Swan Land Deal wraps up

A $10.7 million deal to protect 1,761 acres of Plum Creek Timber Co. land in the Swan Valley has been completed.

The transaction, which closed on Friday, was paid for largely through wildlife habitat mitigation funding from the Bonneville Power Administration. Negotiations involved Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the Confederated Salish-Kootenai Tribes, the Trust for Public Lands and Plum Creek officials.

The deal completes previous arrangements that will provide protections, mostly through conservation easements, on 7,200 acres of Plum Creek lands in the Swan Valley.

Gov. Brian Schweitzer, among others, had high praise for the overall land conservation project.

"These projects will benefit fish and wildlife in the Swan for years to come," Schweitzer said. "It is great the state of Montana can work collaboratively along with Salish and Kootenai Tribal co-managers on a project of this size which will benefit all Montanans."

The $10.7 million pays for the outright purchase of 640 acres - a full section of land - at the confluence of the Swan River and Elk Creek, a premier bull trout spawning stream.

And it pays for a conservation easement on 1,121 acres in the Goat and Squeezer Creek drainages farther to the north.

A transaction completed in February had secured conservation easements on 6,083 acres in the Goat and Squeezer Creek drainages, largely with funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Legacy Program, the Paul G. Allen Forest Protection Foundation and matching money from the Trust for Public Land.

With direction from the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, BPA recently approved the $10.7 million in grants that were distributed through the Confederated Salish-Kootenai Tribes and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

By providing funding for the transaction, BPA will get credit in its ongoing obligation to mitigate for fish and wildlife losses that resulted from the construction of Hungry Horse Dam and reservoir.

The overall conservation project is largely intended to benefit bull trout and other native fish, in addition to securing habitat for wildlife and guaranteeing continued public access to Plum Creek lands.

Plum Creek owns more than 70,000 acres in the Swan Valley, and several years ago the company announced plans to sell as much as 20,000 acres in the valley for real estate development.

"We are pleased to collaborate with our partners to protect this important property," said Rick Holley, Plum Creek's president and chief executive officer. "Over time, Plum Creek has offered 30 percent of its lands in the Swan Valley for conservation because we understand the important forestry, environmental and recreational attributes of this property."

As part of the land purchase and easements, the parties involved will develop a land management plan.

"The key to these easements is that they allow for sustainable forestry practices, but they do not allow for any subdivision or development," said Erik Love, spokesman for the Trust for Public Lands.

"If these lands were to be subdivided, there would be no public access, so this most certainly is a better alternative," Love said.

The 640 acres purchased on Elk Creek will be conveyed equally to the tribes and to the Swan Ecosystem Center, a nonprofit Swan Valley community group.

"Elk Creek is a very important resource for native fish, for wildlife and for the community," said Anne Dahl, executive director for the Swan Ecosystem Center. "This project makes a significant contribution to protecting habitat and public access in the heart of the Swan Valley."

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com