You are about to be enveloped by a copious number of stories detailing all of the possibilities in progress throughout Montana. Each story, told through a prism of honesty, pride, and hopefulness, fills in vol. 4 of Bitterroot as we explore how exhilarating, and uplifting change is. When deciding on a theme for this issue of Bitterroot, we wanted to challenge our perspective as well as our audiences’ perspective on how much Montana has grown and how populated it has become. Accepting the changes that have fallen upon our state is easier when you are shown the positive impact the rampant growth and development has given our communities.

These stories pay homage to these changes instead of resisting them. Each community in Montana is changing, evolving, and adapting with resilience. The ever-changing landscape of Montana has inspired the kaleidoscope of stories in this issue.

It has been a privilege to be the assistant editor of Bitterroot magazine during the production of our 2025 issue. This issue is a celebration of the radical perseverance, and effervescence that Montana is filled with. Bitterroot vol. 4 is a reflection of the people, places, values, and history that have assembled together to create Montana’s past, present, and future. From an article exploring Western female artists’ fight to break through glass ceilings in their field, to covering the sensitive but critically important topic of sex trafficking and providing local resources.

Bitterroot vol. 4 has a team that is as perceptive to change and as resilient as the state of Montana itself. As the assistant editor, I have had the privilege of having a front row seat to each person’s ability to redirect discomfort into a success, from the advertisement’s director, to copy editors, to the web design team, each member has moved with ease and adjusted with grace to each challenge they have faced. Bringing people together from different areas of study, and different walks of life by uniting us in a mission of producing a high-quality magazine, is a beautiful example of radical acceptance, hard work, and one of life’s greatest purposes: sharing in the human experience.

Throughout my work on Bitterroot, I have come to deeply appreciate the unparalleled value of the human experience captured through the lens of our work. Every article, every story, and every interview featured in this issue is a reflection of the diverse tapestry of emotions, triumphs, challenges, and experiences we have woven together as a society in our local culture.

Sharing the complexities of life every day, working on the magazine together as well as through these stories, , I am proud to be a part of a team that not only seeks to inform but also strives to enrich the lives of our readers. Within these 23 stories, you will be moved by the advocacy for individuals against drunk driving, find a new thrill in exploring indoor activities, and be wrapped up in the research behind the state’s eccentric sleep patterns.

Bitterroot vol. 4 is the last project I worked on in my senior year at Montana State University, and it has been one of my greatest joys this year. I will look back with a bittersweet sting of melancholic nostalgia when I recall the tedious work and sleepless nights spent crafting this very special issue of Bitterroot. I have loved working in multiple journalistic mediums throughout my college career — all done in the pursuit of passion, a passion that stems from the desire to spread ethical, credible news and information in order to create the possibilities of new perspectives being formed, and ensuing change in our world.

Words are the most limitless source of magic we have at our disposal. They are the most profound form of selfless expression that we have in our toolbox. It costs nothing to utilize it, except genuine authenticity and a willingness to expose yourself to pure vulnerability. The story that investigates the effects of graveyard shift jobs happening nightly in our Montana towns, or a historical recounting of the mountain ranges strewn across our land, will broaden your mind. When you give the gift of words and you use them to express any form of connection or translation, you are bearing your heart open to the world with feverishly innocent fears of perception or rejection. That is what we hope to translate to you, our readers.

The words strewn through these stories of change and possibility, hold the power to radicalize you with admiration for local first generation farmers, provide you with new knowledge about backcountry skiing safety, a new-found respect and appreciation for the tattoo industry, and give you a unique insight into the luxury developments at Bozeman’s Yellowstone Club.

As we found radical love and acceptance for community within our ever-changing state, while crafting this issue of Bitterroot, we hope you find comfort, pride, and joyfulness in these pages within vol. 4 of Bitterroot. We hope you enjoy every word.

Sincerely,

Taylor Stradiotto

Assistant Editor