Celebrating the success of the Ravalli County Open Lands Bond Program ALAN MAKI & DAN HULS for the Ravalli Republic
Thanks to the citizens of Ravalli County, almost everyone traveling anywhere throughout our beautiful Bitterroot Valley has a good chance of driving by acres of open space that will remain protected forever. The vast majority of these open lands are family farms and ranches producing food and fiber and anchoring our local economy, but also include two wonderful new riverside parks (Steve Powell Park and Skalkaho Bend Park) in the City of Hamilton, a permanent fishing site/boat launch in Conner and trail joining up to USFS land (C. Ben White Memorial Fishing Access site), and permanent access to both private
and public lands for big game hunters in Sula (Lazy J Cross Ranch). I invite you to flip through this summer’s Agricultural Magazine to read the stories behind the families who have protected the land that is home to our local agriculture, native wildlife, clean river and streams, and open space for recreation – none of which would have been possible without community support for the Open Lands Bond program. History of Growth in Ravalli County There have been a few notable population “booms” in Ravalli County that stand as outliers to our otherwise mostly continuous population growth. According to the US Decennial Census, Ravalli County’s population increased by 49.1% from 1900-1910, coincid-
ing with the “Orchard Boom” - an important time when tens of thousands of acres were subdivided into 10-acre parcels, forever setting the tone of development of Ravalli County. From 1970 to 1980, a 56.1% population increase occurred, and from 1990 to 2000 a 44.2% increase. It was in the early 2000’s after seeing the latest census data that many citizens were concerned about the changes that came with such a significant pace of growth and resolved to proactively protect some of the most important resources in the valley. A Way to Preserve Open Space in the Bitterroot Valley: The Conservation Easement In 2005, Ravalli County Right to
