A new vision for Montana forests

Imagine trying to hike, bike or ride a snowmobile in your local mountains only to encounter a fence and no trespassing sign every mile or so. That could have been the future for hundreds of thousands of acres in the Blackfoot and Swan Valleys...and beyond. That was also a big reason that The Nature Conservancy took a real leap of faith when it began buying land from Plum Creek Timber more than 20 years ago. Over time, we bought more than half a million acres of this former industrial timber land. But we never planned to hold onto it forever.

Our vision was always to see this land conserved for public use – for recreation, habitat and its economic benefit to local communities. It's a vision shared by the many citizens and community groups who have lent their ideas and energy to crafting plans for a future that enables both people and nature to thrive on this land.

With the dawn of a new decade we are excited to have taken another big step in the realization of that vision, with the delivery of nearly 24,000 acres of our land into public ownership. With recent sales to the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land management, the threat of development and loss of public access to this former industrial timber land has been stopped. This land will now be available for the economic benefit of local communities, for wildlife and for use by everyone who loves and values the outdoors.

Rancher and semi-retired logger Denny Iverson of Potomac says this success hinges in large part on our engagement with the local community.

"This...comes after a deliberate process to get community input, which secured the support of local folks. It means the area will remain intact while still serving as a working landscape."

Beginning with our first purchase, in 1997, of Plum Creek land in the Blackfoot Valley, through the Montana Legacy and Clearwater Blackfoot Projects, TNC took ownership of over half a million acres on the Crown of the Continent. This land was part of the so-called "checkerboard" – millions of acres that had been carved into alternating one-mile square parcels and divided between the railroads and the public during the settlement of the West. Over time, the land had various owners and was logged heavily in the decades prior to TNC's purchase. But that intermingled public-private ownership remained, making it difficult to manage effectively.

Over the years, TNC has moved the lion's share of the land to the public domain. As often as possible, we removed poorly located roads, treated noxious weeds and restored forests coming back after their industrial past, passing on the land in better shape than we'd received it. And the community seems pleased with the results.

"We're always psyched when we see more land conserved and kept in public ownership," says Ben Horan of MTB Missoula, a local biking group.

Amanda Tripp Johansson's family has been hunting on this land for generations.

"All of the meat that my family eats comes from this land, so it has become kind of sacred to us. There is nothing more valuable than having the security that my family will continue to have this land for more generations to come."

Today, TNC remains the caretaker of about 125,000 acres of the old Plum Creek forests. It's continuing to place land in the hands of the public and collaborate on its restoration. Please reach out to us if you'd like to get involved! Contact: Chris Bryant at cbryant@tnc.or or 406-532-4477.