Gallatin Media Center

For immediate release: Oct. 4, 2022

Media contact:
John Ansley, Gallatin County Weed District Coordinator
406-582-3265
john.ansley@gallatin.mt.gov

 

Bridger Bowl Honored with First-Ever Gallatin County Outstanding Noxious Weed Management Award

Two employees of Bridger Bowl Ski Area were recognized for their contributions to noxious weed management and their dedication to promoting healthy plant communities in Gallatin County.

John VanHouten and Josh Thompson received the first-ever Gallatin County Outstanding Noxious Weed Management Award. They were honored at the Gallatin County Commission’s meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 4.

“Gallatin County is always very appreciative of those who go out of their way to manage noxious weeds on their property. Bridger Bowl is doing a lot,” said Gallatin County Commissioner Joe Skinner.

The Gallatin County Weed District wanted to honor these individuals or groups who are a vital part of noxious weed management in our county.

The award recognizes landowners and managers who do an exceptional job of controlling noxious weeds. These stewards are not only caring for their own land but are helping to protect the wild lands and local agriculture that make our county such a wonderful place to live.

The Weed District sought nominations over the summer. The Weed Board then reviewed the nominations and voted to give VanHouten and Thompson the award.

In nominating VanHouten and Thompson, it was noted that Bridger Bowl puts significant effort into promoting native forbs and grasses while reducing and eliminating noxious weeds on their over 2,000 acres of both private and federal land.

Bridger Bowl’s work includes regularly scheduled patrols, mowing and hand pulling to reduce weed seed production on the ski hill’s main runs, spraying to prevent weeds, and paying particular attention to parking lots that bring in outside weeds. If an infestation is identified, it is remediated, and the area is flagged for follow-up. And any areas of disturbance are seeded back to native grasses and monitored for weed germination over the next few years.

Bridger Bowl also collaborates regularly with Gallatin County, the U.S. Forest Service, and their neighbors Bridger Pines and Crosscut Mountain Sports Center.

Steve Saunders, member of the Gallatin County Weed Board, said the award offers an opportunity to educate the public and bring awareness to the importance noxious weed management. But it also is a chance to recognize folks who are truly making a difference.

“That’s what we’re looking for – people who really care,” Saunders said.

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Photo Courtesy of Gallatin County: John VanHouten, center holding award, is joined by Gallatin County Weed District staff and Weed Board members.

For immediate release: Oct. 3, 2022

This October, during Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month the nonprofit PulsePoint Foundation is rewarding communities like Gallatin County for identifying and registering Automated External Defibrillators in their areas.

See the full press release here.

Media contact:
Tim Martindale, Gallatin County 911 Director
406-582-2092
tim.martindale@gallatin.mt.gov

 

For immediate release: Sept. 30, 2022

Media contact:
Kevin Larsen, Operations and Training Manager for Gallatin County Emergency Management
kevin@readygallatin.com
406-548-0117

 

Gallatin County Emergency Management Hosting Large-Scale Training
for Area First Responders

Over a dozen emergency response agencies from across Gallatin County are taking part in a training exercise to better prepare our area first responders for an active killer situation.

The exercise will be on Wednesday, Oct. 5 at Sacajawea Middle School in Bozeman. It will run from 4 to 10 PM.

School parents and neighbors can expect to see lots of emergency vehicles in the area during the training.

This exercise aims to train law enforcement and several fire departments to work as cohesive teams when entering scenes where there is still potential threat. The exercise will hit on topics such as victim retrieval, transport, treatment, and transfer.

Our agencies have a strong history of working and training together. This exercise will build upon these solid relationships to help our community be better prepared for some of the worst-case scenarios.

The training is made possible by a grant secured by Gallatin County Emergency Management.

Emergency response agencies participating include:

• Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office
• Gallatin County Emergency Management
• Gallatin County 911
• Bozeman Police Department
• Belgrade Police Department
• Montana State University Police Department
• Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks
• Montana Highway Patrol
• Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport Authority Police
• Bozeman Fire Department
• Central Valley Fire Department
• Hyalite Fire Department
• Big Sky Fire Department
• Amsterdam Rural Fire District
• Hebgen Basin Fire Department
• Gallatin Gateway Rural Fire District
• Bozeman Health Deaconess Regional Medical Center

Many thanks to Bozeman School District for the use of their facility, and to American Medical Response, Manhattan Rural Fire District, Fort Ellis Fire Department, and Bridger Canyon Fire Department for supporting the training.

