HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-27-23 Public Comment - D. Carty - Urban Parks & Forestry Board Meeting Jul 27, 2023From:Daniel Carty
To:Agenda
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Urban Parks & Forestry Board Meeting Jul 27, 2023
Date:Thursday, July 27, 2023 7:14:07 AM
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(Note: Please post the following public comment in the Urban Parks & Forestry Board
folder on the City's public comment website.)
July 27, 2023 (7:15 AM)
To: Urban Parks & Forestry Board (UPF)
Subject: UPF/PRAT Plan—Please do not pave, light, or plow the Gallagator Trail
I am writing to the UPF to ask that the Gallagator Trail remain non-paved, non-lighted,
and non-plowed throughout its length, throughout each day, and throughout all four
seasons of the year.
As a 70-year-old and 24-year resident of the north side of downtown Bozeman, I havelong used and continue to use the Gallagator Trail as a year-round walking and
running trail. And, of course, many other Bozeman residents have long used and
continue to use this trail for nonmotorized cycling (year-round), dog walking (year-
round), and cross-country skiing (winter).
Although human usage of the Gallagator Trail has increased over the years, the trail
still offers a relatively quiet, uncrowded, natural area in which to walk, run, bike, and
ski. In addition, the Gallagator Trail corridor comprises native trees, shrubs, and othervegetation, all of which provide habitat for native mammals, birds, and beneficial
insects. Finally, the section of the Gallagator Trail adjacent to Bozeman Creek allows
a person to watch the creek change as day length, water flow, and riparian areas
progress from spring to summer to fall to winter and back to spring.
Paving, lighting, and plowing the Gallagator Trail would severely degrade or destroy
the trail corridor's natural character. Forever lost would be the ecological function
(Footnote 1) and ecosystem services (Footnote 2) the trail corridor provides. Pavingthe trail would require "road construction" that would destroy native, mature trees and
other native vegetation that provide wildlife habitat and joy to people. In addition, a
paved trail would allow oil-based pollution to run off from the trail's surface into
Bozeman Creek. And, within a very few years, a paved trail would crack and buckle,thus making the trail highly unsafe for and unsightly to human users. Lighting the
Gallagator trail would add to the already high levels of light pollution in downtown
Bozeman and be deleterious to native trees and native wildlife, both of which are
evolutionarily adapted to a daily light-dark cycle. Finally, plowing the Gallagator Trailin winter would increase human usage to a level that would unduly stress native
wildlife, which during winter are already stressed by cold temperatures and a limited
food supply.
In conclusion, I will add that one of the most difficult things for land managers to do is
to "just leave stuff alone." In the case of the Gallagator Trail, leaving it non-paved,
non-lighted, and non-plowed is the best course of action. The Gallagator Trail does
not need to be "improved" (an oxymoron in this case) in any way. Instead, the
Gallagator Trail just needs a little annual maintenance to ensure the trail corridor
remains ecologically functional so that it, in turn, can provide beneficial ecosystem
services to Bozeman's residents into the foreseeable future.
Daniel Carty
213 N. Third Ave.
Bozeman, MT 59715
dgc12@hotmail.com
406-548-2810
Footnote 1: Ecological function is defined as "the natural processes, products, or
services that living and non-living environments provide or perform within or between
species, ecosystems, and landscapes. These may include biological, physical, and socio-
economic interactions."
Footnote 2: Ecosystem services are a subset of ecological function and are defined as
"any positive benefit that wildlife or ecosystems provide to people. The benefits can be
direct or indirect—small or large." https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-
Guide/Understanding-Conservation/Ecosystem-Services