Montanans have spent countless generations hunting on timber land in northwestern Montana. Our families have put meat in the freezer, made amazing memories and raised our kids and grandkids on the same lands where we worked. That’s one the biggest reasons that we all should support the Montana Great Outdoors Conservation Easement. The first phase of this project would make sure that 32,000 acres of private property owned by Green Diamond lumber would be open to hunters forever. That’s an amazing deal, and one that should be celebrated.
Loss of traditional access is one of the leading drivers for people to stop hunting. Being able to quickly access hunting grounds near home has always been a hallmark of hunting in Montana. As Montana grows and changes though, that access is at immense risk. That’s why the Montana Great Outdoors Conservation Easement is supported by so many legislators from Region 1, the timber industry, the hunting community and so many more.
Montana is changing, and with that change, traditional access to working lands that Montanans have held closely for over a century is in jeopardy. Timber companies have kept those lands open for hunting access through Block Management and user agreements in the past, but that approach, while generous and thoughtful, was always temporary. By enacting a conservation easement, access to that land will be preserved in perpetuity.
Some would like to try and muddy the waters on good projects with lawsuits that have little to no merit. It is unfortunate that someone would try and stop the eventual completion of over 85,000 acres in this project. That would mean 85,000 fewer acres with permanent access protections, and it could mean that the land gets broken up, eliminating much more wildlife habitat. The issue of split estates and conservation easements is settled law. Mineral right holders can still develop their rights, just not at the expense of the landowner.
Our organization wishes to thank Green Diamond, Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Trust for Public Land and all who have worked diligently towards bringing this to its finish. We encourage all of you to reach out to the state land board and express your support for keeping traditional hunting access for future generations, protecting our tax base and helping our timber industry maintain its ability to cut trees, and create jobs.
This is a great project, and it’s one every single Montanan should support. My family does and I hope you will join me in reaching out to the Land Board. You can find their contact information at https://dnrc.mt.gov/TrustLand/about/land-board or you can submit comments on the project at [email protected]
The Land board will decide on October 21 whether or not to finalize this part of the project. Please take the time to join the Flathead legislative delegation, dozens of national, state and local hunting groups and our timber industry that support this once in a lifetime opportunity to protect our hunting access on timber lands forever.
Ben Lamb, of Kalispell, is the policy director for the Montana Conservation Society.