Amendments Effectively Balance Wildlife Management, Conservation, Public Access, and Hunter Dispersion

Helena, MT – The Montana Outfitters and Guides Association today recognized the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission for making important changes to the state's hunting season rules and regulations. The Commission's actions strike a delicate balance between wildlife management, conservation efforts, public access, and hunter opportunity.

Speaking on behalf of MOGA, Mac Minard, Executive Director, emphasized the critical nature of these changes. "These are pivotal adjustments designed to protect mule deer populations, enhance hunting opportunities in specified regions, and re-establish vital boundaries," stated Mac Minard. "The Commission demonstrated careful consideration in addressing concerns related to hunter overcrowding and took proactive measures to tackle issues like the alarming decline in mule deer numbers. These changes underscore the Commission's commitment to striking a balance between managing wildlife populations and habitats while supporting Montana's hunting community.”

MOGA recognizes the importance of these amendments in supporting sustainable hunting practices and ensuring the long-term health of Montana's wildlife. The association recognizes the Commission’s ongoing efforts to preserving the state's resources and providing a fulfilling hunting experience for residents and visitors alike.

Examples of specific changes were:
·      Conservation efforts for mule deer in Regions 6 and 7 by limiting doe mule deer harvests.
·      Improved antelope management precision and hunter distribution to reduce crowding
·      Improved elk hunting opportunities in HD 314
·      Addressed mule deer declines in HD 417 while balancing hunter opportunities.
·      Took initial steps to preserve Wild Sheep hunting in the unlimited areas while addressing hunter crowding

“This suite of changes, passed unanimously, represent significant conservation achievements for mule deer and antelope and will help distribute elk and antelope hunters across the state,” added Minard.

BOZEMAN – With a new $26.7 million grant from the U.S. Air Force, Montana State University will establish a facility with the mission of moving advanced quantum technology applications in cybersecurity, communications technology and national defense from concept and testing to market.

The 20-month grant from the Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome, New York, will support MSU’s Applied Quantum CORE facility, to be located at the MSU Innovation Campus within the INDUSTRY Bozeman building, which is currently under construction. The grant funding will purchase equipment to test prototype quantum components in the extremely cold environments in which they operate.

Yves Idzerda, a physicist and dean of MSU’s College of Letters and Science who is the grant’s principal investigator and the administrator of MSU’s Applied Quantum CORE, said the new facility will aid the incorporation of quantum science into technological applications to benefit the government and private sectors. CORE stands for Capacity and Operational Resilience and regional Equity.

“Montana State University is a leader in the quantum field,” Idzerda said. He added that Montana is a great place to start small companies in the specialty because of the groundwork in quantum materials already laid at MSU.

Quantum physics deals with the behavior of very small particles, smaller even than the protons and neutrons most people know as the parts that make up atoms. Scientists – including those at MSU’s photonics Spectrum Lab and the MonArk Quantum Foundry, which is led by MSU and the University of Arkansas – are discovering how to manipulate quantum particles to create faster, more sensitive and more precise systems in electronics, including sensors, location systems, computers and medical equipment.

The Applied Quantum CORE facility will nurture scientists and entrepreneurs attempting to incorporate those advances into useful components and devices, Idzerda said.

“We will have a facility with this testbed, and it will be available to anybody who collaborates with researchers in the Q-CORE, the MSU Spectrum Lab, the MonArk Foundry, or one of the groups here at Montana State University,” he said.

The facility will house specialized devices called dilution refrigerators, which are used in labs to achieve extremely cold temperatures close to absolute zero, which is minus 273.15 degrees Celsius or minus 459.7 degrees Fahrenheit. Absolute zero is the lowest temperature possible, where even “the little vibrations in atoms go away,” Idzerda said, thereby minimizing or eliminating certain phenomena, like electrical resistance.

In order to take advantage of that condition, quantum components must be able to withstand those very, very cold temperatures. Because dilution refrigerators like those coming to the Applied Quantum CORE facility are very expensive, many commercial components being developed have never been tested in those extreme environments, Idzerda said.

