State wildlife officials plan to tack on another 48,000 acres to an existing block of conservation easements near the Thompson chain of lakes.

The newly minted Upper Thompson Conservation Easement project will roll out in two phases, according to an environmental assessment released by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks last month. The first, encompassing 34,160 acres of private forestland northeast of Thompson Falls, is scheduled to go before the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission for approval as early as June 2026.  

Under the proposed terms, Green Diamond Resource Company would retain primary ownership of the land while Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks would take over development rights for the property. The property could be logged using best management practices, but the deal restricts Green Diamond and any future owners from extensive development and subdivision. The timber company is also required to allow public access to the land for hunting, trapping, hiking and other outdoor recreational activities.   

Development rights for another 13,297 acres in the area will be transferred to the state wildlife agency in the coming years, bringing the conservation easement’s total area to 47,907 acres.   

The state sealed a similar two-part deal with Green Diamond in December 2025, establishing the 85,757-acre Montana Great Outdoors Conservation Easement near the Thompson chain of lakes. Conservationists, outdoor sportsmen and local lawmakers all touted the project as a win-win amid increasing development pressures. 

More than 49,000 acres of undeveloped land in Flathead County were converted to housing between 2000 and 2021, according to a report from Headwaters Economics. Green Diamond reported receiving upwards of 30 unsolicited offers to purchase its Montana lands since 2021. 

“The proposed conservation easement would prohibit the development or conversion of the land to non-forest uses, preventing fragmentation and ensuring that the property maintains high-quality fish and wildlife habitat,” states the environmental assessment for phase one of the Upper Thompson Conservation Easement. 

About one third of the property included in the project’s first phase overlaps with the Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystem Grizzly Bear Recovery Zone, and about 12% has been identified as potential wolverine habitat. Some of the 77 streams that thread through the forests are known spawning grounds for bull trout. Canada lynx, moose, elk, deer and mountain lions have also been observed using the property. 

The state wildlife agency estimated that the 34,000-acre chunk of land generates about $1.5 million per year in direct expenditures from big game hunting, along with $6 million per year in economic activity related to timber sales.  

The appraised value of the first phase of the Upper Thompson Conservation Easement is about $20.6 million. A $7 million in-kind donation from Green Diamond brings the final price tag to about $13.6 million. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks plans to use $13 million in funding from the U.S. Forest Service’s Forest Legacy Program, $225,000 from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, $200,000 from the Montana Fish and Wildlife Conservation Trust and $175,000 from the Trust for Public Lands to purchase the easement. 

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is accepting comments on the project’s environmental assessment through 5 p.m., April 11. Comments should be directed to Leah Breidinger at [email protected]. 

The state wildlife agency will issue a recommended decision on the purchase of the easement April 16. The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission is currently scheduled to vote on the project June 11, 2026. 

Reporter Hailey Smalley can be reached at 406-758-4433 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.

    Paddleboarders explore Upper Thompson Lake at Thompson Chain of Lakes State Park on Sunday, Sept. 21. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider