HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-20-24 Public Comment - P. McGown - Trees pleaseFrom:Patty McGown
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Trees please
Date:Tuesday, June 18, 2024 4:24:06 PM
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.
Dear City Commissioners;
Thank you for all your time and dedication serving the city of Bozeman.
When I was growing up in the 60’s and 70’s I was labeled a tree hugger and I haven’t changed that much.
Thank you for being open to the process of doing what’s best for the Gallatin Valley and the residents of Bozeman’s
which includes the birds, bees, flowers and the trees and water!!!
Humans, truthfully, cannot live without these “residents”. While they don’t vote or pay taxes, they are critical to
sustaining life as we know it, literally.
The trees on the Fowler expansion are an excellent example of what I’m writing about. They are essential to life and
they are loved and appreciated by all who have been among them walking or biking or just being.
Protecting these trees as they are, is the best way to ensure that they will be around for generations to come. And it’s
the best way to curb sprawl.
It is too late to prevent sprawl in Bozeman and the Gallatin valley. Sprawl has happened and continues to happen.
Sprawl is real and obvious and apparent everywhere. Increasing building density will not prevent sprawl. Sprawl is
responsible for cutting down thousands of trees. Sprawl is responsible for why I am writing this email right now.
While growth is probably not going to stop (although recent reports indicate growth in Gallatin County and Montana
is slowing down), slowing the direction and patterns of sprawl is desperately needed. This begins with saving the
trees, some of the most sensitive and critical “residents” of the valley.
I implore you all to save the trees in their natural habitats and to protect them into the future. It’s a start to begin to
slow the sprawl, and provide an opportunity for people to be tree huggers well into the future.
Best,
Patty McGown