HomeMy WebLinkAboutStory Mill Community Park Public Comment from Sacajawea Audubon Society 3-6-14 Sacajawea Audubon Society
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Post Office Box 1711 Bozeman, Montana 59771-1711
Attn: Mayor and Commissioners
City of Bozeman
PO Box 1230
Bozeman, MT 59771
Dear Mayor and Commissioners,
Sacajawea Audubon Society enthusiastically endorses the proposal to create a city park on the Story
Mill site as advanced by the Trust for Public Land. This is a remarkable opportunity to preserve an
oasis of wildlife habitat within our urban environment and to promote the enjoyment of the wildlife
by the citizens of Bozeman.
Bozeman-based Sacajawea Audubon, with a membership of 450, has a mission to promote the
conservation of our natural environment through enjoyment, education and action. The Story Mill
Site, with heavy agricultural and industrial use in the past, has healed itself in part by natural
succession and offers tremendous bird habitat. We have recorded over 70 species of birds using the
area in the last year with many nesting species such as House Wren, Yellow Warbler, Sandhill Crane,
and Great Horned Owl, Sacajawea Audubon would like to coordinate with the city to use this area as
an outdoor classroom. We foresee using this site for educational classes, birding field trips, bird
surveys, and a nest box program all of which will enhance the public's interaction with the habitat. In
the past year we have partnered with the Trust for Public Land to lead 2 bird walks, install 6 nest
boxes, survey the avian use, and participate in weed control efforts.
Our organization strongly encourages the city to purchase and develop this park with a focus on
restoring and conserving much of the area in natural habitat. As a natural park it will be a beloved
asset for generations to come.
Respectfully submitted by the Sacajawea Audubon Society Board of Directors:
Loreen _Reid, Presiden
Lou Ann Harris, Vice President Richard Keigley, Director
Evelyn Acton, Treasurer Chris Nixon, Director
Paulette Epple, Secretary Peter Norlander, Director
Anne Millbrooke, Past President Jeff Safford, Director
Leo Freeman, Director Jackie Wilson, Director
A Chapter of the National Audubon Society