Looking west over the pass to Gallatin County and across Montana, we can see development is headed our way; sprawling subdivisions and second home ranchettes overtaking working farms and ranches, wildlife disappearing, housing becoming even more unaffordable so that working families must move away, and the feeling of our community eroding.

Almost everyone in Park County-life-long residents and newcomers, people who farm and ranch or who live and work in Livingston, Republicans, Independents, and Democrats-is concerned about development and believe we must protect Park County's lands, resources, communities, and quality of life from unplanned and unregulated development.

That is not just our opinion, it is what we learned from our 2022 poll of Park County voters: 64% of Park County voters believe our quality of life has gotten worse in the last five years, while only 11% think it has gotten better. 96% of the voters think it is important to save hunting and fishing grounds from development, 82% thought this was extremely or very important. 94% of County voters believe preventing pollution of the Yellowstone River is important, 79% thought this was extremely or very important. 91% of the voters think preserving working farms and ranches from development is important, 77% thought it was extremely or very important.

Park County voters agreed not just on the problems and priorities, but also on steps that should be taken to protect our way of life. 75% of Park County voters support the idea that new residential subdivisions should be built in Livingston, Gardiner, and other communities which already have roads, water and sewers, parks and schools, and not scattered across working lands and wildlife habitats in Paradise and Shields Valleys. That strong support is bi-partisan, shared by new and long-time residents, by people inside and outside of Livingston.

73 % support the idea of keeping new septic systems at least 500 yards away from the Yellowstone River. Development has overwhelmed other places just like Park County, places that thought it could never happen to them. To keep Park County, Livingston, and all of our communities places we, and generations to come, will be proud to call home, we need a nonprofit organization dedicated to working on a single issue - meeting the challenge of development.

And that is what we do. Friends of Park County provides the information and analysis that the community needs to effectively plan for the future of this world-class place. We also advocate for sensible for sensible planning and policies that will keep Park Count special. Time is short and we need your help. Please contribute generously. Learn more at www.friendsorparkcounty.org