“What we will do is test new devices that people create and we’ll find out what the faults are with some of them,” Idzerda said.

After devices are tested, the Applied Quantum CORE facility will help troubleshoot components and refine the ones that show promise. The facility’s business accelerator division will help with further development of experimental components into viable devices, and the Applied Quantum CORE’s incubator division will help clients find further capital investment and assist with product development and marketing.

“There’s a lot of science driving this, but the next phase is economic development,” Idzerda said. “How do we take these ideas, which the first phase funded, and turn them into a product or into a company? That’s really what we’re headed for in the long run.”

Idzerda said Dan Miller, MSU engineering professor and former dean of the Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship, will lead the economic development arm of the facility. Suzi Taylor, currently director of MSU’s Science Math Resource Center, will focus on workforce development.

Idzerda said the Applied Quantum CORE will employee about 10 staff members. Krishna Rupavatharam, associate director of Spectrum Lab, has been named the facility’s science lead.

Idzerda credited Jayne Morrow, formerly of MSU’s Office of Research and Economic Development, with the idea of creating a facility that would focus on turning research projects into segments of the growing research enterprise in quantum materials in Montana and the surrounding region.

“We’d like to draw from the middle of the country, from those places that don’t have the resources that would allow them to have this low-temperature capability, but they do have good ideas,” Idzerda said.

Alison Harmon, MSU vice president for research and economic development, said the grant is among the most significant directed grants ever received by MSU researchers.

“We will put it to good use, investing in the technology testing facility that will help bridge gaps in bringing innovations to market,” she said. “Montana State’s leadership in quantum science will benefit the state and the regional economy as the Applied Quantum CORE provides resources that small businesses could never develop on their own. I am very proud of the researchers who have made this vision a reality.”

BOZEMAN — When Georgeline Morsette crosses the stage in the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse on Friday during Montana State University’s 139th commencement ceremony, she’ll celebrate earning a bachelor’s degree and entering a new chapter of life, one where she looks forward to working as an art educator in Montana.

The ceremony will be the culmination of Morsette’s college career at MSU in which she has successfully completed her coursework, charted a career path, earned the respect of professors and staff members, and volunteered in her community, according to several who have worked with her. Morsette will receive a degree in art education, K-12 broadfield teaching option.

But there were times when Morsette wasn’t sure she would finish her degree. During her time at MSU, she said, “life hit (her) like a train,” and the challenges were daunting. To reach the commencement milestone is significant, she said, and she’s glad she persisted.

“It’s been a long journey,” Morsette said. “I’m really glad to be at this point.”

Morsette enrolled at MSU in the fall of 2017 after graduating from high school in Billings.

“I’ve always loved art and working with kids and teaching, so I think ever since I graduated high school, I knew I wanted to go to school to be an art teacher,” she said.

She said she was inspired to study art education because her dad had wanted to be an art educator. He had enrolled at MSU too, but, she said, life got in the way of him completing his degree — her parents both started taking classes at MSU when she was just 3 weeks old.

“It turns out school is really hard with a newborn baby, and in a way I am getting this degree for both of us,” Morsette said. (Her mother ended up graduating about a decade later from MSU Billings.)

Morsette also knew she wanted to study at MSU. She is an enrolled member of the Chippewa Cree tribe and grew up in several Montana communities, including Rocky Boy, Bozeman, Belgrade and Billings. She and her parents lived in MSU’s on-campus housing for students with families when she was young. She remembers loving Bozeman and wanted to return.

Morsette has been deeply involved in a number of activities during her time at MSU, including as a member of the American Indian Council and the Society of INdigenous Educators and as an ambassador for the College of Arts and Architecture. Her art has been featured at American Indian Heritage Day and in MSU’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls exhibit in the Strand Union Building. She also served as a community assistant in MSU’s Student Apartments, and she volunteered with the HRDC’s summer lunch program, MSU’s Bounty of the Bridgers food pantry and as a tutor in local schools with the America Reads, America Counts program. Her motivation for her volunteer work has been simply to be kind and make people feel welcome, Morsette said.

