HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-20-26 Public Comment - E. Darrow - Heritage Trees, Citizen Science and Lakota Consultants for NCOD From: Elizabeth Darrow
To: Joey Morrison; Douglas Fischer;Jennifer Madgic;Alison Sweeney; Emma Bode; Bozeman Public Comment
Subject: [EXTERNAL]Heritage Trees,Citizen Science and Lakota Consultants for NCOD
Date: Monday,April 20,2026 11:43:53 AM
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Greetings Mayor Morrison, Deputy Mayor Fischer, Commissioners Madgic,
Sweeney & Bode:
We strongly encourage you all as our elected representatives to meet with
the Lakota Group for informed consultation on the future preservation of the
NCOD in the new UDC. We also request that you incorporate the Historic
Preservation Advisory Board's proposed Heritage Tree Program into
the Urban Forest Management Plan as recently presented at the
Sustainablity Board meeting. The Heritage Tree Program Proposal was
written by Linda Semones and me in 2022-and as former members of the
HPAB we believe it states an important commitment, recognizing and
preserving mature trees and tree canopy in the future of a healthy and
beautiful city.
We are eager to see a truly developed commitment to a Citizen Science
model as well in public education and engagement that is only just emerging
in Bozeman. This would include the I-SEA TREE Phone App, which is free
and designed by skilled data analysts in technology mapping at TABLEAU
SALESFORCE as a core tool for data collection to increase public
engagement. This can complement the City Tree Inventory which only
evaluates public-owned trees while I SEA TREE can be used to collect data
on privately owned trees mature trees (with owner permission), that
comprise most of the tree canopy in city and Gallatin Valley.
I SEA TREE
Map and inventory trees in real time
Measure environmental benefits, including carbon storage, air
quality improvement, and water impacts, using U.S. Forest Service
tools
Utilize built-in features, including AI-assisted species
identification, to ensure accessible and accurate data collection
Citizen Science is a collaborative approach where everyday people—not
just professional scientists—collect data, monitor trends, and contribute to
research. It is essentially "crowdsourcing" discovery, allowing scientists to
gather massive amounts of information that would be impossible to collect
alone and widely utilized and applied. It has enabled people of all ages to
participate in mapping, monitoring, and documenting all aspects of our
natural environment including trees.
The Heritage Tree Program is essential to this campaign
and envisioned as part of the UFMP, it offers a practical, interdisciplinary
approach to planning & development with educational community
engagement goals. It strengthens processes that protect heritage trees,
development review, and construction impacts improving the City's ability to
identify, document, and protect historically and culturally significant trees in
all neighborhoods.
Heritage trees are more than landscape features—they are living records of
Bozeman's history and essential component of both emotional, aesthetic
and practical assets of a resilient urban environment in a time of growing
climate change. Their preservation requires better data, broader
participation by the public and coordination across departments for now and
our future.
Elizabeth Darrow & Jim Walseth
Bozeman