Gallatin Media Center

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Name: Dustin Lensing
Phone: (406)388-4262


Montanans: Celebrate the Holidays Responsibly by Planning for a Sober Ride Home

Montana Law Enforcement increasing patrols during the holiday season

December 7, 2023, Belgrade, Mont. – As the holiday season kicks off, the Belgrade Police Department and the Montana Highway Patrol (MHP) are encouraging Montanans to plan for a sober ride home before celebrating. Historically, the period between December 15 and January 1 has a high concentration of impaired driving crashes and crash fatalities. Under the Vision Zero goal, Gallatin County law enforcement, MHP and the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) are committed to reducing fatalities and serious injuries on Montana’s roadways during the busy holiday season. Law enforcement partners across the state will be increasing patrols through the winter holidays and making Driving Under the Influence (DUI) arrests as part of the effort to help Montanans get home safely.

Montana law states that if drivers have a BAC (blood alcohol content) of .08 or higher, they could be arrested and face a DUI charge and other serious consequences, including having their driver’s license revoked, being required to take mandatory classes, and receiving possible jail time and up to $10,000 in fines and legal fees.
“If you’re drinking during the holiday season, make a plan for a safe ride home,” said Dustin Lensing, Chief of Police, Belgrade Police Department. “Winter driving conditions are dangerous enough, and adding alcohol to the mix puts everyone in danger. For yourself, your family and your community, make a plan for a sober ride before you start celebrating. Whether it’s designating a sober driver or arranging to stay at a friend or family member’s home if you’re drinking, having that plan ensures our community stays safe.”
Why is Montana law enforcement on high alert during the holiday season? These are Montana’s sobering statistics:
● Montana has one of the highest fatality rates in the nation for the number of deaths caused by alcohol-impaired drivers per vehicle mile traveled.
● In the last three years, over 60% of Montana’s crash fatalities have involved an impaired driver.

“Please celebrate responsibly this holiday season. Have fun, but don’t drive impaired,” said Montana Highway Patrol Colonel Steve Lavin. “We’ll be increasing patrols throughout the holidays to make sure Montanans get home safely so they can spend time with their friends and family. Do your part and plan ahead or call for a sober ride home if you’ve been drinking. Together we can keep our community safe.”

Montana Department of Transportation — Vision Zero
This is a Vision Zero message from the Montana Department of Transportation. This and other enforcement and educational campaigns are strategies to reach Vision Zero — zero deaths and zero serious injuries on Montana roadways. For more information about Vision Zero, contact Tammy Ross, Montana Department of Transportation, 406-444-9192 or tross@mt.gov.
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Alternative accessible formats of this document are provided on request. If you need an alternative format, contact the Office of Civil Rights, Montana Department of Transportation, 2701 Prospect Avenue, PO Box 201001, Helena, MT 59620. Telephone 406-444-5416 or Montana Relay Service at 711.

For immediate release: Dec. 5, 2023

Media contact:
Scott Randall, Robert Peccia & Associates
srandall@rpa-hln.com
406-447-5005

Gallatin County to Host Public Meetings to Gather Feedback on Intersection Improvements Projects

Gallatin County is in the early stages of identifying improvement options for three critical intersections on County roads between Belgrade and Bozeman. The purpose of this project is to identify potential improvement options for each intersection, conduct a detailed analysis of all options, and identify the best solution for each intersection. The analysis will consider multimodal traffic needs, safety concerns, environmental impacts, cost, feasibility, and input from landowners, stakeholders, and the public. Once a preferred alternative has been identified for each intersection, the County intends to move forward with design and construction as funding becomes available. The project intersections include the following.

• Alaska Road South / Cameron Bridge Road
• Alaska Road South / East Valley Center Road
• Love Lane / Durston Road

The county is hosting a public open house to provide information to interested parties about identified areas of concern, present preliminary findings, and gather feedback on potential improvements. The open house will be hosted in-person over a two-hour period, and the public is invited to drop in at their convenience to see what is planned and talk with the project team.

