None The Nature Conservancy in Montana Press Releases Search All Press Releases Tana Kappel Tana Kappel, director of Communications, The Nature Conervancy in Montana, 406-388-7515; tkappel@tnc.org

Two Rocky Mountain Front properties covered by conservation easement

Nature Conservancy has now protected 47,000 acres of the Front from development

Choteau, Montana — April, 2005 - Two landowners along the Rocky Mountain Front have signed voluntary conservation agreements with The Nature Conservancy that protect prime grizzly habitat from future subdivision.

Choteau area rancher Clay Crawford sold a conservation easement to the Conservancy that covers 1,978 acres that border the 10,398-acre Blackleaf Wildlife Management Area owned by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

Farther north, the 164-acre Rising Wolf Ranch is now covered by a conservation easement. The property, high quality grizzly habitat, links Glacier National Park with the Badger Two Medicine area.

With these two easements, the Conservancy has helped private landowners permanently protect nearly 47,000 acres on the Front – mostly working ranchlands – from subdivision; this includes 14,996 acres that surround the Blackleaf WMA.

 “I’m a firm believer in protection of this ground. And, it’s hard to ignore the financial benefits,” said Crawford, whose grandfather purchased the family’s larger 14,000-acre ranch in 1953.

While the bulk of the Crawford property is along the Teton River, the 1,978 acres now covered by easement were “especially important for protection” because they provide lush habitat for a dense population of prairie-dwelling grizzly bears. In addition, this acreage is bounded by National Forest land and conservation protected private properties.   

“This agreement completes the protection of nearly six miles of streams and wetlands from the national forest boundary out onto the prairie,” said Dave Carr, the Conservancy’s Rocky Mountain Front project director.

Crawford leases his ranch property to neighbor Dusty Crary, whose ranch is also covered by a Conservancy conservation easement.

Farther north near the town of East Glacier, the Rising Wolf Ranch, built in 1926 as a dude ranch, spans the South Fork of the Two Medicine River. Jim Stewart bought the ranch in 1990 and leases the property as a guest ranch during the summer.

“I wanted to leave this historic ranch as it is now for my kids. People I care about were all very supportive of doing the easement,” said Stewart.

As a winter resident of Scottsdale, Arizona, Stewart said he’s surrounded by people and development. “I think conservation easements accomplish exactly what the lawmakers intended. They give you a tax incentive to leave open space for future generations.” 

The Nature Conservancy has worked with landowners to put 232,325 acres of private land in conservation easements in Montana.

“We use conservation easements because they are a cost-effective and highly efficient conservation tool. They protect critical wildlife habitat, keep good stewards on the land and prevent subdivision of Montana’s scenic landscapes,” said Jamie Williams, the Conservancy’s Montana director.

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