Vote YES for Open Lands!

Take the Long View

Gallatin County is a special place with an unparalleled quality of life, thanks to our open lands. It is also the fastest growing county in Montana, and we are losing open lands every day. By renewing our commitment to the Gallatin County Open Lands Program, we can plan for the future while maintaining our quality of life.

Meeting the Challenges of Growth

Gallatin County is projected to add another 12,000 people in just the next three years. We are losing these lands to development more quickly than any other place in the state, and four times faster than the national average. As our county grows, we need to take steps to ensure we don’t lose what makes this place special. Our Open Lands Program provides resources to manage growth, prevent land fragmentation, protect our clean water, and keep important habitat intact.

Conserving Our Open Lands Benefits Us All

Voting for the Open Lands Levy is an investment in our outdoor heritage, providing opportunities to hunt and fish and for children to explore nature, while conserving the rural character of our community. From clean water and beautiful scenery to working ranches and farms and exploring the great outdoors, conserving our open lands benefits us all.

Gallatin County Open Lands Program

A nine-member citizen advisory committee, the Gallatin County Open Lands Board, oversees the prog

ram to fund projects that meet the following criteria:

• • Prime agriculture crop, range, and forest land
• • Large parcels of land
• • Wildlife habitat and migration corridors
• • Protecting water quality
• • Lands facing development pressure
• • Lands with recreational value

It has been nearly 14 years since voters last approved funding for the Open Lands Program and funding has now run out.

It’s time to renew our commitment to Gallatin County’s open lands for our future and our quality of life.

Track Record of Success

Gallatin County voters passed bonds in 2000 and 2004, providing a total of $20 million in funding for open lands. Over the past 17 years, the Gallatin County Open Lands Program used those funds to:

• • Create the 100-acre Gallatin County Regional Park
• • Establish the Chestnut Mountain Trailhead and North Cottonwood Trailhead
• • Conserve 50,000 acres of farms, ranches, natural areas and wildlife habitat
• • Leverage $5 of outside matching funds for every $1 of taxpayer money

Vote FOR the Gallatin County Open Lands Levy to:

• • Renew funding for the Open Lands Program
• • Provide resources for Gallatin County Regional Park, and
• • Invest in parks throughout Gallatin County.

For more information please visit foropenlands.org

Paid for by Vote FOR Open Lands 

Steve Schnee, Treasurer

PO Box 7021, Bozeman, MT 59771