On August 13, 2023, at 10:44am Gallatin County Dispatch received an agency assist request from Park County Sheriff’s Office.  Park County had received a call from the International Emergency Response Coordination Center (IERCC) after an emergency beacon activation reporting a climber had fallen and was injured about 200 feet from the summit of Granite Peak near Cooke City.  The climber was the guide in a group of 4 and due to the injuries, location, and experience of the other climbers, they were requesting help to extract the group from the mountain.

Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue volunteers from the Heli Team and Comms Team responded.  After a reconnaissance flight around the area, a GCSSAR paramedic was inserted near the climber’s location.  The medical assessment found the patients injuries didn’t require immobilization, which meant the patient was able to be flown to an awaiting Guardian Flight medical helicopter in a “screamer suit.”  The remaining members were ultimately flown off the mountain and back to the trailhead.

Just as the first mission was wrapping up, a call for help was received again from Granite Peak. A second group of climbers had a member of their group fall and sustain injuries. The injured party was short-hauled off Granite Peak and transported by a private party to a higher level of medical care.

Sheriff Springer would like to remind recreationalists that accidents can happen to anyone and being prepared with a GPS communication device can make all the difference. The backcountry is vast and rescues can take hours, so being prepared with proper equipment, extra clothing, food, and water, is essential in emergency situations.

Photos courtesy of the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office.

Montana State University and The Downtown Bozeman Association Presents:
The 11th Annual Community Cat Walk
 
Montana State University and the Downtown Bozeman Association present the 11th Annual Community Cat Walk on Friday, August 18th from 11 AM – 1 PM on Main Street in Downtown Bozeman.
 
MSU President Waded Cruzado, Champ, the MSU Spirit of the West Marching Band, students, student-athletes, and community members will make their way down Main Street to create “Bobcat Buzz” throughout the community. The group will visit businesses along the way, play the fight song and pass out Bobcat gear, treats for kids, and game schedules. Also, get a chance to meet the MSU Athletic Director Leon Costello and Football Coach Brent Vigen and get autographs from your favorite football, basketball, and volleyball players!

 
The walk will begin at 11 AM at First Interstate Bank located at Grand Avenue and Mainstreet and will move east down the south side of Main Street. Mid-way through the event, walkers will make a 20-minute stop at Soroptimist Park located at Rouse Avenue and Main Street for refreshments and player autographs.

 
Walkers will then head west down the north side of Main Street and will end at Wells Fargo Bank located at Grand Avenue and Main Street around 1 PM. Bobcat fans are encouraged to walk with us and spread Bobcat spirit!
 
This event is free and open to the public! It will take place rain or shine!
 
For more information, please visit www.downtownbozeman.org/catwalk & www.msubobcats.com  or call 406-994-6267 & 406-586-4008. 

BIG SKY, MT - (August 14, 2023) — There’s a new opening date in town, and it’s the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. This season (and all future years from here on out), Big Sky Resort is starting winter a little earlier, with a planned opening date to fall on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  

"Our shift to an earlier opening gives our guests and team members more time to celebrate opening day and Thanksgiving with family and friends, and more skiing to look forward to in November," said Troy Nedved, general manager, Big Sky Resort. 

Planned operating dates for the resort's 50th anniversary season are Wednesday, November 22 through Sunday, April 28, for a total of 159 ski days, the longest season in Big Sky history. 

Today marks 100 days until Big Sky Resort's (new) opening day. 

BOZEMAN — Montana State University is partnering with another iconic western brand for a new apparel line.

Wrangler, most known for its jeans and western wear, is producing a line of MSU-branded clothing, including shirts, hats and T-shirts. The new line will be available exclusively at the MSU Bookstore.

Wrangler worked in collaboration with Colosseum Athletics, a leader in collegiate manufacturing and the Collegiate Licensing Company, CLC, to design and produce the collection .

“Montana State is proud to partner with Wrangler, Colosseum Athletics and the MSU Bookstore to bring the officially licensed Bobcat Wrangler Collegiate Collection to life for our students, alumni and fans,” said Amy Kanuch, licensing and community relations manager at MSU. “Montana State celebrates our roots in western heritage and is excited to offer a fun new collection that showcases our Bobcat brand with the iconic Wrangler brand.”

The collegiate collection launched a year ago with schools in the South. MSU will now be a featured university in the second year of the collection.

The collaboration with Wrangler comes two years after MSU launched a line of clothing with another iconic western brand, the fishing company Simms, to produce shirts and hats with the trademarked MSU brand, Trout U, which are also available in the MSU Bookstore.

