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BAUCUS
ANNOUNCES HISTORIC LAND DEAL TO PRESERVE MONTANA’S OUTDOOR HERITAGE
Purchase
Will Protect Working Forests And Promote Public Access
(KALISPELL,
Mont.) - Montana’s senior U.S. Senator Max Baucus announced The
Nature Conservancy and The Trust for Public Land have reached agreement
to purchase approximately 320,000 acres of western Montana forestland
from Plum Creek Timber Company.
The
$510 million purchase is part of an effort to keep these forests in
productive timber management and protect the area’s clean water and
abundant fish and wildlife habitat, while promoting continued public
access to these lands for fishing, hiking, hunting and other recreational
pursuits.
"This
project is a once-in-a lifetime opportunity to protect these lands for
our families and future generations," said U.S. Senator Max Baucus,
who helped facilitate the agreement. "It will keep jobs in Montana,
help maintain our communities and our working forests, and preserve
public access for hunting and fishing. This will be the most significant
land conservation project in the state's history, by far, and I'm proud
to be part of it."
The
lands in the agreement, which include part of the Swan Valley and areas
surrounding Missoula, are located in the heart of the “Crown of the
Continent,” one of the most ecologically diverse and intact biological
systems remaining in the United States.
“This
is a landmark conservation project that will benefit the environment and
help to maintain strong local communities,” said Kat Imhoff, state
director of The Nature Conservancy in Montana. “We are pleased that we
were able to agree on terms that will
protect some of the nation’s most important wild areas.”
An
important goal of the agreement is the continued support of local timber
economies. Though many factors affect the timber industry in western
Montana, the conservation of these lands for forest uses will contribute
to stability of the land base and its forest productivity. A condition of
the agreement provides for continued timber harvesting on some of these
lands to help supply Plum Creek mills with wood fiber for up to 15 years.
This harvesting will be third-party certified as sustainable forestry.
The
lands to be purchased offer habitat for wide-ranging big game animals,
grizzly bears, lynx, wolverine, bull trout and numerous other wildlife.
These lands are also some of the most popular recreation areas in the
western United States.
“Plum
Creek has a strong history of conservation and is pleased to partner in
the sale of this important land to accommodate the public interest in its
ecological, recreational and timber production values,” said Rick Holley,
president and chief executive officer for Plum Creek. “With this sale, we
are proud that the company has placed more than 860,000 acres of land in
the country, including more than 600,000 acres in Montana, into permanent
conservation.”
Funding
for the $510 million purchase could come from several private and public
sources, including the new Qualified Conservation Forestry Bonds
mechanism in the recently passed Farm Bill. The bonds would fund the
purchase of lands adjacent to Forest Service ownership, lands that would
eventually be conveyed to the Forest Service.
Championed
by Senator Baucus, this source of funding could help stem the conversion
of traditional timberlands across the United States.
“We
are grateful for how hard Senator Baucus worked to create this new
funding mechanism which will enable the protection of lands and
livelihoods,” said Will Rogers, president of The Trust for Public Land.
“We hope the Forestry Bonds will serve as a model for other similar
places that are experiencing this trend in land ownership conversion.”
Funding
is also being sought from other sources, including private
philanthropists and investors. The plan is for the purchased lands to be
transferred into a mixture of private, state and federal ownership. The
lands sold into private ownership will be subject to conservation
easements that will restrict subdivision and home development. A key goal
is the continuation of public access to these lands for hunting, fishing,
camping and recreation, as Plum Creek allowed during its ownership.
Neither
The Trust for Public Land nor The Nature Conservancy plans to retain
long-term ownership of any lands.
The
property will be acquired by The Trust for Public Land and The Nature
Conservancy in three phases. Phase I is expected to close in December
2008, Phase II in December
2009, and Phase III in December 2010. The sale is subject to the issuance
of certain federal rules pertaining to conservation bonds and related tax
refunds, along with other contingencies typical in a transaction of this
size and complexity.
“This
is literally a now or never opportunity,” said Hank Goetz, Blackfoot
Valley resident and lands director for the Blackfoot Challenge. “Prices
for these lands will continue to go up, so it is great that this
agreement has been reached. I think our kids and grandkids will say
‘we’re sure glad they made this happen.”’
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