UMW Alumna to Share Beaverhead County Survey Findings

University of Montana Western alumna Dr. Beth Bennett, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Idaho State University, and Dr. Jessica Schad, Professor of Sociology at Utah State University, will present the results of Dr. Bennett’s 2024 Beaverhead County Community Survey on April 20 at 6:30 p.m. in the STC Great Room.

During the summer of 2024, Dr. Bennett and Dr. Schad distributed a survey regarding attitudes and perceptions around community and land ownership change in Beaverhead County.

The results point to the strong attachment residents have to their community. Seventy-one percent of respondents stated that they “very much” plan to remain in Beaverhead County, while 66% indicated concern for community change, noting that more and new people moving to Beaverhead County are changing the community.

The greatest areas of concern for respondents are the loss of agricultural land to housing developments and very wealthy individuals purchasing land in Beaverhead County.

Overall, residents supported land being used for agricultural production, to maintain open space, recreation, and wildlife habitat, but were uncertain of the role that landowners play in ensuring land is used for those purposes.

During the April 20 event, they will share detailed results of the survey and hope the community will join to share their thoughts on the results.

The event is free and open to the public.

To learn more about the project, visit https://chass.usu.edu/sociology/canri or contact Dr. Beth Bennett at benneliz@isu.edu.