Media invited to attend the training

Reporters are invited to attend part of the exercise. You will be able to observe parts of the exercise and get interviews with participating officials. Please meet at the front entrance of Sacagawea Middle School at 5:30 PM.

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PRESS RELEASE

JUNCTION 8 KNEE INJURY

On Monday, September 26, 2022, at 9:24 a.m., the West Yellowstone Police Department received a 911 call from an individual who had possibly suffered a broken leg during a UTV rollover. The coordinates retrieved from the 911 call indicated that the crash location was 7.3 miles west of West Yellowstone.

Volunteers from Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue in West Yellowstone, Custer Gallatin National Forest Service, and Hebgen Basin Rural Fire Department responded to assist with the incident. The injured person was escorted to meet with a HBFD ambulance for medical evaluation ultimately choosing to self-transport to the Ennis Regional Medical Center for further care.

Sheriff Dan Springer would like to remind UTV operators to ride within their abilities and be watchful for changing trail conditions. Carrying a reliable means of communication was integral in the swift response during this incident.

 

For immediate release: Sept. 26, 2022

Media contact:
Jasmine Hall, Gallatin County Elections Manager
jasmine.hall@gallatin.mt.gov
406-582-3060

Gallatin County Elections Office Encourages Early Voter Registration

Why wait?! The Gallatin County Elections Department encourages voters who need to register or update their registration to do so sooner than later to avoid Election Day lines.

Due to a recent court ruling, same-day voter registration will be permitted on Election Day for the upcoming federal general election on Nov. 8.

Voters can register to vote on Election Day, but can only do so at the Elections Office between 7 AM and 8 PM. Their ballots must be received by 8 PM.

Voters new to Gallatin County, who register on Election Day, will be required to vote provisionally. Their vote will be counted on Monday Nov. 14 once it goes through the Provisional Ballot verification process to ensure election integrity.

Gallatin County Elections staff urges folks to update your voter registration now! Be proactive and avoid long registration lines on Election Day. Depending on crowds, in years past folks have had to wait hours to get registered on Election Day. Come in now and our staff will have you in and out of our office in just a few minutes!

You can check your voter registration information at www.MyVoterPageMT.com. Remember – if you’ve moved or changed your name since the last election, you will need to update your registration.

Our staff makes it quick and easy to get registered. Simply print out this form and fill it out using blue or black ink. Then return it to our office either in person, by email or via email. For email forms, simply take a picture or scan your filled-out form and send it to gallatin.elections@gallatin.mt.gov.

Almost 17 and ready to vote in the upcoming election? Seventeen-year-olds with birthdays on or before Election Day on Nov. 8 can pre-register today!

Please note: Regular voter registration for the upcoming general election closes at 5 PM on Tuesday, Oct. 11. The late voter registration period begins on Wednesday, Oct. 12. During late registration, you must appear in person at the election office to register to vote or make changes to your current registration. Late registration ends at noon on Monday, Nov. 7. Then same-day registration is available on Election Day from 7 AM to 8 PM.

Other recent elections changes

A recent court ruling also updated laws around what is an acceptable form of ID for voting. A student ID is now an acceptable form of identification. Students can provide their current student ID to vote – no additional ID required.

The Gallatin County Elections Office is located at:

311 W. Main St.
Room 210
Bozeman, MT 59715

Reach us at 406-582-3060 or gallatin.elections@gallatin.mt.gov. Find more elections info at www.gallatinvotes.com.

In the early morning hours of Friday, September 23, 2022, Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office and the Gallatin County Coroner’s Office investigated a fatality involving a vehicle and bicyclist that occurred near the corner of Huffine Ln and Gooch Hill Rd. The victim was identified as 75-year-old Richard Evers of Bozeman. Investigation showed Richard was attempting to cross Huffine Ln on his bicycle when a vehicle struck him. Cause of death was determined to be blunt force injuries of the head and chest and the manner was ruled an accident.

Sheriff Springer wishes to express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Richard Evers during this time and to all parties involved in this tragic accident.

