HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-02-26 Public Comment - M. Bateson - Re_ UPDATE_ Bozeman Creek Vision PlanFrom:Mary Bateson
To:Steve Nobel
Cc:Jim; Mitchell Overton; BozemanTreeCoalition; Bozeman Public Comment; Alison Sweeney; Dan Carty
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Re: UPDATE: Bozeman Creek Vision Plan
Date:Monday, February 2, 2026 12:06:42 PM
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Dear Steve Nobel and Jim Madden of SeeBozemanCreek, and others, (CC list above and
below),
Thank you so much for your work to improve conditions of Bozeman creek! I hope to remain
engaged with the process of visioning. Thank you for the opportunity to be involved.
There is one issue that I have thought about a lot concerning ecological health of Bozeman’s
watershed, and that is how our human population behaves with their pets. Unfortunately,
there are many dog owners who do not always pick up the waste that their dogs produce.
This is a problem especially when the waste is near our creeks. I am hoping that part of the
vision for Bozeman Creek will include the realization that dog parks, where dogs are allowed
to be off-leash, are not best situated near our creeks, and that the romantic sight of dogs
frolicking in creek waters is actually a nightmare for the stream water quality.
I include here a couple of articles of interest that my friend Dan Carty sent to me:
Chattahoochee River National Rec Area:
https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/chat_nrca_ecoli2023.htm
https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/70267511
Salt Lake City: https://stormwatercoalition.org/petwaste
Of course, many dog owners allow their dogs to be off leash even in places where it is not
allowed, but that is a different problem, and may be another thing to consider in the vision
plan. How easy is access in general? Can we see the creek from a safe distance (for the
creek), or will the creek be exposed to human and animal traffic? Do we want to be able to
see the creek, or touch the creek?
As a kid, I spent many a day outside of Bridger Montana, swinging off a rope above a creek (or
maybe irrigation ditch), splashing into the water in delight. I also remember many creek
crossings while backpacking, being very appreciative that I could take my boots off to cool my
feet in the water. Unfortunately, with the pressures of increased population in our area, and
especially in the city itself, these kinds of luxurious activities by so many people could “love”
our ecosystem to death.
Thanks so much for including this topic in the future visioning process.
Sincerely,
Mary Bateson, Microbial Ecologist, M.S. Montana State University
Bozeman Resident
CC: Steve Nobel: steve@seebozemancreek.org
Jim Madden: Jim@seebozemancreek.org
Bozeman Public Comments: Comments@bozeman.net
Bozeman Tree Coalition: bozemantreecoalition@gmail.com
Urban Parks and Recreation Board contact: moverton@bozeman.net
City Commission Liaison: alison.sweeney@bozemanmt.gov
Dan Carty : dgc12@hotmail.com
On Sat, Jan 31, 2026 at 10:13 AM Steve Nobel <steve@seebozemancreek.org> wrote:Greetings to Those Interested in SeeBozemanCreek Updates
Last Tuesday evening, Jim Madden and I, along with Jon Henderson, the Assistant City Manager, presented the genesis of the Vision Plan to the City Commission. Our presentation sought the commission’s approval to contract with PORT - the city’s selected landscape architecture, engineering and planning consultant leading the Bozeman Creek Vision Plan. We gained unanimous support. Now, the works begins.
You may find out more about PORT, their proposal and the background materials by following this link: https://engage.bozeman.net/bzncreek
In mid-February, initial stakeholder meetings will begin. The purpose of these meetings is to enable PORT team members to get to know those community members and organizations that will be central to the vision planning process. It will also give stakeholders the chance to learn a bit more about the process to develop a community plan, as well as PORTs approach to this work based upon their experience with similar initiatives in the Mountain West and elsewhere.
These are intended to be informal, first conversations that hopefully establish a connection between the project team and project stakeholders as the planning process is kicking off. The expectation is that multiple follow up discussions will take place over the course of the 10-month planning process, in addition to the formal presentations and public meetings that are part of the process.
Among numerous and varied stakeholder groups will be neighborhoods, downtownbusinesses, water scientists, ecologists, designers and others, including SeeBozemanCreek You will be hearing more from us, so we can hear from you, too, as the planning process unfolds. Thanks again for your continuing interest.
-- Steve Nobelhttps://seebozemancreek.org/