A rural land use project originated in the early 1970s when a landowner approached the University of Montana's Department of Geography asking for assistance in planning the use of more than 10,000 acres. The planning process evolved into four phases; the first three phases (biophysical assessment, capability analysis, and master planning) have been completed and Phase 4, site planning, is forthcoming. Biophysical assessment was the process of systematically defining characteristics of the land resource/environment as a basis for subsequent decision-making. Those data were then used in the capability analysis to assess ability of the resource to support various kinds of activities. Using the "relatively objective" capability assessment, the Master Plan evolved by evaluating appropriate use patterns through assessment of the suitability of specific parcels for various uses given cultural, economic, political, and environmental constraints. An integrated team-design approach was used in the Master Plan whereby social organization and supportive service elements were comingled utilizing land capability and sociological wisdom. While the planning did not develop a perfect system, it does demonstrate that economically and environmentally sound decisions are not mutually exclusive, particularly in rural areas where the unique ability exists to tailor land-use decisions to land capabilities and constraints. (BRR)