WHAT: Public Open House

WHEN: Thursday, Dec. 14 from 4-6 PM

WHERE: Gallatin County Courthouse (311 W. Main St. in downtown Bozeman), Community Room

​In addition to the open house, the county will also host a live virtual public meeting on Thursday, Dec. 14 over the lunch hour. The meeting will start with a brief presentation covering initial findings and an overview of potential improvement options. An opportunity for public comment will be offered at the end. The virtual meeting will be recorded and posted to the project website for those who are unable to attend live.

WHAT: Virtual Public Meeting

WHEN: Thursday, Dec. 14 from 12-1 PM

TO REGISTER: https://bit.ly/3R05cDJ

Pre-registration is required to attend. 

Community input is a very important part of the process. The public is encouraged to participate in the open house and/or attend the virtual public meeting to share their concerns, thoughts, and ideas with the project team. This project is intended to be a collaborative effort between the county, landowners, stakeholders, and the public. As such, all input gathered from these events will be considered by the project team as the project advances.

Comments can be submitted at any time to the project manager, Scott Randall, via email at srandall@rpa-hln.com, by phone at 406-447-5005, or by mail at 3147 Saddle Drive, Helena, MT 59601.

For more information about the project, visit https://rpa-hln.com/gallatin-intersections/.

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On November 30, 2023, at 2:53pm, Gallatin County Dispatch received a call for a paraglider who had crashed near the top of the M.

Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue volunteers from the Valley Section responded to the M Trailhead. Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue Command deployed a hasty team to assess the patient’s injuries and a secondary team with a one-wheeled litter device to extract the patient.

Gallatin County Search and Rescue Heli Team was deployed on standby.

Search and Rescue teams located the patient, assessed his injuries, and safely extricated the patient to the M Trailhead. The patient was transported to Bozeman Deaconess Regional Medical Center by AMR.

Sheriff Dan Springer would like to commend the paraglider for contacting other recreationalists for help and other recreationalists for helping coordinate SAR efforts. Sheriff Springer would like to thank AMR paramedics and Bridger Canyon Fire for their joint support.

On November 28, 2023 at 8:58pm Gallatin County Dispatch received a report of a suspected intoxicated driver who crashed their vehicle on a neighbor’s property in the area north of Jackson Creek exit.  The driver reportedly sustained a minor injury to the head in the crash, then left on foot, not appropriately dressed for the cold weather.   

Due to the cold weather conditions and the mountain terrain, Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue volunteers from the Valley Section responded to assist Gallatin County Deputies and Montana Highway Patrol in locating the driver in order to ensure their welfare.  The driver was not responsive to attempts to contact them by phone, and GCSO SAR did not locate them.  Eventually, GCSO Deputies received information that the driver made it home safely and chose to avoid contact with responders.   

Sheriff Springer would like to remind the public that in the event of a motor vehicle accident, remain with your vehicle until contacted by Law Enforcement, as it is the obligation of Law Enforcement responders to ensure the welfare of all involved passengers. 

On 11/28/2023 at 5:16 pm, 911 dispatch received a call from a recreationalist near Hyalite Canyon Road stating an elderly hiker had not returned to their vehicle after leaving earlier in the afternoon to cut a Christmas Tree. Due to cold weather conditions and darkness setting in, Search and Rescue was requested.

Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue (GCSAR) volunteers from the Valley section as well as an Ambulance from American Medical Response responded. GCSAR members deployed off-road vehicles, drones, and dog teams to locate the hiker. Fortunately, the hiker was eventually located by GCSAR members approximately three miles from where they had last been seen. The hiker was then transported to the waiting AMR ambulance for a medical evaluation.

Sheriff Springer would like to remind recreational enthusiasts to always have a backup plan when recreating. Being dressed for changing weather conditions and having adequate supplies is good practice for ensuring a safe trip. Also, cellular service is still spotty at best in much of Gallatin County’s backcountry. Having a communication plan that does not depend on cell service is always recommended.

