Celebrating 25th Anniversary of Gallatin County’s Open Lands Program
Poster for 2004 Open Lands Program bond campaign.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Gallatin County Open Lands Program. Since its inception in 2000, the voter-approved program has enabled land trusts to partner with willing landowners to conserve nearly 60,000 acres of highly productive farms and ranches, critical wildlife habitat, and scenic open space throughout Gallatin County. The program also funded the Gallatin County Regional Park in Bozeman, as well as more recent projects to enhance local parks, trails, and outdoor access across the region.
How it Began: Addressing a Familiar Challenge
Nearly 30 years ago, Gallatin County faced a challenge that still resonates today—increasing growth and development in the region. Even then, the data sounded the alarm, and development pressures have only intensified since:
Between 1979-1997, the population of Gallatin County grew by 88%.
From 1993 and 1997, more than 17,000 acres of land within the County had been divided for development purposes.
From 1978-1992, Gallatin County lost 295 square miles of farm and ranch land to non-agricultural production. This equated to about one-fifth of the approximately 895,000 acres of privately owned lands in Gallatin County.
(Source: Gallatin County Open Lands Board History and Strategic Plan)
In 1997, newly elected Gallatin County Commissioner Bill Murdock clearly remembers looking through the statutes for solutions and being inspired by the Montana Open-Space Land and Voluntary Conservation Easement Act of 1975.
“I wondered if the County could do something like that. Why not compensate private landowners, specifically farmers and ranchers, for not developing their land?” he wondered.
Wanting to explore the idea, Murdock and his fellow commissioners created the Open Space Task Force to identify tools to conserve open lands.
Identifying a Solution: Conservation Easements
After a year of extensive research and stakeholder meetings, the Task Force identified conservation easements as one of the most effective ways to conserve open space and protect the long-term viability of agriculture in Gallatin County. These voluntary land protection agreements between landowners and land trusts, such as Gallatin Valley Land Trust (GVLT), Montana Land Reliance, the Nature Conservancy, and Trust for Public Land (TPL), limit the type and amount of development on a property in perpetuity while keeping it in private ownership.
The Task Force specifically recommended the use of “purchased conservation easements,” where landowners receive cash compensation to restrict their development rights and keep prime farmland in the Gallatin Valley available for generations to come. Participants often use the funds to reinvest in their agricultural operation, purchase additional land, or finance generational transitions on the ranch. Importantly, conservation easements do not change the taxable value of agricultural land, and the public benefits from the protection of conservation values such as prime agricultural soils, wildlife habitat, river corridors, and the overall character of our region.
“Conservation easements came to the surface as something the County could play a role in and have an outsized impact,” explains current Open Lands Program Coordinator and Gallatin County Chief Planning Officer Sean O’Callaghan.
After receiving the Open Lands Task Force’s report, the County Commission passed Resolution No. 1998-76, creating the Open Lands Program and the Open Lands Board.
Creating a Funding Mechanism
The next step was to establish a funding mechanism to compensate private landowners for their development rights. TPL funded a public survey that suggested the public was willing to support a $10 million general obligation bond for the conservation of open space if it would cost the average homeowner a $28 increase (per $100,000 home) in their property taxes.
However, to gain the required unanimous support from County Commissioners to put a bond on the ballot, the Open Lands Board needed to address one final sticking point—the burden the tax would put on agricultural landowners. The Open Lands Board decided to propose legislation that would amend the Open Space Act to exempt agricultural landowners from paying for the Open Space Bond.
Satisfied that their concerns were addressed, the County Commissioners voted unanimously to place the Open Space Bond on the ballot in November 2000. GVLT and TPL helped campaign for the bond, knowing a local funding stream for conservation easements would provide access to federal funds from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), which required a local match—unlocking the tool for families who had not had access historically.
“Leveraging this funding was critical to being able to work with farmers and ranchers who were facing increasing threats of development and subdivision,” confirms GVLT Conservation Director Brendan Weiner. “The NRCS is a key funding partner.”
In November 2000, the Open Lands Bond was passed by 56% of the voters.
