CHARITY, JUSTICE, BROTHERLY LOVE, AND FIDELITY
 This year Bozeman Elks Lodge #463 celebrated 124 years of service.
 
During the past year, Bozeman Elks Lodge #463 collaborated with community partners, hosted special events, focused on youth, veterans, and improving community life in cities and towns throughout Southwest Montana.
 
Lodge #463 partnered with American Legion Post #14 to place 2500 flags on Veterans’ graves at Sunset Hills Cemetery and proudly walk in the Memorial Day Parade...
 
Recognized a community member as Veteran of the Year for exemplifying the "Can Do Spirit" With Honor, Courage, And Commitment in his personal life and in serving his country.
 
Participated in Music on Main as a friend of Downtown Bozeman to share information with parents about the Elks Hoop Shoot and Elks Drug Awareness Program.
 
Provided online resources and evidence-based strategies to reduce underage drinking, excessive drinking, tobacco use, impaired driving, and illegal drug use on C-CODA’s website (c-coda.org) that is funded by the Elks National Foundation Beacon Grant.


Hosted a Flag Retirement Service in partnership with American Legion Post #14, Vietnam Veterans of Southwest Montana, Boy Scouts Troop 649, and Cub Scouts Troop 3649.
 
Honored Veterans with a BBQ and Jazz Music performance on a summer night in July.
 
Held an Elks Hoop Shoot free throw event for youth ages 8-13 in Manhattan, Montana.
 
Participated in National Night Out event that is aimed to bring neighborhoods, businesses, and public safety together to promote a positive presence of public servants in our community. 
 
Partnered with American Legion Post #14 and Vietnam Veterans of Southwest Montana to support the Salvation Army's Red Kettle Campaign that will make a year-round impact in our community through social services assistance, homeless shelters, and disaster relief. 
 
Participated in Wreaths Across America Day at Vietnam War Memorial Wall, Sunset Hills Cemetery in Bozeman, Montana to remember and honor our veterans through the laying of Remembrance Wreaths on the graves of our country’s fallen heroes.
 
Participated and supported Hope & The Holidays as an affiliate member to provide gifts, food and support to families in and around Bozeman and the Gallatin Valley, during the holiday season, and all year long.
 
Presented a $4,000 Check (Beacon Grant) to The Travis W. Atkins Veteran Support Center at Montana State University and a $2,000 Check (Spotlight Grant) to the Greater Gallatin United Way's Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.
 

ENNIS – Ennis Fishing Access Site has been closed temporarily due to flooding.  Ice jams on portions of the upper Madison River have caused water, ice and debris to inundate the site, creating unsafe conditions for motorists and pedestrians. Access to the site will be restored as soon as conditions allow.  Valley Garden Fishing Access Site northeast of Ennis is also under a temporary closure due to floods. Seasonal flooding may impact access at other sites throughout the winter. Visit fwp.mt.gov to learn more about temporary closures that may be in effect across the state.

On Monday, December 19, 2022, at 10:54 a.m. the West Yellowstone Police Department dispatch center received a 911 call from a snowmobiler on Horse Butte, 7 miles northwest of West Yellowstone. The passenger of a two-up snowmobile had become trapped underneath after the snowmobile flipped upside down. The passenger was reported to possibly have a broken leg.

Volunteers from Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue in West Yellowstone, Custer Gallatin National Forest Service and Hebgen Basin Fire Department responded to assist with the rescue.

Rescuers were able to lift the snowmobile off the snowmobiler and determine that their leg was not broken. Both riders were escorted back to town safely.

Sheriff Dan Springer would like to commend the snowmobiler for quickly realizing the need to call for help thus allowing responders to get to the scene quickly and provide aid.

Bell ringers will not ring in person for their safety as frigid temperatures hit Montana
 
Bozeman – With subzero temperatures predicted to hit throughout Montana starting Thursday, December 22, The Salvation Army will not have its kettles available for in-person donations for the safety of its bell ringers.
 
According to the National Weather Service, temperatures are expected to drop below zero on December 22nd and December 23rd. Storefronts in the Bozeman area will not have a physical bell ringer throughout this inclement weather, but The Salvation Army will have Virtual Red Kettles on its website to accept donations in the meantime and plan to return in person on Christmas Eve.

