Planning for an unknown future, the only kind we have, is indeed difficult. For many of us westerners, it's also vexing. The past we knew and loved is rapidly eroding and what lies ahead is ever more amorphous. The world's economic integration profoundly effects even the most remote and traditional ranching valleys.

Throughout the Rockies we face growing cultural and social changes. There's a new breed of people moving here. The farmers, ranchers, and loggers with whom I have worked are as endangered as our open spaces.

While many changes will be good, higher-paying jobs and better medical care for example, I feel a loss when working landscapes are converted to playscapes and subdivisions. The spirituality, open space, and culture of traditional agriculture help keep us from becoming a theme park like Aspen, Colorado.

David Brooks describes this spirituality in his recent book, BOBOS* in Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There. (*bourgeois Bohemians). His occasional visits to Montana are memorialized by the following passage:

"When Montanans begin talking about their sense of place, you hear echoes of the blood and soil nationalism that is more common in Europe than in the States. It's a conservative, even reactionary bond…. It is a bond that is earned through years or even generations of suffering, of blood and sweat dropped onto the ground. It's conservative because it is suspicious of change and anything that would alter the landscape or character of the beloved place."

This spirituality comes from actual experience living and working on the land. Another form of this spirituality is a romantic, non-experiential one held by people who have not worked in agriculture, but appreciate the history, heritage, and landscape of those who have.

However, with commodity prices so low, and the demand for subdivided land so high, farmers and ranchers face strong pressures to sell. Understandably, many are. With the disappearing open space-the farm and ranch lands with their wildlife, winding streams and wide vistas-the agricultural heritage we value is at risk.

An integrated global economy generates increased economic opportunities. People are migrating to this region to live, work, and play, largely because of our valley's amenities. A recent study asked 500 business owners and managers in Gallatin, Park, and Madison counties to rank their reasons for locating in this region. The results showed that amenities such as "scenic beauty" and "quality environment" ranked above traditional business considerations such as "profit maximization". Working farm, ranch, and forest lands are critically important parts of this visual package. National studies reveal similar trends.

FREE, Inc. and Gallatin Writers, Inc. work to preserve these values. We hope you'll join us. On November 7th, Gallatin Valley citizens will have a chance, when they vote on a $10 million bond measure to preserve open space. The money would be used to purchase conservation easements or development rights from agricultural landowners. The goal is to preserve all or part of their land as open space for the long term.

A conservation easement is established when a qualified organization such as the Gallatin Valley Land Trust contracts with a landowner to permanently protect all or part of the land from subdivision and development. The landowner receives compensation for the easement. They retain rights of agricultural use, wildlife and aquatic restoration and sale or gift of the property. My favorite, harvesting timber on private lands, is also permitted. Taxes remain low since the land remains undeveloped.

The purchase of development rights programs have the same effect. Here, the landowner can separate and sell their development rights to the land, but retain all other rights of ownership, including the right to farm, log and transfer ownership.

In Gallatin County, some residential and commercial growth does not pay its way. Agricultural and forestry lands demand less county services. If we raise taxes now by passing the bond, we help prevent the tax increases that may result from future unmanaged development of our agricultural areas. Provisions in the open space bond ensure that owners of open space will be compensated for taxes imposed by the bond. It would be counterproductive to tax those who provide the benefits of open space.

On November 7th, please vote for the bond to preserve open space. It will safeguard environmental amenities and many of the values that make our valley special and our economy so strong. Help farmers and ranchers stick around and preserve our open lands heritage.

Leslie Whitten, a research assistant at FREE contributed to this column.