YBP Seeks Funds to Assess Viability of a Gallatin Collaborative

The Hyalite Porcupine Buffalo Horn Wilderness Study Area (HPBHWSA), 155,000 acres that straddle the Gallatin Range between Bozeman and the northern boundary of Yellowstone Park, was created in 1977 by Congress as one of the eight National Forest Wilderness Study Areas in Montana.  Since that time the HPBHWSA has had its challenges, including the need to decrease the proportion of private land inholdings from 31% down to the current 8%.  In 2006, the Gallatin National Forest Travel Plan added mobility restrictions in an attempt to balance preservation and recreational use, but it became the focus of an environmental lawsuit by those contending the Plan did not sufficiently protect the WSA’s wilderness character.  This lawsuit was settled in 2009, but the resulting travel restrictions have been highly controversial and have led to several appeals of the court decision.

After 33 years of conflict and uncertainty, several stakeholder groups are now interested in pursuing a more collaborative approach to solving issues in the Gallatin Range.  Identified as a neutral party that could manage such a process, YBP has responded to this invitation with a $12,000 grant proposal to the Gallatin National Forest Resource Advisory Council (RAC) to assess the potential of forming a Gallatin Collaborative.  Click here to review the grant application and detailed narrative that will be discussed at the next RAC meeting on December 15, 2010, beginning at 12:30 p.m. at the Bozeman Public Library.

The Yellowstone Business Partnership has released its 26-page Outdoor Recreation Prospectus for the Yellowstone-Teton Region, which is designed to inspire collaborative investment in resource-based recreation across the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem. One third of the membership contributed ideas for the Prospectus through surveys, member forums, last year’s annual conference, and service on our Outdoor Recreation Task Force. Additional input came from more than 30 recreation specialists, tourism officials and agency managers in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.

The Partnership’s Outdoor Recreation Initiative was launched early in 2005 with a $20,000 planning grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. The Outdoor Recreation Prospectus is the culmination of the project’s initial planning phase that explored the need for more sustainable outdoor recreation in our region and greater public and private investment in recreation services, innovation and infrastructure.

Click the following link to see the prospectus in pdf form. - Outdoor Recreation Prospectus.pdf

Click here if you would like to order a hard copy of the Prospectus, or call 406-522-7809. The price is $10.00 for YBP members, and $12.50 for non-members.