HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-20-24 Public Comment - A. Kociolek - Local Landmark Program folderFrom:Angela Kociolek
To:Alex Newby
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Local Landmark Program folder
Date:Wednesday, November 20, 2024 4:07:10 AM
Attachments:Angie Kociolek Nov 19 comment.docx
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Good morning, Alex
I gave this comment orally last night and would like it to be added to the Local Landmark Program folder.
Thanks!Angie
Angie Kociolek, Bozeman resident
With all this talk about preserving trees lately, I’ve done a little reading for some
historical context.
In 2015, Bozeman’s former Historic Preservation Officer Courtney Kramer wrote a piece
titled Bozeman’s Historic Street Trees. She cited The Daily Yellowstone Journal, 1882.
“With wide streets and avenues, lined with firm shared trees, what can be more
attractive? It forms a retreat from the solar rays and lowers the temperature greatly
during the protracted heat of the summer months.” They were onto something.
In the same 2015 article, Kramer wrote that on May 14, 1990, the City Commission
introduced Ordinance 1311, which recognized among other things, “that trees benefit the
community by stabilizing soil and preventing erosion and sedimentation; reducing
stormwater runoff … aiding in the removal of carbon dioxide, screening noise pollution,
protecting against severe weather and conserving energy by providing shade in the
summer months… and generally protecting and enhancing the quality of life and the
general welfare of the city.” The Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the
ordinance on June 4, 1990. Now this ordinance is found in BMC Section 16.
Here we are, almost 35 years later. Most of us celebrate urban trees for their ecological
function, non-consumptive ecosystem services, their positive impact on public physical
and mental health, and the dizzyingly beneficial and appreciating assets that they are.
Phrases like “weaponize trees” have no place in a City trying, hopefully, to be the best
land steward it can be.
As Bozeman develops now and into the future. I hope you agree in philosophy and in
practice that it is our collective duty and privilege to protect our local urban forest while
creatively designing and building in a way that meets the needs of people who live here.
Whether you were elected or appointed, I ask you to build upon your predecessors’
efforts. Know that strengthening tree protections in this work session and in the
upcoming UDC update IS for the greater good of all living things, including us, humans,
– now and in the future.
Thank you.