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Home My WebLink About06-26-23 Public Comment - M. Parsons, Gallatin Valley Land Trust - FW_ Kirk HillFrom:Matt Parsons To:Agenda Cc:Madison Brown Subject:FW: Kirk Hill Date:Monday, June 26, 2023 1:25:29 PM Attachments:image002.pngimage003.pngimage004.pngimage005.pngMCC_KirkHill_Letter of Support_USFSLewellen_20230626.pdf CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Please see the attached letter of support from the USFS for Montana Conservation Corp’s application for nonprofit funding in the City of Bozeman FY24 budget. Thank you, Matt MATT PARSONS ▪ Trails Director 406.587.8404 ext. 103 212 S. Wallace Suite 101 ▪ Bozeman, MT 59715 www.GVLT.org ▪ Hike Kind From: Barker, Kathryn - FS, MT <kathryn.barker@usda.gov> Sent: Monday, June 26, 2023 11:08 AM To: Matt Parsons <matt@gvlt.org>; Lewellen, Corey - FS, MT <corey.lewellen@usda.gov>; Fisher, Zachary - FS, MT <zachary.fisher@usda.gov> Cc: Madison Brown <maddy@mtcorps.org> Subject: RE: Kirk Hill Hi Matt, Please see the attached letter of support from Corey for the MCC-Kirk Hill grant proposal. Best of luck! This is a great project. Kat Kathryn Barker Recreation Special Uses Forest Service Custer Gallatin National Forest office: 406-522-2536 cell: 406-404-0539 kathryn.barker@usda.gov 3710 Fallon Street, Suite C Bozeman, MT 59718www.fs.fed.us Caring for the land and serving people From: Matt Parsons <matt@gvlt.org> Sent: Friday, June 16, 2023 10:03 AM To: Lewellen, Corey - FS, MT <corey.lewellen@usda.gov>; Barker, Kathryn - FS, MT <kathryn.barker@usda.gov>; Fisher, Zachary - FS, MT <zachary.fisher@usda.gov> Cc: Madison Brown <maddy@mtcorps.org> Subject: RE: [External Email]Kirk Hill Corey, Thanks for the help! I’ve attached the letter I sent. Update: there were $2.3 million in requests and the city manager recommends allocating only $1.5 million, so these letters will be crucial to getting MCC’s request approved. Matt From: Lewellen, Corey - FS, MT <corey.lewellen@usda.gov> Sent: Tuesday, June 13, 2023 6:15 PM To: Matt Parsons <matt@gvlt.org>; Barker, Kathryn - FS, MT <kathryn.barker@usda.gov>; Fisher, Zachary - FS, MT <zachary.fisher@usda.gov> Subject: Re: [External Email]Kirk Hill Hi Matt, Great to hear from you, and thanks for the heads up. Sounds like a great project! Yes, we’d definitely provide a letter of support. Do you by chance have a draft, or even the GVLT letter? We can tweak and adjust for FS and get it on FS letterhead. Thanks again, good stuff. Hope all is well, Corey Get Outlook for iOS From: Matt Parsons <matt@gvlt.org> Sent: Monday, June 12, 2023 2:14 PM To: Lewellen, Corey - FS, MT <corey.lewellen@usda.gov> Subject: [External Email]Kirk Hill [External Email] If this message comes from an unexpected sender or references a vague/unexpected topic; Use caution before clicking links or opening attachments. Please send any concerns or suspicious messages to: Spam.Abuse@usda.gov Hi Corey, Montana Conservation Corps has written a grant application to the City to help restore that first half mile of degraded trail and infrastructure at Kirk Hill (it’s about $38,000 in materials and labor). I thought of USFS when it comes to possibly providing a letter of support for their application because of the connectivity to Moser trails/roads. Is that something you can provide? If so here are the details: These letters can be sent directly to: agenda@bozeman.net The City Commission agenda item will be the City of Bozeman Budget, and the specific grant program is called the Bozeman Non-profit Grant Award Collaborative nature of the project (MSU, MSUAF, GVLT, MCC, Forest Service, plus the importance of this area as a trailhead close to town that accesses many miles of USFS trails Multiple funding sources, including from MSUAF, and in-kind support from GVLT and the ongoing maintenance of the project by MCC Proximity of the trailhead to the City and the heavy use by City residents (because it’s outside the city boundary we should emphasize this point…its proximity to Bozeman provides a “direct benefit to Bozeman residents”) GVLT will provide a letter of support (since we’re not the applicant) and I am