Mission

From the air, we focused on the development at the Crazy Mountain Ranch golf course and the threats it poses to the region's water resource, flying with Park County Environmental Council and local ranchers who are greatly affected by this water use.

Crazy Mountain Ranch is an 18,000-acre property once known as the Marlboro Ranch. This is where a new 18-hole golf course has raised serious concerns. Despite lacking proper water rights, the ranch installed pipes to irrigate the golf course and trucked in sod for the greens - drawing on resources that ranchers, wildlife, and downstream communities depend on.

This flight took place at a critical moment. The Montana’s Department of Natural Resources and Conservation has ordered the ranch to stop illegal irrigation and has reached an agreement requiring the ranch to disclose water sources and limit irrigation to legally purchased water. The issue needs strong public engagement - the ranch has already trucked in more than a million gallons from the town of Big Timber before those sales were halted, and has sourced water from the Four Corners region and Boulder, MT.

It was meaningful to have local ranchers onboard to see firsthand how water misuse threatens livelihoods and the health of this fragile landscape. The Crazy Mountains -Awaxaawippíia to the Apsáalooke - are sacred lands, an ecological stronghold, and a vital source of water for communities and wildlife alike. Ensuring that these resources are not illegally depleted is central to protecting both the people who live here and the integrity of the range itself.

We’re grateful our passengers could see this issue from above and share in the effort to bring greater awareness to the challenges and solutions facing the Crazies.

Click for photos, aerial GoPro Video, and geo-referenced photos (download and open in Google Earth).