been responsible for in the first place.

The US stock market crash that tanked the world economy and led to planetary chaos had been ignited by the reckless actions of uber-wealthy, manipulative, predatory,  multimillionaire financiers, who escaped the punishment they deserved because they were too big to criticize, too big to fail and too important to have their reputations tarnished.

This megalomaniac and his followers were citizens of one of the most advanced, cultured, literate and highly Christianized nations the world had ever known. Sadly, the religion professed a belief in a god was a punitive, vengeful and angry god rather than a merciful, all-loving, nonviolent one as had been the belief of the religion’s founders.

The nation was also highly militarized. It had had a long military tradition that was universally revered by most sectors of the society, even though the military’s officers and soldiers were frequently guilty of actions that were considered international war crimes and crimes against humanity. The nation’s police and military had possessed the best military intelligence, the best spyware and the most lethal weapons systems that the world had ever known – all at crippling cost and little or no return on investment - to the tax-paying population. The nation’s child-rearing tactics were often punitive (the spare the rod/spoil the child doctrine) which resulted in very obedient children and obedient future soldiers who did not question the orders of their superiors – even if ordered to torture enemy non-combatants, for example. Thus the nation’s soldiers quite easily became willing executioners.

The leader and his followers thought that their nation – albeit “weak” at the time, had been and would soon again be exceptional among all the nations of the world, even being ordained by their punitive god to have dominion over all the others nations of the world.

Because the nation was regarded as blessed by god, the citizens naturally thought that aggressive action against any dissenters among them was needed, even to the point of banishment, imprisonment, deportation, execution and torture.  In other words, the followers of this sociopathic demagogue – who had a history of being a serial liar and wanted to increase his already significant wealth and power – abandoned all logic and truly believed that the leader could actually - mostly by himself - make his country great again.

In order to convince a plurality of voters to support and vote for him, this leader instilled a paranoia among them to irrationally fear non-whites, non-Christians, people whose first language was not English, immigrants yearning to be free, war refugees (from chaos and war that his nation had caused in the first place) and economic refugees (rom economic crashes that his nation’s giant multinational corporations had caused in the first place). But what seemed to work best was the paranoia that was created against a small, weak religious minority that constituted only 1% of the total population. That unjustly targeted minority was soon to have its sacred places of worship defaced (and then burned down), and the members themselves imprisoned as suspected terrorists, deported as illegal aliens and ultimately “disappeared”.

The megalomaniacal, sociopathic, narcissistic and paranoid national leader/fuehrer described above was, of course, Adolf Hitler – not Donald Trump. The militarized nation was Germany – not America; the war that economically and morally bankrupted Germany was the First World War (1914-1918) – not America’s Gulf War; the flag was the swastika – not the Stars and Stripes; the right-wing political party that hated liberals, progressives and socialists with a lethal passion was the Nazi Party - not the Republican Party; the targeted 1% minority were Jews – not Muslims; and the false flag operation that gave Hitler a reason to start World War II by invading Poland was Operation Himmler (Google it)  – not 9/11.

But the historical similarities between what seems to me to be an American friendly fascism and a distinctly unfriendly German fascism do indeed exist and it is not just the fault of Donald Trump. Indeed, Donald Trump probably has never taken the time to study ANY history books at all, so one cannot claim that he is following the historical playbook of fascist dictators. What he is doing is just the nature of demagogues.

And the historical similarities between the psychological aberrations of the fascist fuehrer Hitler and the various leaders behind what is becoming a reality in America do exist. Therefore, in the interest of educating those who are open-minded enough to sit still for some historical enlightenment, the remainder of this essay will try to make some of the connections between what has been said in this political season and what might be in store for America. The commentary below is mine but the criteria are from established documents that are easily available in the literature. I invite readers to do their own psychological evaluations. Recall that both sociopaths and fascists are not to be trusted with political power, military power or economic power. They both consistently lie and deceive and may not even realize that they are doing it. It is also important to understand that, for all intents and purposes, sociopaths are incurable and need to be isolated from society.

