Tony Prato stops short of predicting what Flathead County will look like in the next 17 years, “This study isn’t meant to be the crystal ball.” But, he is eager to get county officials and citizens thinking about the effects of economic growth and land use policy.
Prato and a team of seven others spent the past four years calculating different options for land use policy and growth rates in the county. The result: a landscape modeling system that simulates nine alternative futures and their effects on land availability and wildlife.
Full Story: http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/economist_maps_out_valleys_alternative_futures/1138/