Research Article

Montana’s Growth is the Greatest Threat to our Ecosystem

George Zaimes¹ and David Arthun^2*

¹Geomorphology, Edaphology and Riparian Areas Laboratory (GERi Lab), Department of Forest and Natural Environmental Sciences, Democritus University of Thrace, Drama, Greece.

²Carbon County Resource Council, Red Lodge, Montana

Submission: July 23, 2025;Published: July 28, 2025

*Corresponding author: David Arthun, Carbon County Resource Council, Red Lodge, Montana. Email id: darthun19@gmail.com

How to cite this article: George Zaimes and David Arthun. Montana’s Growth is the Greatest Threat to our Ecosystem. Ecol Conserv Sci. 2025; 5(1): 555655.DOI:10.19080/ECOA.2025.05.555655

Keywords:Rock Creek; Exurban expansion; Water pollution; Nitrate levels; Wildlife habitat; Riparian areas; Septic systems; Montana Growth Policy

Introduction

Rock Creek, our study area, is a beautiful blue ribbon trout stream in southcentral Montana and a tributary of the Yellowstone River. Its headwaters are high in the Beartooth Mountains. The same Beartooth Mountains that hosts the Beartooth Highway providing the most spectacular gateway into Yellowstone National Park.

This stunning landscape is also home to some of North America’s most cherished wildlife. Native to the Beartooth Mountains and the Rock Creek drainage are wolves, grizzly bears, wolverine, elk, moose, beaver, mink, otter, bald eagle and numerous waterfowl and aquatic species. Many of the aforementioned species depend on Rock Creek’s lush productive riparian areas, the life blood of the ecosystem. Southcentral Montana is semiarid making riparian areas even more vital and vulnerable.

Exurban Expansion

Exurban expansion has negatively impacted Montana. Rock Creek has been especially impacted due to its desirability for home sites. Red Lodge is a charming resort town along Rock Creek and the last stop before the epic climb up the Beartooth Highway to Yellowstone National Park.  Red Lodge’s charm not only enhances the vacation experience but beckons one back. Herein lies the dilemma. Recent unprecedented growth along Rock Creek has eliminated or fragmented wildlife habitat, wildlife migration corridors, displaced agricultural land and polluted Rock Creek. In Carbon County, where Red Lodge is the county seat and our study site, 78% of new houses built were outside of incorporated areas. Headwaters Economics [1].

The source of pollution is primarily septic systems, a nonpoint source. This dispersed characteristic increases the challenge to mitigate the sewage effluent entering Rock Creek. Exurban expansion also contribute to stream bank modification, fertilizer and pesticide pollution from landscaping activity, hard surface runoff, noise and light pollution which is especially detrimental to migrating birds. Montana has a variety of migratory birds that include waterfowl, raptors and upland game birds.

Our study, Arthun & Zaimes [2] now in the fourth year,  has shown the nitrite plus nitrate levels were significantly higher near exurban expansion. The concentration of development is proximal to Red Lodge where nitrite plus nitrate levels are 5X higher than downstream where development is minimal. The concentrations in the upper reaches near Red Lodge were all higher than the Montana Department of Environmental Quality [3] threshold of 100 micrograms per liter where there is potential eutrophication (see the impacts on the Gallatin River in Montana, O’Connor & Eggert [4].  Moreover, concentrations of nitrite plus nitrate have significantly increased in Rock Creek since 2022 when we initiated the study.

Growth Policy

Growth is regulated by local and State of Montana statutes. Citizen scientists don’t  make policy and we are not decision makers. We do, however, want to keep decision makers informed. Carbon County’s Growth Policy [4] will be revised in late 2025 or perhaps early 2026. Currently Montana state law requires subdivisions be reviewed for their effects on seven primary criteria: agriculture, agriculture water use facilities, local services, natural environment, wildlife, wildlife habitat and public health and safety. If a proposed subdivision would have significant unmitigated adverse impacts on any of the seven criteria, then its grounds for denial.

Statutes already exist that should protect our natural heritage. Development in Carbon County has been chaotic. Greater attention to existing statutes should have prevented loss of agricultural land, wildlife habit and polluted streams. Unfortunately, Montana is experiencing out-of-state pressure to develop rural areas, the last bastion protecting our wildlife habitat and source of clean water. Domenech [5] suggests growth boundaries set explicit boundaries for where communities’ growth will stop, in order to preserve the rural areas beyond the growth boundary as open space and working landscapes.

Conclusion

Zoning may be the only alternative. As Domenech suggests, a boundary where development stops. If the current trend continues ours and future generation’s heritage will be lost forever.

References

1. Bozeman Montana (2024) Montana Losing Open Space. Headwaters Economics.
2. Helena MT (2013) Technical Memorandum: benchmark for nitrite + nitrate in assessing ambient surface water. Montana Dept. of Environmental Quality.
3. O’Connor JT, A Eggert (2016) Yellowstone Club wastewater pipe breaks. Thirty million gallons of treated effluent pours into Gallatin watershed. Big Sky, Montana: Outlaw Partners.
4. Carbon County Growth Policy (2020). Red Lodge, Montana.
5. Domenech E (2017) From Science to Implementation: Solutions for Addressing Exurban Sprawl in the Northern Rockies. Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Sciences. New Haven, Connecticut.
6. Arthun D, G Zaimes (2024) Assessment of exurban expansion on water quality in Rock Creek of the Yellowstone River in southcentral Montana, USA. Journal of Freshwater Ecology 39(1): 1-21.