reaching out to other groups to recognize the import of the connectivity from the valley floor to trails on public land. Thank you for your help on this, and let me know if you have any questions. I don’t think the final vote for this is for a few weeks, but they do take this up preliminarily as early as tomorrow’s meeting, so the sooner the better, and I also understand you are busy and that I’m asking for this last minute. Matt MATT PARSONS ▪ Trails Director 406.587.8404 ext. 103 212 S. Wallace Suite 101 ▪ Bozeman, MT 59715 www.GVLT.org ▪ Hike Kind This electronic message contains information generated by the USDA solely for the intended recipients. Any unauthorized interception of this message or the use or disclosure of the information it contains may violate the law and subject the violator to civil or criminal penalties. If you believe you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and delete the email immediately. United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Custer Gallatin National Forest Bozeman Ranger District 3710 Fallon St., Suite C Bozeman, MT 59718 406-522-2520 FAX 406-522-2528 Caring for the Land and Serving People Printed on Recycled Paper RE: Public Comment for FY24 Budget – Non Profit Grant Awards Dear Commissioners, On behalf of the Bozeman Ranger District, Custer Gallatin National Forest, I would like to express full support for Montana Conservations Corp’s grant application for trail improvement on the Kirk Hill Nature Preserve trail system. For decades, Montana Conservation Corps (MCC) has been a long- valued partner with the Custer Gallatin National Forest, working on a variety of projects across the forest. Their mission and program goals contribute not only to direct on-the-ground benefits to our agency; MCC also contributes in a greater way by fostering new generations of conservation-minded, civic-oriented and engaged young adults. The grant proposal put forth by MCC in collaboration with the Gallatin Valley Land Trust exemplifies a local partnership that would bring great benefits to our community. The Kirk Hill trail system, a southside hiking opportunity easily accessible from Bozeman, has long been a local treasure. Approximately two miles of trails loop through the lower portions of Kirk Hill, and eventually connect onto National Forest System land and trails. As recreational use on public lands increases around Gallatin Valley, Kirk Hill is no exception. This high amount of use, combined with years of minimal maintenance work, have resulted in significant trail degradation. Maintenance needs are evidenced by significant erosion issues, failing bridges and boardwalks and deteriorating fence infrastructure. The original caretakers of Kirk Hill can no longer manage the maintenance work needed on the Kirk Hill trails and MCC is a willing, local partner with all the necessary skills to accomplish the task. With a one-time grant from the City of Bozeman, MCC will be able to replace the degraded boardwalk and bridge infrastructure, re-build hundreds of feet of fencing to protect native plants and reduce resource impacts from hikers cutting switchbacks. Additionally, MCC will address the highly steep and eroded section of trail within the first ½ mile from the trailhead. This work will also occur in collaboration with GVLT, who has secured $10,000 of matching funds and will provide consultation and project support. Please consider this grant application for improving one of Bozeman’s closest recreational opportunities. As a public land manager, I understand and greatly appreciate the many benefits that outdoor recreation brings to individuals and a community. I also understand how the infrastructure that supports outdoor recreation requires consistent care and maintenance if it is expected to provide a safe and enjoyable experience for users. MCC’s grant request addresses the immediate need at Kirk Hill but also establishes a new partnership that carries the potential of continued maintenance into the future. File Code: 2720 Date: June 26, 2023 Thank you for your consideration and for your support of local community trails, COREY R LEWELLEN District Ranger