Forest Service officials in central Montana are
finding themselves in a tight spot over a proposed land
exchange.
The agency has been trying for five
years to acquire about 4,000 privately owned acres surrounded by
the Lewis and Clark National Forest. Acquiring these islands of
private land “will enable us to manage in a more contiguous
fashion,” says the agency’s Terry Knupp. “That helps in terms of
wildfires, prescribed burns and public access.”
The owners, however, want roughly 4,000 acres of national forest
land that abuts their ranch in trade. If the deal falls through,
Bair Ranch Foundation says it will demand a road across the public
land to access its private parcels.
“Under the
forest plan, we have no plans to road that area,” Knupp says. “But
the law says we have to provide reasonable access and if the swap
doesn’t go through, they’ll probably come to us with a road
proposal.”
Some conservationists aren’t happy
about the trade. Betsy Gaines, with the Bozeman-based American
Wildlands, points out that the public will be giving up lushly
forested slopes that are fed by seeps and springs in exchange for
dry, sparsely timbered land. And with Bair and others having
already logged adjacent sections, Gaines says elk and other
wildlife will have nowhere to go.
“In a perfect
world, consolidation is a good thing,” Gaines says. “But not at the
expense of wildlife.”
An environmental
assessment is due out by the end of January. For more information,
write Lewis and Clark National Forest, P.O. Box 869, Great Falls,
MT 59403 (406/791-7720). – Andrea
Barnett
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline A road could go there.
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