After an announcement last August that Citizens for a Better Flathead would be suspending its operations after 28 years due to a lack of funding, the watchdog group is back following an outpouring of financial donations and has a similar vision, but narrowed focus.

According to the organization’s board co-chair and former director Mayre Flowers, the group will continue to look at challenges related to growth in the Flathead Valley, including zoning and land use, public transportation and water quality.

“We are feisty,” Flowers told the Inter Lake. “The issues we have had a pulse on for years are issues the community needs to be aware of, and helping to inform them on how they can be part of these discussions is critical. So we’re back and ready to serve our valley.”

However, as the nonprofit continues to pick up steam once more both financially, and staff and volunteer-wise, some sacrifices have had to be made along the way.

The nonprofit will no longer be taking the lead on Go Local Flathead, a magazine that aims to highlight local businesses and entrepreneurs in the Flathead Valley. Go Local will still be published, but is now spearheaded by Highline Designs.

In addition, the group has also taken a small step back from the WasteNot Project, but is working with Flathead County and local schools to find out how to keep the program running in an efficient and effective manner. The program, which focuses on reducing waste and recycling in the Flathead, has been led by Citizens led for 26 years.

Flowers says Citizens will continue to support both programs in any way they are able, but broad policy issues and specific neighborhood issues will now dominate the group’s attention and efforts moving forward.

“In recent years the organization had started pulling back from the land-use policy work we had done historically, and what we heard from supporters as we began to rebuild, is people wanted to see us refocus on that,” Flowers said.

The past 28 years of the organization’s work throughout the community has been extensive.

As one example, Citizens challenged a Flathead County policy in 2014 that removed the required 45-day public comment period for zoning changes. The efforts successfully reversed the decision and prompted other changes within the flawed portions of the county’s planning policies.

And the organization certainly doesn’t have a shortage of issues on its plate moving forward, Flowers said.

The consolidation of agricultural zones throughout the valley as development expands has always been, and will continue to be, a focus of theirs as county leaders have “indicated they will be looking at these ag zoning issues in the near future,” Flowers said. She added that the North Kalispell and Whitefish Stage areas will be of particular interest to Citizens.

Aside from zoning, Flowers emphasized how Whitefish and Kalispell both plan to update their transportation plans and are undertakings the public should have a deep say in.

“These plans the cities are embarking on will have broad implications,” Flowers said. “These things can take years of meetings and hearings, and we need to help the public stay informed on the process and exactly what is being looked at.”

On the water and environmental advocacy front, policy issues related to groundwater protection and septic and industrial development will assume a great deal of Citizen’s attention. These are two issues that have long fallen within the nonprofit’s wheelhouse of interests, with one example being their participation in several suits involving the Montana Artesian Water Co.’s bottling plant in Creston. The group has worked with Yes! For Flathead Farms and Water off and on over the years to battle the facility’s permitted water bottling operations.

“This is something we have been involved in for quite some time and we are extremely supportive of the organizations and neighborhood that has fought this,” Flowers said. “We have one plant that is proposed, but what if we have three or four? How do we protect our groundwater resources in the long term?”

FLOWERS, who had retired in 2017 but returned in 2019 to mentor the organization’s new board and soon-to-be new staff, said the efforts to resurrect the nonprofit over the past few months have been extensive.

“The board and volunteers have been tireless with their efforts in reaching out to the membership and working to rebuild Citizens,” Flowers said. “We are ready to get back to work for our valley where we are needed and re-engage the public on these matters as well.”

To the dismay of many in the valley — albeit to the satisfaction of others, namely those who have been on the receiving end of lawsuits over the years — the group closed its doors after coming up $100,000 short of what was required to maintain an operational budget.

At the time, board members said the decision to suspend operations was an unfortunate, but necessary one. However, Flowers urged the board to rethink their decision and loop in steadfast supporters to find an alternative and regain a financial foothold — a calling that was answered by many those who have backed Citizens’ for years.

“We are quite humbled and are overwhelmed by the outpouring of individuals who renewed their support for our work. We have always had committed donors from those who can donate $35 a year to $1,000 a year and we couldn’t have done this without all of them,” Flowers said.

According to a recent press release, a few weeks after Citizens launched a “Year End - Rebuild Citizens” fundraising campaign, about $50,000 came in. The contributions will go toward annual operating expenses and the hiring of new staff. An additional $30,000 is needed to meet 2020 budget goals.

Kianna Gardner can be reached at 758-4407 or kgardner@dailyinterlake.com