A) Donald Trump (along with some of his followers) Scores 7 out of the 7 Criteria on the DSM Sociopathic Personality Disorder Criteria (301.7)
Hillary Clinton Scores 2 or 3
Stein and Sanders score zero

The official Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders criteria for Antisocial Personality Disorder (aka Sociopathic Personality Disorder) is listed below in bold letters. In each of the seven categories I have added, in red, a few examples from the life and times of Donald Trump that supports his qualifications for being diagnosed a sociopath. Readers should make their own determinations and the implications for becoming president.

The disorder is characterized by a lack of regard for - and a marked inability to abide by - societal rules. Individuals with this disorder are sometimes called psychopaths or sociopaths.

 According to the DSM, only three of the seven are required to qualify for the diagnosis.

1.  Repeated acts that could lead to arrest. (Recall the multitude of highly believable charges of sexual assault or sexually-inappropriate behavior that have come from some of the women from Trump’s past. What happened could easily have resulted in Trump’s being charged with criminal sexual assault. On one of his many appearances on the Howard Stern Show, Trump actually laughingly admitted to being a sexual predator - in the presence of his approving daughter Ivanka and son Donald, Jr.)

(Clinton – as has been true of a multitude of other high-profile politicians in both major political parties - has been accused of financial irregularities and email irregularities.)

2.  Repeated lying, conning others for profit or pleasure, or the use of aliases. (Recall Trump’s lying about knowing Russian President Putin; his refusing to pay creditors for work done on his projects; and his infamous acts of self-promotion on radio programs by pretending to be somebody else.)
(Clinton has been accused selective lying, but a recent evaluation of her speeches showed that only 6% of her statements were false)

3.  Being impulsive or failing to plan ahead. (Recall Trump’s stupid investments in THREE Atlantic City casinos in the 1990s, including Trump Plaza, Trump Castle and the Trump Taj Mahal in the already over-built casino sector. Analysts knew, but Trump didn’t realize that the three casinos were certain to cannibalize each other and that debt-service of the high-interest loans would be impossible. Within two years all three casinos had to declare bankruptcy.)

4.  Repeated assaults on others. (Recall his numerous sexual assaults, his infamous attack on the owner of a professional wrestling association during a match and his verbal assaults on foreigners, Muslims, Mexicans, protestors, assorted minorities, the disabled and the media.)

5.  Reckless disregard for the safety of others. (Recall Trump’s reckless disregard for the victims of his sexual assaults, his numerous frivolous lawsuits and his many bankruptcy filings.)

6.  Failure to honor financial obligations. (Recall his numerous bankruptcy filings that stiffed a multitude of creditors and workers that then resulted in dozens of downstream bankruptcies of smaller businesses.)

7.  Rationalizing the pain he or she has inflicted on others. (Recall Trump’s refusal to apologize to anybody that he has hurt, including President Obama, his sexual conquests and those he has victimized financially.)
(Clinton on one occasion expressed joy over the murder of Omar Gadhafi.)

B) Donald Trump (and Some of his Followers) Scores 8 or 9 out of the 9 Criteria for Narcissistic Personality Disorder (DSM-IV 301.81)
Clinton scores 2 or 3
Stein and Sanders score zero

This disorder is characterized by a behavior or fantasy of grandiosity, a lack of empathy and a need to be admired by others. A useful definition is “pathological self-love”. Narcissistic individuals have an unrealistic or inflated sense of self-importance, an inability to see the viewpoints of others, and are hypersensitive to the opinions of others as indicated by five or more of the following nine traits:

    •    A grandiose sense of self-importance, superiority and talent and expects to be recognized as superior.

    •    A preoccupation with unlimited success, beauty, brilliance, ideal love, power, or wealth.

    •    A belief in being special and unique and can only be understood or should only be associated with people of high status.

    •    Requires excessive admiration (especially applause).

    •    An unreasonable sense of entitlement and an expectation of being treated with favor or expecting an automatic compliance to his or her wishes.

    •    Is interpersonally exploitive, taking advantage of others to achieve his or her goals.

    •    Lacks empathy.

    •    Believes that others are envious of him (or is envious of others).

    •    Exhibits arrogant or haughty attitudes or behaviors.

C) Donald Trump (and Some of his Followers) Scores 6 or 7 of the 7 Criteria for Paranoid Personality Disorder (301.0)

Clinton scores 2 or 3

Stein and Sanders score zero

Paranoid Personality Disorder is summarized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as a “pervasive distrust and suspiciousness of the motives of others that are interpreted as malevolent”.

