Park County planning board backs letters of support for two conservation easements in Paradise Valley

The Park County Planning Board voted April 17 to prepare letters of support for two voluntary, perpetual conservation easements in the Paradise Valley area — one in the Mill Creek drainage and one on Trail Creek and West Pine Road — after presentations by land-trust representatives and statements from the landowners.

The measures matter because the easements will limit subdivision and commercial development on the parcels, protect working agricultural lands and habitat, and are intended to help preserve scenic views and watershed integrity, presenters and public commenters said.

Cole Herdman, introduced himself as the program manager for Gallatin Valley Land Trust and told the board the Mill Creek proposal is a perpetual conservation easement that “identifies agriculture as one of the primary conservation values to be protected.” He said the project team believes the easement is consistent with Park County’s growth policy. Kelsey Kaiser, identified as a project manager working with the same land-trust program, presented the Trail Creek/West Pine Road easement and said the owners were conserving a multigenerational ranching property to keep agricultural production intact.

Landowners spoke in support. Alan Redfield, identified himself as vice president of Wolf Hill Ranch and a landowner participating in the Mill Creek easement. Redfield described multigenerational ties to the property and said he did not want to “see houses and lights all over it.” Bobby Anderson, identified as an owner of the Trail Creek property, described a family history in Park County dating to the late 1800s and said the family’s objective was to keep the land in agriculture with “no subdivisions or added encroachment.”

Ken Cochran, president of Friends of Park County, urged broader complementary county tools in addition to easements. “Conservation easements…are a major step forward, and it’s now time for the county to follow through with rural land use regulations,” Cochran said, arguing easements alone do not provide uniform standards across unprotected parcels.

Board members and staff highlighted technical and process points: the planning office will draft the letters of support and landowner-supplied materials become part of the public record once submitted. That procedural point prompted objection from at least one landowner: after the Mill Creek item was discussed, Redfield said a local newspaper had published details taken from materials that had been submitted to the county before the easement was finalized, and he urged staff and land trusts to minimize release of private information prior to consummation.

After discussion, the board voted to approve letters of support for both easements; the actions will be transmitted as the planning office’s letter(s) on behalf of the board for the applicants. The planning board’s approvals are advisory for this item: under state statute the planning board reviews easement proposals against the county growth policy and prepares comments for the applicants.

The board’s deliberations included brief mentions of follow-on policy work; public commenters and Friends of Park County said the county should pair voluntary easements with broader land-use regulations to address rising development pressure.

The planning office will prepare the letters and provide the finalized documents to the landowners and land trust.