Alex Bisset has turned his writing talent into philanthropy by donating a portion of the proceeds from his book to the Bozeman Health Foundation to support the Bozeman Health neonatal intensive care unit fund. Published in June 2023, “The Destination Birth” is Bisset’s first book and can be purchased from the Bozeman Health Gift Shop, Country Bookshelf in downtown Bozeman, and online retailers including Amazon, Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble.

                                                                       photos courtesy of Alex and Lauren Bisset

BOZEMAN — For expecting parents Lauren and Alex Bisset, the summer of 2022 was one for the books. Literally.

At 34 weeks pregnant, they headed West for Montana to spend quality time together before the birth of their new baby and to witness two of their closest friends exchange their I-do’s in Paradise Valley, Mont.

Thousands of miles from their home in New York, the destination wedding and babymoon quickly turned into an unexpected destination birth and, ultimately, an unforgettable journey of hope and determination that is now forever memorialized through the couple’s reflections and Alex’s own penning. Turning their story into philanthropy came in tandem.

“There were so many people that helped us along the way, and the care we received from Bozeman Health inspired us to pay it forward,” Alex said. “Sharing our story has been joyful and being able to give back adds another destination point to an already fulfilling journey.”

Thirty-eight days prior to her expected arrival, Everly Montana Bisset made her grand entrance into the world, fashionably early and in true Montana cowgirl form—ready to chase her next adventure on a cross-country train ride to the summer’s final destination: home.

Unlike the familiarity of bustling East Coast subway stations and short commuter railroads, the new parents boarded the train for their home destination, new baby in tow, a journey that would take them through the plains of eastern Montana to the sunset over the Hudson River.

New parents, Lauren and Alex Bisset, board the Amtrak in Havre, Mont. with their newborn, who was delivered at Bozeman Health 38 days prior to her due date and 2,157 miles from their home in New York City.

Lauren and Alex Bisset take a family photo from their roomette aboard the Amtrak.

The landscapes and 2,157-mile train ride were anything but mundane, all taken in from a 20 square-foot roomette. The small quarters left little wiggle room on one side, and time to pass on the other.

Minutes turned to hours as they reminisced the many twists and turns of events that landed them there, on a train taking them across the country—now chugging along somewhere in the middle of nowhere North Dakota.

They didn’t want to ever forget or let the memories of their twist-of-fate birth story fade. And as fate would have it, what began as a keepsake journal took a turn of its own one-year later in book form titled, “The Destination Birth.”

Turning their story into philanthropy came in tandem, the couple said, as a way to express gratitude for the care they and their newborn daughter received. In honor of this care, the Bissets have committed to donate a portion of book sale proceeds to Bozeman Health Foundation’s NICU fund to support enhancements to patient care, innovations, training and specialty equipment.

“I speak on behalf of the entire NICU when I say how grateful we are for Alex and Lauren’s support in recognition of the high-quality care they and their newborn received with us, which is a true testament to our staff,” said Stacey Verhoeven, the NICU’s supervisor. “This gift will directly support the ongoing care of our most vulnerable young patients, which is of utmost importance.”

In addition to the percentage of proceeds from books sold online, Bisset is donating 100 percent of the proceeds of books purchased directly from the Bozeman Health gift shop.

About the author
Alex Bisset, author of “The Destination Birth”
Alex Bisset was born and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut and has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin—Madison. Alex considers his family and friends to be most important to him, and spending time with his daughter brings a smile to his face every day. He is an avid outdoorsman and adventurer, and loves to exercise, stemming from his time spent as a member of the University of Wisconsin Men’s Varsity Rowing team. “The Destination Birth” is Alex’s first book.

About Bozeman Health Foundation
Bozeman Health Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Bozeman Health, southwest Montana’s leading integrated, not-for-profit health care system. The foundation secures, manages and stewards charitable gifts to support the mission of Bozeman Health, all of which benefit the people of southwest Montana. Learn more at bozemanhealthfoundation.org.

About Bozeman Health
Bozeman Health is an integrated healthcare delivery system serving an eight-county region in southwest Montana. As a nonprofit organization, governed by a volunteer community board of directors, Bozeman Health is the largest private employer in Gallatin County, with more than 2,400 employees, including 250 medical providers representing 40 clinical specialties.

 BIG SKY – A grizzly bear was captured and euthanized earlier this month after repeatedly seeking and accessing unsecured attractants in Big Sky.

