by Margaret Gorski, Stevensville
If you think that our beautiful rural Bitterroot Valley will stay the same in the future, think again. As the amount of undeveloped land declines, pressure to develop every parcel of ground in the valley will only get stronger. If we want the Bitterroot Valley to remain rural, where a landowner can ranch or farm, where families can be raised with country values, and where wildlife can still roam, we must plan for that outcome. It just will not happen on its own, no matter how much we all would like it to be so.
The Ravalli County Open Lands program has put our tax dollars to work, helping landowners to voluntarily protect their land into the future by placing it under a conservation easement. When they do, they create a legacy for their children and for all of us. Saving the last large parcels of land in the valley is essential to maintain a viable agricultural industry, provide a desirable quality of life and provide critical water and range for wildlife. Although the program has been a great success to date, much more work needs to be done. Approving an extension of the current Open Lands Bond Program will ensure that work is accomplished.
It is a small price for us to pay to benefit future generations. Your grandchildren will thank you for voting YES for the Ravalli County Open Lands Bond.
Helen Sabin says
Margaret – I agree. I had been told and thought that folks who had bought “worthless” pieces of “un-developmental land” would get their bad choice rewarded, then I got to thinking that any land that is “open” is for the good! EVEN the desert is valuable to life. So – I am encouraging others to vote YES even though it raises our taxes. My son may want to retire here and it would be good for him. What we should do is have a picnic on each parcel of land and toast its good fortune as being designated “open lands” with champagne or grape juice and meet each other here in the Bitterroot who like the concept of keeping the valley as open as possible. I see too much development going on and am very concerned about water too – from where is it coming? Anyway – who is ready to party?