{"id":708,"date":"2021-10-05T18:33:52","date_gmt":"2021-10-05T18:33:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bozemanwetlands.org\/WP\/?p=708"},"modified":"2026-05-31T21:44:03","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T21:44:03","slug":"most-valuable-real-estate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bozemanwetlands.org\/WP\/most-valuable-real-estate\/","title":{"rendered":"Most Valuable Real Estate"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;0px|||||&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 14px; color: #666666;\">Wetlands are some of Gallatin County\u2019s most valuable real estate. Protecting them is essential to the longterm health and prosperity of our communities. Sacajawea Audubon Society (SAS) is shining a spotlight on the role wetlands play in a sustainable Gallatin Valley future. Almost 50 years ago, Congress passed many of the nation\u2019s federal environmental laws. One of the hallmarks of these laws is the growth of permitting programs. Acknowledging that a halt to all pollution and development was both impractical and undesirable, governments developed programs to minimize, monitor, and mitigate environmental harms. Mitigating wetland harm falls under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, allowing permittees permission to alter wetlands in exchange for promises to mitigate harm from that wetland alteration.<\/span><\/h3>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 14px; color: #666666;\">Unfortunately, many of the wetlands in Bozeman and the Gallatin Valley have been harmed or lost to development. As it stands, the lion\u2019s share of mitigation for our destroyed wetlands are replaced in a private \u201cwetland bank\u201d that is in a watershed outside the Gallatin Valley. Whenever this happens, the Gallatin Valley community forever loses these critical natural resources and the economic value they hold.<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px; color: #666666;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>SAS\u2019s goal is to contribute to wetland conservation in the Gallatin watershed. The Indreland Audubon Wetland Mitigation Bank will help us reach this goal in three ways:<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Economical<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Creates an economic incentive for restoring, creating, enhancing, and conserving wetlands<\/li>\n<li>Ensures the dollar value is retained within the community of the impacted watershed<\/li>\n<li>Maintains natural drought, flood, and water quality protection within our community<\/li>\n<li>Contributes to a vibrant cityscape that makes Bozeman an attractive place to live and visit<\/li>\n<li>Supports the health of a Blue Ribbon Fishery, a cornerstone of Gallatin Valley\u2019s economy\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Ecological<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Promotes diverse habitat and wetland functions to create a more sustainable ecosystem<\/li>\n<li>Protects a wildlife corridor through an urban environment<\/li>\n<li>Contributes to aquifer recharge and late-season instream flows to the East Gallatin River<\/li>\n<li>Sequesters carbon in saturated wetland soils<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\"><strong>Educational<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Encourages critical thinking about clean water <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Promotes understanding of the importance of wetlands <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Promotes understanding of mechanisms that protect wetlands <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Inspires future sustainable urban planning <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Cultivates a love of nature<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0SAS continues to move forward in creating a local \u201cwetland mitigation bank.\u201d Currently, we are in Phase II. The Army Corps of Engineers submitted the Indreland Preserve Prospectus for public comment on July 23, 2021; the comment period ended on August 23, 2021. SAS\u2019s Wetland Preservation Project Committee will be reviewing the comments.<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>YOUR SUPPORT MATTERS! Please consider a donation to the Indreland Audubon Wetland Preserve. To arrange a tour of the Indreland Preserve with one of our wetland experts, contact Loreene at <a href=\"mailto:loreener@sacajaweaaudubon.org\">loreener@sacajaweaaudubon.org<\/a> or (406)600-6666.<\/p>\n<p><em>Top photo: Loreene Reed<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_slider _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; header_text_align=&#8221;center&#8221; header_font_size=&#8221;35px&#8221; background_color=&#8221;#e09900&#8243; custom_margin=&#8221;||||false|false&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;||||false|true&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_slide heading=&#8221;Wetlands Function&#8221; image=&#8221;http:\/\/bozemanwetlands.org\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/how-wetlands-work.png&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; sticky_transition=&#8221;on&#8221;][\/et_pb_slide][\/et_pb_slider][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wetlands are some of Gallatin County\u2019s most valuable real estate. Protecting them is essential to the longterm health and prosperity of our communities. Sacajawea Audubon Society (SAS) is shining a spotlight on the role wetlands play in a sustainable Gallatin Valley future. Almost 50 years ago, Congress passed many of the nation\u2019s federal environmental laws. 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