Northwest Montana has a new wildlife conservation area built around the Bull River south of Troy by a coalition of government agencies, conservation groups and industrial partners.

A dedication ceremony was held Wednesday for the 1,800-acre Bull River Wildlife Management Area. The event was attended by about 30 people, most of them representing The Conservation Fund; the Washington-based Avista power company; Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks; Plum Creek Timber Co. and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The dedication culminated several years of complex negotiations in establishing a conservation agreement that protects migratory corridors for wildlife as well as spawning and rearing habitat for bull trout.

Negotiated by The Conservation Fund, the agreement leverages protection, mitigation, and enhancement funding from Avista's Clark Fork Settlement Agreement with a $4.6 million Habitat Conservation Plan grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The grant allowed for the outright purchase of 1,325 acres by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. The remaining 500 acres is protected through a conservation easement purchased by Avista. Most of the land was purchased from Plum Creek.

It is the eighth wildlife management

area to be designated in Northwest Montana. The largest is the Ninepipe Wildlife Management Area at 3,781 acres.

"This public-private partnership demonstrates the extraordinary results that can be achieved when corporations, public agencies and nonprofit partners work together to find balanced conservation solutions," said Larry Selzer, The Conservation Fund's president. "Thanks to the leadership of Avista and Plum Creek and the commitment of Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, we are protecting some of the West's most spectacular wildlife habitat and enhancing recreation opportunities for future generations."

Identified by state and federal agencies as one of the most important tributaries for fisheries in the Lower Clark Fork River system, the Bull River parcel provides critical habitat for the recovery of the threatened bull trout. It also sustains winter range and wildlife migration corridors linking the East and West Cabinet Mountains that are considered important for big game, waterfowl, fur bearers and grizzly bears.

The Bull River flows 18 miles from its source high in the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness Area to its junction with the Clark Fork River. The region's glacier-carved mountains and forested slopes provide a haven for outdoor enthusiasts and are home to deer, elk, moose, bear and various bird species including bald eagles, waterfowl and songbirds.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at [email protected]