City of Bozeman, Gallatin County Adopt Sensitive Lands Protection Plan

Regional plan maps ecological resources and provides recommendations 

The Gallatin Valley Sensitive Lands Protection Plan crossed a major milestone this month. With the acceptance of the plan by the Bozeman City Commission and adoption by the Gallatin County Commission, the community will now have a regional and coordinated view of what resources are at risk as development occurs, and what steps can be taken to conserve and protect what residents value most.

“The plan provides meaningful information that will assist the county with implementing our Growth Policy,” says Gallatin County Commissioner Jennifer Boyer. “The menu of strategies that are available to address the impacts on sensitive lands are both at a macro level and a site-specific level in this plan, and they also encompass a variety of approaches from regulations to financial incentives. I think we have a really good mix of levers to use.”

“This plan is two years in the making and demonstrates our shared understanding of how important our ecological resources are to our quality of life. Now, we can clearly see which areas are most at risk and prioritize them accordingly for conservation,” says City of Bozeman Strategic Services Director, Jon Henderson.

The document outlines insights into the vision and values of our community, a set of thematic sensitive land models based on authoritative data sources, and a toolkit of recommendations that can be implemented throughout the Valley.

Online at the project website, residents can explore interactive maps for each theme, view the full Plan document, and walk through each step of the Planning process, from community engagement to the toolkit of solutions.

The Plan has been guided by the public and a Working Group of technical experts. It is a success story of collaboration between multiple city, county, agency, constituent, and landowner representatives.

For more about the Plan, including how to get involved in implementation, visit the Project Hub at https://gallatinvalleyplan.bozeman.net/.