Report: Prepare for Park growth

By AMY J. TRIPE
star_Tribune correspondent Friday, December 08, 2006

CODY -- Park County is poised for significant growth as people move to the area because of its natural amenities, says a new report commissioned by the Greater Yellowstone Coalition.

But in order to protect the area's valuable resources, residents, business leaders and local government officials should work together now to prepare for the growth and inevitable change, the report says.

Larry Swanson, director of the O’Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West's Regional Economy Program at the University of Montana, spoke Monday night at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center about the study.

“We have population growth,” Swanson said. “Not only that, we have employment and personal income growth that’s all amenity driven.”

The Rocky Mountain region is the fastest-growing area in the United States and is being called the “Third Coast” as people from the West Coast and Southwest leave due to increasing pressure and population from immigration.

Swanson notes that current regional growth is tied to changes in the national economy, including a redefined modern workplace where people and jobs are more mobile thanks to high-tech communications. Added to this is the nation’s aging population and increased number of retirees who are moving to the West for quality of life reasons.

“It is the public land that are magnets pulling more and more people into the interior West,” Swanson said. “You combine mountains with public lands, and Cody is in the middle of all this that’s bringing folks (to the area).”

Park County is composed of nearly 85 percent public land, owned by federal, state and local governments. Of the 15 percent private property holdings, 97 percent is used for agriculture. This agricultural land, however, is threatened as smaller “lifestyle” enterprises not aimed at commercial production increase. Agricultural fragmentation and rural development like that occurring in the Wapiti Valley are affecting crucial wildlife habitat and recreational lands, he said.

“This is not a farm-based economy any more,” Swanson said. “It is much different. It is amenity driven, and if it’s the amenities that are driving growth, how do we look out for these amenities?”

The Greater Yellowstone Coalition study, “Roots of Prosperity: Securing Park County’s Natural Heritage and Economic Future,” builds upon Swanson’s research with interviews with area business leaders and additional information examining “the economic importance of Park County’s natural setting, abundant wildlife and top-notch recreation opportunities.” The report provides a broad look at the various factors of area growth, explains their possible impacts, and offers recommendations to manage the growth and protect these sensitive areas.

“Cody (and Park County) is in an interesting point in time,” said coalition Wyoming representative Brian Sybert, who is based in Cody. “It has a lot of opportunity to choose its future. We are in an enviable position in a lot of ways where we can come together as a community to spur the economic growth that is based so heavily on our amenities and quality of life.”

Recommendations outlined in the report and by Swanson include expanding yearlong tourism draws, including landscape protection and habitat conservation in long-range development planning, addressing rising housing costs, promoting conservation easements and land trusts to maintain large tracts of private lands, and supporting younger business owners and entrepreneurs. The report also suggests cooperating with regional communities that are facing similar growth.

“We still have the opportunity to establish a vision,” said Charles Preston, curator of the Draper Museum of Natural History at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. “Change and growth are going to happen, so how can we turn it into a benefit rather than a detriment? It’s a matter of creating a vision to take advantage of the growth without overexploiting it.”

Preston said the historical center will host many more seminars over the coming year focused on the issue of growth in Park County and creating a dialogue to look at different models to manage it.

“This needs to be a grassroots effort, not public hearings,” he said. “We need to look at our future and see if we can control it in any way.”

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