FWP hosting meetings in Libby for conservation easements
An aerial photo of timberland within the potential Montana Great Outdoors Conservation Project. (Photo courtesy of Chris Boyer, kestrelaerial.com.)
The public is invited to attend upcoming meetings between Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and private landowners whose land is under conservation easement in northwest Montana.
These meetings encompass lands under the following easements: Lazy Creek, Lost Trail, Kootenai valleys, Kootenai forestlands, Swan Valley and Thompson-Fisher. The combined easement acreage encompasses approximately 226,300 acres in the region.
A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement between a landowner and a land trust or government agency that permanently limits uses of the land to protect its conservation values.
FWP holds conservation easements to protect vital fish and wildlife habitat, retain working lands and maintain recreational access opportunities for the public.
Lands under easement remain in private ownership and management and landowners continue to pay the same property taxes.
The upcoming meetings are required annually by the conservation easement agreements and provide a forum for discussion of any issues related to public use, land use, access issues, conditions or other unanticipated issues involving conservation easement lands.
Oct. 19
Kootenai Valleys (28,000 acres) and Kootenai Forestlands (22,300 acres) conservation easements near Libby and Troy, 11 a.m., City Hall – Ponderosa Room, 952 E. Spruce Street, Libby
Thompson-Fisher River conservation easement (142,000 acres) west of Kalispell, 12 p.m., City Hall – Ponderosa Room, 952 E. Spruce Street, Libby
Lost Trail Conservation Easement (7,300 acres), 1 p.m., City Hall – Ponderosa Room, 952 E. Spruce Street, Libby
Oct. 26
- Swan Valley conservation easement north of Condon (16,500 acres), Lazy Creek conservation easement northwest of Whitefish (10,200 acres), 1-2 p.m., FWP Region 1 Headquarters at 490 North Meridian Road, Kalispell
Nov. 21
Haskill Basin (3,020 acres) and Trumbull (7,068 acres) conservation easements near Whitefish, 5:30 p.m., Whitefish City Hall, Whitefish Room, 418 East Second St.. Whitefish
For more information, contact Leah Breidinger at lbreidinger@mt.gov or 406-751-4573.