Gallatin County has funding available to help residents in the Gallatin County Wildland Urban Interface reduce the risk of wildfire impacting their property.  

Wildfire risk is present throughout Gallatin County with the severity and risk varying based on location. Through the process of developing the 2022 Gallatin County Hazard Mitigation and Community Wildfire Protection Plan, 1,000,107 acres have been identified as Wildland Urban Interface in the county. Studies have shown that treating the area within 100 to 200 feet of your home greatly reduces the potential impacts of a wildfire.  

“You can take action to prevent the likelihood of your life or home being impacted by wildfire. And we can help you through that process,” said Jay Pape, Preparedness and Mitigation Manager with Gallatin County Emergency Management. “We can provide you with concrete steps you can take on your property and with as well as grant funding opportunities to help ease the costs.” 

The first step is for property owners to self-evaluate their property. This is a quick way to see what may easily be done to reduce wildfire risk.  

Residents can then request a FREE home risk assessment and Gallatin County staff will meet with homeowners on their property. The evaluator will review the self-assessment, walk around your property, and discuss what they are seeing. Following the in-person visit, owners will get a copy of the assessment.  

A home risk assessment provides an opportunity to ask questions, receive more in-depth guidance, and learn about approaches to wildfire mitigation. Mitigation projects could range from hand thinning areas around homes and structures, to larger forest thinning type projects, depending on the property’s size and continuity with neighbors.  

Many of the items identified during home risk assessments can be completed by homeowners. But in some cases, specialized skill or equipment may be needed. Homeowners can apply for a support that will offset their out-of-pocket expenses for any mitigation measures that may require more complex work.  In some cases, work may be 100% funded with support form the Montana Resiliency Fund. 

Montana’s investment in the Resiliency Fund makes a concerted effort to prevent costly repairs following a disaster by working with communities to mitigate potential damage risk prior to natural disasters. With this funding, MT DES works with local programs to apply for FEMA mitigation grants. FEMA grants typically require a 25% cost-share from the local government that is applying for the grant. Using this account, the state will be able to off-set the 25% local match. The 2023 legislature approved $4 million dollars a year for the next four years to the Resiliency Fund. By leveraging FEMA grants, this will result in a projected $64 million in disaster mitigation projects for Montana communities. The average disaster mitigation project has a 6:1 cost benefit, meaning this investment will save Montanan’s $384 million over the life of these projects.   

Wildfire mitigation is not a one-time project, but an ongoing activity. Properties may need heavier initial work, but annual maintenance that will be needed to keep the wildfire risk reduced over time. Residents who take part in a mitigation project with Gallatin County are required to follow a treatment plan for 10 years.  

Gallatin County’s wildfire mitigation program started in late 2022. We currently have four active funding programs covering several areas around the Gallatin Valley.  Interest in the program drives future identified project areas. 

This spring, the program added a three-person crew dedicated to helping homeowners conduct this mitigation work. 

Residents interested in getting their property assessed can find a step-by-step guide to scheduling assessments, applying for grant funding, and much more, at this link. 

THREE FORKS – Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has acquired a 26-acre parcel for inclusion into Missouri Headwaters State Park.

This addition permanently secures important habitat and cultural resources on the property, which was a private inholding that bisected the park’s eastern edge. Once opened to public visitors, it will also provide greater continuity and expanded recreational opportunities.

The acquisition received overwhelming public support throughout the process, which included an environmental assessment. The Montana State Parks and Recreation Board gave initial approval for the acquisition on Feb. 5, followed by final approval by the Montana Board of Land Commissioners on March 18.

The parcel was purchased for $930,000 by the Montana State Parks Foundation using funds provided by a grant from the Montana Fish and Wildlife Conservation Trust and facilitated by the Montana Outdoor Legacy Foundation. The foundation then donated the property to FWP on April 29.

“This project has been a goal for the family who owned the property and FWP for many years,” said Linnaea Schroeer, FWP’s Parks and Outdoor Recreation Program manager in Region 3. “We are so grateful to all who have helped make this acquisition possible. It will secure and protect important cultural, habitat and recreational resources for one of Montana’s most beloved state parks.”

FWP staff will be working to remove old farm equipment, fencing and other structures from the parcel. This work will be completed in phases, and walk-in public access is expected to be opened partially in fall 2024. Until then, public access to the area will be restricted due to safety risks.

