MISSOULA – Calling it an iconic property, Missoula County commissioners approved spending approximately $994,000 of the Open Space bond to preserve a working ranch that straddles Highway 200 near Potomac.

The parcel, which includes a collection of century-old cabins and a stretch of Union Creek, is valued for its wildlife habitat and agricultural history. Both will be protected in perpetuity under an agreement reached between the deceased Case Ranch Co. and the Five Valleys Land Trust.

Derrik Goble, conservation project director for Five Valleys Land Trust, described the sprawling ranch as a wealth of natural resources. Native Americans collected flowers from beds at the site. For the last century, the property has served agricultural and logging needs.

It was previously owned by the Anaconda Mining Company and some of the buildings on site date back to that area. They are visible north of the road and have given the property both an aesthetic and iconic reputation.

Goble said the current ranch was compiled by Arnold Case, who settled the valley in 1932. The property contains nine contiguous parcels totaling about 3,300 acres. Under the agreement, 2,330 acres will be preserved.

“Adding the 2,330 acres will increase protected agricultural land in the Potomac Valley by nearly 70 percent,” Goble said. “By adding this additional protection, you can basically draw a straight line through protected public and private lands and all the way to the Canadian border.”

This stretch of connectivity represents one of the main prizes of the project. It will help conserve what wildlife advocates envision as the Yellowstone-to-Yukon corridor, allowing for the safe migration of wildlife along the spine of the Northern Rockies.

The value of the property is around $5.2 million and family conversations about preservation began nearly 20 years ago. The Open Space Bond will contribute about $994,000 and the Five Valleys Land Trust and private funding sources will add another $995,000.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service funded $2.5 million. Donna Hacker, one of the property’s current owners, praised the outcome of the deal.

“Given that there are multiple owners of this property, we cannot predict what might happen to it if a conservation easement is not granted,” he said. “We thought we could keep it without any help. But in perpetuity, that land should be open space.”

The agreement also provides public hunting access north of Highway 200. That portion of the easement will be managed by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

Kalie Becker, director of the county’s open space program, said the easement scored the highest in terms of wildlife habitat and agricultural lands. The latter covers almost 55% of the property.

“The location of the property is within an important wildlife corridor based on the proximity of other protected lands and public lands in the area,” Becker said. “Well-managed agricultural soils and forest lands, as well as safe public access to hunting, are also a major benefit of the project. “This project achieves many of the purposes of the Open Space Bond.”

Case Ranch this month becomes the second new conservation easement to qualify for Open Space Bond funding. Last week, the county and Missoula City Council approved expense $344,000 each in open space funding to preserve Indreland Ranch north of Missoula.

That property spans 1,660 acres and Case Ranch protects another 2,300 acres.

“This is an iconic property,” Commissioner Josh Slotnick said of Case Ranch. “That is one of the strong points of the Open Space Bond funds. You can tap into other money that you wouldn’t otherwise have access to.