Building Momentum
With a program and funding mechanism in place, the Open Lands Board began accepting applications and evaluating proposed conservation projects based on specific criteria, including the agricultural, wildlife, and community benefit aspects of the property.
Initially, however, few landowners expressed interest.
Knowing they needed a well-known landowner to take the first step, former Commissioner Murdock approached Joe Skinner.
“Joe talked to his family, and they decided to create a conservation easement with the support of the Open Lands Program,” said Murdock. “The Skinners are a prominent farm and ranch family. Their participation opened the floodgates.”
Skinner’s family finalized an easement on their land in 2003. They used the cash from the program to buy more property and expand the farm’s operations.
“Family farming is very difficult,” Skinner told the Bozeman Daily Chronicle in 2023. “It always has been. It’s not all that profitable, and it’s getting less profitable. So anything we can do to help family farms stay on the landscape is a real benefit to everyone. It keeps development from leapfrogging in the rural areas and keeps an agricultural farming base, which is important for our culture. It helps the next generation not want to sell the farm because it’s producing some income.”
As the program expanded, it earned trust and credibility in the County and its land trust partners. Ranchers and farmers who were originally skeptical of conservation easements now see it as a viable tool for conservation, Skinner continued.
“Patience is a big thing,” shares Skinner. “It took years to see the benefits. At first, projects were sporadic. Now you can see big blocks of protected land.”
Current Open Lands Program Coordinator and Gallatin County Chief Planning Officer Sean O’Callaghan reiterates, “Once one landowner in a neighborhood creates an easement, others tend to magically pop up.”
Murdock adds, “Most agricultural landowners want to continue farming and ranching. It’s their culture. It’s their life. They sincerely want to keep their land in agricultural production. If we can help them do that, what a wonderful thing to do.”
Importantly, Murdock continues, “Conservation easements are voluntary. No one has to do it. That’s why this tool has been so successful here.”
Continued Voter-Support
The program has twice gone back to voters, passing overwhelmingly in each case.
“Voters’ ongoing approval of the funding and support for the program is central to the program’s success,” says O’Callaghan.
After the initial $10 million had been spent, another $10 million bond was passed in November 2004 by 63% of voters. Then, in 2018, when funds from the second bond were depleted, County Commissioners shifted funding mechanisms to a mill levy. A 4.5 mill levy, which provides roughly $20 million over 15 years, earned 62% support at the polls. The value of a mill shifts with property values and the number of taxable residents. As the population grows, this boosts available funds each year, enabling the program to keep up with rising property values.
Of the 4.5 mills levied, 0.5 mills are transferred to a Parks Fund for capital improvements and maintenance of County-owned parks. The remaining 4 mills divide into two buckets: Conservation projects and a new category of “other eligible projects,” which supports capital improvements and maintenance projects that enhance public access and the Open Space Levy’s values.
Demonstrated Impact
Since launching 25 years ago, the program has achieved the following:
Conservation Easements
Projects closed: 65
Acres conserved: 57,725
Projects currently in progress: 5 (1,671 acres)
See a map of projects funded by the Gallatin County Open Lands program.
Land Acquisition
100-acre Gallatin County Regional Park
Big Sky Community Park
Bonn (icehouse) Park
Peets Hill expansion
Other Eligible Projects (category started in 2021)
Projects completed: 15
Projects in progress: 18
While our community continues to grow and change, the Gallatin County Open Lands program continues to make a significant impact, helping preserve the things we love about our region.
“The Open Lands Program boasts an incredible return on county investment,” says GVLT Conservation Director Brendan Weiner. “Through federal funding and donated property value from landowners, the county’s investment has facilitated over $120,000,000 in matching funds in the program’s 25-year history. Taxpayer dollars have been stretched and leveraged at better than 4 to 1 since the program’s inception.”
For more information, see the Gallatin County Open Lands Board History and Strategic Plan.
This is the first in a five-article series presented by Gallatin Valley Land Trust and Gallatin County to celebrate the Gallatin County Open Lands Program and its significant impact in the region.