Connections Between Community and Environment A Report on Social, Economic and Environmental Indicators In the Clark Fork Basin Mapping by Rankin Holmes, Big Sky Conservation Institute
Population growth is concentrated in a few counties
Compare migration of new residents with natural amenities …
Per capita income is up overall, but poverty still exists
New jobs in the basin are primarily in services, especially in the more urban counties. Flathead County Lake, Missoula, and Ravalli counties show similar job trends
It’s a different story in the rural counties…
More economic indicators…
less affordable for the average family Houses are becoming less affordable for the average family Ravalli
Social indicators tend to follow economic indicators
How do environmental indicators tie in? The areas containing the highest proportion of protected lands are also some of the areas that have seen the highest rates of population growth, and can claim robust economic indicators.
Meanwhile we still need to clean up problems of the past,
We need to mitigate existing problems,
And we need to work toward solving current and evolving problems caused by growth.
That includes preserving those amenities that fuel economic growth in our basin
Environmental health and community health are inextricably linked. We need to sustain both.