Date: Mar 24, 2026
Published By: The Montana Standard
Guest View, Greenway Service District Board – Montana Standard March 24, 2026
In Superfund communities like ours, progress doesn’t always arrive with fanfare. Often it comes quietly and incrementally — mile by mile, bridge by bridge, acre by acre — until one day you realize something remarkable is taking shape. That is exactly what has happened along the Silver Bow Creek corridor.
The Silver Bow Creek Greenway stands as one of the most ambitious environmental restoration and public access projects in Montana — and indeed, in the nation. What was once a ravaged landscape besieged with mining tailings has been transformed into more than 2,100 acres of land secured for public use, 5.8 million cubic yards of tailings removed, 70-plus acres of wetlands created, 12 pedestrian bridges and five trailheads built, and public access along 14 miles of streamside trail. Silver Bow Creek itself has been restored. Wildlife has returned. People have returned. And perhaps most importantly, hope has returned in a vision of a future beyond restoration.
This did not happen by accident.
It happened because local leaders in Butte-Silver Bow and Anaconda-Deer Lodge Counties had the foresight to create the Greenway Service District in 1998, establishing a unified entity to guide restoration, access, and stewardship of Silver Bow Creek. It happened because state agencies including the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and the Natural Resource Damage Program invested in restoration work to ensure public benefit. It happened because of partnerships with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, the Montana Department of Transportation, and conservation leaders like George Grant Trout Unlimited who all lent their support and resources to the effort.
Most important, it happened through a long-term commitment to doing things the right way.
Every acre acquired, every easement secured, and every bridge constructed followed public processes, competitive bidding, and careful oversight. Millions of dollars in construction and restoration were administered transparently and responsibly. Today, more than 80 percent of the restored corridor is accessible to the public — an extraordinary return on investment that benefits residents, visitors, wildlife, and future generations. Consultation with professional accessibility consultants, community members and people with disabilities ensures that the trails are accessible to the maximum extent feasible.
This Greenway is more than a trail. It is a symbol of what reclamation can truly mean, not just cleaning up the past, but building something better for the future. It supports recreation, tourism, economic development, and quality of life. It connects communities both physically and symbolically. It proves that environmental restoration and economic vitality go hand in hand.
The work is not finished. Plans are well underway to extend the trail by four additional miles and construct two new bridges through Durant Canyon, truly an environmental gem. Each new mile strengthens the connection between people and place.
In an era when public trust can feel fragile, the Silver Bow Creek Greenway offers something rare: proof that when communities, agencies, and citizens work together with a shared vision, lasting good can emerge.
This Greenway represents decades of persistence, cooperation, and belief in the future of our region. It belongs to all of us. And it stands as a reminder that even the most damaged landscapes — and even the most challenged communities—can be restored, renewed, and reimagined.
That is a legacy worth protecting. Join us in seeing it to completion.
The Greenway Service District Board representing Anaconda-Deer Lodge and Butte-Silver Bow Counites: Milo Manning, chair; Butch Gerbrandt, BSB Commissioner; Ed Beaudette, ADL Commissioner; Shawn Fredrickson, BSB Representative; Carl Hamming, ADL Representative; Ed Simonich, public; Kay Eccleston, public; Mike Patterson, public and Al Kesselheim, public.
