Growth gobbling up fertile farmland in Montana

Jim Paugh has lived and worked most of his life in what is now referred to as the "golden triangle."

The rolling hills surrounded by Bozeman, Belgrade and Four Corners encompass acres of wheat fields, cattle ranches and expensive, upscale homes.

As many as 5,000 additional homes are expected to be built there in the coming years — enough to populate a small city with more residents than Livingston.

For many, the area represents the American dream, a chunk of Southwest Montana with a view of the mountains right out the back door.

But for farmers and ranchers like Paugh, it represents what the Gallatin Valley has become: crowded, unappreciative and a place where even the battle for water has become too much to bear.

"I couldn’t stand to be here anymore," the 78-year-old Paugh quipped, sitting in his pickup near the home he grew up in and looking out at the high-end development that now surrounds it. "There’s too many people and I’m so bitter about the water that I need to get out."

By KELLYN BROWN, Chronicle Staff Writer

Full Story: http://bozemandailychronicle.com/articles/2005/10/03/news/01agdevelopment.txt