Montanans north of Yellowstone National Park are pushing back against development they say would replace a popular local recreation area near Emigrant. The long-discussed gravel pit surfaced again this month at a meeting where Park County commissioners presented a draft letter of support.
Yellowstone Public Radio’s Kayla Desroches (deh-ROHSH) has more from reporter Nick Mott, who covered the controversy for Mountain Journal.
Kayla Desroches: Thanks for joining us, Nick.
Nick Mott: It's good to be here, Kayla.
KD: It sounds like this gravel pit has been in the works for a while. Why is it coming up now?
NM: The gravel pit was a big controversy a few years ago and then it just kind of fizzled out. And this draft letter of support came in a way that a lot of locals perceived as totally out of the blue. In the letter of support, county commissioners said this new gravel pit would essentially reduce congestion on roadways and wear on roads.
But the biggest thing is that it would decrease the cost of projects involving gravel, which is what it takes to maintain rural gravel roads. So, it's a big cost issue, though they cited other issues, including reducing carbon emissions from transportation. County commissioners also said that some of the material from the pit could be used on Yellowstone National Park’s upcoming road projects.
I talked with Yellowstone and they said they do not need a new pit in Paradise Valley to source their gravel. That said, if the pit did meet their standards, it would be possible for it to be used there. And in fact, Riverside Contracting, who's behind this pit proposal, they do have a contract with Yellowstone as well. So, it seems like gravel from this pit would be used not just in Montana in Park County for county road projects, but also in Yellowstone and maybe even over in Gallatin County, too.
KD: What did it look like at the meeting and what did locals have to say?
NM: So, you know, this is a county commission meeting, normally, very quiet, not many people there, but word had spread about this draft letter of support, and people flooded the room.
There were about a hundred people there, another 50 or so online waiting to comment. And almost everybody was there to oppose the pit. Some people recreate near where their pit could be, like Mary Sue Brenner, who lives nearby. She bikes and runs on the road adjacent to the pit.
"I don't want to lose my life for a gravel pit," Brenner said
Another local, Barbara Jones, said the whole idea was really just counter to what the Paradise Valley's brand is as a gateway to Yellowstone National Park.
“Once a landscape's use shifts from low impact recreation, wildlife habitat or grazing to an industrial scape with its noise, dust, and heavy trucks, there is no going back," she said.
People are also opposed to the pit because they worry about the dust impact. There's active livestock grazing nearby, and there could also just be a lot of noise that really disrupts quality of life for neighbors.
KD: So, it sounds like there were pretty strong feelings there. How did the meeting pan out?
NM: So, before the meeting even started, actually, commissioners said, "Look, we're not going to make a decision on this today. We want to hear you out." What ended up happening is they did not sign that draft letter of support. Instead, commissioners called for public meetings and more public discourse about the pit before they would submit anything like a formal letter of support. So, for now, they're not sending a letter of support, but that does not mean the pit's not going to happen. Because this is state land, it's ultimately up to the state land board.
KD: What's next?
NM: Well, we'll have to wait and see in a lot of ways. The state land board would need to give it approval. It's not clear if or when the pit will actually make it onto their agenda. There's also a local petition circulating that opposes the pit. And a local state representative has submitted a formal letter to the land board also opposing the pit. But ultimately, what both opponents and proponents of the pit like the county commissioners want to see is more public meetings. More space for people to talk about how to meet the needs of the county in a way that you know respects the environment and respects the values that people hold for places like this parcel of state land near Emigrant.
