RESOURCES

MONTANA CODE ANNOTATED 2023

• Montana Title 76 Land Resources and Use Code 

  • https://leg.mt.gov/bills/mca/title_0760/chapters_index.html

• Montana Title 76.2 Planning and Zoning

  • https://leg.mt.gov/bills/mca/title_0760/chapter_0020/parts_index.html

• Montana Title 76.2.2 County Zoning

  • https://leg.mt.gov/bills/mca/title_0760/chapter_0020/part_0020/sections_index.html

GREATER YELLOWSTONE; URBAN SPRAWL AND ITS CONSEQUENCES

• A Yellowstonian Exclusive: Watch The Documentary ‘Subdivide And Conquer: A Modern Western,’ For Free

  • https://yellowstonian.org/a-yellowstonian-exclusive-watch-the-documentary-subdivide-and-conquer-a-modern-western-for-free/

• Greater Yellowstone: An Ecosystem at Risk

  • https://yellowstonesprawl.com/

• Leon Kolankiewicz, Roy Beck and Eric A. Ruark, with forward by Todd Wilkinson, “Greater Yellowstone: An Ecosystem at Risk.” A Scientific Study by NumbersUSA, Autumn 2024.

  • https://www.preserveraynoldspass.org/s/2024_GYE_Sprawl_Study.pdf

• Arthur Middleton, “Yellowstone is Disappearing. The TV Show May be Partly to Blame.” The New York Times, November 8, 2024.

  • https://www.preserveraynoldspass.org/s/Opinion-Yellowstone-the-Hit-TV-Series-Is-Destroying-Yellowstone-the-National-Park-The-New-York-Times.pdf

MADISON COUNTY

• Todd Wilkinson, “Meet The Real Madison—And Why It’s Called ‘A Mini-American Serengeti.’” Yellowstonian, December 2, 2024.

  • https://yellowstonian.org/meet-the-real-madison-and-why-its-called-a-mini-american-serengeti/

• “Refusing to Surrender Wild Ground.” Yellowstonian, December 3, 2024.

  • https://yellowstonian.org/refusing-to-surrender-wild-ground/

• Robert Keisling, “What’s Facing The Madison Valley? A Longtime Conservation Land Broker Weighs In.” Yellowstonian, December 4, 2024.

  • https://yellowstonian.org/whats-facing-the-madison-valley-a-longtime-conservation-land-broker-weighs-in-2/

• Madison County Growth Policy

  • 2025 Growth Policy Update: https://www.preserveraynoldspass.org/s/2025-Madison-County-Growth-Policy.pdf

• Madison County Subdivision Regulations

  • https://www.madisoncountymt.gov/DocumentCenter/View/12263/Subdivision-Regulations-1-2018

  • New Subdivisions Regulations DRAFT: https://www.preserveraynoldspass.org/s/Madison-County-Subdivision-Regulations-Full-Draft-March-2025.pdf

ZONING

• “The dire need for Citizen Initiated Zoning Districts in Montana,” The Western News, March 10, 2023

  • https://thewesternnews.com/news/2023/mar/10/dire-need-citizen-initiated-zoning-districts-monta/ 

• “Antidote for Rural Sprawl,” The Wildlife News, April 1, 2021

  • https://www.thewildlifenews.com/2021/04/01/antidote-for-rural-sprawl-land-use-zoning/

• “Meet a Conservation Group That Goes Where Most Fear to Tread,” Mountain Journal, December 8, 2021

  • https://mountainjournal.org/meet-a-jackson-hole-conservation-group-that-goes-where-most-enviros-fear-to-tread

• Fish and Wildlife Recommendations for Subdivision development in Montana (Montana FWP), examples of cluster development

  • https://fwp.mt.gov/conservation/living-with-wildlife/subdivision-recommendations  

• Eli Fournier, “Love It or Lose It,” Outside Bozeman, Summer 2023

  • https://outsidebozeman.com/culture/conservation/love-it-or-lose-it

• Todd Wilkinson, “'Unbroken Wilderness:' Big Sky And The Human Appetite For Consuming Wildness,” May 15, 2020

  • https://mountainjournal.org/is-yellowstone-wildlife-and-montana-wilderness-threatened-by-outdoor-recreation

• Montana, In The Wake Of 'Yellowstone' and 'A River Runs Through It'

  • https://mountainjournal.org/how-tv-show-yellowstone-and-maclean-novel-are-changing-montana

• Anne Marie Mistretta & Jeff Strickler, “Images of the West: Big Sky, Montana, Before the Resort,” Images of the West, Fall 2013

  • https://bigskyjournal.com/big-sky-montana-before-the-resort/

• Mira Brody, “Historian documents Indigenous names of Big Sky resort,” Explore Big Sky, April 8, 2022

  • https://www.explorebigsky.com/historian-documents-indigenous-names-of-big-sky-resort/43504

WATER

• Amanda Eggert, “Broadwater County judge rules against developers in ‘landmark’ water ruling,” Montana Free Press, February 15, 2024

  • https://montanafreepress.org/2024/02/15/judge-rules-against-developers-in-landmark-water-ruling

• Lorea Zabaleta, “Ruling gives Montanans 'roadmap' to fight developments over water resources,” MontanaRightNow.com, February 15, 2024

  • https://www.montanarightnow.com/news/state/ruling-gives-montanans-roadmap-to-fight-developments-over-water-resources/article_1cc7d3b3-7c3b-5fc1-8f8f-871103674b51.html

• Christopher Flavelle, “Montana Court Restricts Use of Groundwater for New Homes, “ The New York Times, February 16, 2024

  • https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/16/climate/montana-court-groundwater-development.html