 
““It's been a tough year for Christmas and the Red Kettle campaign, so far, our donations are down, and the need has gone way up,” said Captain Amber Ohl, at The Salvation Army Bozeman. “The funds that are raised now, we use throughout the year to help meet different needs that come our way."
 
We are still looking to raise $24,000 more this holiday season and have a generous donor who will match dollar for dollar up to $10,000. These funds help provide meals, shelter, rental assistance, and more services in the Bozeman community.
 
Christmas Eve will mark the last day of The Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign. When weather and conditions permit, you can find bell ringers at Rosauers, Town and Country on 19th, Smith’s, Walmart, and other storefronts in the Bozeman area. Donations can still be made online through the Virtual Red Kettle at bozemanredkettle.org.

 
In addition to protecting bell ringers, The Salvation Army will also increase its efforts for individuals and families in need at this time by increasing its feeding support and bed counts. To inquire more about our additional services, please call 855-768-7977.

On Saturday, December 17, 2022, at 2:54 p.m. Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue responded to assist Fremont County Idaho Search and Rescue in looking for a snowmobiler that had become separated from their group. The snowmobiler was reported to have no food or water and had a history of heart problems. White-out conditions were present, and the temperature was dropping rapidly.

HELENA – Those interested in entering a lottery for a guided trophy bison hunt on the Blackfeet Reservation will have two opportunities to enter the drawing. The first lottery drawing will be held Jan. 17; the deadline to enter is midnight on Jan. 16. The second lottery drawing will be held Feb. 24; the deadline to enter is midnight on Feb. 23. The hunts will be held in March.

Chances are $10 each, and hunters can purchase up to 20 chances. The lottery is open to all hunters – tribal members, nonmembers, Montana residents, and nonresidents. Winners must pay the Blackfeet Tribe $2,500 within one week of a successful draw to secure the hunt. Successful hunters can keep the bison’s head, hide and meat.

To enter the drawing, go to: fwp.mt.gov/buyandapply.

For more information, contact the Blackfeet Fish and Game office at 406-338-7207.

BOZEMAN — Kalani Madrona says that when he walks across the stage Friday in Montana State University’s Brick Breeden Fieldhouse during fall commencement, he’ll become the first person in his family to earn a college degree. He’ll have marked this accomplishment while working full-time, taking more than a full-time class load, and filling the role of parent to both his younger brother and younger cousin. He’ll have successfully earned his degree while contending with ADHD and dyslexia, which both were undiagnosed until his sophomore year of college. And he’ll have done it while earning the respect of MSU’s professors, advisers and administrators, as well as the fifth grade students and fifth grade teacher with whom he worked as a student teacher.

Joe Hicks, assistant dean in the MSU College of Education, Health and Human Development, said Madrona has served as a “true inspiration” to both faculty and peers while he has been at the university.

“His investment in relationships has been particularly noteworthy,” Hicks said. “He has demonstrated exceptional determination throughout our program, serving as a tremendous ambassador in the process. His ability to connect in an authentic way really results in memorable relationships both on campus and off. Kalani has a bright teaching career ahead of him.”

John Melick, director of field placement and licensure in the Department of Education, agreed. He noted that Madrona always looked for what he could learn from a situation.

“He stood out to our faculty and staff, and he made a huge impact in his student teaching placement this fall,” Melick said. “Kalani asks for help, listens to advice, talks through problems and seeks to leave any situation he encounters stronger than he entered it.”

Madrona, who grew up in California City, California, said he chose to attend MSU out of a desire to go somewhere new. He received a promotional mailing from the university and figured he would take his chances and apply.

“Without seeing the school, I applied,” he said. “I wanted to restart my life.”

He started out studying computer science and then switched to kinesiology. But then something happened that made him decide to go into education: A young nephew had a serious illness and six-month hospital stay, and doctors predicted that he would never be able to learn to walk, talk or have any memory, Madrona said.

“I told my family I would be his teacher,” Madrona said. And, he said, studying education was a good choice, as he quickly found teaching to be both his passion and something that makes him happy.

