Celebrating Open Lands Program

Jessica abell PHOTOs, ravalli rePublic

A new Open Lands Bond and the continuation of a wonderful program

ALAN mAKI for THE rAvALLI rEpuBLIC

Our Open Lands Program started as an idea from farmers and ranchers and other citizen members of Ravalli County’ s Commissioner appointed voluntary Right to Farm and Ranch Board. Instead of a top-down regulatory approach, a voluntary, incentive-based model to land conservation was believed to be the path forward. After unanimous approval by the County Commissioners in 2006 the voters had the opportunity to prove that they were willing to help conserve some of the very things that have always made the Bitterroot Valley a nice place to live—Land, Water, and Wildlife to name just a fename just a few. It passed by a widew. It passed by a wide majority and with that, volunteer citizens worked under the commissioners to construct a program that transparently stewarded the taxpayers ’ dollars, while accomplishing goals that it promised to the voters. The county has a plethora of information pertaining to the program at https://ravalli.us/189/OpenLands-Bond-Program including the projects done to date.

It took over a year before the first project was vetted, and as a few years passed, the program really began to snowball into the popular program that it is today. It just took neighbors seeing neighbors making the commitment to the future. 16 years later we have officially completed 38 projects conserving over 10,000 acres of open lands, permanently protecting farms, ranches, and wildlands. Many of which protect 40 miles of stream and riverside habitat, big game winter range as well as city water sources, hunting and fishing access sites and linkages to public grounds. Two new city parks totaling almost 100 acres of riverfront parkland have been created in the City of

Hamilton. We are currently working through more projects that are expected to add thousands more acres to that total. Every individual project was started voluntarily by a landowner that had a vision for their particular property, thus the wide variety of projects. It is the job of the Open Lands Program to help the landowners execute their vision, if possible. It is anyone ’ s guess as to what the private landowners may want to accomplish voluntarily in future decades!

The program has created a 180-degree paradigm shift (especially within the ag community) of people that thought most private open lands would be gone, to people believing that historic swaths of openness will remain. The original bond has served us well and has taken us far. To date it has been leveraged by about a 3:1 ratio through such diverse funding sources as Farm Bill dollars, local, regional, and even national conservation organizations as well as landowner donations and grassroots citizen support.

As the last of the 2006 bond gets used up on more exciting projects, the Ravalli County Right to Farm and Ranch Board has once again unanimously voted to bring a new 2022 bond proposal to the voters of Ravalli County. Once again, the County Commissioners unanimously voted in favor and thus it will be found on the November ballot as a simple YES for Open Lands or a no. Find more information on http://www.yestoravallicountyopenlands.org or https://www.facebook.com/yestoravallicountyopenlands or https://www.instagram.com/yestoravallicountyopenlands

At a time when 42% of our ag producers are over 65 years old and 74% are over 55 now is the time to make sure that we have the tools in place to allow landowners to voluntarily conserve conservation values of their property for future generations, so when they sell or otherwise pass on the title to new owners all is not lost. We could have never guessed all the changes that recent years have brought us since the 2006 bond was first passed, nor will we dare predict the changes that are likely to occur 16 years after a 2022 bond. At best a 65 year old today may be 81 years old 16 years from now. Now is the time to voluntarily conserve some of what makes this a wonderful place to call home. It is a continual community effort, because it is our community, and it is our home. Thank you for taking the time to research and understand how the Ravalli County Open Lands Program works for every citizen of Ravalli County, as its fate rests with your local votes. AG

Alan Maki is a longtime volunteer on the Open Lands Board, and Right to Farm and Ranch Board, and fourth generation family farmer/rancher. He also an avid hiker, wildlife watcher, and scenic rural road driver.