News & Notes: Summer 2022

Current affairs in and around the Bozone.

Full Frontage Trail
Back in the fall of 2020, the Bozeman City Commission allocated $90,000 for a pedestrian/bike path along Frontage Road toward Belgrade. This summer, the funds will be used to carry out a feasibility study conducting formal surveys, addressing water issues, and preparing cost estimates for future construction. Currently, the plan is for the new segment to run from Cherry River Fishing Access along Frontage Road to Campbell Road. It will then jog north along Campbell, continue onto Moss Bridge Road, and rejoin Frontage, stretching all the way to Valley Center. Once the path is built, there will be a continuous bike lane all the way from 7th to Jackrabbit. The feasibility study is scheduled to be completed by September 1.

Changing the Game
If you followed FWP’s planning meetings this winter, you know that change was top of mind. Many individual hunting districts have been combined or refigured. Some have been eliminated. In general, the new regulations are a bit more liberal than in years past—some areas that were previously buck-only for mule deer are now either-sex. Wherever you hunt, make sure to confirm the district’s regulations before heading out. FWP is also offering an option for e-tags to be used as carcass tags. This requires you to have all of your licenses downloaded on your phone and your phone to have battery while in the field. Print options are still available.

Reclaiming Our River
After a ten-year planning process, the state has finally approved a proposal to reroute the Gallatin River. The idea sprouted back in 2010, when former University of Montana law student Bradley Pitten moved to Bozeman. Discouraged by the distance he had to drive to reach the river, Pitten proposed excavating a new channel that would run from the mouth of Gallatin Canyon northeast, eventually passing through town and meeting up with the East Gallatin at Glen Lake Rotary Park. “You look at Missoula and the Clark Fork runs right through it,” Pitten says. “Just imagine what this is going to do for Bozeman, and I’ve got the dough to make it happen.” Construction costs are estimated at $12 trillion, and development is expected to start this August. Luckily for taxpayers, eminent domain will be employed in lieu of buying out property owners at exorbitant Bozeman prices. Businesses and homeowners along the route are expected to get their relocation notices by July 15.