Montana Legacy Project a Done Deal

[BigHornRam]

Map in this mornings paper highlighted the Plum Creek sections that are involved in this huge land purchase.

Guest Opinion
Progressive preservation: Agreement will protect public land while allowing working forests
By MAX BAUCUS



Montana is like no other place on Earth. As Montanans, we have at our fingertips world-class hunting and fishing, unmatched hiking, camping and snowmobiling and a view of the heavens so complete, and so unique, that our state is known simply as Big Sky Country. Without a doubt, Montana is the Last Best Place, and we know how lucky we are to live here.

But Montana won’t stay like this all on its own. We, as Montanans, must do everything we can preserve our outdoor heritage.

That is why I’m so excited about the Montana Legacy Project. Earlier this week, the Nature Conservancy, the Trust for Public Land and Plum Creek Timber Co. sealed the deal on a historic land agreement that will protect hundreds of thousands of acres in Montana. The agreement, called the Montana Legacy Project, will keep the land open to the public and free from development, forever.


The 320,000 acres included in the project include hunting and fishing land in the Swan Valley, the Fish Creek Valley, and around Potomac and Lolo. This is some of the best hunting and fishing land in the state, and our grandkids will get to enjoy it just as we do today.

I’m proud to have had a leading role in making the Montana Legacy Project a reality. As the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and a senior member of the Agriculture Committee and key author of the Farm Bill, I secured $250 million to help purchase the land, through the new Forest Bonding Provision.

This is big. It’s one of the largest land conservation deals in American history, right here in Montana.

Our identity as Montanans is so closely tied to the land; it’s hard to overstate the importance of preserving Montana’s outdoor heritage.

However, there is another pressing issue that affects every moment of our lives, and that’s our economy. The truth is, no matter how much time we spend outdoors, we still need a good paying job to live here.

And so, written into this historic agreement is a commitment to Montana’s economy. The deal will ensure the forests remain working forests, providing sustainable timber harvests that will create jobs and support the local economies that have relied on timber for generations.

The preservation of this land is also a tremendous boost to Montana’s tourism industry. More than 10 million tourists visit our state every year. They come to hunt in our forests, fish in our streams, and take in our scenic views. They spend millions of dollars for their very own Montana experience. Those dollars are the lifeblood of our state, creating jobs, putting food on the table and gas in our cars.

I’m committed to doing what’s right for the people of Montana. And that’s what the Montana Legacy Project is about. It will benefit not only our outdoor heritage, but our economy and our future.

The Montana Legacy Project is more than an investment in Montana, it’s an investment in the United States and in our future. I want this first deal to become a model for future conservation bonds across the country. The Forest Conservation Bonding Provision provides a roadmap for conservation groups to make agreements similar to the Montana Legacy Project a reality in other states.

The groups will focus on large blocks of private land bordering U.S. Forest Service land n parcels whose long-term conservation will benefit fish and wildlife and provide unprecedented public access. Combining these so-called checker-boarded, private-public lands can cut the costs and threat of wildfire to communities and while promoting long-term forest health.

Montanans are proud of our rural character, our valleys with farms and forests, and our tradition of public access to land for hunting and fishing. The Montana Legacy Project is a tool to preserve our outdoor heritage.

Because of the Montana Legacy Project, Montana will forever be the Last Best Place. This deal ensures there will never be a last generation of Montanans to fish the Blackfoot River, a last log from the Lolo headed to the mill, a last hunting trip into the Swan Valley. Because of the Montana Legacy Project, the Last Best Place will last forever.

Sen. Max Baucus, a Democrat, is Montana’s senior U.S. senator and chairman of the Senate Finance Committee

 

[Ridge Runner]

I read this the other day. Which is it??

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/04/AR2008070402772.html?sub=new

 

[shoots-straight]

If you read the article, it says both are right. Plum Creek owns 1.2 million acres in Montana, 320,000 have been bought by Baucus, 280,000 have been purchased by the Nature conservancey. that leaves another 600,000 left for development.

 

[1_pointer]

280,000 have been purchased by the Nature conservancey

Darn enviros, putting their money to good work... Anyone seen/heard/read what their plans are for the land? How much will be open to the public?

 

[BigHornRam]

Pointer,

From what I understand, TNC plans to put development restrictions on the land and sell it back to private interests. Don't know if these restrictions will allow for public access or not.

 

[1_pointer]

Pointer,

From what I understand, TNC plans to put development restrictions on the land and sell it back to private interests. Don't know if these restrictions will allow for public access or not.

That seems counter productive, IMO, but I'm guessing they could stand to make a few bucks that way. Now, if I just had some money to spend...

