Officials tour parkway route to forge collaboration

Local leaders and members of the Crow Nation who love the Big Horn Canyon region came together with local, state and federal officials for a tour of the long proposed Big Horn Canyon Parkway Thursday as the various entities came together for a meeting of the minds on the project.Organized by Lovell Inc. Director Dave Reetz, the day began with a boat tour of Big Horn Lake from Ft. Smith, Mont., to Horseshoe Bend through the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area. There, the parties gathered for a lunch sponsored by the Town of Lovell.After lunch, the group boarded four vehicles for a tour through the recreation area on the park road with a stop at Devil’s Canyon Overlook, continuing north through the Crow Reservation near the proposed parkway route and back to Ft. Smith.“The goal was to bring together the federal, Crow and local entities, building on what Keith Grant and John Hyde had done in December of 2015 to gain the consent of the Crow Nation to proceed,” Reetz said in a follow-up interview Tuesday. “At that time Chairman Darrin Old Coyote said he was in favor of proceeding (with the project).”[caption id="attachment_11563" align="alignright" width="300"] Crow Nation legislator Eric Bird In Ground makes a point during a meeting at Horseshoe Bend Friday as Crow economic development advisor Robert Howe and former Big Horn County commissioner Keith Grant look on prior to a driving tour of the proposed Big Horn Canyon Parkway.
David Peck photo[/caption]Taking the tour were Reetz, former Big Horn County commissioner Grant and his son Bo, current commissioner Hyde, Rep. Elaine Harvey, Crow Nation economic development advisor Robert Howe and his son Everett Howe, tribal legislator Eric Bird In Ground, Crow Safety Director Henry Rides Horse, National Park Service Montana-Wyoming State Coordinator John Keck, Bighorn Canyon Chief of Resources Virginia DuBowy, National Park Service Zone 1 (regional) Safety Manager Tyler Ennis, Lovell Town Administrator Jed Nebel, Sen. John Barrasso’s State Director Kristi Wallin, Jon Rosenbaum of Sen. Steve Daines’ Washington, D.C. office, Liz Ching from Montana Gov. Steve Bullock’s Office of Economic Development and Lovell Inc. board president David Peck.Also on the boat tour were Brian Clifford of Sen. Barrasso’s Washington, D.C. office and his wife Becky, along with Sen. Barrasso’s field representatives Oaklee Anderson and Denise Ebzery.Joining the group at Horseshoe Bend were Lovell Mayor Angel Montanez, who gave welcoming remarks, Lovell Area Chamber of Commerce President Joseph Shumway and Lovell Chamber Office Manager Celecia Gallagher.“Keith has been working with Robert Howe for years on the project, and Keith and I worked with John Rogers, Gov. Bullock’s economic development director, on the Wild West Initiative,” Reetz said, explaining that the Initiative is a four-state regional initiative to promote smaller parks through loop tours. “Liz Ching was representing John on the tour. He’s shown a lot of support for Wyoming.“This has been made possible by Keith and John’s (Hyde) work to develop trust and a good relationship with the Crow Nation. Also working diligently has been Elaine (Harvey). And over the years John Keck has been a great resource and has shown interest in the development of Bighorn Canyon.”During the gathering at Horseshoe Bend Reetz talked about the partnerships being forged to bring people together for the betterment of the economy and future of the parkway project, and Howe spoke about his desire to see the modernization of the economic system on the reservation to promote free market development in a self-determination way, Reetz said.Eric Bird In Ground agreed with Reetz on the need to forge partnerships and collaborative efforts, and Grant provided a history of the project and passed out a packet of information to participants.Grant said Tuesday that, while the tour didn’t take participants as far to the eastern portion of the area as he had hoped for, the communication and meeting of the minds was valuable for continuation of the parkway project.Reetz agreed.“The whole trip built a spirit of cooperation and good will,” he said. “We all felt it during the trip. It was fun to get out and share a common interest. The Crow Nation’s leaders are seeing this as being critical to the future of economic development and building a better economy and quality of life for their citizens, a part of their overall economic development strategy.”Reetz and Grant expressed thanks to Sen. Barrasso and his staff for inviting and welcoming Sen. Daines’ and Gov. Bullock’s representatives to the tour, to Shumway and Gallagher from the Lovell Area Chamber for their support and to the Town of Lovell for providing the lunch served on Thursday.

By David Peck