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Gallatin Valley Land Trust formalizes Burke Park Traverse; tree coalition urges nesting‑season pause
Summary
At the May 22 Urban Parks and Forestry Board meeting in Bozeman City, Gallatin Valley Land Trust (GVLT) said it is formalizing a roughly 1‑mile trail through Burke Park; the Bozeman Tree Coalition urged a pause or habitat survey to avoid disturbing nesting birds.
At the May 22 Urban Parks and Forestry Board meeting in Bozeman City, Gallatin Valley Land Trust (GVLT) trails director Matt Parsons described the Burke Park Traverse, a roughly 1‑mile trail under construction that will formalize an existing social route and reduce erosion and private‑property encroachment.
Parsons told the board the trail begins at the Simpkins Spur, meets the Wortman Spur mid‑route and reconnects to the Church Avenue trailhead. He said the route was identified in Bozeman’s 2003 Burke Park master plan and again in the 2023 Burke Park master plan, and noted the project was included in City Commission Resolution 5471. Parsons said GVLT and Bozeman Parks and Forestry staff have worked through planning, public notice and construction phases and that contractors will avoid cutting mature aspens and not disturb aspen root systems. He described reroutes intended to move users away from private property and unstable slopes and said revegetation and decommissioning of nearby social trails are part of the plan.
Marsha Kaveny, speaking for the Bozeman Tree Coalition, said she supports GVLT’s conservation work but urged caution about the project’s timing. She said clearing deadfall and removing standing snags can destroy nests and nestlings during breeding season and cited federal and state protections, asking that the city either delay ground‑disturbing work until nesting season ends or have Sacagawea Audubon Society members survey the area. Kaveny said deadfall and standing snags are important habitat for cavity‑nesting birds and asked that future trail planning prioritize wildlife needs.
City staff later responded with procedural and scope clarifications. Mitchell (city staff) said the department is “not in violation” of federal protections and that crews have limited aspen work to material under 3 inches in diameter; he also said the constructed trail bed will be 36 inches wide. Staff emphasized that contractors were instructed not to cut mature aspens and that revegetation timing was chosen to maximize successful establishment of plantings.
No formal board action was taken at the meeting; the discussion consisted of public comment from GVLT and the Bozeman Tree Coalition and clarifying assurances from city staff. The project was described as the final enhancement tied to the 12‑acre Burke Park expansion; staff said the trail work could not be completed over winter because of slope and stability concerns and that construction timing was selected to support revegetation success.
