Bridger Canyon

You may have thought it was the wind, but that gust you felt in late March was actually a giant, city-wide sigh of relief after Bridger Canyon Partners withdrew its application with Gallatin County to build over 400 overnight accommodation units, a new lodge, an equestrian center, ice rink, and up to 75 luxury homes in several phases on 350 acres around the Bridger Bowl base area. The development plan sparked a public backlash and inspired the Bridger Canyon Property Owners' Association to create what we think is one of the most impressive and well-organized opposition movements we've ever seen (just check out BCPOA.net). But the development probably isn't dead, however. The land has been zoned for development since 1996, and unless that changes, we expect to see a "new and improved" plan from Bridger Canyon Partners the minute the recession is over. If there's one thing to learn from this, it's "don't mess with the BCPOA"—it fought developers all the way to the Montana Supreme Court in 1995 and won. Stay tuned.