On Sunday, November 26, 2023, at 9:37 p.m. The West Yellowstone Police Department Dispatch center received a call requesting assistance for a stuck side by side on the Teepee Creek Trail 12 miles north of West Yellowstone. The hunter had gotten stuck in the deep snow and after several hours of effort, had been unable to extract the machine from the deep snow.

Volunteers from Gallatin County Search and Rescue in West Yellowstone and Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks responded to assist with the rescue.

The hunter was able to provide gps coordinates using an In-Reach gps device which let the volunteers to the location. They were able to safely extract the hunter who was then escorted to safety.

Sheriff Dan Springer would like to commend the hunter for carrying a reliable means of communication in addition to a gps device which was integral in leading rescuers quickly to the exact location.

For Immediate Release: 11/27/2023

The Gallatin City-County Health Department is hosting a community learning session, Mental Health & Nicotine Use, on December 13, 2023, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Bozeman Library. Come learn about current rates of tobacco use in Gallatin County, and the correlation between nicotine use and mental health. The health department will also be providing resources for tobacco cessation and how to provide support for individuals in your life currently using nicotine.

“We know that many people in our community turn to nicotine to reduce their stress,” said Kelly Keenan, Director of Prevention Services at Gallatin City-County Health Department. “However, studies have shown that nicotine is an addictive drug that can impact areas of the brain that control attention, learning and memory, mood, and impulse control.”

Click here for the full press release.

For immediate release: Nov. 27, 2023 

Media contact:
Nick Banish, District Manager of the Gallatin Local Water Quality District
406-582-3145
nick.banish@gallatin.mt.gov 

Public Invited to Idaho Pole Site Superfund Site Informational Session  

The public is invited to an informational session on the Idaho Pole Site, a superfund site in Bozeman, in December.  

The Gallatin Local Water Quality District (GLWQD) will host representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Montana Department of Enviornmental Quality, who will discuss the cleanup project’s timeline and current state, give a groundwater treatment update, and address public concerns and questions. 

The presentation will be on Thursday, Dec. 7 at 8:30 AM in the third-floor community room at the Gallatin County Courthouse (311 W. Main St.) It will be part of GLWQD’s regular board of directors meeting. 

The history of this site dates back to the mid-1940s, when the facility used creosote to preserve wood and later switched to pentachlorophenol in carrier oil (similar to mineral oil) for the wood treating solution.  In 1978, evidence of a release of the oily wood treating fluid was identified in ditches near the facility and near Rocky Creek.   

More background on the site can be found here. 

If you’re interested in the status of the remedial actions, have questions or concerns, or just want to learn more about groundwater issues in the Bozeman area, you’re invited to attend this public information session. 

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For immediate release: Nov. 27, 2023

On Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023, at approximately 3:19 PM, Gallatin County dispatch received a call from a GPS device monitoring service. A device the company monitors had recently been activated near Grotto Falls in Hyalite Canyon. Gallatin County dispatch later received a 911 phone call from an eyewitness stating an ice climber had fallen and was injured. The patient was identified as 36-year-old Montana resident and avid ice climber, Kyle Allen Rott.

Gallatin County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue volunteers along with Two Bear Air and Billings Clinic Med-Flight helicopters responded to the Grotto Falls trailhead. Five teams of search and rescue volunteers were deployed to the area where Rott was located. Search and rescue volunteers provided initial medical treatment to Rott who was eventually hoisted from the area by Two Bear Air and taken to Bozeman Health Deaconess Hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries.

Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office coroners responded to the hospital where Rott was determined to have died accidentally, caused by blunt force trauma of the head, sustained during an ice climbing fall.

Sheriff Dan Springer would like to express his condolences to Mr. Kyle Rott’s family in South Dakota and his friends. Sheriff Springer also thanks all the dedicated search and rescue members who responded so quickly.

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