Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is implementing a new process for elk hunting access (EHA) agreements to provide more transparency with the public and landowners and allow for a clearer process for Fish and Wildlife Commission review. EHA agreements were codified in Montana statute in 2001. The agreements were known as “454 agreements” reflecting the bill number of the original legislation. The statute was amended several times in the past 20 years, including during the 2021 session. In general, EHA agreements allow landowners to receive an elk permit or license in exchange for allowing three public hunters on their property. One of the hunters is selected by the landowner from the list of successful permit or Elk B License applicants for the hunting district where the property is located. The other two hunters are selected by FWP from the same lists depending on the opportunities outlined in the agreement. At least three public hunters are required for each landowner permit issued, but other access opportunities can be included in the agreement. This year landowners can apply for EHA agreements from April 15 through May 15. The details on how to apply are located online at fwp.mt.gov/hunt/landownerprograms/public-elk-access-agreements. “After several years of low interest from landowners, the changes the 2021 legislature made resulted in more demand for these agreements last year,” FWP Director Hank Worsech said. “We saw the need for a clearer and more transparent process for how these agreements are made and what they involve. The changes we’ve made will ensure that is the case going forward.” The Fish and Wildlife Commission will approve 2022 EHA agreements at their June 23 meeting. The applications proposed for approval will be posted online two weeks prior to the meeting and the commission will take public comments on the applications at its meeting. This year FWP is proposing to cap additional landowner permits for these agreements at 10% of the commission-approved permit or license quota for the hunting district where the agreement is valid. For example, if a hunting district has 100 permits, 10 new permits would be available for these agreements. A permit or license allocated to a landowner via EHA agreement is valid only on the landowner’s property. The permits cannot be sold, transferred or bartered for. “Capping the number of new permits available for these agreements makes sense given that we expect more landowners to participate than last year, but we’re not sure what the interest will be,” Worsech said. If the requests for permits or licenses are more than 10% of the commission-approved quotas, FWP plans to push all commission-approved applications to a random draw. The EHA agreement will specify what areas of the ranch property will be open to no-cost public elk hunting, the number of public elk hunting days allowed on the property and other factors FWP and the landowner consider necessary. The agreement may include a process or methodology the public hunters identified in the agreement can use to reserve an access opportunity. The landowner reserves the right to deny access with cause to any public hunter chosen by FWP. For more information, go online to fwp.mt.gov/hunt/landownerprograms/public-elk-access-agreements . Landowner applications will be available on this web address April 15. Applications must be complete to be considered. For questions, call your local FWP office or contact the FWP Parks and Outdoor Recreation Division, 406-444-3750, LndSportRelations@mt.gov .

Tonight’s Beaverhead County Fair Board meeting has been postponed. It will now be held on Tuesday, April 19th at 7 pm at the Beaverhead County Fairgrounds. Beaverhead County Fair Board Meeting Agenda April 12, 2022 Location: Courthouse / Commissioner’s Board Room 7:00 p.m. Type of Meeting: Regular Call to order Amendments or changes to the agenda Approval of minutes from last meeting Introduction of guests Reports 1. Treasurer 2. Fair Manager 3. Executive Director Old Business 1. Water Line Repair 2. Fair Manager Position 3. Building Projects 4. New Business 1. Board Member & Fair Manager Reports 2. Announcements Adjournment

The Montana Highway Patrol incident log has shown four crash reports so far for today in Beaverhead County. The first call came in at 6:03 A.M., this morning involving a crash with injuries on Stone Creek Road. At 9:43 A.M., a slide off was reported on I-15 MM40, followed by another slide off report at 11:40 A.M. on I-15 MM 54. As we are compiling this story a slide off on highway 41 near the airport has been reported. Traffic cameras in the area show poor road conditions along with low visibility. If you do need to travel you can check road conditions on 511mt.net. Weather Alert Special Weather Statement issued April 12 at 2:05PM MDT by NWS GreatFalls ...Locally heavy snow showers continue this afternoon... Widespread snow showers have developed across the area this afternoon as cold air continues to work into the area. While these snow showers will mostly be over the mountains, some will move over the valleys from time to time. These snow showers will bring rapid drops in visibility to around 1/4 mile as they pass through, along with a quick coating of snow on all surfaces, including roadways. In addition, gusty winds will result in blowing of the fresh snowpack, creating additional reductions in visibility. Those traveling this afternoon should be alert for rapid changes in visibility and road conditions, especially over the passes.

