By Michael Howell
The Ravalli County Commissioners are looking to form a collaborative group, representative of most of the valley’s different interests, who can work together on issues, primarily concerning natural resources, to provide meaningful comment to controlling agencies, whether state or federal, which are implementing water or land use projects in the county.
The idea, according to Commissioner Jeff Burrows, is to be able to hash out concerns about the potential impacts of proposed projects early in the decision making process instead of fighting it out at the end of the process.
The real key, according to Commissioner Greg Chilcott, is to have a very broad set of interests represented. The commissioners all took a shot at composing a list of such interests such as conservationists, industry, ranchers, loggers, anglers, hunters, motorized recreationists, fire, emergency and law enforcement, irrigators, etc.
Chilcott said that local government was being shoved to the back of the room at public comment time and this would be a way to add weight to the Commissioners’ comments because they would already have been vetted and approved by a well-rounded collaborative group representing all the county’s interests.
Any business, organization or individual may apply to be a member of the group. Applications are available on the county’s web site (ravalli.us) or a hard copy of the application may be obtained at the County Administration building in Hamilton.
Burrows said that the Ravalli County Collaborative Group was a work in progress and the exact shape it takes will depend on the response they get from the community in terms of applications. Most of the details of operation and composition, including the mission statement, will be decided by the group itself. Burrows said he is hoping the group will have a broader focus than simply forest projects and will be able to comment meaningfully on any kind of project proposed in the county that could have potential impacts on the community.