MISSOULA - It's been a hub for outdoor recreation in Missoula for years and now it could soon fall under Missoula's leadership.
On Monday, Missoula county and city officials, plus many partnering organizations, announced their plan for securing permanent public ownership of Marshall Mountain.
The former ski hill just outside of East Missoula includes three different parcels of land, owned by three different groups, that total 480 acres.
In June of 2021, a group of Missoulians came together to form Izzy Dog LLC to acquire the base area in a short-term lease.
The goal was to keep it open to the public.
Since then, Marshall Mountain has been a beloved spot for youth programming, hiking, mountain biking, and ski touring.
Many would like to keep Marshall accessible to the public for future generations and believe this announcement is a step towards that goal.
"We almost lost this place. The community after really three or four generations of Missoulians using this mountain as a public way to be outside it almost went away. And so for me and my co-chairs at Friends of Marshall Mountain, the reason we got involved is to make sure that this is secured for all of us forever and so I'm super excited [by this development]." - Jeff Crouch, Friends of Marshall Mountain
Pending public hearings, all parts of Marshall Mountain could be acquired as early as the end of this year.
The cost is now approximately $2.4 million and project partners are expected to pursue around $800,000 in grants. The 2018 Open Space Bond program has over $14 million remaining which, if agreed upon, can be partially allocated towards Marshall.
To learn more go to https://marshallmountain.com and https://www.engagemissoula.com/marshall-mountain-recreation-area
