LANDOWNER PROTECTS LARGEST TRACT OF PRIVATE LAND IN THE NORTH FORK

Polebridge, Montana – The largest tract of private land in the wildlife rich North Fork has been protected from subdivisions, thanks to a conservation easement on approximately 1,227 acres of Tom Ladenburg’s Rocky Bar O Ranch.

The easement, negotiated with The Nature Conservancy and finalized in December 2000, means permanent protection of the property from subdivision.

"This agreement leaves my place in one chunk as a working ranch, rather than having my family have to sell it to pay off the inheritance taxes," says ranch owner Ladenburg, 77. "I always wanted to keep the ranch intact," he says.

Approximately 512 of the ranch’s 1,800 acres are already protected under an easement with the U.S. Forest Service.

"He loves the North Fork. That’s his overriding reason for doing this easement," says his good friend John Michelotti. "He’s spent a lifetime there and I think he wants to preserve it so that others can enjoy it as much as he has."

This property, the only working ranch in the area, is the most significant tract of private land in the North Fork, representing nearly 10 percent of the private property in the area, says Marilyn Wood, the Conservancy’s Northwest Montana project manager. "What happens to this property largely determines what will happen to the entire North Fork."

The stakes are high for this stunningly beautiful valley nestled between the Whitefish Range and Glacier National Park. Known simply as the North Fork to locals, this remote area has a single gravel road, sometimes barely passable, that extends 65 miles north of Columbia Falls to the Canadian border. The area has about 85 year-round residents – human, that is.

This wild place belongs to the four-leggeds. It is one of the last ecosystems in the lower 48 states with a functioning predator-prey system. It has the highest density of grizzlies recorded in the lower 48 and as many as four wolf packs, including the original "magic pack" which was the first naturally occurring wolf pack to repopulate the area on its own.

The Rocky Bar O, which lies adjacent to the North Fork of the Flathead River, is a key linkage area for the predators as well as elk, deer, moose, mountain lions and other critters that travel from the river bottom to the highlands of Glacier National Park. The ranch, which is mainly on river bottomlands, includes open hay meadows, riparian areas and forestlands.

"There’s a lot of game here," says Ladenburg. "I don’t like the wolves too much – there are too many of them. The grizzlies are not so bad, but I want to help the game."

"This is prime wildlife habitat. We’re very excited about this easement because it protects a critical travel route for wolves and bears," says Jack Potter, assistant chief of the Division of Resource Management for Glacier National Park.

"This easement is really a coup for the community," says Potter. "I don’t think anyone up there wants to see the area turned into a bunch of roads and houses."

Once a safe haven for wildlife, the scenic area has seen rapid residential development. Between 1985 and 1996, 100 parcels were created and the number of dwellings increased by 50 percent, according to Wood.

While 97 percent of the land is publicly owned, the approximately 15,000 acres of remaining private lands are low elevation lands. These are some of the valley’s most critical wildlife habitats. They also happen to be desirable spots for houses.

On the Rocky Bar O, the land has already been subdivided on paper into 14 parcels. These could have been sold off in 20-acre lots, says Wood. "By signing this easement, Tom is preventing this from happening," she says.

Though Wood has known Ladenburg for years, she approached him about a conservation easement in January of 2000. "I just felt that the time was right for him to consider this."

"The conservation easement allows Tom to continue his ranching operation," says Wood. It also allows one of Tom’s long-time friends to continue use of a cabin site. His store business and some additional property are unaffected by the easement.

"We’ve agreed to a nice mix of things that achieve his goals while still protecting the land from subdivision," says Wood. "He enjoys the deer and elk. And he knows that his land has some of the best habitat," she adds.

In addition to preserving his ranch intact, the easement will provide Ladenburg with some state, federal and estate tax benefits.

"Tom is donating the bulk of this easement," says Wood. "We think this is very generous of him."

The Montana Ag Heritage Program has also helped by contributing funds to Ladenburg to help him with estate planning, the appraisal and other closing costs on the easement.

For Ladenburg, who has been in the cattle business since 1948, the agreement preserves his ranching history in the area.

"He started going up to the North Fork when he was a small child. He and his family drove cattle north of Columbia Falls into the area," says Michelotti. "He loves his cows and horses."

Ladenburg is proud of the scenic beauty of his part of the North Fork and he likes to show it off. In summers, he hitches up his team of horses and offers stage coach rides to tourists -- some from as far away as Russia, Germany and France. He takes his riders to the river, the North Fork of the Flathead, for stunning views of the Glacier peaks. In the winter, he sometimes offers sleigh rides.

"People like this area," says Ladenburg. "It’s pretty."

Lucky for the wildlife, area residents and future visitors, Ladenburg is preserving this piece of paradise.