Sam Testa had a vision several years ago, when he purchased expansive property north of Bonners Ferry.

Split it up into a subdivision, the real estate developer figured.

"Something nice, I wasn't going to overload it," he said. "Just some beautiful rim properties."

But then he moved onto the acreage.

He witnessed more than 100 elk that wander the fields and his yard in the winter. He saw deer and turkeys, wolves and bears.

He farmed hay. He planted trees.

And his vision changed.

"I thought, 'You know, this property for thousands and thousands of years has been home to these elk and deer," Testa said. "I just thought it was more important to preserve it for these animals."

His neighbors felt the same.

And now they have ensured their properties will never be disturbed by anyone.

After enduring years of an onerous application process, Testa and his neighbors, the Johnsons and the Mackeys, have obtained conservation easements on 720 of their contiguous acres.

That means the land can never be divided or developed, by themselves or any future owners for perpetuity.

"It's a huge, huge, huge relief," said Greg, who contributed 100 acres owned by himself and his wife, Alicia. "Our goal is to leave this (property) to our kids, and they have the same values and appreciation of the land and wildlife as we do. Getting it in that state, it leaves the kids fewer options and fewer things to argue about."

The consecutive acreage is critical to protect, said Ryan Lutey with Vital Ground Foundation, which sponsored the project.

The property owners harvest timber on their farms, and their working forests have provided more than 1 million board feet of timber in the past five years, Lutey said, which have helped support local jobs.

The land is also a winter habitat for big game, Lutey said.

"It's definitely a big movement corridor for wildlife," he said. "That's one of the reasons Vital Ground got interested in the project."

It's no simple process, Greg said, getting easements secured by the Idaho Department of Lands through the USDA Forest Service's Forest Legacy Program.

To qualify, property must be large enough and include benefits for wildlife and timber, reasons that prompted the neighbors to band together.

The application process also requires a slew of property appraisals and studies, he added, which must initially be covered by the property owners.

That cost around $30,000, estimated Greg, who operates Elk Meadows Farm on his property.

"Eventually if you get funded (by the federal government), the payments you do get will cover those expenses," he said, adding that landowners are compensated for a certain percentage of easement property. "But until you get there, there's no guarantee."

The neighbors have been working toward this since 2008, he said.

Testa contributed 500 acres to the easement project. Tom and Mary Mackey live on their 155 acre farm where they harvest timber, grow alfalfa hay and operate a nursery.

The landowners contributed a significant portion of land for easement protection, Lutey said.

Greg doesn't mind that an easement diminishes property value, as it removes the possibility for development.

"They (our kids) have still got land. They can make a living off it, do all their favorite activities, horseback riding and hunting," said Greg, who has two children in their 20s. "But this removes the temptation to carve it up and sell it."

Testa agreed this wasn't a venture about money.

"It's a satisfaction I can't tell you," he said. "Late in the day, I'll grab a beer or a glass of wine, walk into the fields and see 80 elk, 30 deer, a flock of turkeys. You just can't put a price on it."