Nutrition

Breastfeeding

Physical Activity

Trails Initiatives

Gallatin County is adjacent to Yellowstone National Park. The county contains wilderness area, rivers, mountains, national landmarks and historic sites on the National Register. The Lewis and Clark expedition spent considerable time in the Three Forks area on the west side of the county. Because of the diversity of the local landscape, significant opportunities for recreation exist which draw visitors from all over the world. While Yellowstone National Park is recognized as a national treasure, responsible planning and maintenance of the area surrounding it in Gallatin County is equally important to the lasting success of the Yellowstone ecosystem. As the primary path of entrance for tourists visiting Yellowstone National Park, Gallatin County receives 3.5 million visitors annually, placing an extraordinary burden upon local communities to provide and maintain recreational amenities. From 1990 to 2000, Gallatin County’s population has grown by 34.4% (almost triple the rate for the rest of Montana), adding more than 17,000 new residents. Gallatin County and the local municipalities have struggled to meet the recreational needs of all these visitors and new residents, but they need help in coordinating and implementing all the various efforts ongoing to improve the county trails system and associated parks. RTCA staff facilitated the Gallatin County Task Force in exploring needs, researching options, and developing a recommendation to the county commissioners for creating a publicly supportable parks and trails administrative body.

NPS staff contact: Gary Weiner, 406-587-1667, gary_weiner@nps.gov
Local partner contact: Bill Murdock, 406-582-3000
Website: www.nps.gov/rtca

Safe Routes to School

Return to regular view	Text-only	Updated: 4/21/06