Governor Greg Gianforte today announced an advisory council to assist in reviewing qualified candidates to fill the district court judge vacancy in the 10th Judicial District (Fergus, Judith Basin, and Petroleum Counties). “Representing the interests of their communities, members of our judicial advisory councils play a critical role in identifying candidates to fill judicial vacancies that interpret laws, not make them from the bench,” Gov. Gianforte said. “I look forward to the 10th Judicial District advisory council’s work over the coming weeks and receiving their recommendations.” Members of the 10th Judicial District advisory council include: Kris Birdwell, attorney at Stogsdill & Birdwell, PC Bonnie Boettger, former probation and parole officer for the Montana Department of Corrections Bill Cassell, Petroleum County Sheriff Diane Cochran, deputy county attorney for Fergus County Nathan Descheemaeker, cattle rancher and board member of Petroleum County Conservation District Justin Jenness, Lewistown Police Chief Jim Peterson, rancher and former legislator Betty Sampsel, owner of Hughes Newford Co. KellyAnne Terry, chair of Fergus County Port Authority and Lewistown City Commissioner Oliver Urick, attorney at Urick Law Firm Bing Von Bergen, owner and operator of Von Bergen Farms Gov. Gianforte announced in March that he is accepting applications and nominations for the 10th judicial district vacancy of any lawyer in good standing who has the qualifications set forth by law for holding the position of district court judge. The application form is available electronically at nominatejudges.mt.gov . Applications must be submitted electronically as well as in hard copy by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 19, 2022. Applications will be made available to the public. Commencing Wednesday, April 20 and continuing through Thursday, May 19, 2022, the public will be given the opportunity to provide letters of support or other comments regarding the applicants to nominatejudges@mt.gov . Applicants must receive at least three letters of support to be considered for appointment by the governor.

Eric Wedland will speak to Rotarians and guests at noon Wednesday, April 13, 2022. He will be speaking about the old Johnson Junkyard property, the purchase process, and the current cleanup being conducted jointly with the Montana DEQ. Visitors are welcome. Anyone interested in learning more about Rotary should come at noon to be a guest for lunch. The Club meets in the Guild Hall of St. James Episcopal Church, 203 East Glendale St. For more information, email Mike Blando at mikeblando0717@gmail.com or Tina Giem at tgiem@barretthospital.org .

The new Welcome to Dillon Sign provided by Beaverhead Development Corporation, Dillon Business Builders and Anderson Fencing will be unveiled on Tuesday 4/12 at 2:30 pm at the North end of Swenson Way. Please join us. Ribbon cutting will be hosted by the Beaverhead Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture.

The DNRC along with the Beaverhead County Clerk of District Court of will be holding a Water Commissioner Training on Tuesday, April 26, 2022, 8:30 a.m. at the Search & Rescue Building. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to this office by April 22, 2022. The training is free and water users and current or potential water commissioners are encouraged to attend. If someone is interested in becoming a water commissioner, please let them know about this training. Per Montana law, water commissioners are required to attend a water commissioner training prior to distributing water (MCA 85-5-111(2)). Please call or email 406-683-3725 or clerkofcourt.beaverhead@mt.gov for more information and to RSVP.

