At the invitation of Friends of Two Rivers, representatives of the two conservation organizations gave an informative presentation held at St. Ann Church on Wednesday, October 15, 2008. Chris Bryant represented TNC and Robert Rasmussen TPL.
The purpose of the roughly $500 million transaction will be to preserve land for timber harvest, wildlife uses, and public access that may otherwise have gone to private development. In these preserved areas, Montana's best forest trophies will remain deer and elk instead of homes!
Familiar Spaces
In the Bonner/Milltown area, the transaction includes much of Woody Mountain and northeast, Bonner Mountain and east/northeast, Deer Creek and southeast. It includes a small parcel of land surrounding the "B" of The Bonner School! Sections comprising large, single parcels as well as checkerboard sections extend within a 15 mile radius of Bonner. Other similarly extensive acreages are west, northwest, and north of Missoula, with the majority in Missoula County.
The land purchase will occur in three annual phases beginning December 15th of this year. Funding sources will be Federal, State, and private. The Federal 2008 Farm Bill could provide as much as $250 million, with the purchased lands being transferred to the U. S. Forest Service. The State is also interested in providing funding assistance. Private investment and philanthropic contributions are a third source.
The goal of the Montana Legacy Project is to ultimately transfer ownership of the land to three owners: Federal, State, private. Until such time as the transfers take place, however, the Montana Legacy Project will be steward of the land. That's where we residents come in. Do we know of places with unique qualities that ought to be singled out for special consideration? An example is a relatively small plot of Plum Creek property within which the Bonner School "B" is located. Perhaps there are areas with unique wildlife habitat, scenic value, or recreational uses. All of these could perhaps receive special consideration in preparation for land transference transactions to occur in the future.
Future Ownership
Questions about future land ownership were discussed. Federal lands would become part of the national forest; in our area, the Lolo National Forest. State lands could become part of the land managed by the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. Private owners could include entities such as Timberland Investment Management Organizations (TIMOs), which hold forested lands for investment purposes and manage timber for the best sustainable financial return. All three of these owners would continue managing the land for timber harvest, wildlife habitat and recreation management, and public access. Conservation easements would be the tool used to ensure these practices continued on land sold to private entities.
Property tax revenues would continue to be paid during the time land is held by The Nature Conservancy. When transferred, private entities would also continue to pay property taxes as before. The Forest Service makes Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILTs) to offset property taxes lost to governments on non-taxable Federal lands. Montana DNRC management benefits schools both locally and statewide by sharing revenues from managed timber harvests. These lands also benefit our economy by remaining open for hunting, fishing, snowmobiling and other forms of recreation.
There is a financial benefit to local governments whenever land is set aside for conservation uses and not developed. That occurs because the residences that would otherwise be built in far flung forest tracts create a demand for more infrastructure and transportation resources than they return in tax revenues.
Spread the Word
At the conclusion of the meeting, Chris and Robert invited persons to send their input about caring for this newly acquired land for the benefit of all. They would like to hear from more of us. Do you know of a group who would be interested in a presentation about the Project? Contact Chris: (406) 543-6681, (406) 214-6437(c), This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Contact Robert: (406) 443-4017, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Project personnel will be working hard with the Governor's Office and the legislator to build support. Would you like to help by writing a letter? Call Chris 543-6681 and/or visit the MLP web site for suggestions: http://www.themontanalegacyproject.org/