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RESOLUTION NUMBER A RESOLUTION TO ADOPT THE MISSOULA CONSERVATION LANDS MANAGEMENT PLAN ESTABLISHING THE GOALS AND GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF THE CITY OF MISSOULA'S OPEN SPACE LANDS. WHEREAS, the City and County of Missoula adopted in August 1995 the Missoula Urban Area Open Space Plan, which was updated in 2006 (“Open Space Plan”), that envisions an open space system for the greater Missoula area; and WHEREAS, a vote of the City of Missoula citizens in November 1995 authorized the Missoula City Council to issue $5 million dollars of Open Space Bonds to acquire open space land in or near the City, as guided by the Open Space Plan; and WHEREAS, a vote of Missoula County citizens in November 2006 authorized the Missoula County Commissioners to issue $10 million dollars of Open Space Bonds to acquire open space land, $5,000,000 of which is allocated for lands in or near the City, as guided by the Open Space Plan; and WHEREAS, pursuant to the Open Space Plan, the City has purchased or otherwise acquired approximately 3,850 acres of open space bonds to date, as shown in the Conservation Lands Management Plan Map “Properties Managed by Conservation Lands Program”; and WHEREAS, in 2003 the City Council thorough the budget process, with support of the Missoula County Extension Office and Weed District, created the Conservation Lands Management Division within the Parks and Recreation Department to manage the City's open spaces; and WHEREAS, the City has not had a comprehensive land management plan to manage this acreage to benefit wildlife, natural ecosystems and the public; and WHEREAS, the Missoula Parks & Recreation Department requested and the City Council approved funding to develop a comprehensive land management plan in 2008; and WHEREAS, the Missoula Conservation Lands Management Plan has been drafted through a public planning process beginning with forming the 20 member citizen Conservation Lands Working Group and the 10 member Conservation Lands Technical Advisory Committee in February 2009, both of which met numerous times from February 2009 till April 2010, and WHEREAS, additional public input was obtained through tat two public open houses held in March 2009 and May 2010; and WHEREAS, Parks & Recreation staff has updated City Council at Conservation Committee public meetings on the progress of drafting the plan on March 19, 2009 and May 5, 2010 and has also given progress reports at several Missoula Parks & Recreation Board meetings in late 2009 and early 2010, and those meetings are open to the public; and ---PAGE BREAK--- WHEREAS, this comprehensive management plan sets forth goals, guiding principles and policies for all types of open space lands, which are managed by the City of Missoula Parks and Recreation Department Conservation Lands Program, to address their individual characteristics, but also to manage the lands together as a system for the benefit of wildlife and the public values of preserving clean water, preserving and managing for native plants, providing nature-based recreation and education, managing the wildland/urban Interface, and addressing growth-related impacts on open space; and WHEREAS, on Ju__ 2010, at the regular meeting of the Missoula Parks & Recreation Board, the Board voted to recommend adoption of the Missoula Conservation Lands Management Plan to the City Council, NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Missoula City Council hereby adopts the Missoula Conservation Lands Management Plan, thereby establishing the goals and guiding principles for the management the City of Missoula's open space lands. PASSED AND ADOPTED this day of 2010. ATTEST: APPROVED: Martha L. Rehbein John Engen City Clerk Mayor (SEAL)