Dillon Montana Community Foundation Wednesday, April 13, 2022 5:00 PM Big Sky Cinema 560 N Montana Street Dillon, MT AGENDA 1. Call to Order 2. March 9, 2022 Meeting Minutes 3. Financial Report 4. Pint Night April 22, 2022 5. June Jubilee – June 11, 2022 26th Annual Auto Festival and Cruise Duck Race Ticket Sales Touch a Truck Carnival Games, Face Painter, Balloon Tier, Pie Eating Contest Community Garage Sale 6. History Days July 22-24, 2022 Friday, July 22 10:00 a.m. PIMA Medical Institute Open House 1:00 p.m. Horse Power Round Up Car Show 1:00 p.m. Smash a Truck 2:00 p.m. Teddy Bear Picnic at Jaycee Park 2:00 p.m. Beaverhead County Museum Geology and Mining 6:00 p.m. Philip Page, Cowboy Songs at Jaycee Park 8:00 p.m. Square Dancing at the Elk’s Saturday, July 23 10:00 a.m. City Wide Sidewalk Sales 10:00 a.m. Vendors Downtown 11:00 a.m. The Bookstore – Steve Morehouse Lewis & Clark Living History 11:00 a.m. Beaverhead County Museum Geology and Mining 12:00 p.m. Blowin’ Smoke Barbecue Cook Off Sampling 12:00 p.m. Brewfest 1:00 p.m. Old Fashioned Games at Jaycee Park 1:00 p.m. Indigenous People of Southwest Montana by Ron Loge 4:00 p.m. “Confounding of Dillon” 9:00 p.m. Street Concert Sunday, July 24 10:00 a.m. Community Church Service 11:00 a.m. Blowin’ Smoke Barbecue Cook Off Judging 12:00 p.m. Community Picnic and Old-Fashioned Games 1:00 p.m. Award Ceremony and Recognition of Founders 7. Kiss the Pig Contest 8. Labor Day Weekend Bazaar September 2-6, 2022 9. Raffle 10. Other topics of discussion a. Marketing/Publicity, Facebook page, Logo b, Insurance c. Permits d, Sponsorships e. Street Repair updates Committee Members: Stan Smith – Chair Cory Birkenbuel – Vice Chair Stacey Roundy – Treasurer/Secretary Debbie Sporich Raymond Graham Brenda Womack Rebecca Jones Bill Shafer Candi Whitworth

An elderly lady was recently scammed out of $12,000 as a caller posed as a computer technician claiming they found child pornography on her computer. They told the elderly individual that if she didn't pay to have this taken care of they would have to report it to local law enforcement. The caller instructed the person to obtain gift cards from JCPenny's and Home Depot. The caller then wanted her to scan the cards after scratching off the code on the back of them. They where so helpful that they took control of her computer and wirelessly setup her printer and scanner. The cards where scanned in and the money was instantly transferred and disappeared. Scammers are constantly changing and adapting the way they try to scam a person. If the offer seems to good to be true or they are calling asking you to pay for services with gift cards then it is more than likely a scam. Here are some simple tips to avoid scammers: Scammers Pressure You To Send Money Fast Don't be pressured. Before giving out any money over the phone or computer, stop first to ask, family friends or the Montana Office of Consumer Protection. Scammers Pretend To Be Trustworthy. Sometimes they pretend to be from the government, like the IRS. Sometimes they pretend to be a family member, or an online friend or romantic partner. It's OK to have relationship's online or over the phone. Just be CAREFUL about sending money or personal information. Stop first to ask family, friends or the Montana Office of Consumer Protection. Scammers Find You Before You Find Them. If you did not initiate the phone call and the person who called you is demanding financial or social security information, DO NOT GIVE IT. Stop first to ask family, friends or the Montana Office of Consumer Protection. Scammers Can Fake Caller-ID. Just because a caller-ID phone number looks legitimate, doesn't mean it is. Practice these tips even if the caller-ID number looks real.

Fox Run Special District Meeting April 13, 2022 County Treasurer’s Building Tom Welch Room 11:00 am 1. Call meeting to order 2. Secretary’s Report a. Approve Minutes from March 9, 2022 3. Old Business: a. Engineering Pending HOA approval 4. New Business: a. Going Forward - Board Discussion 5. Other items for discussion 6. Public Comment 7. Set Next Meeting/ May 11, 2022 8. Adjournment

