The decadence of Crazy Mountain Ranch’s green grass

This is an op-ed written by PCEC’s Max Hjortsberg and Erica Lighthiser, published in Montana newspapers.

Crazy Mountain Ranch from EcoFlight.

Water is the lifeblood of Montana and drought is an ever present reality, even in a good year. We walk a tightrope linking those two realities every year, trying to maintain a delicate balance between them. Water grows crops and supports ranching; water also sustains fish and wildlife and the habitat they need. It literally underpins the health and wellbeing of our communities. 

At Park County Environmental Council (PCEC), we believe the health of the ecosystem is directly tied to the health of our communities. One cannot be isolated from the other. That balance was thrown off this summer in the Shields Valley when the Crazy Mountain Ranch altered its water use without going through the proper change of use application procedure with the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC).

In an arid climate like ours, water availability matters, and how and where it is used can have major impacts on the basin. That’s why the water use situation surrounding the golf course at Crazy Mountain Ranch isn’t just a technicality. It’s a big deal.

Crazy Mountain Ranch covers about 18,000 acres and holds multiple water rights across that land. To legally water its private golf course, the ranch needs to apply for a change to those rights — adjusting the volume, season, location, and purpose of use. Each change triggers a review by the DNRC, which studies how it would affect downstream users, wildlife, aquifers, and habitat.

This process is not optional. It exists to prevent harm to neighbors and the environment.

Instead of going through the DNRC review, Crazy Mountain Ranch built an irrigation system and started watering the course last summer. That was illegal. This year, the DNRC stepped in and shut it down. Now, like everyone else, the ranch must wait for its application to go through the proper process.

In the meantime, the ranch has been paying to haul truckloads of around 100,000 gallons of water every single day to keep its course green. That means multiple trucks driving hours each way, day after day, hauling water across Montana.

We have plenty of concerns regarding this watering alternative, primarily around moving water out of neighboring basins, which don’t necessarily have a surplus to share, especially with the drought conditions that are impacting much of the state this year; imagine being a junior water user who just got his irrigation supply shut off, only to watch shiny tankers drive water by to keep some putting greens alive. And what about enormous amounts of fuel, adding air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions?

This sets a dangerous precedent. It sends a message to developers that if you have enough money you can bypass State water law and take the water you need right out of neighboring communities that also rely on it, without consideration of the ecological impacts. We don’t think that undermining the wellbeing of your neighbors, both next door and in the next county, for personal gain is a strategy for long-term success. 

It is also why we believe it’s essential to work with CMR to restore this balance. This summer, we gathered Shields Valley community members—ranchers, neighbors, conservationists, and elected officials—to begin a discussion about our shared concerns.

At PCEC, we believe in showing up with openness and a solutions-oriented mindset, so we invited experts in Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs) to share examples of how these legal contracts can secure tangible, long-term community benefits—like funding for affordable housing, workforce development, or critical water infrastructure—that protect the community, the water and the land we all depend on.

The next step is for CMR to engage in that same spirit. We’re ready to keep the conversation going and do our part—now we need them to do theirs.

While it was a water dispute that brought us together, it will be our shared values that will carry the conversations forward: an honest and open dialogue, a deep respect for the land, and a commitment to community. We may approach them from different angles, but we all agree on their importance as the fibers that hold neighborhoods and communities together, even when we may not always see eye to eye.

No matter what the final outcome of the water rights dispute, and the finished completion of the CMR’s golf course, the bonds that tie our rural communities together will remain strong, and what continues to define the character of Park County.

We would like to see CMR recognize that character, and make a deliberate effort to be the kind of community business Park County deserves. We will continue to support the folks in the Shields to take on these new changes, large and small, and create a more resilient future for everyone who lives and works here.

Max Hjortsberg and Erica Lighthiser are managing directors at the Park County Environmental Council.