Mission

Celebrate the failure of Referendum 1, a initiative to take away Park County's Growth Policy, and utilize the big-picture perspective to understand and better inform urban growth.

We flew over Paradise and Shields Valleys, examining the areas’ growing population. From above, we could see residential houses and development encroaching on Park County’s natural spaces. To address growth and plan for a sustainable future, a Park County Growth Policy was carefully developed and adopted in 2017.

We conducted many overflights over the last decade for the Growth Policy to show community leaders and concerned citizens the big-picture perspective and illuminate the growing pressures urban sprawl is placing on precious water sources, wild lands, and recreational treasures. Your community and the Park County Commission created the Growth Policy to serve as a roadmap to sustainable growth that protects livelihoods, open space, and wildlife. Recently, a proposal threatened the culture of Park County, and the people’s ability to have a say in it. Referendum 1 - a June 4th ballot initiative aimed to remove Park County’s growth policy. Fortunately, community members and EcoFlight’s partners banded together, starting the Vote No Ref 1 campaign. Their efforts were successful and the Park County Growth Policy will stay in place to secure a sustainable future that protects community values, as well as funding for law enforcement, road maintenance, and waste management.

Our overflight continued over Emigrant Peak, where a recent success, spearheaded by our partners, halted the massive Emigrant gold mine. We flew past Crazy Peak in the Custer-Gallatin National Forest, over Hunters Hot Springs, and the Crazy Mountain Ranch.

Thank you to our partners for your work to steward and preserve the amazing values of Park County!

Click for photos, aerial footage from the flight, or geo-referenced photos from the flight.