BorderWest

Overstatements and Mythical Ranchers

The scenario sounds eerily familiar. NMWA presented the Dona Ana County wilderness proposal to local governments, claiming wide-spread support from area ranchers. In reality, the ranchers had no input on the proposal and were unaware that government entities were passing resolutions of support.

NewWest.Net Conferences

Designing the New West

The Designing the New West: Architecture and Landscape in the Mountain West Conference is wrapping up here in Bozeman at the historic Gallatin Gateway Inn. Put on by NewWest.Net and sponsored by the Sonoran Institute, the conference brought together designers from all over the country to explore innovative design ideas, identify best practices, and better understand how to bridge the gap between good architectural theory and sometimes-messy building practices in the fastest growing region in the nation.

A mix of presentations and engaging panel discussions tackled pressing Western issues like sustainable development, land design and the special challenges of urban, rural and resort design, historic preservation and affordable housing.

Click on the photo or here for a slideshow of the days' events. Click "more" for a recap of the conference.

the abcs of h20

Understanding the Basics of Water Law in Montana

In Montana, and throughout the Intermountain West, water law affects every part of our lives and communities.

Priority dates dictate the volume and distribution of water from wells and streams. Landowners must put the water to beneficial use without waste to retain their right to use the State’s water. News articles about water issues illustrate that many people are confused about Montana’s water laws, even landowners and local officials.

Here are the key points to understand the basics of Montana water law.

Defining Urban and Rural Dialogue

Can Urban and Rural Develop a Shared Sense of Place?

The Western landscape is viewed with different economic, social and recreational values, depending on your livelihood and residence. But can we share the same sense of place? Susan Duncan continues her discussion of urban and rural inhabitants, but this time, with examples of common grounds and shared dialogues that assist in understanding each other.

A shared sense of place evolves from dialogue in an atmosphere of mutual respect for differing views.

How much do you know about the people and places that surround you and the forces that affect your daily life? What does it mean (to you and others) to live in this place? How can you and your neighbors work together to adapt to the forces of change to protect what is important to you?

The result of this exploration is a shared sense of place. A shared sense of place is a large jigsaw puzzle in three dimensions – urban, rural, and public land. Your job is to find where you fit into the whole.

Swallowing Elephants

Montana’s Gallatin County Moves Ahead with Countywide Zoning

Gallatin County inched closer to county-wide zoning Tuesday as commissioners took public comment and helped assist the planning department in the drafting of zoning regulations.

As the communities of Four Corners, Amsterdam-Churchill and Gallatin Gateway endeavor to form neighborhood plans, the Gallatin County Commissioners and Planning Department are tasked with establishing zoning outside those communities in a county that has never been too keen on the idea. Now, as citizens have seen what rampant growth looks like firsthand, they are pressuring the county to do something about it. And soon.

Though unanimity didn’t hold the day, the commissioners did agree to move forward with several policy decisions on zoning. The commission and the planning department both acknowledged finalizing the regulations would be a slow, complicated endeavor. By moving slowly, however, they hope to engage a more meaningful public process. Still, planner Sean O’Callaghan described said process as “swallowing the elephant one bite at a time.”

FireSafe Montana Conference

Rural Growth, Climate and the Wildland-Urban Interface

The wildfire issue is a pressing one in the New West. Fire seasons are getting longer and drier by the year, fires are more severe, and, to top it off, the modern western migration is bringing an unprecedented influx of homes into the wildland-urban interface (WUI).

As wildland fire suppression operations increasingly consume dwindling Forest Service budgets and taxpayers grow ever wearier of footing the pricey bill of defending homes in the WUI, the onus for preparation and protection is increasingly falling on homeowners and local communities.

In 2006, interested parties from the public and private sector gathered in Helena at the Montana Communities and Wildfire Conference to begin a new discussion on the WUI and the West’s changing fire seasons. According to organizers, participants expressed overwhelming support for the formation of a non-governmental non-profit to perform public education, outreach and on-the-ground assistance in wildfire mitigation in the WUI. The result is FireSafe Montana, which held its first annual conference in Bozeman this week.

where should growth occur?

Bitterroot Communities Look to Collaborate on Zoning

Countywide zoning is going to impact the communities of Ravalli County, but just what those impacts are and how the county and towns will limit or mitigate them are, as yet, unanswered questions.

But one message from county and community officials is clear: everyone will need to continue to work together.

“It’s generally the right thing to do because clearly any zoning we do around the existing incorporated communities can affect how they end up growing,” said Karen Hughes, director of the Ravalli County planning department.

PROCESS STARTS MARCH 5

Public to Steer Missoula’s Downtown Master Plan

Thirty-five firms from across the country applied to work with the city of Missoula on the Downtown Master Plan, the first design strategy for the downtown in the city's history. After a long, hard look at each of the candidates, a steering committee chose the Portland-based firm Crandall Arambula.

The firm, according to Missoula Downtown Association director Linda McCarthy, stood out on one key issue: getting the general public involved. This made them a commonsense match for Missoula.

"Crandall Arambula talked so much about these community meetings and how the public is really who should be deciding what Missoula should look like 20 years down the road," McCarthy says.

When do we shake hands?

Redefining Urban and Rural: Cooperation in a Time of Local Need

Neighbors need each other, just as agriculture and urban areas need each other. “When they don’t get along, it threatens the security of everyone,” says Susan Duncan. In this column, she discusses our imminent dependence on local resources where rural and urban areas will be looking to each other for products and needs. Where does this leave cooperation?

So far, the efforts to control "growth" have been based on competition. Why didn't those measures work? One side wants to control the behavior of the other, and only dollar values count. The result is conflict between "good guys" and "bad guys." The rancor produces lots of heat, little enlightenment and not nearly enough progress.

Let’s look at it another way. Think of urban and rural land uses as indispensable, complementary halves of one — a whole community structure. Agriculture thrives on urban markets and expertise: Urban areas thrive on the amenities offered by agriculture. Through integration, urban and rural land uses build a strong foundation of interdependence and a stable community.