BRIDGER BOWL SKI AREA
BOZEMAN – Bridger Bowl is proud to achieve carbon neutrality for their direct emissions through the purchase of carbon offsets from Native, a Public Benefit Corporation and the Northern Great Plains Improved Grazing Project.
As part of its long-standing commitment to minimizing its environmental impact, Bridger Bowl set an ambitious goal to achieve complete carbon neutrality by 2035. Given Bridger’s deep roots in the community, Sustainability Director Bonnie Hickey prioritized a local partnership. “That Native’s fully vetted project helps improve Montana ranch lands and bring them to full potential was very appealing,” said Hickey.
A process called regenerative grazing uses grasses’ ability to capture carbon from the air and store it in the soil. The partnership between Native and the Western Sustainability Exchange recruits and educates ranchers, then measures and verifies their progress in capturing carbon in the soil.
Bridger Bowl is helping to expand regenerative grazing practices in the Northern Great Plains by supporting this effort.
“We, at Native, are proud to support Bridger Bowl in their thoughtful and local climate action,” said Jenna Pugliese, Director of Client Strategy at Native, a Public Benefit Corporation. “By offsetting their direct emissions through their backing of the Northern Great Plains Improved Grazing Project, they are supporting ranchers and carbon sequestration right in their backyard.”
In the meantime, Bridger Bowl is striving to reduce its direct fossil fuel usage by actions such as using all Tier III snow groomers, transitioning their snowmobile fleet to four strokes, planning grooming routes for maximum efficiency and adding engine heaters to reduce or eliminate idling time. As Bridger works to move farther away from fossil fuel use in the coming years, capturing carbon in the soil helps offset their energy use in the meantime.
“We’re excited that Native can help Bridger Bowl manage our operational footprint,” said Hickey. “In addition to tourism and recreation, ranching is a huge economic driver in the state’s economy. Restoring and protecting that ecosystem while sequestering carbon makes sense.”
Bridger’s new effort builds on years of efficient operations, conservation, and energy reduction. This partnership denotes another significant step in protecting their operations, the community they serve, and the planet. Read more about the project.
