HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-10-26 Public Comment - K. Berry - Sustainability Board Public Comment 3.11From:Katherine Berry
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Cc:Lilly McLane
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Sustainability Board Public Comment 3.11
Date:Monday, March 9, 2026 4:03:43 PM
Attachments:26.03.10 Sustainability Board Public Comment.pdf
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Please see the attached comment for the Sustainability Board's 3.11 meeting.
Best,
Gallatin Watershed Council
-- Katherine Berry, Water Policy Manager Gallatin Watershed Councilwww.gallatinwatershedcouncil.org | katherine@gallatinwatershedcouncil.org
Cell: 860-558-3323
To: Sustainability Board
From: Gallatin Watershed Council
Re: Sustainability Board Work Plan
Date: March 9th, 2026
Dear Sustainability Board Members,
The Gallatin Watershed Council is excited to see the Integrated Water Resources Plan, Urban
Forest Management Plan, and Bozeman Creek Vision Plan as efforts on the Sustainability
Board’s Work Plan. These are collaborative, long-range, highly impactful documents that will
influence our management of water in Bozeman and in the greater Gallatin Valley.
We also want to put on your radar the City’s implementation of the new UDC, which is on the
City Manager's Draft Work Plan. These steps include creating a wetland and watercourse code
policy intent, unavoidable impact replacement ratios, and an on-site wetland and watercourse
mitigation manual for how to quantify impacts and guidance for restoration and enhancement
techniques.
The 2025 Wetland and Watercourse Code Update established a mitigation hierarchy that favors
on-site mitigation when feasible, then mitigation within the Gallatin Watershed, and finally the
Upper Missouri Watershed. This represents a meaningful shift away from reliance on private
wetland banks in the Jefferson Watershed and toward maintaining the functions and values of
streams and wetlands within our community. To implement this approach successfully,
developers and City staff need clear, practical guidance on how to carry out on-site mitigation.
While the code establishes what is required, additional detail on how to implement these
requirements would support consistent, predictable outcomes aligned with the intent of the
update. Because mitigation strategies are inherently site-specific, a manual could outline
standardized procedures for assessing impacts, quantifying credits, and applying best
management practices to generate on-site credits through stream and wetland enhancement.
Designated engagement by the Board—whether through coordination, continuity across efforts,
or technical insight—would add capacity, momentum, and influence at a critical moment. We
hope you consider adding this important item to the list.
Thank you for your time and consideration, and we hope you are able to add time and expertise
to the City’s process of supporting implementation of the new UDC.
Sincerely,
The Gallatin Watershed Council
The Gallatin Watershed Council guides collaborative water stewardship
in the Gallatin Valley for a healthy and productive landscape.
www.gallatinwatershedcouncil.org