Within the boundaries of Missouri Headwaters State Park, the Jefferson, Madison and Gallatin rivers merge to form the Missouri River, the longest river in the U.S. This area is significant to Native American peoples and was visited by members of the Corps of Discovery in 1805. Now a national historic landmark, the park hosts thousands of visitors each year. The park is about 5 miles northeast of Three Forks on Trident Road. For more information about the park, please visit fwp.mt.gov/stateparks/missouri-headwaters or call 406-285-3610.

Montana has formed the Montana Opioid Abatement Trust (MOAT) to receive national opioid settlement funds. The MOAT funds are to be dedicated to reducing the harm caused by opioid misuse and addiction through prevention, treatment, and recovery initiatives and are allocated on a formula basis to abatement regions.

The Gallatin County Metro Region, which includes Gallatin County and the City of Bozeman, has up to $792,307 available. The Gallatin County Metro Region Board will accept applications through the state’s website below and request funding from the MOAT Advisory Board for the projects it selects. Proposals up to three years will be accepted; the settlement funds available in years 2 and 3 are anticipated to be $452,205 each year. These amounts include supplemental funds received via direct settlement disbursements to the city and county.

The Gallatin County Metro Region Board plans to prioritize projects that align with the Gallatin Behavioral Health Coalition(GBHC) Strategic Plan, which can be found here.

The Gallatin County Metro Region Board plans to prioritize applications that focus on evidence-based prevention, care coordination, warm handoffs, and connection to behavioral health treatment and social health services to stabilize individuals and families but will also consider other proposals that align with the GBHC strategic plan.

For the listing of eligible uses of opioid settlement funds, please see this link.

To apply for MOAT funds, please visit this website.

DEADLINE for submission is 9 p.m. August 31, 2024.

Questions regarding the application or review process should be addressed to Cola Rowley at Cola.Rowley@gallatin.mt.gov or 406-582-3047.

The public is invited to a free informational well testing workshop on Wednesday, June 26 at the River Rock Community Center.

The Gallatin Local Water Quality District (GLWQD) will host representatives from MSU Extension, the Gallatin Conservation District, and the Environmental Health Services division of the Gallatin City-County Health Department, who will discuss the importance of testing groundwater quality that is being used for drinking water.

Test kits will be available for pickup through MSU Extension’s Well Educated Program. Experts will help provide guidance to homeowners on important parameters to test for specific to Gallatin County’s groundwater quality. Information on how to apply for the Gallatin Conservation District’s cost share program will also be presented. This program allows participants in the Well Educated Program to be reimbursed for 75% of the cost of their well test.

The presentations will be held at 5:30 PM on Wednesday, June 26 at the River Rock Community Center, located at 101 River Rock Rd. in Belgrade.

HELENA – Starting June 19, hunters can sign up for the Surplus License List, which is a list of leftover licenses that were not distributed by the drawing. The list will be randomized, with hunters at the top of the list contacted via email with instructions to finalize their purchase within a specified time. 

Resident and nonresident hunters can sign up through the MyFWP portal. This process requires hunters to keep their email address current in their ALS record. Payment of the license fee is not required to sign up on the Surplus License List. Getting a license from this list has no effect on existing bonus points.

Hunters must finalize the purchase of the license/permit within the timeframe specified in the email; otherwise, the opportunity will be offered to the next hunter on the randomized list. FWP may offer opportunities that have not sold out through the Surplus License List to over-the-counter customers at our internal and external license sale providers.

The timeframes to sign up for the various licenses and permits are as follows:

• Deer B and Elk B License: June 19 – July 19
• Deer and Elk Permits are not available

Nonresidents who hold a 2024 Combination License can hold a maximum of two Deer B Licenses in addition to their Combination License. Nonresidents without a 2024 Combination License can only hold a maximum of one Deer B License.

Nonresidents who hold a Nonresident Native License, Youth Combo License or Nonresident College Student Combination License may purchase Deer B and Elk B licenses at half price.

To sign up, go to myfwp.mt.gov/fwpExtPortal/myDrawResult_input.action.

For more information, contact the FWP licensing office at 406-444-2950 or fwplic@mt.gov.

BOZEMAN – The Office of International Programs at Montana State University is looking for families and individuals willing to host high school students from Okinawa, Japan from Aug. 1 to 15. While living in the community, the 30 students will participate in MSU’s Okinawa Global Leadership Program. 

