Montana AG Network: Adaptive equipment for hunters with disabilities

Published

1 year ago

January 12, 2025

Montana AG Network: Adaptive equipment for hunters with disabilities

BOZEMAN — In the snowy Bridger mountains, you’ll find Robert Enigl, a man who’s always on the move.

In his lifetime, Enigl has developed quite a lengthy resume, including participating in the2022 Beijing Paralympics, social media influencing, and outdoor recreation.

Mack Carmack, MTN News

Robert Enigl

Enigl loves to fish, ski, hunt, and anything else related to the outdoors.

On his property outside of Bozeman, he runs a strawberry farm and a golden retriever dog breeding business.

With an already successful resume, it’s even more impressive when you learn about the accident that literally turned his life upside down.

“I remember the front flip felt like slow motion. I remember rolling three and a half, four times, and I remember on the last roll I was holding the ceiling seeing dirt, sky, dirt, sky,” he said.

About 11 years ago, Enigl and his best friend Ben were in a traumatic car accident after hunting in the Gallatin Canyon.

“They said they were getting a helicopter, and I’m like, ‘Oh good, for my buddy,’ and they said, ‘No, the helicopter is for you.’ That’s when I realized I was pretty screwed up at the time,” he said.

Robert Enigl's hospital photo — Robert Enigl’s hospital photo

Enigl suffered a spinal cord injury, partially paralyzing him from the waist down.

Instead of neglecting his passion for skiing, hunting, and fishing, Enigl adapted, as painful and frustrating as it was.

“At the end of the day, you can’t look at (paralysis) as ‘My life’s over.’ You got to learn how to adapt. And I think ‘adapt’ is probably the best way to describe someone in a wheelchair,” he said.

Now, Enigl happily lives on his farm with his wife and two children. He’s still pursuing his hobbies, in part, thanks to the Cutting Fences Foundation.

The non-profit organization, founded by Kendra Lewis, helps provide adaptive equipment to hunters, ranchers, and farmers with disabilities.

“That $20,000 off-road hunting vehicle, I wouldn’t ever have access to it,” said Enigl.

“There aren’t many organizations that specifically target farmers and ranchers with disabilities and try to meet their needs. So that’s where it all started,” Lewis said.

Lewis started the organization during the occupational therapy doctoral capstone.

For her project, she began a 10-episode podcast that featured members of the community impacted by their disabilities. The podcast is where Lewis met Enigl.

She then turned her project into a non-profit organization a year later, eventually providing adaptive equipment for hundreds of people.

“It was a moment to share hope for individuals and kind of create a network of resiliency as well,” Lewis said.

“I feel like I get to do more cool stuff now than I ever got to do before I got paralyzed,” Enigl said.

Enigl was able to adapt and do many “cool” things because of the foundation, and help from a friend.

“One powerful chair, one manual chair doesn’t always do the trick for living a full and functional life,” Lewis said.

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Evacuation orders issued as 5,000-acre wildfire burns near Roundup, Montana

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10 minutes ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Evacuation orders issued as 5,000-acre wildfire burns near Roundup, Montana

ROUNDUP, Mont. —
The Rehder Creek Fire is burning 16 miles southeast of Roundup has grown to about 5,000 acres, prompting evacuation orders for residents in the Bruner Mountain Area/Subdivision.

The fire started Feb. 26, the cause is unknown and containment was at 0%.

Evacuation orders are in effect for all residents in the Bruner Mountain Area/Subdivision. The Musselshell County Sheriff’s Office is coordinating the evacuation orders, and 911 reverse calls have been sent out to advise people in the area.

A shelter is opening at the Roundup Community Center. Residents were told to contact Musselshell County DES for further information.

Firefighter and public safety remain the top priority. The public is asked to avoid the Fattig Creek and Rehder Road area so emergency personnel can safely and effectively perform their work.

Fire resources assigned to the incident include 40 total personnel, 11 engines, one Type 2 helicopter, three tenders and two dozers.

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February 26 recap: Missoula and Western Montana news you may have missed today

Published

12 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

February 26 recap: Missoula and Western Montana news you may have missed today

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Escobar, Jayapal, Members of Congress Call on Camp East Montana to be Shut Down – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

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Escobar, Jayapal, Members of Congress Call on Camp East Montana to be Shut Down – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) – joined by Representative Pramila Jayapal, the Ranking Member of the Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee, and 22 other Members of Congress – sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons calling for the immediate closure of Camp East Montana in El Paso. They cite urgent humanitarian concerns following multiple deaths in custody, documented unsafe conditions, and serious deficiencies in medical care.