The spring black bear hunting season starts April 15. There are several changes to the black bear hunting regulations in 2022, including A new 48-hour reporting requirement for all black bear harvests A new black bear season in Region 6 (northeast Montana) In Region 1 (northwest Montana), successful hunters are required to submit one premolar tooth from any black bear harvested within 10 days of harvest. They are not required to have a harvested bear inspected and tagged by FWP staff. Teeth can be submitted in person or by mail (post-marked within 10 days) with a submission form that’s available at FWP offices or online at https://fwp.mt.gov/hunt/regulations/black-bear . See page 10 of the Black Bear Hunting Regulations for more information. It is now lawful to use hounds to train and/or hunt for spring black bears in some areas. See page 4 of the Black Bear Hunting Regulations for more information. It is unlawful to harvest/take black bear cubs. Cubs are defined as bears less than one year old. It also is unlawful to harvest/take a female black bear with cubs. It's important to know the difference between grizzly bears and black bears. Black bear hunters in Montana are required to pass the Bear Identification test to obtain a black bear license. Montana's Bear Identification Program is intended to prevent the killing of grizzly bears as a result of mistaken identity by hunters. For more information on black bear hunting, visit https://fwp.mt.gov/hunt/regulations/black-bear .

The Dillon Jaycees held their annual Easter Egg hunt at Vigilante Park on Saturday, April 9th. Having different areas of the park separated for age groups to make it fair for all who attended. With the whirl of the fire engines siren kids came off the starting line in a frenzy and cleaned up all the eggs in just a few minutes. After the egg hunt parents could get pictures with the Easter Bunny and enjoy some light snacks.

The Dillon City Council started the April 6th meeting off with a presentation from I-Worcs software. The software in question is used to track code enforcement violations. The software would allow the person to take pictures, record what the offense is and track if the violation has been brought up to standard. Council person Russ Schwandt pointed out that the software is an amazing tool, but Dillon lacks an appointed code enforcement officer as well as the manpower to enforce the codes now. So, the software would be a good investment, but the city does not have the manpower to keep up on the enforcement of codes. The initial cost of the software would be $13,000 then $11,000 for each year after that. The appointment of a stand-in judge for Judge Minor came to a heated discussion as Council members Graham and O’Rourke wanted to know why there was, what they perceived as, a lack of transparency in the appointment of Jim Valach. Judge Minor pointed out that the decision to appoint was solely hers and she did not need the Council's approval for this. Valach is just stepping in temporarily and will not be the permanent judge. This is different from in the past where we had a judge pass away while in office. Mr. Valach withdrew his name, and a heated discussion was had between Judge Minor and the Council, as she asked if any had read the papers she handed out that explained how she could assign a temporary replacement. None of the members had read the papers. After all was said and done, Mr. Valach said he would accept the position and Judge Minor swore him in during the meeting. Judge Minor will be reporting for active duty, and we wish her the best of luck and thank her for her service for our Country. Next on the agenda was the discussion of the Beaver Pride subdivision and the approval of the third plat. Part of this discussion was the extension of Franklin Ave., as well as the bonding and completion of the sidewalks. The developers and former developer explained they had every intention of finishing the sidewalks but would like to bond them out as the houses are built. Mr Stoker also addressed the fact that they have lived up to the agreed upon stipulations when the subdivision was approved, and the city is now trying to add more stipulations to the final phases which would be a violation of what they agreed upon. Next, the Chief of Police announced his plans to retire at the end of April. The final topic of the night was the purchase of three laptop computers for the City’s Court System; they would allow papers to be signed on the computer instead of a person who may be disabled having to go up the stairs. The computer would also help with the processing of paperwork and speed up a lot of the everyday filings. The idea is to use ARPA funds for this. Council person O’Rourke inquired if funds could be used for this, as this would be considered a cost of doing business expenses and those types of expenses cannot be used with ARPA funding. This was something that would be referred to the ARPA committee to investigate before a decision would be made. If you would like to watch the whole meeting, you can see it on Southwestern MT News Facebook page .

