Montana 2025 Legislative Session

[WanderWoman]

Thanks again. Maybe that specific one is barren, but I would think there are others that aren’t- mine was more of a general question.

Do you suppose the absence of game may explain the low price? $150 per acre seems really cheap, but perhaps not?

If lands encumbered by a CE were now to be appraised at $150/acre, and without a CE would be appraised at $800-$1200/acre, that puts the CE encumbrances at 81-89% of the property value. That must be one heck of a CE.

Most CEs without access (i.e., purchasing subdivision and maybe a few other rights related to tilling) are in the 25-30% (ish) range. FWP CEs with access are generally 40-50% (but could sometimes exceed 60%+) of appraised value. Recreation is getting to be an expensive game.

If the CE devalued the property by 25-30%, that per acre cost would more like be between $560-$900 acre.

Also, most entities do a bit of vetting prior to buying CE on a property. It is after all, a marriage of sorts, and not a Hollywood one. One of the main goals is to leverage conservation dollars in the most effective way possible, so CEs generally target areas within priority habitats that have been well-managed. But every CE is different and different entities may have slightly different targets and objectives.

I’ve hunted several FWP CEs with access managed via both Type I and Type II BMA, and have had great experiences. One of them is pretty reliable for elk, actually.

 

[Flynarrow]

There are many conservation easements. The ones in perpetuity that give up everything are in my belief a mistake.
I live right next to 2 blocks of land that have C.E.’s on them. Neither place has had an offer on them that’s legit. I’ve made a contingent offer of $150 an acre. Contingent because I’m not certain that either would pencil ag wise. If the easement could be reversed, both parcels sell overnight for 800-1200 an acre.

I was part of an organization who negotiated perpetual Conservation Easements on ranch properties. In some cases the landowner just wanted to sell. So in a couple of cases we bought the land in fee...then attached a perpetual CE...and resold it. Amazingly we recouped most of the original price we paid even after we had attached the perpetual CE.

 

[TheJason]

Wouldn’t know why it wouldn’t qualify for 454, but if it has an easement on it there would be no point in trying to enroll in 454, cause there would be ZERO big game on it.

I’ve hunted properties with easements that were absolutely fantastic. Surprised you have had the opposite experience.