Viewpoint: Preserving Montana’s heritage matters

Carl Davis

Preserve Montana, a Helena-based nonprofit organization, serves the great state of Montana by helping to protect its historically significant buildings and sites, traditional landscapes and cultural heritage.

For more than 35 years, we have worked diligently and effectively with local citizen groups to find ways to preserve, restore, use and promote heritage sites that are important to the identity of Montana communities and our state.

Why is Preserve Montana’s mission important?

Historic preservation is an economic driver, as clearly seen through dollars generated from heritage tourism. In 2024, Americans spent 140 billion dollars on international leisure travel. Millions of those U.S. tourists visited heritage sites ranging from Stonehenge to Angor Wat to Normandy Beach.

At home, some 1.25 million visitors spent 5.45 billion dollars visiting Big Sky Country. Thousands of those tourists spent time at Bannack, First Peoples Buffalo Jump, Virginia City and a litany of other historical sites, museums and cultural landmarks.

People everywhere spend their time and hard-earned cash visiting heritage sites to gain a personal sense of history, connection and wonder, which are impossible to gain from books, exhibits, interpretive signs and virtual media alone. Seeing is believing. As classical writings and graffiti on ancient monuments attest, heritage tourism is nearly as old as civilization itself.

Whether in England, Mexico or Montana, these well-loved and irreplaceable heritage sites do not exist because of altruism, philanthropy and good will alone. Far from it. They survive primarily because of the strong will, commitment, advocacy, cooperation and sweat equity of everyday people who care deeply about the importance of not forgetting our history and past.

In Montana, nonpartisan community preservation groups, local governments, state and federal agencies, and nonprofits like Preserve Montana work cooperatively to get the boots-on-the-ground historic preservation job done. Their efforts rely on the resources and generosity of members, donors, private- and public-sector partners, and federal and state grant programs.

Unfortunately, our state legislature is now considering reactionary legislation that will adversely affect historic preservation efforts across Montana. Proposed amendments to House Bill 9-Cultural & Aesthetic grants would redefine eligibility requirements and application review criteria.

Similarly, amendments discussed to House Bill 12-Montana Historic Preservation grants would reduce the scope of work eligibility for preservation projects. Senate Bill 214 removes the authority for local historic preservation boards to make decisions about zoning permit and variance applications that affect a designated historic property. Individually and combined, these proposed bills would affect historic preservation collaboration and opportunity, as well as the character, integrity and viability of hundreds of historic buildings and districts across Montana.

This is truly cutting off the nose to spite the face.

Preserve Montana is hardly against change. Nor do we desire to “save everything.” Rather, we work with citizens from all walks of life to ensure that historically significant cultural sites are given a fair shake as Montana communities evolve and landscapes change. We promote balanced development. Moreover, we help put old buildings back in use and on local tax rolls; facilitate private investment in building rehabilitation through historic tax credits; provide historic preservation technical assistance and elbow grease; and work to maintain economically viable and attractive community “main streets.” Preserve Montana helps ensure those opportunities exist for all Montanans and their communities.

Article 9, Section 4 of the Montana Constitution provides for the “identification, acquisition, restoration, enhancement, preservation and administration” of cultural resources for “use and enjoyment by the people” of Montana.

Once a heritage site is diminished, removed or destroyed without a reasonable and transparent opportunity to look at alternatives, we renege on those constitutional responsibilities, forego potential economic, educational and cultural benefits, and irrevocably sever our visible past from our unknown future.

Carl Davis is Chair, Board of Directors of Preserve Montana and a retired Regional Archaeologist with the U.S. Forest Service. For more information see preservemontana.org.