Project Summary

View My Proposal

Through engaging diverse Park County residents, we will provide a host of opportunities for community members to voice their vision for the future. By identifying shared values, we will lay the foundation for more community participation in issues that determine the future of our home.

About me

My experience as a 35-year Montana resident, tradesman, father and husband has placed me, at times, in the vanguard of citizen advocacy. In the 90s, I successfully led a group of local citizens in an international effort to stop the construction of a gold mine outside Yellowstone National Park. I bring this experience to protecting Yellowstone's northern boundary from encroaching urbanization and further loss of open agricultural lands and the culture that has evolved here. Other members of my passionate team include Lynn Weaver, local web developer, Sarah Orms, Livingston resident and anthropologist, who has worked with rural people to resolve conflict and promote collaboration. The beautiful, dedicated people who run our local Big Brothers Big Sisters program share our passion for discovering a shared community vision. We are also partnering with Jane Cholcher, Project 71 teacher at the county High School, to provide opportunities for students to participate in our initiatives, and develop some of their own projects. In addition, we have the support of local governments who want to foster civil dialog between community members. We are attempting to organize our community around "values" rather than a particular "issue." Make It Your Own seems visionary in that the award recognizes the power of the organizing process (i.e. connecting with diverse community members, encouraging dialog and articulating shared values) to encourage collaboration and create change.