When MSU’s American Indian Hall opened in October 2021, Morsette was at the podium, speaking as a representative of the MSU American Indian Council to the more than 1,000 people who attended.

The experience was “meaningful but also terrifying,” Morsette recalled. She said she spoke about the importance of having a Native community at MSU.

“Even though I didn’t come straight from my reservation, having that community is something that’s really important,” she said. “It can be really hard to come to a whole new place and hard to stay unless you feel you have that community.” The American Indian Hall has enabled MSU’s Native community to hold more events and to grow in numbers, Morsette said.

“It’s so nice to have a bigger space for Native students to come in and feel welcome,” she said.

In fact, Lisa Perry, director of American Indian/Alaska Native Student Success Services, said Morsette has helped strengthen her community.

“George always engages and brings good energy into anything she is involved with,” Perry said. “She genuinely cares about her community.” In 2021, Morsette received the Daniel Voyich Community Involvement award given by the MSU Department of Native American Studies and the American Indian/Alaska Native Student Success Program.

As Morsette progressed through college, the increasing difficulty of her classes and the number of activities she participated in started to leave her feeling overwhelmed, she said. She had to learn to say “no” to some things and that it was important to seek out help when she needed it, even if that went beyond academic help.

“I could feel myself start to struggle,” she said. “I was getting burned out and my classes were getting harder. It was harder to find the motivation to get out of bed each day and go to class.”

Morsette sought help for her mental health, working with staff in MSU’s Counseling and Psychological Services. Working with a counselor was new for her, Morsette said: She has many siblings, and she has always been the one in her family who has given help, not needed it.

“But I realized it’s OK to ask for help, too,” she said. “I know I’m strong, but even strong people need help. … It was good to get the help I needed.”

Other challenges came, too. Morsette, who had transferred some credits from summer courses she took at Stone Child College in Rocky Boy, was originally on track to graduate from MSU in three years, she said. But the COVID-19 pandemic hit just as she was getting ready to student-teach, and she knew she didn’t want to complete that portion of her education virtually.

“I just felt like it wouldn’t prepare me for the classroom,” she said. Instead, she took classes in Native American studies, but by the spring of 2021, her mental health was “not great” and she also needed to save money for school and living expenses. So Morsette took a year off from MSU.

She said it was a tough decision and she was worried that she might not return.

“I was scared because many people told me how hard it would be to come back,” she recalled. “But I think that’s part of what motivated me to come back. I’m really stubborn. And I came so far and worked so hard to not go back and finish my degree.”

Ultimately, she said the time off “gave me a renewed sense of purpose and the rest that I needed to come back.” She re-enrolled at MSU in the spring of 2022 and completed her student teaching this semester in Billings, teaching high school ceramics.

Now, as she looks back on her time at MSU, she feels grateful for the professors and staff members who supported her along the way. For example, “everyone” in the education department was always kind and welcoming, she said.

“They genuinely care about you and want you to succeed. And if you ever need help, they’re always there to help you,” she said. “I definitely wouldn’t have made it if I hadn’t had tons of people to help me through.”

In addition, she said her academic work taught her lessons she will carry with her throughout her career. One art methods class taught by Paul Waldum was especially memorable.

“That class showed the importance of creativity and of teaching creative thinking, critical thinking skills and out-of-the-box-type thinking,” she said. “Art education is so much more than doing art.”

As she looks ahead to life after graduation, Morsette isn’t sure what’s next. She would like to find a job teaching art somewhere in Montana, as her partner has one more year left at MSU. She has also considered enrolling in a master’s program.

One thing she does know is that, as she reflects on the impact her teachers have had on her life, she looks forward to someday being an important person in her own students’ lives.

“I’ve had amazing teachers in my life,” Morsette said. “Growing up, life wasn't always easy, but school was a place I enjoyed going because of those great teachers and mentors who inspired me. They made a safe place for me and made me excited to learn. That's what made me want to be a teacher; I want to be that for my own students one day.”

