diff --git a/Project.toml b/Project.toml
index 4d338dc95..ac9ceb166 100644
--- a/Project.toml
+++ b/Project.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 name = "JuliaBUGS"
 uuid = "ba9fb4c0-828e-4473-b6a1-cd2560fee5bf"
-version = "0.7.5"
+version = "0.7.6"
 
 [deps]
 AbstractMCMC = "80f14c24-f653-4e6a-9b94-39d6b0f70001"
diff --git a/src/model.jl b/src/model.jl
index a31c28c96..a37bf34f0 100644
--- a/src/model.jl
+++ b/src/model.jl
@@ -440,10 +440,10 @@ function AbstractPPL.evaluate!!(rng::Random.AbstractRNG, model::BUGSModel; sampl
         loop_vars = model.flattened_graph_node_data.loop_vars_vals[i]
         if_sample = sample_all || !is_observed # also sample if not observed, only sample conditioned variables if sample_all is true
         if !is_stochastic
-            value = node_function(model.evaluation_env, loop_vars)
+            value = node_function(evaluation_env, loop_vars)
             evaluation_env = setindex!!(evaluation_env, value, vn)
         else
-            dist = node_function(model.evaluation_env, loop_vars)
+            dist = node_function(evaluation_env, loop_vars)
             if if_sample
                 value = rand(rng, dist) # just sample from the prior
             else
@@ -473,10 +473,10 @@ function AbstractPPL.evaluate!!(model::BUGSModel)
         node_function = model.flattened_graph_node_data.node_function_vals[i]
         loop_vars = model.flattened_graph_node_data.loop_vars_vals[i]
         if !is_stochastic
-            value = node_function(model.evaluation_env, loop_vars)
+            value = node_function(evaluation_env, loop_vars)
             evaluation_env = setindex!!(evaluation_env, value, vn)
         else
-            dist = node_function(model.evaluation_env, loop_vars)
+            dist = node_function(evaluation_env, loop_vars)
             value = AbstractPPL.get(evaluation_env, vn)
             if model.transformed
                 # although the values stored in `evaluation_env` are in their original space, 
diff --git a/test/model.jl b/test/model.jl
index 6428a9346..9e44f01af 100644
--- a/test/model.jl
+++ b/test/model.jl
@@ -16,6 +16,46 @@
     @test eval_env.x != 1.0
 end
 
+@testset "`evaluate!!` is actually modifying returned `evaluation_env`" begin
+    # unidentifiable coin-toss model
+    unid_model_def = @bugs begin
+        for i in 1:2
+            p[i] ~ dunif(0, 1)
+        end
+        p_prod = p[1] * p[2]
+        n_heads ~ dbin(p_prod, n_flips)
+    end
+    data = (; n_flips=100000)
+    n_sim = 1000
+    true_prop = 0.25 # = E[p_prod] = 0.5^2
+    rng = MersenneTwister(123)
+
+    # do multiple initializations to check for bug
+    for _ in 1:10
+        model = compile(unid_model_def, data)
+        original_env = deepcopy(model.evaluation_env)
+
+        # simulate flips and compute rate of heads
+        heads_rate = mean(
+            first(JuliaBUGS.evaluate!!(rng, model)).n_heads / data.n_flips for _ in 1:n_sim
+        )
+
+        # compute pvalue for a one-sample test against true proportion
+        z_true = (heads_rate - true_prop) / sqrt(true_prop * (1 - true_prop) / n_sim)
+        pval_true = 2 * ccdf(Normal(), abs(z_true))
+
+        # compute pvalue for a one-sample test against initial p_prod
+        z_alt =
+            (heads_rate - original_env.p_prod) /
+            sqrt(original_env.p_prod * (1 - original_env.p_prod) / n_sim)
+        pval_alt = 2 * ccdf(Normal(), abs(z_alt))
+
+        # check that simulated data is more consistent with true proportion than initial value
+        @test pval_true > 0.05 # simulated data consistent with true proportion
+        @test pval_alt < 0.05 # simulated data inconsistent with initial value
+    end
+end
+
 @testset "logprior and loglikelihood" begin
     @testset "Complex model with transformations" begin
         model_def = @bugs begin