The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission unanimously approved the purchase of a 34,610-acre conservation easement in the Cabinet Mountains at its June 11 meeting.

Per the agreement, Green Diamond Resource Company will retain primary ownership of the land while Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks assumes oversight of the property’s development rights. The deal permits Green Diamond to continue logging the land using best management practices, but any extensive development or subdivision is prohibited. The timber company is also required to allow public access to the land for hunting, trapping, hiking and other outdoor recreational activities.    

The conservation easement is perpetual, meaning that any future owners would be subject to the same guidelines. 

Eric Schallon, director of Real Asset Sales for Green Diamond, said the easement has been in the works for more than three years. The company recently signed a similar agreement with the state wildlife agency to secure a conservation easement on 85,911 acres near the Thompson chain of lakes.  

“This is a tool that really aligns our goals with the goals of the people of the state of Montana. It’s good for fish. It’s good for all the creatures that we’re discussing here today, and it’s just a great program,” Schallon told commissioners at the June meeting. 

His remarks were echoed by representatives from prominent outdoor recreation groups including Trout Unlimited, the Montana Wildlife Federation and Montana Outfitters and Guides. County commissioners from both Flathead and Sanders counties penned letters of support for the project as did the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. 

“This is an absolutely huge deal to the folks in my region,” said Ian Wargo, the governor-appointed fish and wildlife commissioner for Northwest Montana. “This is an amazing project, and we’ve gotten a lot of comments. I don’t know that I’ve ever received this many letters from different groups.” 

The land was appraised for 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.   

The agreement will be closed on July 7. 

A second phase of the Upper Thompson Conservation Easement, encompassing another 13,297 acres in the area, will likely go before the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission for review in the coming years. 

THE COMMISSION also approved a fish suppression project on the East Fork of the Bull River that aims to reduce hybridization and competition between native westslope cutthroat and bull trout with non-native species.  

Starting in July, fisheries technicians with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks will use electrofishing backpacks and weir traps to remove non-native brown, brook and rainbow trout from the East Fork Bull River. Fish removal efforts will continue through November, though no electrofishing will occur during bull trout spawning periods. Captured non-native fish that measure greater than 250 millimeters will be relocated to Triangle Pond, a nearby community fishing site.   

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.