State adopts habitat plan

After nearly 10 years of developing a Habitat Conservation Plan for threatened species on state lands, the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation has finally won approval for that plan.

The Montana Land Board on Monday approved the plan that will apply to about a half million acres of forested school trust lands in Western Montana.

DNRC Director Mary Sexton will enact the plan that commits the agency to a range of conservation practices over a 50-year period to conserve habitat for grizzly bear, Canada lynx and bull trout — species that are protected under the Endangered Species Act.

“This is a major milestone for State Trust Lands,” Sexton said. “Montanans support conservation of our world-renowned wildlife and they also support the goals of our Trust Lands, which provide jobs and revenue for schools through timber harvesting and other activities. The HCP provides a blueprint for meeting both objectives.”

The state agency started working on the plan with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2002 with the goal of providing “reasonable certainty” that trust lands will be managed in compliance with the Endangered Species Act.

The state in turn gets increased certainty that it can continue with forest management activities.

Among the plan’s components are strategies for reducing bear-human conflicts, “resting” forested areas to provide secure bear habitat, retention of foraging habitat for lynx and their prey, and new streamside rules for conserving riparian habitat that is important for bull trout.

The plan also includes an adaptive management process that will help the state and federal government respond to changing conditions on the landscape.

“The HCP represents several years of hard work and collaboration between the Montana DNRC and Fish and Wildlife Service staff,” said Steve Guertin, director of the service’s Mountain-Prairie region. “The plan will provide tangible benefits to native and threatened species while keeping state trust lands as part of the working conservation landscape in Western Montana.

Since 2004, Montana’s 5.2 million acres of trust lands have generated $546 million for K-12 schools. Over the past five years, timber management activities alone have generated $20.3 million in base aid for schools and $9.6 million for classroom technology programs.

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