Gallatin County: Development and Easements 2000-2005

Development and Conservation Easements 2000 Through 2005

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A recent Land Trust Alliance report on conservation easements shows that land conserved through easements is keeping pace with development of land in the nation as a whole.

Because Gallatin County is growing so rapidly (3% annual growth in recent years) and has an active land trust community (Gallatin Valley Land Trust, and others), we thought it would be useful to see how the county is faring compared to the nation.

There is good news. From 2000 and 2005, private landowners protected over 21,000 acres through conservation easements - a 31 percent increase in land conserved in the last 5 years.

In the same time period, over 15,000 acres of open private land was developed - a 20 percent increase in land developed in the last 5 years.

Development and Conservation Easements Through 2005

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We are permanently conserving more acres than we are developing. This is good news. But it does not mean that we are necessarily gaining ground in land conservation. As we grow, we are losing open lands.

The sheer numbers should not blind us to the impacts of development, or the question of whether the type and location of development support landowner and community priorities.

The same applies to the conservation side of the equation. The number of acres protected by conservation easements is impressive. However, it is also important to ask: Are we successfully conserving the most important lands in the county?

Much of the recent growth is taking place in our cities at urban densities, but a growing proportion of new development is happening outside of towns and on larger lots. The result: per capita consumption of land is growing - up 5 percent in the last five years alone.

Gallatin County will continue to grow and develop private land. All projections agree on this. New and old-time residents care about open lands. County polling and two open space bonds attest to this fact. The quality of life created in part by our open lands attracts new business and retain existing businesses. Surveys of business owners show this to be true - open lands are a competitive economic advantage for the county.

Click here or on image to view a socioeconomic profile of Gallatin County.

All this means we should take seriously the lands we develop and the lands we conserve for this and future generations. It is in the interest of the county to have a public discussion about the trends, impacts, and opportunities to promote and protect what's important to us all.

Conservations easements are a practical land protection tool. They are voluntary, tailored to the needs of landowners, and offer multiple public benefits. But by themselves, even with the support of county open space funding, they are not likely to meet the development challenge ahead.

Land use planning at the municipal and county level needs to be part of the solution. Together, conservation easements and reasonable development standards can guide growth fairly, while saving some of the most special places in the county.

For more on conservation easements, go to Gallatin Valley Land Trust.

 
Change from 2000 to 2005
Gallatin County MT

¹ For reference, this is 8.5 times the area of Bozeman (which is 8,123 acres)
² For reference, this is 9 times the area of Bozeman (which is 8,123 acres)

Methods:
Exurban = 10-40 acres (at least 4 homes, up to 16 per quarter section)
Suburban = 1-10 acres (at least 16 homes, up to 160 per quarter section)
Urban = < 1 acre (at least 160 homes per quarter section)

Sources:
Development data: Montana Department of Revenue - CAMA tax assessment records
Easement data: Montana Natural Heritage Program
Population data: U.S. Census Bureau