Even Good Change is Hard

From Crosby Counseling

It is graduation season for many families! The preparation this last year and particularly the last few months has been a lot! There have been so many emotions for parents but more so for the graduate. As we move closer to adult children moving on to college or into the workforce, it is important to talk about transitions in life. Change is hard and we cannot do anything to stop it. Even good change is hard. Pay attention to what comes up for you, what you need to nurture, deal with, and accept. There will be mixed emotions, changing emotions minute to minute, and different emotions for each person. When we sense a lack of control during change it increases our stress level. We tend to believe having control in life will give us peace but it only fuels deeper emotion. When we get to a place of acceptance and find beauty in even difficult moments, we can enjoy them. If we don’t, we will miss some amazing milestones and moments with our graduate. It is important to pay attention to what is coming up for you and your child. Notice how your graduate is behaving, pay attention to what they are saying. They are still young and don’t have the life experience parents do. Ask them what is the hardest part and what do they need from you? Talk about it. Naming what is going on and talking it through with someone they can trust can make all the difference. Take it slow. Life does not need to be figured out or done perfectly. That is what makes us human. Life is imperfect, messy, emotional. Embrace the moment. Allow yourself to feel it. Allow the process to happen.

HERE? OR HERE?

Burgum: Dakota Carrier Network receives $19.7M grant to help fill broadband gaps in North Dakota

PRESS RELEASE: BISMARCK, N.D. – Bismarck-based Dakota Carrier Network (DCN) LLC has been awarded a $19.7 million “Middle Mile” grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to help extend broadband internet service to communities across North Dakota.

Gov. Doug Burgum wrote a letter last September to the NTIA in support of DCN’s grant application, noting the project will provide much-needed expansion and sustainability of the broadband backbone that serves North Dakota’s rural communities, schools, health institutions and businesses, while reducing the costs of the upgrades to customers.

“Having reliable, highspeed connectivity is critical in a rural state like North Dakota with long distances between communities and population centers,” Burgum said. “We’re grateful to the NTIA for awarding Dakota Carrier Network this

Middle Mile grant, which will make North Dakota’s already robust broadband network even stronger to support telehealth, online education options, remote work, expanded market access for businesses and more. North Dakota continues to prove itself as a national leader in emerging technologies, and this grant will help ensure the resiliency of our internet as technology demands continue to grow.”

The NTIA’s Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program was created and funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and provides $1 billion in federal funding for the construction, improvement or acquisition of middle mile infrastructure. The purpose of the grant program is to expand and extend middle mile infrastructure to reduce the cost of connecting areas that are unserved or underserved to the internet backbone.

The DCN project will add middle mile fiber routes to facilitate additional redundancy, resiliency and survivability of the network, while also upgrading electronics to support increased network demand.

By expanding DCN’s fiber optic backbone and increasing the network capacity, all North Dakotans benefit,” said Seth Arndorfer, CEO of DCN. “According to a recent FCC report, North Dakota leads the nation in access to gigabit internet access. This network upgrade will ensure North Dakota continues to lead the nation, giving our citizens access to the most advanced terabit connectivity, and will further North Dakota’s position in emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, precision ag and autonomy.”

Did You Know?

Large groups of dragonflies will congregate to hunt in places with abundant insects. Different species of dragonflies swarm together, working to eat their fill. Some species migrate, and they will create swarms to move together as well

The number of roosters heard crowing during the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s 2023 spring pheasant crowing count survey was up 30% statewide from last year.

“We documented increased production for most of the state during 2022 brood routes compared to the last couple years, and we also confirmed high reproduction rates while aging hunter-submitted pheasant wings,” said R.J. Gross, department upland game management biologist. “So, the increase in pheasant density comes as no surprise despite the high snowfall this past winter.”

The primary regions holding pheasants showed 19.5 crows per stop in the southwest, up from 14.1 in 2022; 16.6 crows per stop in the northwest, up from 13.7; and 12.8 crows per stop in the southeast, up from 9.7. The count in the northeast, which is not a primary region for pheasants, was 3.3 crows per stop, up from 3.0 last year.

“Current conditions are excellent across the state with adequate moisture this spring and early summer. These conditions should foster insect hatches, which would provide forage to chicks for brood rearing,” Gross said. “Pheasant chicks hatch from early June through late July. Much of nesting success will depend on the weather, and we will more accurately assess pheasant production during our late summer roadside counts, which begin at the end of July.”

Pheasant crowing counts are conducted each spring throughout North Dakota. Observers drive specified 20-mile routes, stopping at predetermined intervals, and counting the number of pheasant roosters heard crowing over a 2-minute period.

The number of pheasant crows heard are compared to previous years’ data, providing a trend summary. Watch the spring pheasant crowing count webcast with R.J. Gross by clicking here!