Can Bozeman manage a park that is not a soccer field?

Bozeman Wetlands May be Drained for Development

By Jamie Kujawa, 7-09-08

Bozeman’s largest wetland is the center of controversy as developers want to drain and develop and locals want to see it preserved and transformed into a park.

The key location of this wetland, right off of Main Street, is a cause for concern.  “It can be built on, if it is not a wetland,” said Chris Nixon, President of The Northeast Neighborhood Association (NENA), who gathered on Tuesday, June 24th to vote on what to what to do with the 23.7-acre wetland that is situated in their section of Bozeman. 

Delaney & Company, the current owner of the wetland and largest developer in the city, has interest in keeping it a wetland.  “They’re willing to look at a lot of options,” said Nixon, who also said that “A wetland preservation group has worked with Delaney & Company.” Nixon argued that to try to market and sell properties on swampland is not the best publicity for Delaney & Company. 

But in the wake of lack of city involvement, Delaney & Company hired a professional wildlife service to come in and remove several beavers and beaver dams from his wetland property.  This procedure is perfectly legal for a property owner and endorsed by the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, who sends a warden to the property to assess the beaver damage and then issues a permit to remove the unwanted pests. In Delaney & Company’s case, the beavers were killed because there is apparently no where to relocate them. The beaver dams are also interfering with the MRL track, and this may not be the end of the beaver removal from the wetland.

NENA is looking to endorse protection of the wetland for a few reasons.  First, it is a conservation priority.  The National Audubon Society has been conducting bird surveys of the wetland and has found 94 species of birds, 19 of which are partners in flight.  The purpose of the preserve would be habitat preservation of these species.  “It just goes to show how diverse the area is; the whole area is a habitat complex,” said Angie Kociolek, Conservation Chair of the Sacajawea Audubon Society.

This preserved space would be then used for educational purposes, for public enjoyment and for the city economy.  The bird platforms will not interfere with the habitat, nor do the trails run through the habitat.  The economic factor for the city is the flood control.  Currently, Bozeman Creek is lined in several spots with sandbags, protecting neighboring properties from its overflowing damages.  This low-lying area that is the wetland helps to soak up flood waters and, in turn, keep homes safe. 

There are many endorsements for the Bozeman Wetland preserve project.  “Funds are out there,” said Nixon, for the boardwalks, platforms, and educational tools necessary.  “We believe it’s worth still working for and protecting,” said Kociolek of the Audubon Society’s “worthwhile effort.”

There is talk of the City of Bozeman building a major connecting road right through the wetland, but not for several years.  This would require the city to buy the wetland, which is at the heart of the issue right now.  The city does not have the funds for the wetland, even with Delaney & Company’s offer to donate half of the wetland to the city.  The other half of the cost would come in the form of park credits, which are used to build new parks in new areas of the city.  Also, the location of the wetland as a preserved habitat would add a link to the Gallatin Valley Land Trust’s Main Street to the Mountains trail system.

To make matters more controversial, the Montana Rail Link has about a quarter mile of tracks that run through Delaney & Company’s property.  The wetland has apparently begun to corrode the tracks.  Also, as the water continues to freeze around the tracks each winter, the tracks could actually shift. 

Currently, the issue is at a standstill, but Delaney & Company would prefer to get rid of the wetland, as they do not want to be responsible for recreational injuries on the property.  Bottom line, according to Nixon, is that the wetland “probably will dry up and become a development if the public doesn’t show interest.”

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