From ‘Cows’ to ‘Cappucinos’: Evolving West requires focus on cooperation

The times, they are a-changin’ – and Bitterroot residents have to come together to protect cherished aspects of valley life.

At the annual "Perspectives on the West" talk at Teller Wildlife Refuge Thursday evening, speakers Pat Williams and Dan Kemmis focused on how rapidly growing Western communities can deal with the differing – often clashing values – between rural residents and the rising influx of newcomers from more urban areas.

By DANA GREEN Staff Reporter

http://www.ravallinews.com/articles/2004/08/23/news/news02.txt

Former Rep. Pat Williams, who spent nine terms as a Montana congressman and now serves as a senior fellow at the O’Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West in Missoula, stressed that even in the West, a region that has inspired generations of artists, poets and writers, the Bitterroot Valley stands out as a unique and beautiful place.

A recent study identified 23 counties west of the Mississippi River that share Ravalli County’s natural, economic and cultural assets, Williams said. Of the counties studied, the Bitterroot ranked first in population growth – but also first in employment growth and second in personal income. Williams credited an entrepreneurial spirit and the abundance of the natural environment for the valley’s prosperity.

"The Bitterroot Valley is, in almost every way you measure, exceptional," Williams said.

He praised the wood products industry in Ravalli County for adapting to a changing global economy and finding new ways to innovate. Ravalli County’s timber industry was thriving, primarily due to the log home industry. But companies have to continue to adapt with the changing times, Williams said.

"We can have jobs in the industry if they show innovation, as they have in Ravalli County," he said.

But the valley’s uniqueness has also led to rapid growth – which has had good and bad consequences. For eastern Montana towns that have seen their youth depart and population dwindle, the alternative to growth – stagnation – is not pretty. Wise growth was preferable to such a fate, Williams noted.

"It might be a little harsh around the edges, but on the whole, it’s a good thing," he said.

But with fast growth must come forethought and planning – and the first step was to begin to think differently.

Kemmis, former mayor of Missoula and the Center’s director, argued that it was time to return to a vision of the West promoted by John Wesley Powell, as a land defined by its watersheds.

According to Kemmis, Western politicians, who have carved apart the West with straight lines that defy the landscape, have largely ignored the famous surveyor’s advice.

"All you have to do is look at the state boundaries to know how well we paid attention to Powell," Kemmis said.

Ravalli County corresponds to a watershed – making the county a natural geographic region with shared interests and needs, according to Kemmis.

"Ravalli County would have been to Powell’s liking," he said.

Watersheds encourage cooperation – and the key to Ravalli County’s future is to continue to find common ground and cooperate to protect the watershed and the quality of life in the valley.

This process of "watershed thinking," which began in the early 1980s, still has room to improve, according to Kemmis.

"We still have a long way to go in cooperation Š (But) in a strange way, what Powell suggested 100 years ago has come back," he said.

Bitterroot residents must set goals for the future – and plan to protect the valley’s precious resources, Kemmis said.

"What will Ravalli County look like with 250,000 people in it? That’s what we have to ask ourselves," he said.

But the challenge was to make that cooperation work in the Bitterroot Valley – where conflicts between long-time residents and relative newcomers are very real and resources are limited.

Both Kemmis and Williams noted that they did not have all the answers – those were more likely to come from local residents, they said. But Ravalli County might have to start to become more city-friendly.

"There are a couple of choices – either we can continue to subdivide everything in sight, or we can learn to live in cities," Kemmis said, adding that the state Legislature can play a role by continuing to enhance Missoula’s attraction to people hoping to move to Montana.

Protection, however, needs to be balanced with access. Conservation cannot mean cutting off access to favorite fishing and hunting spots; if rivers and open space are allowed to be "gated and fenced," Williams said gravely, then "Montana changes forever."

For the Bitterroot audience, the emphasis on cooperation struck a deep chord.

"We are all here – we are all ‘us,’" said Deb Essen, a Victor resident and a House District 89 candidate in November’s general election. "The sooner we start working together, the sooner we can start moving forward."

Reporter Dana Green can be reached at 363-3300 or at [email protected]