MISSOULA — A large ranch located near a rapidly growing area of ​​the Missoula Valley will be preserved as open space in perpetuity, protecting its habitat, wildlife and the ranch’s current operations, provided required funding is approved.

On Wednesday, the Missoula City Council gave initial approval to allocate $344,000 in Open Space Bond funds to help secure the easement. Missoula County followed suit.

“This project is completely consistent with what people voted for,” said Commissioner Josh Slotnick. “It checks all the boxes.”

Indreland Ranch is comprised of grasslands and forests and was identified by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks as a Tier 1 Wildlife Focus Area. It was also identified as a key piece of the Yellowstone to Yukon wildlife corridor.

In addition to its wildlife diversity, proponents of the project said it would also preserve a working ranch and its grasslands. It also offers scenic values, as the property is visible from the Missoula Valley.

“We always examine open space projects to determine whether or not they comply with the 2019 open space plan,” said Zac Covington, the city’s open space project director. “There has been a lot of background work in that regard on the city side. “It’s a huge expanse of land with a huge amount of leveraged funds.”

While the 1,660-acre property is valued at $2.4 million, the National Resources Conservation Service has already provided 50% of the purchase price. Along with private donations and other funding sources, the project seeks just $688,000 from the Open Space Bond, an amount split 50-50 between the city and county.

Kali Becker, the county’s open space project manager, said language in the Open Space Bond identified the Missoula Valley planning region as a jurisdictional boundary. Within that limit, the city’s portion of open space funding would come into play, while projects outside that limit would fall to the county.

The Indreland project is on the border, hence the funding split between the city and county.

“It was seen as a good opportunity for a joint project,” Becker said.

Benefits

Proponents of the project said the property represents a critical cornerstone of the Missoula Valley. It is located near the Lolo and Rattlesnake Wilderness National Forest and is fed in part by LaValle Creek.

Another 160-acre conservation easement sits on one side, while a second 1,000-acre easement, held by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, sits on the other.

Given the property’s mix of native grassland and timber, advocates said it provides “intact” habitat for a variety of species native to the area. It also serves as critical winter habitat for the North Hills elk herd.

The stream is home to genetically pure native cutthroat trout.

Growth in the Missoula Valley has already put development pressure on the property and now is the time to preserve it, advocates said.

“The city is rising up to deal with it. There is growth there,” said Whitney Schwab, executive director of Five Valleys Land Trust. “This project creates an opportunity to look to the future. The opportunity to conserve the landscape happens once.”

County commissioners unanimously approved the Open Space Bond funding request. The City Council also approved it, but with two opponents, including council members Sandra Vasecka and Bob Campbell.

Both governments will officially approve the financing at a future meeting.

“My sense is that when people within the city limits at least approved this bond, they did so with the intent of encouraging more recreational opportunities, public access and even greater preservation of agricultural lands in the area,” he said Campbell.

Several other council members said the project’s location was a stretch for the city’s open space funding. But they also recognized the region’s population growth and the need to conserve critical habitats and open spaces while the opportunity is available.

“I know how much the Wye area is changing and how much is about to change, and I also appreciate that this (Inderland) family is willing to participate in a conservation easement,” said council member Jennifer Savage. “But I’m one of the people who would like to see some prioritization for the rest of our city funds to start looking inward, especially since our land use plan requires us to do that as well.”

Council member Kristen Jordan also supported the project.

“We need to reserve land at as fast a pace as possible, given the growth and that public lands are being grabbed and prioritized forever and in perpetuity,” he said.