Documentation is best determined during a thorough psychiatric examination, but, in the highly competitive culture of America’s “dog-eat-dog” capitalism, paranoia must be the norm, especially among the “take-no-prisoners”, “fight-to-the-death” multimillionaires or multibillionaires at the top - like Donald Trump.

Four or more of the following seven criteria are needed to make the diagnosis:

    •    Suspects without reason that others are exploiting, harming, or trying to deceive him.

    •    Has unjustified doubts about the loyalty or trustworthiness of friends or associates.

    •    Believes without reason that if he confides in others, the information may be used against him.

    •    Finds hidden or threatening meanings in harmless remarks or events.

    •    Persistently bears grudges and is unforgiving of insults or slights.

    •    Is quick to react with anger or to counterattack when he perceives that people are out to attack his character or reputation.

    •    Is suspicious of the fidelity of his spouse or sexual partner.

D) The Political Views of Donald Trump (and Some of his Followers) are compatible with 14 out of the following 14 Characteristics of Fascism (google Fascism – the 14 points)
Clinton and her followers score 6 out of 14
Stein and Sanders score zero

1. Powerful and continuing expressions of nationalism. 

   2. Disdain for the importance of human rights. 

    3. Identification of enemies/scapegoats as a unifying cause. 

    4. The supremacy of the military/avid militarism. 

    5. Rampant sexism. 

    6. A controlled mass media. 

    7. Obsession with national security. 

    8. Religion and ruling elite tied together. 

    9. Power of corporations protected. 

    10. Power of labor suppressed or eliminated. 

   11. Disdain and suppression of intellectuals and the arts. 

    12. Obsession with crime and punishment. 

   13. Rampant cronyism and corruption. 

   14. Fraudulent elections.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Dr Kohls is a retired physician from Duluth, MN, USA. He writes a weekly column for the Duluth Reader, the area’s alternative newsweekly magazine. His columns deal with the dangers of American fascism, corporatism, militarism, racism, malnutrition, Big Pharma’s psychiatric drugging and over-vaccination regimens, and other movements that threaten the environment, health, democracy, civility and longevity of the populace. Many of his columns are archived at http://duluthreader.com/articles/categories/200_Duty_to_Warn, http://www.globalresearch.ca/authors?query=Gary+Kohls+articles&by=&p=&page_id= or at https://www.transcend.org/tms/search/?q=gary+kohls+articles

With temperatures reaching the mid-sixties in parts of the region over the weekend, staff at game check stations reported a decline in hunter participation.

This was the third weekend of the general deer and elk season.
 
The Cameron check station in the Madison saw the most hunters, but Area Biologist Julie Cunningham said it certainly felt slower compared to 2015’s record setting harvest. Hunters checked 13 elk through the Cameron station. The same number of elk was met by the staff at the Alder station which saw the highest overall success rate at 20-percent.

Here’s a look at the data from the weekend’s operating check stations:
 
2016 R3 Check Station Summary - Weekend 3, Nov. 5 & 6

*Opened Saturday only.
 
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.

The Emerson Center for the Arts & Culture and the Downtown Bozeman Association are looking for the artist to create the 2016 Christmas Stroll poster!
 
Please email a high resolution (300 dpi or greater). tiff or .jpeg image of 2-D art work in 18" X 24" format by 5:00 pm on Monday, November 7.

 
 These posters are distributed to all downtown businesses. In addition, the poster will be featured on the cover of the "Official" Christmas Stroll special issue of the Bozeman Daily Chronicle the week prior to the Stroll. The issue will also include an article featuring the Christmas Stroll poster artist.

 
As a thank you, the winning artist will receive $200 in cash funded by the Emerson Center for the Arts & Culture and the Downtown Bozeman Association. The artist will also be recognized on these organizations' websites, social media and press releases several times building up to the event. Finally, the artist will receive 15 Christmas Stroll buttons to give to family and friends to enjoy the spirit of the Christmas Stroll on Saturday, December 3.

Please note: the chosen artist must be present at the Emerson during the Christmas Stroll to sign posters on December 3 from 1-2 pm.
 
To submit your piece, please email education@theemerson.org.
For questions, please call 587-9797 (ext 104).

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