Marcia Kaveney loves Bozeman's nature of place. But she and a lot of longtime citizens in Montana's Gallatin Valley are fed up with what growth is doing to wildlife and the landscape
From Gallatin Gateway to Northeast Bozeman, citizens in the Gallatin Valley are expressing outrage over the inability of the city and Gallatin County to enact tougher planning and zoning to protect wildlife, habitat, stream corridors and viewsheds from the worst effects of growth. This is one example of what some describe as wild nature's "death by 10,000 scratches".
by Marcia Kaveney
It’s not just people in search of housing anymore. Thanks to the June 13-15, 2023 bulldozing project at the Canyon Gate residential and commercial development site in northeast Bozeman, an estimated 140 native, mature cottonwoods, comprising two groves and several smaller stands of trees, were leveled during peak bird nesting season, thus displacing hundreds of birds, as well as thousands of beneficial insects, and dozens of mammals.
In search of new homes are bald eagles, red-tailed hawks, sandhill cranes, and many species of songbirds — including common yellowthroats, yellow warblers, warbling vireos, willow flycatchers, Lincoln’s sparrows, Swainson’s thrushes, house wrens, veerys, song sparrows, American robins, pine siskins, yellow-rumped warblers, western meadowlarks, tree swallows, house finches, black-capped chickadees, and kingbirds. Mammals displaced include moose, black bear, and white-tailed deer.
In search of new homes are bald eagles, red-tailed hawks, sandhill cranes, and many species of songbirds — including common yellowthroats, yellow warblers, warbling vireos, willow flycatchers, Lincoln’s sparrows, Swainson’s thrushes, house wrens, veerys, song sparrows, American robins, pine siskins, yellow-rumped warblers, western meadowlarks, tree swallows, house finches, black-capped chickadees, and kingbirds. Mammals displaced include moose, black bear, and white-tailed deer.
What a terrible loss.
Many of the displaced birds, insects, and mammals cannot simply switch to living in an urban environment because the cottonwoods provided them with essential habitat. And, what a loss it is for the future human residents. Imagine what a special, natural park this could have been with a progressive and thoughtful site design.
I believe this casualty of development could have been prevented had our city staff and commissioners enforced existing city development codes that require preservation of existing trees and landscape when possible. However, they knowingly chose not to. What? Yes. Learn more by watching the April 18, 2023 Bozeman City Commission meeting.
While new building is necessary, Bozeman residents can’t tolerate this kind of scorched-Earth development any longer. Better integration with nature is essential to our survival. Our city needs to adopt a more environmentally responsible approach to managing development by requiring new development to preserve existing mature, native trees and wildlife habitat, or to at least enforce the existing development codes. We all benefit from healthy, intact ecosystems.
About Marcia Kaveney
Marcia Kaveney, in addition to living in Bozeman a long time, is a mom, wife, outdoor enthusiast, avid wildlife watcher, community volunteer and engaged citizen.
