Popular Press & Media

Promise and Peril in the Draft Livingston PUDO Higher density residential development for lands designated for protection as Natural Areas, Parks and Recreation in the Growth Policy, but also the potential for affordable housing.   And what the heck is a “PUDO?” Livingston staff is drafting a Planned Unit Development (PUD) ordinance (“PUDO”). There are some promising elements in the draft PUD ordinance – developments with more open space and affordable housing.  But there is also peril – the ordinance could be used to allow residential development in areas near the Yellowstone River designated as “Natural Areas” and “Parks and…

Mountain Journal Ceases Publication Big loss for supporters of wildlife and land conservation in the Northern Rockies In August of 2017 Mountain Journal, an online advocate for the protection of the wildlife, lands and traditional communities of the Northern Rockies had its debut.  It was the brainchild of journalist Todd Wilkinson, whose passion and knowledge infused and informed the insightful articles he wrote and helped fill the void in long-form journalism on the mainstream media. Mountain Journal described itself as “a journalistic watchdog and celebrant of Greater Yellowstone.” With “a strong readership in the Rocky Mountain region, every US state,…

Repeal of Park County Growth Policy Edges Closer to Qualifying for the June 2024 Ballot Anne Hallowell’s initiative to repeal Park County’s 2017 Growth Policy requires 1,067 valid signatures from voters in rural Park County (that is, voters who don’t live in Livingston or Clyde Park) to qualify to be on the June 2024 ballot.  The deadline for submitting those signatures is September 20. As of September 8, Hallowell and her supporters had submitted 1,155 signatures of which 906 were accepted as valid, 200 were rejected.  (Other petition sheets were blank or not otherwise accepted.) An additional seventy-one signatures were…

Welcome the New Executive Director of Friends of Park County! This could be you or someone you know! Executive Director Search Underway As reported in our last update, the generous support provided by you to Friends of Park County during the July Give A Hoot campaign has allowed us to move forward with hiring an Executive Director. Our first Director will have: Experience with rural land use planning and regulation. Experience with rural land use politics and controversies. Proven fund-raising success, primarily with individual donors. Excellent communication skills, written and oral. The ability to organize, administer and execute the work…

Anne Donahoe Schroeder honored as Friends of Park County’s Outstanding Volunteer. In front of fellow supporters, Anne Donahoe Schroeder was honored last month as Friends of Park County’s “Outstanding Volunteer” during the organizations first 30 months of existence. The long list of Donahoe’s contributions to Friends of Park County includes presenting testimony to the Livingston Planning Board on the draft Growth Policy, to the Park County Planning Board and County Commission on proposed land use regulations and other matters and reviewing and paying our invoices and overseeing our bookkeeping. Anne added a much-appreciated warm personal touch to our often stressful and…

The Great Flood of ‘22: One Year Later July 2023 And then the rains came… and came… and came. On the morning of June 13, Friends of Park County’s co-founder and Board President was in Jackson Hole to speak at a conference organized by Future West. Shortly before he was going to offer his remarks he received an urgent phone call, telling him to return home immediately because of flooding in Mill Creek threatening his property. Schroeder had a harrowing drive home through epic flooding in the region. Meanwhile, back in Jackson, evacuees from the Park began arriving in the…

Park County Planning Board Spending Months Talking about How to Engage the Public in Discussions about Their Concerns – Without Taking Actions to Address Those Concerns At its meetings since last Fall, the County Planning Board has been talking about – talking. More precisely, it has been discussing for six months a plan for consulting with the residents of Park County about … how to consult with them.  At its April joint meeting with the County Commission, the County Commission Chair urged the Planning Board to discuss various pressing issues with the public.  This was an excellent suggestion, but the…

2023 Montana Legislature Round Up May 2023 The 2023 Montana legislature adjourned on May 3.  It passed many bills relating to land use and the environment.  Important bills are summarized here, grouped under three headings: Bills weakening laws regulating the protections of lands, waters and natural resources from the impacts of rural development, bills removing zoning barriers to higher density and infill housing in cities, and the Montana Land Use Planning Act. Bills weakening laws regulating the protection of lands, waters and natural resources. SB 152 Allowing more recently created lots to qualify for review as minor subdivisions. Passed Senate …

Two Other Polls Confirm Voters’ Concerns about Sprawl and Willingness to Support Sensible Land Regulations. May 2023 Two polls of voter opinions are providing independent confirmation of the validity of Friends of Park County’s 2022 poll of Park County voters, that showed a high level of concern about development and a willingness to support sensible land use regulations. In February of 2022 New Bridge Strategies polled 300 voters in Park County on their attitudes on growth, development and other matters.  The poll was commissioned by the Park County Environmental Council (PCEC.). New Bridge Strategies is identified as a Republican oriented…

As We Predicted: A Wave of Subdivisions and Commercial Sprawl May be Headed Toward Park County and the City of Livingston May 2023 In the winter of 2021, newly formed Friends of Park County testified to the County Planning Board that it was only a matter of time before the wave of subdivisions spreading across the Gallatin Valley would wash over the pass and into Park County: We needed sensible land use regulations to avoid the fate of Bozeman and Gallatin County. But the County Planning Board and planning staff dismissed those concerns as alarmist, pointing to the low number…