Map of The Montana Legacy Project.

Earlier this summer, Montana Senator Max Baucus, The Trust for Public Land and The Nature Conservancy announced a 320,000 acre conservation purchase of Plum Creek Timber land in western Montana called the Montana Legacy Project.  Until the announcement, much of the land faced the inevitable fate of residential development, slicing up wildlife habitat and cutting off public access to hundreds of thousands of acres of forests.  Eventually all of the 320,000 acres will be conveyed to federal, state or private ownership, with the goal of maintaining public access and restricting development.  We congratulate the efforts of The Nature Conservancy, The Trust for Public Land and Plum Creek in their collaborative effort to protect wildlife, access and working landscapes in western Montana.

Though the conservation purchase will protect many key wildlife and recreation areas, of particular importance to The Wilderness Society is the protection of nearly 100,000 acres of forestland in and around Montana’s famed Swan Valley. 

The Swan Valley is a gem within the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem.  Surrounded by the Bob Marshall Wilderness to the east and the Missions Mountains Wilderness to the west, it is an inspiration for living, vibrant communities incorporating wildness and working lands in a rugged beautiful landscape. 

This project will help ensure that sensitive species like Grizzly Bears, Canada lynx, and wolverines will continue to inhabit the Swan and travel between the Mission Mountains and Bob Marshall Wilderness Areas.  At the same time, it will also preserve the ability to cut timber responsibly in the Swan Valley, something communities there have relied upon for generations.

The Wilderness Society is proud to have supported the efforts of Senator Max Baucus who championed federal assistance for the project.  We hope the funding source and collaborative approach that resulted in this historic agreement can be used as a model to protect private timber and agricultural lands facing similar development pressures across the country. 

Just getting started, the Montana Legacy Project has already won the praise of Republican Missoula County Commissioner Larry Anderson (R), as well as state officials.

The Wilderness Society will continue to work closely with The Trust for Public Land and The Nature Conservancy as they seek to secure State and private funding to complete this purchase.