Over the course of several weeks, the bear became accustomed to accessing garbage stored in bear-resistant containers that were not secured. The bear also found unsecured food in a vehicle. Attempts to haze the bear after attractants were stored properly and secured with electric fencing were unsuccessful.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks staff captured the bear on Aug. 4. In consultation with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, FWP euthanized the bear on Aug. 6 because it had become conditioned to seeking food from unnatural sources, which creates human safety risks. The bear was a female grizzly without cubs, estimated to be between 3 and 5 years old.

Unsecured attractants, such as garbage and bird feeders, can lead to human safety risks and property damage from bears. Relocating bears that have associated human activity with food usually leads to further conflicts and safety risks because bears often return to the same area where they were captured to look for food. Unfortunately, bears in these situations can’t be rehabilitated.

Montana is bear country. Grizzly bear numbers continue to increase, and grizzlies are becoming more widespread in Montana, increasing the likelihood that residents and recreationists will encounter them in more places each year. Bears also become more active in late summer and fall as they spend more time eating in preparation for hibernation.

Avoiding conflicts with bears is easier than dealing with such conflicts. Here are some precautions to help residents, recreationists and people who work outdoors avoid negative bear encounters:

• Keep garbage, bird feeders, pet food and other attractants put away in a secure building or certified bear-resistant container. Keep garbage in a secure building until the day it is collected. Certified bear-resistant garbage containers are available in many areas.
• Never feed wildlife. Bears that become food conditioned lose their natural foraging behavior and pose threats to human safety. It is illegal to feed bears in Montana.
• Carry bear spray and be prepared to use it immediately.
• Travel in groups whenever possible and make casual noise, which can help alert bears to your presence.
• Stay away from animal carcasses, which often attract bears.
• Follow food storage orders from the applicable land management agency.
• If you encounter a bear, never approach it. Leave the area when it is safe to do so.

Grizzly bears in the lower 48 states are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Management authority for grizzlies rests with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, working closely in Montana with FWP, the Forest Service, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Geological Survey, Wildlife Services and Native American tribes. This collaboration happens through the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee.

For more information and resources on bear safety, visit fwp.mt.gov/conservation/wildlife-management/bear.

As schools in the US prepare to open, the hype for back-to-school shopping is already picking pace. There are a lot of stories to talk about the summer holiday experiences in the first few weeks after opening. Stores are already offering amazing school deals to capitalize on the season. In July, Stanford President Tessier Lavigne resigned. It was alleged that he was involved in altering images in research papers. In Texas, the A&M President resigned due to controversies over the hiring of professors. These are just some of the many issues schools have to deal with in the first month of the 2023/24 academic year.

 
Diversity and inclusion in hiring teachers is still a thorny issue in the US
 
Balancing races and color remains a contentious issue in the US. The report by Education Week says educators of color are still in a “profoundly leaky pipeline.” The report says the US states never prioritize diversity when creating recruitment guidelines. The report is based on research findings published by the NCTQ.

The report provides an analysis of state-by-state teacher diversity guidelines. In the report, it's just 7 states that have goals to raise teacher diversity. Surprisingly, this is still a big issue 246 years after the USA's independence. The report suggests quick action to pinpoint the leaky areas and seal them.

As a new academic year begins, students expect to write papers on different topics. The teacher may assign you topics or let you choose the one you feel comfortable with.  You should explore free informative essay examples at StudyMoose to gather necessary information and take some inspiration. When you read them, you will develop skills to write like a professional.
 
The president of Texas A&M University resigns due to a hiring controversy
 
In late July, the president of Texas A&M University resigned following a diversity and inclusion issue. It is alleged that President M. Katherine didn’t follow the right hiring procedures. She hired Por. Kathleen McElroy and then suddenly changed her employment terms. The report by CNN says this left McElroy with no option but to resign. She was informed there was a hiring backlash on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

McElroy felt she was being targeted because she is black and a woman. CNN reports that a law banning diversity and inclusion in Texas will become effective next year. At first, McElroy signed a five-year non-tenured contract. It was suddenly changed to a one-year contract. In the new conditions, the contract could be changed without notice. Hart Blanton, of the Department of Communication and Journalism, called for an investigation. He said he was surprised to hear about the sudden changes yet he was never informed.  

 
Biden government begins website trials as part of the Save student loan plan
 
Joe Biden’s administration has launched a website testing phase for the Save Student loan scheme. The website will offer a loan repayment plan for students based on income. The website is part of the Save (Saving on a Valuable Education) plan. Biden announced the Save plan after his initial loan forgiveness plan was stopped by the Supreme Court.