The Montana Department of Commerce announced today that 35 film productions will share $1.5 million of grant funding to film on location across the state. The funding is through Commerce’s Montana Film Office’s Big Sky Film Grant Program. “The Big Sky Film Grant Program helps us build partnerships with filmmakers and production companies to create good-paying Montana film industry jobs and bring related dollars to communities across the state,” Commerce Director Scott Osterman said. “Over two-thirds of film-related jobs are high paying trades jobs, and these incentives for filmmakers keep Montana competitive with other states and countries for these jobs. An added benefit is the exposure Montana receives, which benefits Montana tourism,” Osterman added. To qualify for a Big Sky Film Grant (BSFG), a production must shoot at least 50% of its principal photography in Montana. The BSFG and the Montana Film Office are funded by the 4% Lodging Facility Use Tax, commonly known as the “Bed Tax.” The following projects will receive Big Sky Film Grant funding: 352 Pictures will receive $50,000 for the production of the feature film “Big Sky Highway.” Add-A-Tudez Entertainment Co. will receive $27,000 for the production of the video game “Burst!” Auster Productions will receive $30,000 for the production of the documentary “Dan Bailey: So The River Reflects The Sky.” Beasts Undiscovered, LLC will receive $150,000 for the production of the feature film “Beasts Undiscovered.” Boulder, LLC will receive $50,000 for the production of the short film “Untamed.” The Bozeman Art Museum will receive $10,000 for the production of the documentary “406 Masters on Film.” Circus On The Run, LLC will receive $125,000 for the production of the feature film “Circus On The Run.” Comic Relief, LLC will receive $50,000 for the production of the feature film “Comic Relief.” Cuisine Movie, LLC will receive $50,000 for the production of the feature film “Cuisine de la 'Pocalypse.” Fabian Verdugo Productions will receive $50,000 for the production of the feature film “Somewhere in Montana.” Firebrand Creative will receive $40,000 for the production of the documentary “The Visions of Chief Plenty Coups.” Form & Pressure Films, Inc. will receive $55,000 for the production of the feature film “Clara Boone.” Grizzly Creek Films will receive $70,000 for the production of the documentary “Mollie's Pack.” Guttermuckers, LLC will receive $65,000 for the production of the feature film “Guttermuckers.” Kinovision Productions, LLC will receive $10,000 for the production of the short film “Lone Mountain.” Maaike Middleton will receive $20,000 for the production of the documentary “The Return of the Grizzly.” Montana Outlaw Productions will receive $20,000 for the production of the series “Barbecue Heroes.” MT Public Lands Council will receive $25,000 for the production of the documentary “Righteous for the Rangeland.” MT Target Films will receive $30,000 for the production of the webisode “Blonde Instinct.” Nathan Norby, LLC will receive $40,000 for the production of the documentary “PITON - The Pat Callis Story.” Rabbit Foot Entertainment will receive $55,000 for the production of the documentary “Ryan Zahn Goes Pro.” Same Land Films, LLC will receive $40,000 for the production of the documentary “Then They Came for Us (Triumph of Her Will).” Selway Studios, LLC will receive $20,000 for the production of the feature film “The Given Days.” Small Axe Productions LLP will receive $17,000 for the production of the series “Life in the Land.” Sojourn Productions will receive $10,000 for the production of the short film “Big Two-Hearted River.” Spin Film, LLC will receive $50,000 for the production of the short film “American Triage (P.L.U.).” Story Street Films will receive $15,000 for the production of the short film “Man Baby.” Strange Town Productions will receive $6,000 for the post-production of the short film “Demon Girlz.” TESB, LLC will receive $40,000 for the post-production of the feature film “Thine Ears Shall Bleed.” Thunderheart Media, Inc. will receive $50,000 for the production of the documentary “Bring Them Home.” UTM, Inc. will receive $50,000 for the production of the feature film, “The Quiet Miracle of a Normal Life.” Valley Buffalo, LLC will receive $60,000 for the production of the feature film “Butcher's Crossing.” VisionHawk Films will receive $30,000 for the production of the series “Growing Up Grizzly.” Watershed Films, LLC will receive $50,000 for the production of the feature film “Treasure State.” Yellowstone Film Ranch will receive $40,000 for the production of the feature film “The Caller Returns.” “I will always be grateful for the Big Sky Film Grant, which assisted us in the making of my debut feature film, “We Burn Like This.” The grant was very meaningful in creating a film inspired by Montana. We were able to support Montana-based cast and crew with our funding, as well as the local economy,” said filmmaker Alana Waksman, a past Big Sky Film Grant recipient. “The Big Sky Film Grant was the first grant we received. It was wind in our sails that this film was going to happen, and the state was behind us telling this story,” Waksman added. Since it was established in 2013, the Big Sky Film Grant Program has supported nearly 250 film and tv productions in Montana. For more information about the Big Sky Film Grant Program, visit MONTANAFILM.COM .