Resilient Communities

Part of what makes Park County special is how many people are working to make the community a better place, using their unique expertise to improve our overall quality of life.

At PCEC, we partner with passionate community volunteers to amplify those skills and help make Park County thrive, with a special focus on the environment. 

Our community programs include:

TREE FUND

Livingston loves trees. Nearly 4,000 trees grace Livingston's boulevards and public spaces. They bring beauty, provide shade in the summertime, habitat for wildlife and shelter from our infamous wind!

But maintaining a healthy community forest is more challenging than ever, and ash trees -- about half of Livingston's community trees -- are threatened by the emerald ash borer, invasive beetles that have already killed millions of ash trees across the country.

To mitigate the impacts of climate change and invasive insects and improve the resiliency of our community forest in 2021, PCEC launched the Tree Fund! A restricted fund to purchase, plant and care for new trees! Want to help PCEC create a more resilient community forest? Donate to the Tree Fund or sign up to receive a Free Boulevard Tree!

Boomerang Bags

The Boomerang Bags project is an initiative aimed at reducing the use of plastic bags by engaging community members in upcycling fiber from the community to make home-sewn reusable bags as a fun sustainable alternative. Launched in 2018, PCEC has hosted three community sewing bees and volunteers have made over 250 bags which are available at five different businesses: Town & Country Foods, Livingston Public Library, FoodWorks, PCEC table at Farmers Market and Glenn’s of Clyde Park. 

Boomerang Bags Sewers Volunteer to Sew Masks

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, PCEC's Boomerang Bag volunteers are now sewing personal protective equipment (PPE) for our front line health care professionals at Livingston Health Care! Masks, scrubs and gowns are all needed. Do you have a sewing machine at home? Have extra fabric or elastic to donate? Please help sew PPE for Livingston HealthCare!? If you’re interested in joining in, please sign up below.

How to use and care for your mask.

Sustainable Waste

In partnership with the Western Sustainability Exchange, we are working to reduce waste at the Farmers Market. The first phase is introducing composting at the market and helping ensure vendors have compostable products that will be turned into productive soil. PCEC is at the market every Wednesday to educate shoppers about waste and aid in the transition.

L-Town Soup

Sometimes a creative project just needs a little money to get off the ground. L-Town Soup is a community micro-granting dinner where local groups pitch project ideas that they need help funding and attendees vote on the winning pitch. At PCEC, we are proud to partner with Soundcolor Studios and AMB West Philanthropies to help put on the annual event. Past winners have included new cross-country skis for the Gardiner School, recycling programs at Shields Valley High School and Park High School and a tool-lending program at the Livingston-Park County Public Library.

Active Transportation Coalition

The Active Transportation Coalition is a group of citizens and county officials who are working to make Park County more walkable, bikeable and transit-friendly. At PCEC, we facilitate the coalition and help work to enhance safety and sustainability in local transportation. Past projects include the pedestrian flags at the corner of Park and Main streets and curb extensions at Fifth and Callender streets.

Yellowstone City 30K

The Yellowstone City 30K race brings runners through our public lands and showcases PCEC’s commitment to getting outside and sustainability. The 18+ mile race each September is from Sage Lodge to Chico Hot Springs cuts through some of the most beautiful scenery Park County has to offer, including the historic Yellowstone City gold settlement, where some of the first gold seekers came to Montana to find fortune. 

To learn more and register visit: RunSignUp.com  

Conservation Leaders

To help foster the next generation of conservation leaders, we at PCEC believe in being available to mentor youth in our community and connect them to organizations working toward a more sustainable future. We do this through our high school internship program, a Patagonia internship program, work with the Community School Collaborative’s Cougar Fridays program, Watershed Warriors and the Park High Green Initiative and the poetry program.

Trail Cleanups

The U.S. Highway 89 rail trail connects Livingston to Paradise Valley, and keeping it clean is a community job. The Park County Environmental Council has adopted the trail and hosts annual trail cleanups on the trail. We also frequently partner with other groups to maintain other trails in Park County.