MISSOULA — Calling it an iconic piece of property, Missoula County commissioners approved spending roughly $994,000 from the Open Space bond to conserve a working ranch that straddles Highway 200 near Potomac.
The parcel, which includes a collection of century-old cabins and a stretch of Union Creek, is valued for its wildlife habitat and agricultural history. Both will be protected in perpetuity under an agreement reached between the decedents of the Case Ranch Co. and the Five Valleys Land Trust.
Derrik Goble, the conservation project manager with the Five Valleys Land Trust, described the sprawling ranch as a wealth of natural resources. Native Americans picked camas flowers on the site. Over the last century, the property has provided both agriculture and timber needs.
It was formerly owned by the Anaconda Mining Company and some of the buildings on site date back to that area. They're visible north of the highway and have given the property both an aesthetic and iconic reputation.
Goble said the current ranch was compiled by Arnold Case, who settled the valley in 1932. The property contains nine contiguous parcels totaling around 3,300 acres. Under the agreement, 2,330 acres will be conserved.
“Adding the 2,330 acres will increase the protected ag land in the Potomac Valley by nearly 70 percent,” said Goble. “Adding this additional protection, you can basically draw a straight line through protected public and private land and get all the way to the Canadian border.”
That stretch of connectivity represents one of the project's primary prizes. It will help conserve what wildlife advocates envision as the Yellowstone to Yukon Corridor, allowing for the safe migration of wildlife along the backbone of the Northern Rockies.
The property's value sits at around $5.2 million and family conversations about conservation started nearly 20 years ago. The Open Space Bond will contribute around $994,000 and the Five Valleys Land Trust and private funding sources add another $995,000.
The Natural Resource Conservation Service funded $2.5 million. Donna Hacker, one of the current property owners, praised the outcome of the agreement.
“Since there are several owners of this property, we can't predict what could happen to it if it's not put under a conservation easement,” she said “We thought we could conserve it without any help. But in perpetuity, that land should be open space.”
The agreement also provides public hunting access north of Highway 200. That portion of the easement will be managed by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
Kalie Becker, the county's open space program manager, said the easement scored highest in terms of wildlife habitat and agricultural soils. The latter covers nearly 55% of the property.
“The location of the property is within an important wildlife corridor that's based on the proximity of other protected land and public lands in the area,” said Becker. “Ag soils and well-managed forest lands, and secured public hunting access is also a huge benefit of the project. This project achieves many of the purposes of the Open Space Bond.”
The Case Ranch becomes the second new conservation easement this month to qualify for funding from the Open Space Bond. Last week, the county and the Missoula City Council approved spending $344,000 each in open space funding to conserve the Indreland Ranch north of Missoula.
That property spans 1,660 acres and the Case Ranch protects another 2,300 acres.
“This is an iconic piece of property,” Commissioner Josh Slotnick said of the Case Ranch. “That's one of the strengths of the Open Space Bond funds. It can leverage other money that otherwise wouldn't have access to.