  • PDF: Montana Court Restricts Use of Groundwater for New Homes

• “America is Using Up Its Groundwater Like There’s No Tomorrow,” The New York Times, August 28, 2023 (reference to arsenic)

  • https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/08/28/climate/groundwater-drying-climate-change.html

  • PDF: America is Using Up Its Groundwater Like There’s No Tomorrow

• “As Groundwater Dwindles, Powerful Players Block Change,” The New York Times, November 24, 2023

  • https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/11/24/climate/groundwater-levels.html

  • PDF: As Groundwater Dwindles, Powerful Players Block Change

• Groundwater Quality of Gallatin and Madison Counties, Southwest Montana, Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology

  • http://mbmggwic.mtech.edu/gwcpmaps/gwaa08map03sheet01untiled.pdf

• Water in the West, Climate Central

  • https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/water-in-the-west

• The Evaporation of Water in The West, Mountain Journal

  • https://mountainjournal.org/bozeman-implements-new-water-conservation-plan-amid-drought-plagued-west

• Center for Food Safety, Water Pollution Lawsuit

  • https://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/press-releases/6881/groups-sue-montana-over-unlawful-factory-farm-water-pollution-permit

WILDLIFE

• A Wildlife Conservation Assessment of the Madison Valley, Montana

  • https://global.wcs.org/Resources/Publications/Publications-Search-II/ctl/view/mid/13340/pubid/DMX558100000.aspx

• National Geographic, Protecting Elk Migration In The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

  • https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/protecting-elk-migration-greater-yellowstone-ecosystem/

• Wildlife Resources in the Madison Valley, Julie Cunningham, 2022

  • https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/dc5eja7anpifdvls62mpr/20220523-Madison-County-Wildlife-Presentation-Julie-Cunningham.pdf?rlkey=twygrldyb0cfpa34pv2gw8ivq&dl=0

• Evaluation of Environmental Checklist for Mile Creek RV Park Major Subdivision Application, Confluence Consulting

  • https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/2l7jfti7t5m7k8x0ajckp/2022112-Confluence-Assessment-of-Mile-Creek-RV-Park.pdf?rlkey=2beiy1hqyhv23ksbea709jvlj&dl=0

• Evaluating Wildlife Mortality Hotspots, Habitat Connectivity and Potential Accommodations along US 287 and MT 87 in the Madison Valley, MT, 2016

  • http://www.craigheadresearch.org/

  • www.mdt.mt.gov.madison_valley.Final_Report

MADISON RIVER

• EPA Proceedings of the Ground-Water/Surface-Water Interactions Workshop

  • https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-08/documents/gwsw_part1.pdf

• DEQ Proposes to List the Middle Segment of the Gallatin River as Impaired – algal growth

  • https://deq.mt.gov/News/pressrelease-folder/news-Gallatin-Impairment-04-13-23

• The Groundwater Project, Groundwater-Surface-Water Exchange

  • https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/om6jj0y4zkct72e1yxfzk/The-Groundwater-Project-groundwater-surface-water-exchange.pdf?rlkey=qe3vkosdkippo0akp2mvd8kux&dl=0

• Cottonwood Law and The Gallatin River

  • https://www.cottonwoodlaw.org/protecting-the-gallatin

• Solving River Conflicts

  • https://www.flyfisherman.com/editorial/solving-river-conflicts/365004

• Commission calls for a ‘legislative solution’ to Madison River crowding

  • https://montanafreepress.org/2022/12/21/commission-madison-river-planing-stalled/

ECONOMICS

• Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks 2022 Legislative Report, includes hunting and fishing license trends

  • https://fwp.mt.gov/binaries/content/assets/fwp/aboutfwp/legislature/2023/hb140report-25-biennium-update.pdf

• Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, The Healthy Goose Special Report, 2018

  • https://fwp.mt.gov/binaries/content/assets/fwp/montana-outdoors/2018/outdooreconomy.pdf

• Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks December 2021 Hunter & Angler Trip Related Expenditures

  • https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/f79yajaxjjvxoqhzcc5dm/FINAL-HD-Research-Summary-No-51-Hunting-Fishing-Expenditures.pdf?rlkey=ur6pf4ipoj0l3m1sksbxxiw64&dl=0

• Headwaters Economics, Amenity Trap, How high amenity communities can avoid being loved to death, May 2023 

  • https://headwaterseconomics.org/wp-content/uploads/2023HE-Amenity-Report-R3b-LOWRES.pdf

• “Legislature Wades into exempt-well debate,” Montana Free Press, March 16, 2023

  • https://montanafreepress.org/2023/03/16/legislature-debates-exempt-wells/ 

• The Economics of Big Game Hunting in Montana, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks

  • https://mtfwp.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Cascade/index.html?appid=0fa1de4222074cdeb7dbf0710ecb2ee0

• The West Boulder Reserve, an example of land use planning, preserving open space and quality of life enhances property values

  • https://hallhall.com/property-for-sale/montana/west-boulder-reserve-lot-14/a091Y00002GvkIo/ , https://ranchmt.com/west-boulder-reserve/

REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLANS

• Randy Carpenter, “Proposed Suce Creek Luxury Resort In Park County Is Just ‘Tip of the Iceberg.’” Yellowstonian, December 3, 2024.

  • https://yellowstonian.org/proposed-suce-creek-luxury-resort-in-park-county-is-just-tip-of-the-iceberg/

• Commercial Development Proposed in Suce Creek

  • https://www.preserveraynoldspass.org/s/Commercial-Development-Proposed-in-Suce-Creek-Park-County-Environment-Council.pdf

• The Gravel Pit in Ennis

  • https://protectthemadisonvalley.org