BUTTE — More than 50 people gathered at the Butte Public Archives to learn about and make comments on what would be one of the largest conservation areas in the state of Montana and, if approved, would cover a large portion of Southwest Montana.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is considering designating about 6 million acres of land as a conservation area for the purpose of eventually acquiring up to 250,000 acres of easements from willing private landowners in that conservation area.
Private landowners could still ranch on the easements but would not be allowed to subdivide the land or disrupt the native vegetation.
Some of those who attended the meeting voiced support for the plan, saying it will preserve the state’s natural beauty and prevent sprawl.
“That when you look at the incredible numbers of people moving into our state, which is only going to increase, I think this program could be a valuable part of keeping Montana a quality place to live for ranchers as well as recreationalists and other interests,” said retired NRCS Biologist Peter Husby.
However, some in the mining industry are concerned the boundary is too vast and should include public lands.
They feel it could cause more legal headaches for an industry that’s already highly regulated.
“We would have a lot less concern if you just stripped all the public land out of this and just focused on the 2 million acres that are private within the area,” said Matt Vincent with the Montana Mining Association.
Mark Thompson added, “And we’re concerned that the unintended consequences of that boundary on the public land could limit not only mining but other things that occur on public land.”
Some people were just skeptical of federal policy in general.
“There’s a lot of mistrust with U.S. Fish and Wildlife, especially in the outlying areas in Montana, for the way you handled wolves and grizzly bears,” said one rancher.
USFWS officials noted the comments and concerns and will take them into consideration before making a decision on this issue next year.
