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Bitterroot Valley

Explore the challenges faced by Bitterroot Valley, Montana, including impaired streams, sediment buildup, road construction, forest fires, logging, irrigation, and water quality problems. Learn about the effects of climate change, the conservative way of life, land prices, and the conflict between old-timers and newcomers. Discover the need for compromise, regulation, and zoning to shape the future of Montana.

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Bitterroot Valley

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  1. Bitterroot Valley Montana

  2. Water quantity and quality issues Bitterroot valley “impaired stream” *buildup of sediments released by erosion *road construction *forest fires *logging *falling water levels in ditches and streams due to use for irrigation

  3. Watersheds eroded or at risk 200 pounds of fertilizer for each acre of land not sure how much ends up in the river waste nutrients from septic tanks toxic minerals draining out of mines most serious water quality problem not occurring in the Bitterroot

  4. Increasing People/Decreasing Water • Two largely separate water supplies • Irrigation from ditches fed by mountain streams, lakes or the Bitterroot River and water fields for agriculture • Wells drilled into underground aquifers Larger towns have municipal water supplies While more rural houses have private wells

  5. Climate Change • Montana is becoming warmer and drier • Most noticeable in Glacier National Forest • Will need to change it’s name around 2030 • 150 glaciers in 1800’s • Down to 35 now • Small fraction of their original size • Bad because rainfall was barely adequate for agriculture before

  6. Way Of Life • Very Right-wing conservative state • Especially true in the Bitterroot Montana being so vast and secluded from government that they don’t trust the government Hardly any regulations on land use or zoning practices The people want the right to use their private land however they want to Currently, the capacity for the land to support it’s owners is diminishing while population continues to grow and grow

  7. Old Timers / Newcomers • Traditional old-timer Montana men being replaced by new generation of fast food and HBO non-laborers • Farm owners concerned that their children will not continue to run the farm but find jobs behind a computer instead

  8. Land Prices • Land’s ability to support it’s owner • Very difficult to run a farm in Montana and make a decent living without multiple jobs • Farm costs bigger than profits • Newcomers (retirees) are paying the higher land prices because they want to live there and are not concerned about profiting off of the land • Land use shift from profit making to fun • Californians can sell their house for a lot in Cali and live comfortably off of it for awhile in Montana

  9. What’s Next? • Opposing views • Conservative hard workers - fun loving retirees A Compromise will have to be reached and some sort of regulation and zoning will be needed to help Montana transition into it’s new phase, whatever that may be Leave farming to the Nebraskans?!?

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