Joe Hicks, assistant dean in the College of Education, Health and Human Development, predicts that Morsette will be just that, calling her a “natural educator” who exhibits great joy and enthusiasm for the learning process.

“Georgeline invests so much into fostering caring and supportive student relationships,” Hicks said. “Her future teaching career is so bright, helping to make the world of art accessible to all students.”

TWIN BRIDGES – A chronic wasting disease (CWD) management hunt will be held for all white-tailed deer and antlerless mule deer in a portion of Hunting District 322 in the lower Ruby Valley.

The hunt will run from Dec. 15 through Feb. 15. Valid licenses, which will be available for purchase during the hunt, will include:

• General deer license: valid for antlerless mule deer or either sex white-tailed deer
• 003-00 white-tailed deer B license: valid for either sex white-tailed deer
• 399-00 white-tailed deer B license: valid for either sex white-tailed deer

The area of the hunt is known to have a high prevalence of CWD. The goals of the management hunt are to reduce the white-tailed deer population and to increase the CWD test sample size from a localized herd of mule deer to improve the accuracy of prevalence estimates.

CWD is a fatal, contagious neurological disease that infects deer, elk and moose. CWD surveillance across southwest Montana over the past three years, including broad CWD management hunts, continues to illustrate a localized area of high prevalence among deer in the lower Ruby Valley, surrounded by an area of low prevalence.

So far this season, CWD has been found in 71 percent of white-tailed does, 73 percent of white-tailed bucks and five of 10 adult mule deer harvested within the management hunt area.

The management hunt area includes almost exclusively private lands south of Twin Bridges along the Beaverhead and Ruby rivers. A map of the hunt area can be downloaded here: Southwest Montana CWD Hunt Area 2023-24.

As always, landowner permission is required before hunting on private lands. The relatively small hunt area will limit the number of hunters who can participate. All other 2023 hunting regulations apply, including regulations on carcass disposal. Information on proper carcass disposal can be found online at fwp.mt.gov/CWD.

Due to high CWD prevalence in this area, FWP recommends that hunters have their harvested animals tested. Some participating ranches will require testing as a condition of hunting. FWP pays for the testing, making it free for hunters. FWP has provided resources to help hunters collect and submit samples for testing on their own. These resources can be found online at fwp.mt.gov/CWD. Hunters can also call a regional FWP office to schedule an appointment if they need help collecting a CWD sample.

CWD was first detected in Montana’s wild cervids in 2017. It has since been detected widely along Montana’s northern and southern borders. CWD was first detected among white-tailed deer in the Ruby Valley in 2019 and is now known to occur in the Ruby, Beaverhead, Big Hole and Jefferson watersheds.

CWD is not known to infect humans. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people not eat meat from infected animals and have their harvested animals tested before eating them if they were taken from an area where CWD is known to exist. For more information on CDC recommendations, please visit go.usa.gov/xAcnc.

BOZEMAN – Montana manufacturing continues to be one-fifth of the state’s total economic base, according to a new report released by the Montana Manufacturing Extension Center at Montana State University.

The 2023 Montana Manufacturing Report provides a wide variety of data about manufacturing, shows the results of surveys given to manufacturers and displays how MMEC’s services provided help the industry. The Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana conducts the annual economic analysis and develops the report. This report marks the 27th year of collaboration between MMEC and BBER.

The report covers the year 2022. According to the report:

• Manufacturing makes up 21% of Montana’s economic base.
• Careers in manufacturing pay about $57,180 in earnings, which is above the state average.
• Manufacturing employs more than 22,500 employees
• Manufacturing accounted for 5.5% of total state earnings at $1.95 billion.
• Manufacturing made up 6.6% of the gross state product at $3.3 billion.

“This year’s report confirms that manufacturing is a robust sector within the Montana economy,” said MMEC Director Paddy Fleming. “We continue to see strong increases in employment and earnings for Montana workers. Moreover, manufacturers are optimistic about starting new businesses here, with the total number of manufacturing firms growing to more than 4,400. In particular, there is large growth among companies that produce food and beverages, transportation equipment and advanced technologies such as photonics.”