But, he said, it has not been easy. He combined being a full-time student with working full-time in restaurants, as a tutor and for his own photography business. He became the legal guardian of both his brother, Kyle, and his cousin, Randy, (whom he calls a brother, as well.) He struggled to find and pay for housing for the three of them. He also felt a large responsibility to show them the value of hard work.

(Madrona said his cousin graduated from Gallatin High School in May and is now enrolled in Gallatin College MSU. His brother, who is currently a senior in high school, plans to enroll in Gallatin College MSU, as well.)

In addition, when he first enrolled at MSU, Madrona said, he knew nothing about things like good study habits, financial resources and more. But he began to take advantage of resources available at the university, he said, and those have been invaluable.

He said the most valuable resource is people.

“No matter who I went and talked to (in the Department of Education), they made me feel like part of the family,” Madrona said. “Whenever I had a problem, they were always there to help.”

Specifically, he said, his professors and staff members in the advising office helped him identify and access resources.

“Without (my teachers and my advising office), I don’t think I’d be here today,” he said. “There were several times I thought about giving up, but I couldn’t. I needed to make my little brothers proud.”

It also helped to be diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia, he said.

“Before (the diagnosis), I thought it was just me,” Madrona said. “I thought I couldn’t read. I thought I couldn’t write.  … Being diagnosed reassured me that it was not my fault. It’s the way I think. That really helped me emotionally, especially in school.”

As a student in the Department of Education, Madrona took advantage of opportunities such as the Rural Experience for Teachers, a program designed to give teachers new tools for teaching science, technology, engineering and math, and completing a practicum at the Cottonwood Day School, a school for students with special needs.

This fall, Madrona completed his student teaching in Tracy Babcock’s fifth grade classroom at Morning Star Elementary School in Bozeman.

Madrona said the most valuable lesson he learned from the experience – out of several valuable lessons – is how much a connection between a teacher and a student can impact a student’s life.

“No matter how many disciplinary actions you try to take or how many times you try to get a student engaged, they will not engage if they’re not connected to you or if they don’t feel you support them,” he said. “Same with disciplinary things. Outbreaks will be minimal if you connect with students and show them you care.”

In addition, Madrona said he learned as a student teacher to take pride in his dyslexia and ADHD.

“Lots of students face the same problems,” he said. “Telling them I have ADHD and dyslexia, and that I’m going to mess up words when I’m reading and it’s OK, helps to create a safe learning environment for everybody.”

Babcock, who has been teaching at Morning Star since 2011, said she loved how open Madrona was with the fifth graders about his struggles.

“He makes it OK not to know how to do something,” Babcock said. “He demonstrated how you can be brave when you’re not great at something and you still go out and try to do it.”

The students responded well to Madrona’s honesty, she added.

“He really connected with our students, better than any student teacher I’ve had,” she said. 

Now, with his student teaching experience wrapped up, Madrona is looking forward to commencement on Friday.

He’s not entirely sure what’s next, but he hopes to stay in Bozeman for now and work as a long-term substitute teacher in the school district. Eventually, he’d like to go to graduate school to further his education. Whatever he does, he said, one thing is clear:

“My heart is in the classroom. It feels like I was put on this earth to teach.”

GALLATIN GATEWAY – Wildlife health staff with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks recently detected chronic wasting disease in a white-tailed deer buck that was harvested by a hunter in hunting district 304.  

This marks the first detection in hunting district 304. The deer was harvested near Gallatin Gateway, along the hunting district’s eastern border with hunting district 309.  

CWD is a contagious neurological disease that infects deer, elk and moose. It is always fatal, and there is no known cure. It was first detected among wild cervids in Montana in 2017. The disease is known to exist in other parts of southwest Montana, including the Paradise and Ruby Valleys, as well as in other areas of the state.  

FWP has conducted rotating surveillance for CWD throughout the state for several years. Hunting district 304 is within this year’s priority surveillance area. 

Hunting is the primary tool for sampling and managing CWD in Montana. Several hunting license opportunities remain valid through Jan. 15 for harvesting antlerless white-tailed deer in adjacent hunting district 309. Hunters who harvest deer or elk in the Gallatin area are encouraged to submit samples for testing to help further FWP’s understanding of CWD prevalence and distribution.  

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 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 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.