http://www.newwest.net/topic/main/C58/L35/ New West Network: The Voice of the Rocky Mountains en info@newwest.net Copyright 2008 Sun, 06 Jul 2008 12:03:01 MDT Sun, 06 Jul 2008 12:03:01 MDT http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/wyomings_baby_boom/C58/L35/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/wyomings_baby_boom/C58/L35/ Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:25:00 MDT Wyoming is getting younger and richer. Rarely do these two demographics merge and create happy endings. Wyoming is trying to be the exception. The money part is pretty straightforward. Wyoming's real earnings in 2006 reached their highest level in 36 years. Our job growth in 2007 was the second highest in the nation. The aging part isn't too difficult to figure out, either. Young wayfarers seeking fortune have long been a part of Wyoming’s economic history. What's surprising is how long this latest batch is staying on. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/teton_county_subdivision_moritorium_leaves_question_where_to_go/C58/L35/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/teton_county_subdivision_moritorium_leaves_question_where_to_go/C58/L35/ Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:09:00 MDT A moratorium on all new 20-acres or more development applications in Teton County, Wyoming until Dec. 31, 2008 has left a litigious air in the majestic Jackson Hole Valley. Teton Meadows Ranch filed a lawsuit last week to reverse the moratorium, which was approved by commissioners one day prior to the development’s scheduled hearing. The moratorium has essentially killed their 500-unit, 288-acre development in South Park, 4miles south of Jackson, which contained the condition to rezone the rural 50-home zoning allotment — a density 10 times more than is currently allowed. Many residents began “emergency” conversation with the commission in March when two additional projects, both in the South Park area, submitted plans for rezoning to allow 614-units, a total of over 1,000 new residences projected in the area. Jackson faces a tough challenge of how and where to grow. Overflow from Teton County, Wyoming over Teton Pass into Teton County, Idaho has become rampant. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/designing_the_new_west_conference/C58/L35/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/designing_the_new_west_conference/C58/L35/ Sat, 26 Apr 2008 16:13:00 MDT 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. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/the_fate_of_the_royal_teton_ranch_lease/C58/L35/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/the_fate_of_the_royal_teton_ranch_lease/C58/L35/ Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:34:00 MDT As changing land use and attitudes toward bison open the possibility for reduced conflict between bison, cattle and humans on the west side of Yellowstone National Parl, a potential deal on the north side of the park could allow bison to follow a traditional migration corridor for the first time in a long time. But the deal is short some $1.5 million from the federal government, and it is also not without criticism from bison advocates. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/bison_slaughter_ibmp_funding_woes_and_landowner_demands_at_horse_butte/C58/L35/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/bison_slaughter_ibmp_funding_woes_and_landowner_demands_at_horse_butte/C58/L35/ Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:14:01 MDT Yellowstone Park and the Montana Department of Livestock sent this winter’s 991st bison to slaughter on Tuesday morning, and as the Billings Gazette reported, that number paired with the 166 killed in state and tribal hunts means nearly one quarter of the park’s 4,700 bison have been killed this winter. This year’s tally is the largest number of bison killed in a single winter, but not the highest percentage, which occurred in the 1996-97 winter when nearly one-third of the park’s 3,500 bison were killed. Park spokesman Al Nash said the park’s bison management strategies ensure genetic diversity and described the park’s bison population as “robust.” Meanwhile, 69 landowners in the Horse Butte area filed a letter with Earthjustice addressed to four Interagency Bison Management Plan (IBMP) signatories demanding all haze and slaughter operations in the Horse Butte area cease until an Environmental Impact Statement addresses the changing nature of the now cattle-free peninsula. And if bison weren’t in the news enough, the Bozeman Daily Chronicle is reporting the Animal Health and Inspection Service (APHIS) doesn’t have the federal funds to complete a grazing lease on the Royal Teton Ranch, which would allow bison to access about 7,500 acres of winter habitat north of Gardiner. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/can_urban_and_rural_develop_a_shared_sense_of_place/C58/L35/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/can_urban_and_rural_develop_a_shared_sense_of_place/C58/L35/ Mon, 17 Mar 2008 12:26:00 MDT 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. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/turning_on_the_off_season_a_yellowstone_teton_economic_report/C58/L35/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/turning_on_the_off_season_a_yellowstone_teton_economic_report/C58/L35/ Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:30:00 MDT The 25 counties that comprise of the Yellowstone-Teton region of Idaho, Wyoming and Montana may be separated by state lines, but all share common amenities: high-quality natural areas, extensive amount of public lands, large wildlife populations and plentiful outdoor recreation. But this also subjects the region’s economy to seasonal fluctuation — a shared challenge between both the rural and urban centers. How does this region, which shares similar environment and economic drives, understand and coordinate with each other in order to turn on the off-season? The Yellowstone Business Partnership recently completed the first phase of a research project to characterize and analyze off-season assets and economic opportunities in the region. Therefore, local businesses and governments can grasp the regional growth trends and build an understanding across jurisdictional boundaries and vast geography. The recently completed report can be found here. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/firesafe_montana_holds_inaugural_conference/C58/L35/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/firesafe_montana_holds_inaugural_conference/C58/L35/ Wed, 27 Feb 2008 15:19:00 MDT 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. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/an_interview_with_william_campbell/C58/L35/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/an_interview_with_william_campbell/C58/L35/ Mon, 04 Feb 2008 07:00:00 MDT No wildlife species is as iconic and controversial as the wolf. Canis Lupus is a symbol of wildness and healthy ecosystems to some, but to others it is a callous killer and an economic threat. Loathed and loved, the American Gray Wolf has gone through a tumultuous history in the West. They were hunted as vermin to virtual extinction by the early 20th Century, reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in 1995, and now are around 1,500-strong across the Northern Rockies. Biologists say wolves are officially recovered in the West and should be removed from the Endangered Species List, but – true to form – disagreements over wolf management between pro-wolf and anti-wolf groups has delisting at a standstill. In 1999, journalist William Campbell began a documentary film to tell the story of what wolf reintroduction meant for people living in wolf territory. The result, “Wolves in Paradise,” sheds invaluable light on this story, giving a face and a voice to the many people trying to live with this species. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/a_new_magazine_the_new_west1/C58/L35/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/a_new_magazine_the_new_west1/C58/L35/ Fri, 01 Feb 2008 15:53:00 MDT The best way to check out The New West magazine is to subscribe. We want to know who’s interested in The New West, so we have made the magazine available free to qualified subscribers who answer a short questionnaire. Click here for the questionnaire for a free subscription. You can also subscribe for $9.95 a year by clicking here. In the Spring Issue and online here: Montana’s Cash Cowboy Real Ranch Living: Not Everyone is Selling Out Essay: The Family Farm, Version 2.0 Essay: Tracks Across A Landscape Have Your Ranch & Develop It, Too Design Showcase: The Big and Little of Western Building Stuff It: Can Wolf Hunting Help Conserve the Species? Traffic Perplexes New Western Communities Boise in Its Own Little Bubble Revenge of the Resource Economy Spotlight North Idaho: On the Agenda: Youth, Growth & Silver Spotlight North Idaho: Players of the Panhandle Spotlight North Idaho: Coeur d’Alene Tribe Rides the Idaho Boom