Bigfork-area residents agree to conservation agreements

The Daily Inter Lake

The Montana Land Reliance had a good year in the Bigfork area in 2004, securing conservation agreements on several hundred acres.

The acreage will be preserved in perpetuity since several local people signed conservation agreements on their properties with the the help of the nonprofit organization.

The agreements ensure land owned by the Schlitz family, Bill and Kay Roath, and Ray Ghafoori will be preserved as open space and wildlife habitat.

Conservation agreements are tied to properties, not owners. So if someone sells the land, the new owner inherits and is bound by the conservation agreement.

Don and Sharon Schlitz placed a conservation agreement on 180 forested acres on the Swan front. The agreement will conserve wildlife habitat on Wolf Creek.

This agreement is in addition to one they signed in 2003 to protect 100 acres of farm land. The family operates a tree farm on that land.

Ray Ghafoori put 500 acres of his land adjacent to Mud Lake into an easement. Ghafoori uses the land for ranching.

Bill and Kay Roath conserved 31 acres. Their property adjoins another conservation agreement site, so there are 115 total acres protected. The Roath property is forested and provides wildlife habitat.

The land reliance has helped ten landowners put conservation easement agreements on their properties (totaling 1,441 acres) since 2000.

For more information, go to www.mtlandreliance.org