The program, which was established in 2013, provides students with an opportunity to increase their understanding of the English language and American culture. It also allows the students to prepare for academic conferences in English-speaking nations and creates cross-cultural dialogue and understanding.

“We have successfully hosted over 300 high school students from Okinawa since 2013. The homestay experience is extremely important within this program. To many of the students it is the most memorable part,” said Makiko Diehl, program manager at the Office of International Programs.

Host families must provide students with a private room for sleeping, a place to hang clothing, three meals a day, basic household facilities and transportation to and from campus each day. Financial compensation of $30 per night, per student, is provided to host families to offset costs. For more information about being a host family, visit OIP’s hosting international participants page.

During the program, MSU, Gallatin High School and Bozeman High School students will assist the program participants with homework and participate in activities such as visiting the Museum of the Rockies and Yellowstone National Park.

For more information about the program, contact Diehl at 406-994-7944 or makiko.diehl@montana.edu.

Power Schools students enjoy eating beef born, raised, and processed in Montana, thanks in part to investments made in communities by Montana Farmers Union.

Montana Farmers Union leaders were on site earlier in June when Power Schools received its most recent delivery of hamburger. The investments necessary for the beef to get from Missoula to Power began several years ago, with MFU's donation of a refrigerated van to Missoula FFA to use with School House Meats and a $10,000 grant to Power Schools to purchase a freezer and expand their dry good storage.

“Montana Farmers Union is always looking for opportunities to support our local, rural communities. It’s incredible when our support multiplies upon itself and results in something special like our kids getting to eat Montana-grown beef from a local rancher,” said Matt Rains, MFU’s chief of staff.

Feeding Power students locally grown and processed food is a priority for Power Public Schools and Power’s Farm to School coalition, but a lack of freezer storage hampered efforts. The grant from Montana Farmers Union Foundation in 2022 allowed the school to purchase a new freezer and quadruple their freezer capacity.

It's in that very freezer where hamburger is now stored after being delivered to Power by School House Meats.

Initially, Missoula County Public Schools’ School House Meats program delivered meat short distances using coolers. Then, in 2022 Montana Farmers Union donated a refrigerated van to enable School House Meats to deliver more meat further distances. The van has made many deliveries since, including to Power.

Investments in both the van and freezer are part of Montana Farmers Union’s work to strengthen local food supply chains through the grassroots organization’s core tenets of education, legislation, and cooperation.

“MFU Foundation grants aren’t temporary fixes,” Rains said. “These investments are helping create long-term solutions, including keeping quality produce in Power’s school lunches for years to come.”

Learn more about grant opportunities through Montana Farmers Union Foundation at https://montanafarmersunion.com/

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On June 16, 2024, at 11:23 am, Gallatin County 911 Dispatch received a call from a pair of skiers who had been injures while skiing “The Great One” couloir southeast of Sacagawea Peak. Due to one skier having an injured shoulder, and the other sustaining a compound fracture on one arm, the skiers were unable to safely continue down the couloir.

Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office Deputies and GCSSAR Volunteers responded, and it was determined that a helicopter “short haul” extraction of the skiers to an ambulance waiting at the nearby Battle Ridge trailhead would be the safest course of action. Intermittent cell phone reception caused some initial communication issues, but an uninvolved individual further up hill was able to yell down and relay information to emergency responders.

GCSSAR volunteers from the helicopter short-haul team were inserted near the injured skiers and were able to access the subjects. GCSSAR volunteers conducted medical evaluations and provided first aid for the injuries before preparing the pair for extraction. In two trips, the helicopter from Central Copters, Inc. was able to safely transfer the injured skiers and two rescuers to the Battle Ridge trailhead with the remaining two rescuers electing to walk out on foot.

One injured skier was transported by AMR ambulance to Bozeman Health Deaconess Regional Medical Center for follow-on medical care, while the second was given a courtesy ride by Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office deputies to the same hospital.

Sheriff Springer would like to remind all who recreate in the backcountry that cell phone reception is not always available; and especially when engaging in high risk or extreme sports, having the means to contact emergency services is crucial. A GPS paging capability like a Garmin inReach or similar is strongly encouraged. Furthermore, this is a reminder that it is not a good idea to recreate alone, having a friend around to call for help and stop the bleeding saves lives.