Why Being a Good Neighbor is a Good Idea

I borrowed this title from a recent article I read in High Country News that discussed what happens when Western communities work together, and what happens when they don’t. This got me thinking about our communities that make up the Madison, Ruby, and Jefferson valleys, and our opportunities to work together as neighbors. Many people might say that the most remarkable features around this great state are the natural ones: rivers, lakes, soils, trees, grasses, mountains, hills, and wildlife. I believe, then, that the second most remarkable features are our communities and the people within them.

Naturally, there is a direct linkage between communities and the management of our natural resources. As a community, we all know that there is value in our resources. However, the way in which we value them will differ, and that is okay. As neighbors, we can acknowledge our differences, recognize our similarities, and then move forward to find opportunities to address our shared challenges. We can have different ideas, values, backgrounds, practices, and wallet-sizes from our neighbors, and yet still make decisions as individuals to do the right thing for the resource. In the end, what’s good for the resource is also good for our community and our neighbors.

Working with our neighbors to do the “best” thing for the resource might involve a little bit of learning, and might require a little more effort over the “easy” alternative. However, the easy way is not always the right way. Generally, I believe that people want to do the right thing. At the same time, though, there can be a stigma that goes along with trying something non-traditional or out of the ordinary. A good neighbor takes this as an opportunity to be supportive and to learn, and then asks themselves how they too can do the right thing. The good neighbor looks for opportunities to build trust rather than suspicions. When good practices carry across fence lines and streambeds it builds stronger relationships and a healthier landscape.

This might sound a bit “kumbaya,” but maintaining a working relationship with your neighbor really does build a stronger and more resilient landscape and community. Although neighbors will change throughout time, the history of the relationships will stay with the land. This history can take a long time to repair, but fortunately we have the opportunity to renew it every day. It is our responsibility as individuals, neighbors, and community members to decide if we create a history with our neighbors worthy of celebrating or criticizing. Working together to improve the stewardship of our natural resources isn’t just a good idea, it is also just the neighborly thing to do.