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Blackfoot project continues to receive federal funding

Blackfoot Valley
Alice Creek meadow in the Blackfoot

The 2005 and 2006 federal budgets have provided plentiful funding for the Blackfoot Community Project. In '05, the project received $18.3 million. In '06, the project will receive $7.4 million.

The '05 funding was intended to go to the Bureau of Land Management, the Forest Service and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks for the purchase of some former Plum Creek lands in the Blackfoot Valley that are now temporarily owned by The Nature Conservancy. Of the '06 funding, $6 million is slated to go to the Forest Service to acquire some these lands that are adjacent to lands the agency currently owns. $1.4 million will be used to purchase conservation easements from Blackfoot landowners who purchase lands as part of the project.

“This funding is a huge step in making our community vision a reality,” said Jim Stone, Blackfoot Valley rancher and chair of the Blackfoot Challenge. “We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Senator Burns for his leadership in getting these funds appropriated.”

To date, the Conservancy, on behalf of the Blackfoot Community Project, has  purchased 42,927 acres from Plum Creek as part of a community-based plan led by the Blackfoot Challenge, a collaborative group of local landowners. As part of the plan, the Conservancy is selling these lands to public and private buyers who will maintain community and conservation values.   

“The goal of this project is to maintain the valley’s tradition of ranching, forestry, wildlife and public access for future generations,” said Stone.

 The local communities wanted to see some of these lands go into public ownership as a way to ensure continued public access and traditional uses, said Stone. The lands slated for agency ownership are generally adjacent to existing public lands primarily in the Alice Creek, Marcum Mountain and Ovando Mountain areas.

 In addition to these public funds, The Blackfoot Challenge and The Nature Conservancy are working to raise significant private funds for the project. Private funding would pay for a community-managed conservation area around Ovando Mountain, for the purchase of conservation easements to maintain traditional ranching, and to compensate county governments for any loss of tax revenue as a result of public sales as part of the project.

 “We are awed by the leadership Senator Burns has shown in helping local residents of the Blackfoot Valley realize their own vision for maintaining the economic and biological health of their valley,” said Jamie Williams, state director for The Nature Conservancy of Montana.

             “It’s gratifying to have the strong support of Montana’s congressional delegation, local citizens and public officials who are all working together on this exciting project,” added Stone.

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