________________________________

Beker Cuelho, Chief Deputy Coroner

Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer will hold a press conference to discuss the launch of the “Handle With Care” program. The Gallatin County Sheriff’s office is partnering with schools across the county to notify teachers and counselors when a student is exposed to a traumatic event. These school leaders will be more prepared to act as stable, nurturing buffers, and can offer therapeutic services to any child impacted by a traumatic event.  The press conference will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 28 at 10 AM at the Gallatin County Detention Center Community Room (605 S. 16th Ave., Bozeman).

For any questions, please contact Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Christine Koosman at 406-582-2109 or 406-589-7379.

On the evening of Sunday September 18, 2022, Bozeman Police Department and the Gallatin County Coroner’s Office investigated a single vehicle fatality that occurred at the corner of Huffine Ln and South Ferguson Ave. The victim was identified as 66-year-old Charles Juhnke of Bozeman. Cause of death was determined to beblunt force injuries of the head and abdomen and the manner was ruled an accident.

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

For immediate release: Sept. 16, 2022
Media contact:
Patrick Lonergan, Chief of Gallatin County Emergency Management and Fire
406-548-0116
patrick@readygallatin.com

Gallatin, Madison Counties Sign Agreement to Consolidate Emergency Management Services in Big Sky Area

Gallatin and Madison counties recently entered into an interlocal agreement to consolidate emergency management, wildfire, and hazardous materials services under Gallatin County’s Emergency Management Program.

This new agreement creates a single agency responsible for all of the Big Sky community and reduce duplication of efforts. Gallatin County will manage the three programs across the Big Sky community, including the portion of Madison County that falls in the Big Sky Resort Area Tax District boundary.

Per the agreement, Gallatin County will assume the following responsibilities in this area of Madison County:

• Emergency Management
  • Mitigation
  • Preparedness
  • Response
  • Recovery

• Wildfire
  • Fire Warden and cooperative fire protection with Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC)
  • County Rural Fire Chief
  • Open burning

• Hazardous Materials
  • Local Emergency Response Authority
  • Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act
  • Hazardous Materials Response Team

The goal of the agreement is to create more efficiencies while bringing consistency for these programs across the community without worrying where the county line is.

Similar arrangements are already in place for law enforcement, coroner, search and rescue, and 911 dispatch.

With all other public safety functions being provided by agencies in Gallatin County, this alignment will allow for easier and closer coordination across agencies for activities in the Madison County portion of Big Sky.

This also allows for the Gallatin County plans, processes and tools to be consistently applied across the entire Big Sky community regardless of the location. These are also the resources the emergency service agencies are already familiar with and using.

The community resources and tools available on readygallatin.com and through our staff will now apply to the whole community and establish a one-stop source for preparedness-related information.

In the event of a large scale incident in Big Sky, response coordination and recovery activities will no longer be split between the counties depending on your location.

Through the combined efforts between the counties, Gallatin County’s program will now have program staff focusing in the areas of operations, training, preparedness, mitigation and wildfire response who can provide a higher level of expertise across our program areas.

The entire agreement can be viewed here.

To learn more about Gallatin County Emergency Management and what this new inter-local means for the Big Sky Area, the public is welcome to a virtual discussion during Big Sky Community Week. The panel discussion will be on Tuesday, Oct. 4 from 2-3 PM. Details on how to join can be found here.

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For immediate release: Sept. 15, 2022

Media contact:
Michelle Bossert, Interim Human Resources Director
406-582-3046
michelle.bossert@gallatin.mt.gov

Gallatin County Hosting Career Fairs on Sept. 21-22

 

Gallatin County is teaming up with Express Employment Professionals in Bozeman to host two career fairs highlighting the wonderful career opportunities county government has to offer.

Make a difference in your community working for a well-functioning county government, and receive an excellent benefits package too!

The career fairs will include pizza, snacks, fun swag, on-the-sot tours, and a chance to win Bridger Bowl ski passes!

The fairs will be:

• Wednesday, Sept. 21 at the Gallatin County Courthouse (311 W. Main St. in Bozeman)
• Thursday, Sept. 22 at the Law and Justice Center (615 S. 16th Ave. in Bozeman)

Both fairs run from 10 AM to 2 PM each day.

Gallatin County has over 100 job openings in departments ranging from 911 dispatch and the detention center, to the Gallatin Rest Home and Logan Landfill, and many more. All current job postings can be found at this link.

Job seekers who have questions about the upcoming career fairs can call or text Express Employment at 406-587-0388.