Julia Smit

How a Montana nonprofit is breaking barriers to accessibility in the outdoors
By Julia Smit
Sun on skin, dirt under fingernails, deep breaths of fresh air after a steep climb: It’s a shared experience for people who love to spend time on the trail. And with over 30 million acres of public lands in Montana – including the wild areas that make up the Continental Divide landscape in the state–there’s a lot of space to share.
The outdoors are ...

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Southwest Montana holds plenty of scenic spaces to explore, with towns like Ennis giving visitors a taste of small-town life in an area that still evokes the Wild West.
Moore Creek runs through the southeastern corner of the Ennis RV Park before joining Ennis Lake as a tributary of the Madison River. At some point in the past century, this section of the creek was mechanically altered and straightened for agricultural purposes. The results have included erosion, habitat degradation, and other...

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People with disabilities have been fighting for rights and accessibility since long before a formal disability rights movement began. The actions of individuals have the power to make big changes. But the strength of community can be even more powerful.
The disability rights movement gained steam in the 1980s across the United States, including Montana.
“The Independent Living Movement grew out of civil rights movements of the late 60s and early 70s,” said Scott Birkenbuel, Chief Executive Of...

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Across Starry Night Lodging properties, regenerative practices are always top of mind. In Southwest Montana’s community of Butte, a Kampgrounds of America (KOA) certification helps guide that mission.
The Butte KOA Journey – a Starry Night Lodging Property – has been certified as a Kamp Green Campground since 2022. This internal KOA certification encourages owners and guests to adopt environmentally-friendly practices across KOA properties.
Kamp Green Criteria
A Kamp Green Certification ensur...

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PTSD service dogs can help Veterans who are battling PTSD regain their freedom and independence. But some dog breeds make better service dogs than others.
Jarod Walker, the executive director of training operations for Northwest Battle Buddies (NWBB), trains and oversees the organization’s PTSD service dogs. The organization works with a variety of breeds, all of which have temperaments that help them work, train, and support their Veteran handlers.
“I have been in the dog training world sinc...

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Health literacy refers to how well a patient can understand the health information they need to make health decisions. This can be understanding a diagnosis and choosing treatment options, understanding side effects versus benefits of a medication, or knowing the proper dosage to take of a prescription.

Low health literacy is most common among older adults, minority groups, people from a lower socioeconomic background, and people with less access to medical services. It can also result...

How to avoid a lightning strike.
Unfortunately, there’s no way to guarantee you won’t get struck by lightning. Every bolt of lightning contains about five billion joules of energy, which is enough to power the average home for a month—not to mention turn the average hiker into a briquette. The safest place to be in a lightning storm is inside a modern house with plumbing and electrical systems to divert the charge, and even that comes with no promise of safety. But when you’re in the backcoun...

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With Hulu documentaries and national headlines pointing out the destruction and loss of life caused by the man-made opioid epidemic, it’s a topic that’s been on everyone’s mind. This problem is so widespread that there’s a good chance this tragedy has affected you or someone in your life.

Prescription medications issues are the cause of many product liability cases, particularly when the medication doesn’t work as intended or causes side effects that are not clearly stated by the manufacturer...

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Yellowstone in winter is a snowscape hushed under drifts, with lively geothermal activity and winter wildlife. When most park roads close to normal vehicles, snowmobiling, snowcoach rides, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing starts. And snowshoeing is one of the most peaceful ways to see the park, with the lowest barrier to entry. You only need an inexpensive snowshoe rental if you don’t have your own, plus a little winter gear. All unplowed roads and trails in the park are open to snowshoe...

Winter in Bozeman will make even the most diehard snowbird reconsider heading south. With plenty of sun and the perfect amount of snow for scenery and snow sports, Bozeman has the upper hand on winter. No matter your activity of choice, you can discover a way to enjoy it in Bozeman. Here's where to go to find the fun!
Snowmobiling
Take the rush of flying over the snow, the exhilaration of speeding through the winter landscape, and then combine it with the comfort of heated seats and handlebar...

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When you travel, it feels so good to move through the world sustainably, embracing regenerative tourism along the way. So when your destination offers programs to help make that even more accessible, it’s kismet. For visitors to Kaua’i and the rest of the Hawai’ian islands, a new program of giving back can guide your stay with the Mālama Hawai’i Program.

What is Mālama?

Mālama means to give back, and a sustainable stay in Hawaii can start with this virtuous cycle. By planning your trip around...

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Insurance is a part of life, helping to protect you from unexpected emergencies and expenses. But what happens when it doesn’t serve you the way it’s supposed to? When a tree falls on your house, but the insurance company refuses to pay, or they say that a qualified medical expense isn’t covered, you might be left with bills that shouldn’t be yours to pay. That’s where insurance complaints come in. If you need to file an insurance complaint with the Montana State Auditor, you can do so throug...

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As you take to the roads in the Treasure State, most people are more concerned with a grizzly bear sighting than a grizzly traffic incident. But auto fatalities are far more prevalent than bear attacks. In fact, the roads in 2021 were some of the deadliest on record. With fatal car crashes on the rise in Montana, it’s important to keep safety top of mind as you hit the open road. Here’s what’s going on with highway incidents in Montana.

How Many Fatalities Were There in Montana?

According to ...