SigMT

SiG MT 62 Janet described the BSCNHA corporation's board of directors as a "largely self-appointed and self-anointed" entity which operates under a "self-generated authority." "One of the benefits of an NHA is supposed to be citizen voice or resident voice," she explained. "But there's no obligation for them to allow citizen participation in their meetings because they are a private corporation – despite the fact that the decisions that they are making are going to affect the land that you and I own." Opponents of the proposal have expressed concern that an NHA designation would mark the beginning of a slippery slope that would gradually strip landowners' rights over time. Some are worried that the BSCNHA board of directors could approach local government leaders in the future to ask for eminent domain and zoning changes. "Its not the federal government that's going to come knocking on your door to say, 'hey, we'd like to take 100 acres of your property,'" Janet explained. "It's going to be a local ask. To me, that doesn't make the ask any more palatable." Jane said the board was established by a group of volunteers who were all interested in bringing the potential benefits of an NHA designation to the area. "Like any not-for-profit organization, the board sought individuals with an interest in the mission of the NHA effort and their ability to contribute a specialty," she noted. She denied allegations the board is not accountable to any other entities. "We are accountable to meet the corporation requirements of the State of Montana and to our funders and to the federal requirements of a [nonprofit] organization," she said. e BSCNHA argued it has made extensive efforts to gather feedback from community members over the course of the past several years – to include holding multiple presentations and public meetings in various communities. According to the dra feasibility study released by the BSCNHA on July 1, the corporation spoke with a total of 1,474 residents regarding the proposed NHA prior to the dra's completion. ose contacts, labeled in the study as "citizen encounters," represent just 1.7 percent of the people who would be impacted by the NHA, Janet pointed out. Cattle dine on the lush, green buffet. The next generation is the future of the Thayers' A-2 Ranch. "One of the benefits of an NHA is supposed to be citizen voice or resident voice," she explained. "But there's no obligation for them to allow citizen participation in their meetings because they are a private corporation – despite the fact that the decisions that they are making are going to affect the land that you and I own."

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