Jefferson County’s newest park, at Rattlesnake Butte in Montana City, is getting closer to welcoming its first guests.
County Parks, Trails and Recreation Committee member Michael Korn told The Monitor that a draft management plan for the park, located between Hwy. 282 and Interstate 15 along Prickly Pear Creek, has been in the works for the past six to seven months, and is ready to be presented to the full board at its meeting in January, 2025.
Korn said the draft plan he and committee chairperson Bret Lian have developed includes recommendations on signage, parking areas and general maintenance. It also proposes a bi-annual review by the committee to ensure that the intent of the park’s formation is sustained and that the land’s management adapts to issues and changes that the plan doesn’t currently anticipate.
“I really like the way we are handling this,” Korn said about the process. “It keeps us ahead of the curve, and not just reacting to changes.”
The park land around Rattlesnake Butte, estimated to be worth about $1,375,000, was donated by Pamela Bompart earlier this year with the stipulations that it be turned into a public park and that it be held by the county in perpetuity.
Surveys and administrative work were completed during the spring and summer, and the county has effectively taken ownership of the land. The county asked the Parks, Trails and Recreation Committee to develop a plan to sustain the park, including details on managing maintenance such as noxious weed control, fencing and signage. After the committee has made changes or modifications, the plan likely will be presented to the County Commissioners in February, according to Korn.
County Commissioner Cory Kirsch predicted that once the Commission has seen the revised draft plan, it could be adopted almost immediately. “I’d say a couple of weeks after we see the revision,” he said. Then work can begin on the plan’s proposed improvements, according to Korn.
“The commissioners have been very cooperative,” Korn said. “They appreciate the way we are taking a forward look at how to manage things for everyone.
Korn said the committee has worked to balance the different interests the land holds for various groups, trying specifically to address stress on the land that additional recreational use may cause, especially in the context of the area’s population growth.
The committee also examined how to keep park visitors from straying onto privately-owned land in the nearby Stoneybrook housing subdivision. Korn said, “we’re looking at some fencing, maybe even closing off a couple of the roads that have been created over the years” to mitigate possible trespassing.