The MMEC is part of MSU’s Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering and provides services to manufacturing companies across the state to help improve business operations through in-person specialist assistance.

MMEC’s current manufacturing report and those from previous years can be found at montana.edu/mmec/news/reports.

On 12/12/2023 at 11:31 pm, Gallatin County Dispatch received a 911 call from two individuals who had gotten their vehicle stuck while recreating near the Sourdough Trail. The individuals were not dressed for the cold weather conditions and requested Search and Rescue respond to pick them up.

Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue (GCSAR) volunteers from the Valley section responded. Volunteers utilized off-road vehicles to travel up the trail where the individuals were located. GCSAR volunteers evaluated the individuals on scene and provided them a ride back to the trail head.

Sheriff Springer would like to remind backcountry enthusiasts that not all trails in the county are permitted to be used by motorized vehicles and to read posted signage at all trail heads to ensure our trails can be legally enjoyed by all. Those trails which are permitted for motorized used should only be used by those with experience and proper equipment, especially given cold weather and icy road conditions. If you have any questions regarding trail usage in Gallatin County, please reach out to the National Forest Service or the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office.

HELENA – Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking public comment on a couple of environmental assessments (EAs. For more information, including how to submit comments, click on the link provided or visit fwp.mt.gov/public-notices.

Stanley Pond Fish Stocking Environmental Assessment Checklist

FWP is proposing stocking fish in the Stanley Pond, a private pond at Volborg in Custer County. Public access to fishing in eastern Montana is limited and private ponds stocked by FWP through our regional ponds program increases public fishing opportunity. Due to the abundance of interest in fishing, and the current lack of public access, recreational opportunities are cherished.

Comments due Dec. 15.

Flying T Ranch Private Pond EA

A private landowner is applying for a Private Fish Pond License and proposes to stock trout in an new unnamed 0.8 acre private pond fed by groundwater wells near the town of White Sulphur Springs.

Comments due Dec. 23.

Please join First Interstate Bank and the Bozeman Schools Foundation in making the coming year a little easier for Bozeman families by helping them erase 2023 student lunch debt. 

Account debt has reached an all-time high in Bozeman and First Interstate Bank has stepped forward to help retire this debt before year-end. Their generous gift of $4000 will cover over 20% of the existing deficit. 

Bozeman Schools Foundation is asking other businesses to join First Interstate Bank in this effort by making a gift to the Bozeman Schools Foundation’s dedicated fund for Hungry & Homeless Students.
 
Funds raised will be used to pay off the 2023 student lunch debt at all BSD7 schools. Any additional funds raised will provide for basic and emergency student needs as identified.

Help Make 2024 Brighter for Students in Need! Donate Today

Atlanta, GA – Manhattan, Montana resident Mark Longie performed the National Anthem December 10, 2023 at the Atlanta Falcons vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.

“This was the gig of a lifetime,” said Western Skies front man Mark Longie. “I’ve been playing at Mountain Sky for twenty-three years and have gotten to know Mr. Blank well.  He was kind enough to submit me for the Anthem, and I found out I was selected this summer. Being able to represent the West and perform at an NFL game was nothing short of a dream come true.”

Longie is the featured performer at Mountain Sky Guest Ranch located in Paradise Valley, Montana with his band Western Skies. He has been a constant fixture at Mountain Sky for over twenty years, where his weekly performances are a favorite of ranch guests including ranch owner, Arthur M. Blank.

Mr. Blank, owner of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, suggested Longie to the Falcons anthem selection committee for consideration. After submitting a demo to the committee, Longie was chosen to perform at the Dec. 10 game. Blank personally broke the news of his selection to Longie at Mountain Sky Guest Ranch in July of this year.

Longie, a long-time Atlanta Falcons fan, made the trip to Atlanta with his family on Friday ahead of his Dec. 10 performance. Current Falcons and former Montana State University player Troy Andersen stopped by to say hello, along with Mr. Blank and Falcons Head Coach Arthur Smith.