Community members participate in long-term tourism planning By Summer Goddard Valley Journal
RONAN — During a listening session facilitated by Glacier Country Tourism last week, Lake County community members shared perceived benefits and challenges of area tourism and what they’d like to see in the future for the state’s second largest industry. Founded for the purpose of travel promotion 34 years ago, Glacier Country Tourism stopped marketing Glacier National Park during the busy summer season five years ago. Instead, the nonprofit organization began promoting travel during off-peak months and increased travel promotion of the region’s eight counties: Flathead, Glacier, Lake, Lincoln, Mineral, Missoula, Ravalli and Sanders. In September, the organization has shifted again to include input from these coun-
ties as they craft a destination stewardship plan that will guide future travel promotion efforts. The 10-month process to develop a 10-year action plan begins with engaging communities through town hall meetings. The Nov. 2 meeting held at the Mission Mountain Golf Club in Ronan was the third such event. Those attending were a mix of business leaders and community members including representatives from Mission West, Valley Bank, Glacier Bank, Arlee CDC, Miracle of America Museum, Polson Chamber of Commerce, Ronan Chamber of Commerce, St. Luke Community Healthcare, Polson Red Lion, Ronan Schools and local State Senator Dan Salomon. According to Glacier Country Tourism CEO Racene Friede, Glacier Country’s Board of Directors has started to measure
success not only by economic benefits, but also by the social well-being of the communities it serves. Balancing the needs of visitors with the needs of residents to build “purposeful tourism” is the goal, explained project consultant Jim McCaul. In regards to future planning, spreading visitation out over a longer period of time to ease congestion during peak summer months of July and August was discussed. The money tourists contribute to local economies and the new preferences they bring that help businesses grow their offerings were seen as beneficial. Longtime business owner Gerry Browning of Polson said, “Visitors help us raise the bar. They bring different perspectives, want different kinds of drinks, food, entertainment – it makes us raise the bar as we meet new, varied tastes.”
New revenue sources for area farmers and ranchers through agritourism events, like the annual Pedal to Plate bicycling tour, was listed as another benefit. Some of tourism’s enumerated drawbacks ranged from increased traffic, lack of respect (littering) and understanding of area values, to congestion and access to local recreation areas. A lack of housing, particularly affordable housing, for both permanent residents and visitors, was noted as a particular challenge for Lake County. When asked to describe the ideal tourist, “respectful” was a common response. Families, retirees, and low-impact visitors such a cyclers, and canine field trial participants were specifically listed. More broadly, visitors with similar lifestyles, specifically a shared appreciation of the outdoors, and especially other
Montanans, were the most ideal. Friede noted that while non-resident visitors spend almost $4 billion annually in Montana, Montanans themselves spend over $1 billion a year on in-state tourism. In a letter she passed out at the Ronan meeting, Friede says, “We will be looking at how to turn challenges into opportunities, how to maximize growth to our economy, how to protect our way of life and the lands we love and how to strengthen our communities for generations to come.” For more information about Glacier Country’s destination stewardship planning, visit https://partners.glaciermt.com/ destination-stewardship. A timeline of the process, resident surveys and stakeholder assessments can also be found at the above link.
Bipartisan bill to support first responders heads for President’s signature Bill cuts red tape to ensure first responders injured in line of duty and families of fallen officers receive the benefits they’ve earned
News from the office of Senator Tester
U.S. SENATE — As part of his ongoing effort to ensure Montana’s first responders and their 8 - November 10, 2021
families get the benefits they have earned, U.S. Senator Jon Tester today announced his Putting America’s First Responders First Act cleared the U.S. Senate and now awaits President Biden’s signature to become law. The bipartisan legislation cuts red tape to provide fixes to the Public Safety Officer Benefits program, and ensures first responders who are killed or disabled in the line of duty receive the federal benefits they have earned. “Uniformed officers put their lives on the line
every day to keep our families safe and our communities secure, and we owe them a debt of gratitude,” Tester said. “I am pleased that this important bipartisan legislation passed the Senate unanimously, and am proud to be taking this important step towards making sure Montana first responders and their families get the benefits they deserve. I look forward to this bill being signed into law, so that all Montana first responders know that they and their families will be supported no matter
what.” Tester’s Putting America’s First Responders First Act streamlines the PSOB program to ensure benefits are delivered in a timely and efficient manner. Currently, families sometimes have to wait years and jump through dozens of hoops to access the federal benefits they have earned following an injury or death in the line of duty. The bill also updates PSOB disability requirements, makes federal educational benefits retroactive, and expands eligibility to include
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public safety officers who responded to the 9/11 attacks. Tester is also pushing his bipartisan First Responders Fair Return for Employees on Their Initial Retirement Earned Act, to help federal firefighters, law enforcement officers, Customs and Border Protection officials, and other federal employees with potentially dangerous jobs receive their full retirement benefits if they get hurt while on duty. Tester is also working to ensure law enforcement officers have the tools and
resources they need to do their job safely. Tester cosponsored the Law Enforcement Training for Mental Health Crisis Response Act to provide training for law enforcement officers to recognize and appropriately respond to mental health crisis, and he reintroduced his Assisting Narcotic and Trafficking Officers in Interdicting Drug Act to increase funding for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area taskforce, Operation Stonegarden, and Community Oriented Policing Services.