This marks the fourth letter Congresswoman Escobar has sent to DHS and ICE leadership. The previous three letters have gone unanswered.

The letter can be found in its entirety below and here.

“Secretary Noem and Acting Director Lyons:

We are urgently calling on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS or the Department) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to shut down Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas.

Camp East Montana has been operational for six months, and at least three people have died at the site since December 2025: Francisco Gaspar-Andres, Geraldo Lunas Campos, and Victor Manuel Diaz. The El Paso County Medical Examiner has officially ruled Lunas Campos’ death a homicide, citing “asphyxia due to neck and torso compression.”

Camp East Montana was constructed in a matter of weeks and opened before construction was complete and it does not have enough federal staff on-site to provide adequate oversight. Over the last several months, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, in whose district this facility is located, has sent multiple letters to DHS and ICE regarding concerns about the conditions at Camp East Montana, and has received no responses.

According to detainees, there have been constant and consistent problems at the facility since it opened, beginning with the facility’s poor construction and poor ambient temperature control. Upon opening, the drinking water at Camp East Montana tasted foul and made some detainees sick. Detainees continue to be served inadequate meals, including food that is rotten or frozen; last fall, the facility was also consistently failing to make dietary accommodations for detainees. Detainees have shared that they have sporadic access to outside spaces and recreational areas, and that their dormitory pods are cleaned only once every eight days, despite pods housing up to 72 people at a time. Laundry services are not consistent, and people are washing their clothes in the facility showers. Additionally, the facility experiences flooding and sewage backups when it rains, leading to stagnant water.

One of the biggest concerns with the Camp East Montana facility is the inadequate medical care being provided to detainees. Our offices have heard that only the most ill detainees are referred to the medical unit and that there are inconsistencies as to how soon after arriving detainees are able to undergo initial medical screenings. Detainees with chronic health issues who rely on regimented medications for their health have had difficulty accessing necessary medications, including blood pressure medication and insulin.

At least one of the deaths that occurred in ICE custody, the death of Francisco Gaspar-Andres, appears to partially be the result of poor medical care by staff at the facility. According to ICE’s own account, Gaspar-Andres sought medical attention from facility staff for increasingly serious symptoms, but was only transferred to an area hospital once his condition had severely deteriorated.

In addition to our concerns about poor medical care, we are also aware that detainees have experienced irregular access to their legal counsel, including instances of detainees having only two minutes allotted per phone call every 8 days, which is contrary to ICE’s Detention Standards on access to counsel, and that the belatedly created law library lacks adequate resources for the amount of people currently held at the facility. In January 2026, ICE announced the on-site death of Geraldo Lunas Campos “after experiencing medical distress.” ICE opened an investigation into the death, but did not provide a cause of death. However, The Washington Post later reported that another man detained at Camp East Montana had witnessed guards choking Lunas Campos when he refused to enter a segregated housing unit. Weeks later, the El Paso County Medical Examiner ruled that Lunas Campos had experienced “asphyxia due to neck and torso compression” and ruled his death a homicide.

Lunas Campos is the first detainee to die at Camp East Montana as a result of a use-of-force incident, but we are strongly concerned that he will not be the last if ICE is allowed to continue operating Camp East Montana.

ICE was given $45 billion in taxpayer dollars in the reconciliation bill, $1.2 billion of which were awarded to Acquisition Logistics, LLC, a company with no previous experience managing immigration detention facilities, to build and oversee Camp East Montana. However, in the wake of three deaths in custody so far, continued concerns about conditions at the facility, and ICE’s apparent disinterest in responding to oversight letters from Congress, we do not believe Camp East Montana is being run professionally or responsibly.

Camp East Montana must be shut down. For the safety of everyone at the facility, for an end to abuses to detainees, and for fiscal responsibility to the American people, the site cannot continue to operate. We are calling on DHS and ICE to move to immediately close operations at Camp East Montana.

We look forward to hearing from the Department promptly on this matter.

The other co-signers include Representatives Yassamin Ansari, Nanette Barragán, Yvette Clarke, Lloyd Doggett, Maxwell Frost, Jesús “Chuy” García, Sylvia Garcia, Daniel Goldman, Jimmy Gomez, Henry Johnson, Stephen Lynch, Seth Moulton, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Delia Ramirez, Andrea Salinas, Janice Schakowsky, Darren Soto, Rashida Tlaib, Paul Tonko, Lauren Underwood, Gabe Vasquez, and Nydia Velázquez.

Issues: Immigration

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