HomeMy WebLinkAboutStory Mill Community Park Public Comment from Greater Gallatin Watershed Council 3-21-14Greater Gallatin Watershed Council, Inc.
PO Box 751, Bozeman, MT 59771
Promoting conservation and enhancement of our water resources while supporting
the traditions of community, agriculture and recreation.
March 19, 2014
Bozeman City Commission
121 N. Rouse Avenue
Bozeman, MT 59715
Dear Mayor Krauss and City Commissioners,
The Greater Gallatin Watershed Council strongly supports the Story Mill Community Park proposal.
We enjoy partnering with the City of Bozeman on projects such as the Storm Drain Stenciling project last
summer. Now we hope you will join with us in support of this park. Our organization works to engage
citizens in important urban and rural water-related issues as well as stream monitoring and restoration.
We do water quality testing on the Story Mill site. One of our annual projects is to sponsor a Fall Tour
every year. Last year our focus was wetlands, and one of the sites we visited was the Story Mill property.
Our busload of participants showed a great deal of interest and enthusiasm for the site, its wetlands, the
E. Gallatin River corridor, and the potential to enhance and preserve the land as a park.
We just held four community meetings to assess the value people place on stream resources and to
identify needed stream improvements in the Lower Gallatin Watershed. We’ll soon be completing a
Watershed Restoration Plan and submitting it to the EPA. We’ve heard from about 100 people so far
expressing appreciation for the valley’s stream and wetland resources for recreation, wildlife habitat,
fisheries, aesthetics, drinking water, and so forth. Despite past urban impacts on Bozeman’s water
resources such as draining of wetlands and culverting and channelizing of portions of streams, our
community still has an unusual number of streams and wetlands within the city limits. We can stand out
as a national model of how to treat urban water resources.
Why am I mentioning all this? Because creating the Story Mill Community Park is one of the ways we can
cherish our precious stream and wetland resources. It offers a special opportunity to protect and
enhance water quality along Bozeman Creek and the East Gallatin River through stream and wetland
restoration. Public enjoyment of these water resources will be facilitated through development of trails,
fishing access, and bird watching opportunities.
Please support this outstanding park proposal.
Sincerely,
Marcia Youngman,
Board Chair
Board members: - Rose Vallor - Chris Boyer - Tammy Crone - Susan Duncan - Heidi Giem - Mark Story -
Chris Mahony - Brian Heaston - Pat Costello - Barbara Vaughn - Sierra Harris, Coordinator