Update on the Crazy Mountain Ranch Golf Course Development

Like you, we care deeply about the Shields Valley and the Crazy Mountains. 

Over the years, PCEC has worked with local communities to conserve habitat, improve access to public lands, promote holistic weed management, and deepen our understanding of the complex histories and connections to this landscape. Our goal is to help people live in better balance with nature—and with each other—for the sake of wildlife, working lands, and future generations.

That’s why the situation unfolding at Crazy Mountain Ranch (CMR) is so troubling.

Shields Valley residents have raised serious concerns about escalating impacts—from helicopter traffic and a sprawling network of new roads, to dust, damage to a public bridge from CMR’s heavy equipment, and now the latest dispute: development of an 18-hole golf course without the legal water rights to irrigate it.

Despite CMR’s public statements that they don’t intend to subdivide or sell individual properties, their development has caused considerable disruptions to the local community. The reality in Park County is stark: without local guardrails—such as zoning, or permitting processes to guide and limit development—there is little to nothing we can do locally to stop or even limit large-scale commercial development. Too often, these situations pit neighbor against neighbor.

CMR has already damaged relationships with their neighbors—and is now knowingly violating state law.

Since 2024, CMR has been illegally diverting water from Rock Creek to irrigate their new luxury golf course without the required authorization from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC). Montana law requires state approval before changing the location or purpose of a water right to prevent harm to other users and the ecosystem.

At a May community meeting, CMR representatives admitted to neighboring landowners that they are watering the golf greens without the proper change permits. They acknowledged they understand the rules—but said they’ll keep irrigating at a rate of 2,700 gallons per minute unless legally forced to stop. 

In response, 12 local water users filed formal complaints against CMR and a District Judge appointed a ditch rider to ensure proper water use on Rock Creek.

The DNRC has now filed a lawsuit against CMR, alleging that the guest ranch does not have a valid water right.

The water from Rock Creek was shut off on July 10 but CMR immediately began trucking in water to irrigate their golf course. By CMR's own estimates, they may haul up to 110,000 gallons of water per week requiring 15-35 trucks per day.

This action raises numerous questions: Do they have a water right for this new water? Where is it coming from? And what are the environmental risks, like spreading invasive species and other pathogens? In the midst of a hot, dry summer dominated by drought conditions, what impacts does removing water from another basin have on that community or watershed? What are the climate impacts of such an intensive, fossil fuel-dependent operation?

We are actively seeking out answers to these questions. But one thing is already clear: this situation has pitted neighbor against neighbor, and torn at the fabric of the Shields Valley's small agricultural community.

This is about more than the illegal use of water.

Eventually, CMR may secure the necessary permits. But their decision to move forward with construction—knowing they didn’t yet have legal authority to irrigate—is creating real consequences for their neighbors and the broader community. Rather than following the law and engaging the community, they pushed ahead, and now there are not just legal consequences, but a lasting erosion of trust. 

This situation should serve as a cautionary tale—yet another example of how large-scale development can arrive in Park County with little oversight or accountability. Without local guardrails in place, we risk losing the character and unique wild landscape that define this place. At its core, this is about whether the rules that protect our shared resources apply to all of us—and whether our future is determined by community values or subverted by outside interests with deeper pockets.

It raises a fundamental question: Who gets to shape the future of Park County?

We need local tools—like zoning and permitting—to guide industrial, commercial and residential development and protect the people and wild landscapes that define Park County. These guardrails are strongest when made by and for the community. A great example is the recent effort by residents in Suce Creek to create a citizen-initiated zoning district to prevent commercial development in their rural neighborhood. We also need developers that recognize their responsibility to wildlife habitat, clean water, and the people of Park County.

We’ll keep showing up in the Shields Valley—listening, learning, assisting where needed and sharing what we learn. We’re committed to standing with the community and defending the land, water, and values that make this place.