Peaks to Plains Design led a consulting team that includes an environmental engineer, a public facilitator and cultural anthropologist to develop a management plan for a 3,052 acre historic battlefield in Southeastern Montana. The Park is known for the 1876 Battle of Rosebud Creek, where the Northern Cheyenne and Sioux Indians successfully turned back General Crook at 13,00 troops. Eight days later, Colonel George Custer met his fate just over 30 miles away at the Battle of Little Big Horn. The project is for the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) and includes coordinating with seven Native American Tribes, three governmental agencies and over a dozen private interests.

The management plan addresses issues such as public access, archaeological preservation, visitor services, interpretation, mineral rights, maintenance, staffing and fiscal resources. A 16 member volunteer advisory committee, who represented multiple interests, helped guide the plan development with eight meetings over one year. We facilitated two focus groups and three public “town hall” meetings. With the use of a professional facilitator, we were able to objectively collect the data from the stakeholders, and then collate that data into key themes that represents the desires of the multiple interests. The plan need to balance the need for tourism development, infrastructure improvements, cultural sensitivity, energy development and long-term viability with maintenance and staffing requirements. The plan obtained its final approval in April 2008.

AWARD WINNER: The Rosebud Battlefield State Park Management Plan has won a Merit Award from the Idaho/Montana American Society of Landscape Architects. A merit award signifies significant superior professional accomplishment in landscape architecture.  The RBSP Management Plan won the award in the category of “Resource Conservation,” which celebrates projects that restore, conserve or evaluate the landscape and its natural systems.

The awards jury had the following comments about the project:

• Landscape architect led project; brings great recognition to the profession of landscape architecture.
• Broad collaboration between many different and varying organizations, tribes, and groups is very impressive.
• The fact that this plan was immediately put into action speaks highly of the landscape architect, the project team and volunteers.
• Professional facilitation to help develop the plan allowed for a bias free collaboration.
• Appreciative planning concept instead of problem solving approach was an innovative way to look at the opportunities that exist instead of identifying problems and issues and then solving those.
• The entire story is told – not just a piece of the story during a certain period in time; story told from prehistoric, historic and modern times.

Baxter Creek Wetlands Complex, Bozeman, Montana

Bozeman Lakes LLC

As a part of the Valley West Subdivision, over 15 acres is dedicated to wetland mitigation and creation. Working as a collaborative team, Peaks to Plains Design assisted in the design and layout of new wetlands and reconstructed wetlands in a large part of the planned unit development. Engineers and scientists were tasked with the scientific monitoring of the subsurface hydrology, permitting and construction staking. Peaks to Plains Design complimented their work by integrating the necessary environmental mediation with public access. Specifically, we designed the trail layout and connections, boardwalks and active-use areas associated with the creation of the 12-acre Wing Lake. The wetland mitigation was completed in 2008 an the active-use areas will be constructed in the near future. The Valley West Subdivision has received numerous awards and recognition for its superior design excellence. Jolene worked on the initial master plan and development under Fischer and Associates and has continued working on the project ever since.