Announced Tuesday, the $13.8 million purchase is the first of three planned in 2004 by the Nature Conservancy, Blackfoot Challenge and Plum Creek Timber Co. in the Blackfoot River Valley north and east of Missoula.
The Conservancy will hold the land - 41,588 acres by year's end - while Blackfoot Valley residents work out a plan for resale of the property to public and private buyers interested in conservation.
The first 18,400 acres include Ovando Mountain, Monture Creek West, Bear Creek, Tupper Lakes and Marcum Mountain, all on the north side of Highway 200 in the Ovando area.
Public access is a priority for the Ovando-area lands, Stone said, "so we're looking to sell some of these lands to public agencies."
Talks are under way with the federal Bureau of Land Management and the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation as potential buyers. Both agencies manage adjacent land.
Also under consideration is development of a community-managed conservation area on the lower slopes of Ovando Mountain - if private funds can be raised by the conservancy and Blackfoot Challenge, Stone said.
"The input we've received is that people would like to see this area managed for conservation of wildlife habitat, sustainable forestry, grazing and public recreational access," he said.
Last fall, the Nature Conservancy announced an agreement to buy 41,588 acres of Plum Creek Timber land, with an option on another 46,640 acres.
That represents all of Plum Creek's midelevation timberland between Clearwater Junction and Rogers Pass, north and south of Highway 200.
Purchase of the land, Stone said, is the only way Blackfoot Valley residents know to preserve their valley's heritage.
So, too, does the valley have a tradition of neighbors working together for the common good, he said.
"This is the heritage of the Blackfoot," Stone said. "To try and do the right thing, to take control of your own destiny. Instead of focusing on our own ranch or our own family, we thought it was important to look toward the future as a community and try to create something long-lasting here."
Some of the property may eventually be sold to private buyers, but with conservation restrictions. Much will end up in public ownership.
At the Nature Conservancy, spokeswoman Tana Kappel said the next sale - of 19,883 acres - is expected in mid-May and will include purchase of several Plum Creek inholdings in the Blackfoot-Clearwater Wildlife Management Area.
Funding for the Blackfoot-Clearwater WMA's consolidation was included in the Bush administration's fiscal 2005 budget, announced Monday.
If approved by Congress, the Forest Legacy Program would deliver $3.3 million for consolidation of the game range under Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
"This project is a great example of extraordinary local leadership in conserving the unique natural and cultural values that make the Blackfoot Valley so special," said Jamie Williams, the Conservancy's director in Montana. "We are honored to be working with the Blackfoot Challenge and appreciate the way in which Plum Creek has worked to accommodate such a strong local vision for these lands."
Reporter Sherry Devlin can be reached at 523-5268 or at sdevlin@missoulian.com
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