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Historical buildings and unaltered sagebrush prairie and wetlands will be preserved. YRPA and its partners will develop a plan for the preservation and restoration of these properties and their buildings. In 2021 negotiations were completed to secure the deeds to the 288-acre Dover-Sindelar Ranch and the 198-acre quarry. Hundreds of volunteers from the nearby Harvest Church were instrumental in opening the park to the public in 2016. YRPA volunteers have gradually restored the pastures on the southernmost 140-acres over five years, adding three miles of groomed trails and a trailhead with a trail parking lot, picnic facilities, and vault toilets. Most of the park is under perpetual conservation easement through The Nature Conservancy. The park is due to the vision and philanthropy of the landowners, the Dover-Sindelar family, and named for John Dover, the family’s patriarch, who homesteaded the area beginning in 1884. Dover Memorial Park is a 626-acre park, with only 140-acres open to the public currently. At the MAC and other areas, high schools and both colleges use YRPA parks as outdoor labs and classrooms. Their ANTS program (Audubon Naturalists in Schools) provides year-long, field-trip-based programming to elementary school students in Billings and the surrounding area. The MAC welcomes over 50 preschoolers each week for outdoor, nature-based schooling. “It has become an integral part of the Billings educational community,” says Roger Williams, a past president and member of YRPA. A priority is placed on protecting native plants and conserving wildlife habitat – and inviting people to immerse themselves in it all.Ī unique opportunity to engage with YRPA’s wide open spaces is at the Montana Audubon Center. Developed trails wind through untamed natural areas – golden grasses, chirping birds, flowing water, cottonwood stands, teeming insects, and still ponds. Most of YRPA’s parks host over 100 visitors a day (Riverfront & Norm’s Island see over 200) and offer visitors an opportunity to connect with nature.
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YRPA now either owns or helps to manage more than 2,000 acres of publicly accessible natural parkland in Billings.
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The organization’s slogan is simple – “Go with the flow.” Over the years, this mantra and their clear vision have yielded a significant impact. Through donations of time, talent, and resources, YRPA began creating, improving, and maintaining parks and trails along the river. Founded in 1991, YRPA had the vision to bring a Yellowstone River Greenway to the Billings area. One organization in Billings has made it its mission to improve and maintain public lands along the Yellowstone River for the enjoyment of the community and its visitors – Yellowstone River Parks Association, familiarly known as YRPA.
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