The plan is expected to reduce monthly installments paid by students significantly.  Biden said he is committed to making the student loan system in the county better. The report was sent to media houses in a statement by a senior member of the Whitehouse. The report said signing up for a student loan on the website will take only 10 minutes.
 
Borrowers will be able to view the exact monthly installments they should pay. They will be allowed to choose favorable installments based on income. The Biden administration expects to launch the website before schools open in September. The Save plan will however become effective in July 2024.
 
Students go through an intensive K-12 education system before joining higher education.  In higher education, a student writes essays, research papers, and does several exams. In the forgiveness plan, Biden had planned to forgive needy students a $430 bn loan.
 
New teaching guidelines on slavery in Florida criticized
 
Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina recently criticized Governor Ron DeSantis due to new teaching guidelines that he supported. Florida okayed middle school teachers to instruct students that slaves benefited from slavery. The educators are required to teach students the slaves learned skills that they could use for their benefit.

Scott insisted that slavery was all about mutilating humans. It was about separating families and raping women. The report by AP News said that Scott regretted the position taken by the Governor. He said Ron is in the presidential race and should come clean and clarify his position.
 
It is not the first time that Ron is dealing with criticism. He has faced a lot of criticism from teachers, civil rights activists, and Black Republicans. President Joe Biden’s administration has also criticized him on school standards. Students in the US have written a lot of essays on slavery.
 
A student is free to support any side when writing a research paper. Some of the essays can be published as examples for other students to read. However, when a politician takes a stand, it is prone to attract great criticism. A week ago, Vice President Kamara Harris visited Florida to condemn the state’s curriculum. Ron defended himself by saying he was free to speak the truth. He said Americans have for many years believed in a lie.

Conclusion
 
As schools prepare to open for the 2023/24 academic year, many issues still need to be addressed. There have been concerns about cyberattacks on school data. Concerns about inclusivity and diversity in educators remain a major concern. Being a presidential election year, presidential candidates are making many promises to change the education sector. Teachers on the hand are pushing for empowerment. They also want the curriculum empowered to fit a STEM-driven world. Stakeholders can only hope that the promises will be implemented to make schools a better place.

BOZEMAN – Ellie Jackson, a 2022 Montana State University graduate in cell biology and neuroscience, has been awarded a prestigious fellowship from the nation’s oldest collegiate honor society, Phi Kappa Phi.

Jackson, who is originally from Bozeman and is planning a career as a family physician in a rural community, said she will use the $8,500 fellowship to pursue a master’s degree in public health at the University of Washington beginning this fall. Though her end goal is to become a rural health care provider, she believes her studies in UW’s Community-Oriented Public Health Practice program will provide a solid public health background and enable her to provide services more effectively in a small community.

“I wanted to do this master’s program before medical school because I do really have a passion for public health,” Jackson said. “I chose that program because it’s specific to what I want to do, which is community-oriented work.”

In the year since she graduated from MSU, Jackson has worked in a number of different roles at a community health clinic in Three Forks, where she says she has learned a lot about the workings of a small-town clinic and strengthened her resolve – initially forged through her academic and extracurricular activities at MSU – to become a rural health care provider.

As an undergraduate, Jackson was a Cameron Presidential Scholar in the Honors College and active in many campus organizations, including student government. She represented the College of Letters and Science for two years as an elected ASMSU senator and was ASMSU Senate vice president during her second term. In 2019, she participated, through the Office of Student Engagement, in a BreaksAway trip to the U.S.-Mexico border, where she says she learned about health issues facing migrants. For three years, she served as director of the HEART Initiative, a student organization committed to furthering awareness of human trafficking and encouraging action to prevent it. And for one summer, she managed the Bounty of the Bridgers Food Pantry on campus with the goal of making the service more widely accessible and destigmatizing the experience of food insecurity.

“Ellie was an incredible student who fully utilized the opportunities available for undergraduate students at Montana State University,” said Jeff Heys, MSU’s Phi Kappa Phi chapter president and MSU Honors College acting dean during the 2023 fellowship nomination process.

In addition to her major studies in the Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology in the College of Agriculture, Jackson earned minors in Hispanic studies and global health in MSU’s College of Letters and Science. Together with seminars she took through the Honors College, “a lot of those classes informed my interest in health and medicine and inspired my passion for public health,” she said.

Mary Cloninger, who was Jackson’s honors organic chemistry professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said she has no doubt that her former student will attain her professional goals.

“She will thrive in the more advanced curriculum,” she said. “She’s going to be excited to do more school, and she’s going to do it well.”

