They Paved Paradise and Put up a Parking Lot

Hello Everyone,

It is with very heavy hearts that we write to inform you that on Monday the City Council voted 10-2 to sell our land to Miramonte Companies. Kristen Jordan and Bob Campbell were the 2 councilors that voted against the sale. We are in deep gratitude to them both for carefully tracking the financial details of the sale, as well as the many concerning social, environmental and ecological impacts. If you haven't had a chance to watch the meeting you can find it here.

Interestingly, many of the questions brought up in the committee meeting on Wednesday remained unaddressed, yet the sale still went through.

Annette Marchesseault, project lead from the Missoula Redevelopment Agency, admitted on Monday that she was not honest when she previously reported to the public and council that there was a full ecological assessment of the site conducted which indicated that there were no significant findings in terms of important plant or animal species or historical or cultural importance. There was never a full ecological assessment done of this site to account for the existing old growth trees and riparian area. We also believe that there has been a deficient public process throughout the purchasing and sale of this land.

Our group is currently looking into legal steps to continue to try to save our crucially important trees. Cottonwood trees are not only native but keystone species in Montana. A keystone species is, " tree species that play a critical role in maintaining ecosystem structure and biodiversity, supporting numerous insects, birds and other wildlife. Their presence and ecological functions are disproportionately important to the health of their ecosystems. They provide essential resources such as food, shelter, and nesting sites for a wide variety of organisms. The loss of a keystone tree can trigger cascading effects, reducing biodiversity and destabilizing the ecosystem, similar to removing a keystone from an arch, which causes the structure to collapse."

If you are someone that may have knowledge that will assist us in continuing to fight for our trees then please reach out to our group at savemidtowngreens@gmail.com

Thank you for your support!