Land Board Approves Transfer of More Land to State Control

HELENA – The state Land Board has approved two deals that put more grazing and forest land under state control.

The Bureau of Land Management is transferring about 9 square miles (23 square kilometers) of land in three eastern Montana counties to compensate for land that should have been transferred to Montana when it became a state in 1889. The transfer includes grazing lands in Custer, Richland and Prairie counties and agricultural land in Prairie County. The land will generate an estimated $24,000 in annual income for the state, mostly from grazing rights.

The Great Falls Tribune reports the Land Board on Monday also approved the donation of nearly 5 square miles (13 square kilometers) of land in the Stillwater State Forest in Flathead County. The $10.6 million purchase is funded by the Bonneville Power Administration, which is required to protect key wildlife habitat.