Jackson participated in an internal competition before being invited by the Honors College to apply for the national fellowship. The selection criteria include evidence of an applicant’s graduate potential, service and leadership experience, and undergraduate academic achievement. Jackson’s mentors say she excelled in all areas.

She’s a scholar, she’s a hard worker and she’s absolutely dedicated to serving the community, whether that be at MSU or outside,” Cloninger said.

Heys added, “As a freshman, Ellie studied how influenza mutates so that we can design better vaccines in the future. Later, she studied growth of and interactions of neurons to help us better understand neurodegenerative diseases, and this work is the basis of her honors thesis.

“We cannot wait to see what this incredibly talented and hard-working student does next,” he said.

Though Jackson has received much recognition for her scholarship and service – her many accolades in 2022 included MSU’s Award for Excellence, Student Organization Leader of the Year Award, Torlief Aasheim Community Involvement Award and Ethelyn C. Harris Award – she said being named a Phi Kappa Phi fellow is especially meaningful.

“It’s something I’m really grateful for as a first-generation graduate student. The fellowship will be of tremendous help,” she said. “The support of the Honors College was huge, helping me and supporting me along the way. It set me up really well to be a recipient of this award.”

Jackson said she expects to return to Montana after she finishes her higher degrees.

"Having grown up in Montana and now working in Three Forks, I have a deep appreciation for working in a rural community and realizing how we have limited access to (health) care compared to other states nationwide,” she said. “I think I definitely want to come back and give back to the state I grew up in.”

In the early morning hours of Sunday, August 6, 2023, the Gallatin County Coroner’s Office along with Montana Highway Patrol and the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office investigated a fatal motor vehicle accident between a motorcycle and a pickup truck. The accident occurred at Mile Marker 15 on the Frontage Road near Belgrade. The driver of the motorcycle was taken to Bozeman Health Deaconess Regional Medical Center where he died of his injuries. The victim was identified as 28-year-old Hunter Berry of Manhattan. His cause of death was determined to be blunt force injuries of the head and the manner was ruled an accident. The driver of the pickup truck fled the scene after the crash. Law enforcement is still looking for the driver of the pickup truck at this time.

Sheriff Springer wishes to express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Hunter Berry during this time.

Gallatin Valley Land Trust (GVLT) is best known for the Main Street to the Mountains trail system, but the definition of trail is expanding. GVLT and partners have launched the area’s first water trail, the Missouri River Headwaters Paddlers’ Trail.

The trailhead (or “put in” as it’s better known in the paddler world) is located at the Missouri River Boat Launch in Headwater’s State Park. The trail takes floaters past the Fairweather Fishing Access Site and ends at the Toston Dam “take-out”. Paddlers can choose to continue for a more strenuous adventure or start at Fairweather Fishing Access for a less challenging route with a shorter time commitment.

The National American Trails organization recently published an article praising water trails. “Water trails connect us to nature and history in a way that other trails cannot. Many American towns and cities are built at the edge of water bodies, so taking to the water is a way to explore areas from a different perspective, close to home. Water trails can allow access to wild places that may be almost unreachable otherwise. Water trails are fun and inclusive.”

The creation of the trail was inspired by GVLT’s mission to connect people to the lands, and rivers, in beautiful southwest Montana. Water trails are especially aligned with GVLT’s focus on inclusivity for community members of all abilities and levels of experience accessing the outdoors.

Water trails typically have a predetermined route along a river with dedicated access points to put in and take out your personal watercraft such as kayak, canoe, raft, or even stand-up paddle board. The trail includes signage and mapping with mile markers to help users of all abilities and experience levels have a better understanding of what to expect on their journey. Even with these new resources, it is important to follow the Leave No Trace principle “know before you go” to stay safe out there. Looking up weather conditions, water levels and flows, common hazards and being aware of your surroundings can ensure you have an incredible day on the water. A key component to this project includes educating the public about how they can keep Montana waters healthy.  Signage at put in and take out locations encourage paddlers to follow Leave No Trace principles and explains how they can help maintain water quality and the sensitive lands surrounding the river corridor.

GVLT was one of many nonprofit and government agency partners that worked together to bringthis vision to life. "It's amazing when a community can rally around a project that combines recreation with the power of education to protect a resource. GVLT relies on its many partners to build incredible trails, and this project is no different," GVLT Trails Director, Matt Parsons said.Partners included Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, the Montana Association of Conservation Districts, Montana Conservation Corps, and GVLT. GVLT and partners will be celebrating the launch of the Missouri Headwaters Paddlers Trail on Friday August 11th at the Missouri Headwaters Boat Lunch at 9am. The public and members of the press are invited to attend. 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.