 

[BigHornRam]

Pointer,

With development restrictions in place they will more than likely sell it for a lot less than they bought it for. The average per acre purchase price on this deal is over $1800. Steep price for logged over industrial timberland. The revenue created by TNC selling the land will go towards buying more albeit less land, in the future. The Sula/Blackfoot state land swap that was stopped by Bitterroot locals a few years ago, involved Plum Creek land in the Blackfoot, and was brokered by TNC. That was a bad deal for sportsmen. Only time will tell what TNC's real plans are. "Trust but verify" is my motto with those guys.

 

[1_pointer]

"Trust but verify" is my motto with those guys.

I don't disagree with that. I still think they are one of the, if not the, best conservation organization currently going....

 

[BigHornRam]

A little more information about this deal

Mixed emotions at Montana Legacy Project meetings: Praise, questioning greet Plum Creek land deal talks in Lolo, Seeley Lake
By JOHN CRAMER of the Missoulian



LOLO - The Nature Conservancy, the Trust for Public Land and the Plum Creek Timber Co., received praise but also some pointed questions the past two nights during public meetings about the Montana Legacy Project in Lolo and Seeley Lake.

Many people praised the general intent of the project, which has been billed as the largest conservation land purchase deal in U.S. history.

But some also sought specific details that project officials repeatedly said had not yet been determined or that were a private matter between the timber baron and two conservation groups.


“This all sounds good, but I don't want to give so much and get so little” if the land has been degraded by clear cutting, and Plum Creek isn't required to set aside restoration money, Wendy Sturgis said at Thursday's meeting at the Lolo Community Center.

Several people expressed concern about Plum Creek's logging practices.

Others supported the project, but said they wished more details were available.

“Even if this deal is less than perfect, it's still better” than having the land developed, said Sterling Miller, who was among about 25 people at the Lolo meeting.

The Legacy project, which was announced June 30, involves Plum Creek selling 320,000 of its forest acres in western Montana for $510 million to the two conservation groups over the next three years.

The deal is meant to prevent large-scale development, while allowing some logging and preserving wildlife habitat, public recreation access and a rural way of life on a working landscape.

In short, it would largely preserve the status quo, allowing gradual change rather than a dramatic shift seen in many regions of the West, where once-bucolic communities have become expensive resort towns and home sites have sprawled deeper into the forest.

The Nature Conservancy, the Trust for Public Land and Plum Creek are holding a series of public meetings this summer in an effort to explain the project, gather suggestions and build rural community support for the deal, which would require $250 million in tax dollars and another $260 million in private donations. Meetings were held last week in Evaro and Condon.

On Wednesday, when some 75 people at the Seeley Lake Community Center sought specific details about the Legacy proposal, project officials repeatedly said they wouldn't or couldn't discuss them.

“Please excuse us, but we're still working out some of the details,” said Caroline Byrd of the Nature Conservancy at Wednesday's meeting. “This is a work in progress. We want to be open, but it's still a moving target until it's not a moving target.”

A mix of year-round residents and second-home owners attended the Seeley Lake meeting.

“We're out here going - what” are the specifics, said Sidney Burgess of Placid Lake. “If it seems like too good of a deal, it might not be. Be careful. Be vigilant.”

Project officials said the public wasn't included in the negotiations because the deal was a business matter between private entities and because Plum Creek was a publicly traded company.

“There was too much flux in the negotiations” until recently that only would have confused the public and bogged down the deal, Byrd said. “And things may still change. We're bringing the public in at the first possible point and we want to take this private deal forward in a way the public wants.”

Doug Harkin, who spoke Thursday at the Lolo meeting, praised the project but urged the stakeholders to be cautious and “transparent” in order to gain public support.

“I think we all smell a rat” when matters of public interest are discussed behind closed doors, Harkin said. “If you're transparent and tell us what you're up to, that's good.”

Byrd said project officials will be transparent now that public funds are in play and the U.S. Forest Service, state government agencies and private conservation buyers will discuss who will ultimately own and manage the lands.

Audience questions both nights included why the public wasn't involved in the negotiations, why some lands were included and some weren't and how much timber Plum Creek would receive.

People also wanted to know who would ultimately own the lands and whether an independent appraisal had been done so the public wasn't getting saddled with overpriced lands that had been degraded by clear cutting.

Project officials said the Legacy deal grew out of efforts in the Swan and Blackfoot valleys over the past decade to buy large blocks of Plum Creek timberlands that the company is selling for development.

They said they started negotiations more than a year ago, signed a purchase agreement shortly before the project was announced June 30 and expect to finalize the deal in a few weeks.

They sought to reassure the audience that their suggestions would be taken seriously and were an important part of implementing the project once it has been finalized.

Project officials had specific answers to some questions:

- The U.S. Forest Service, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation regulations would apply to any land those agencies receive.

- Wealthy donors who contribute to the project's fundraising campaign couldn't buy the lands.

- Habitat conservation plans that Plum Creek previously agreed to would continue to protect corridors for grizzly bears and other wildlife.

- The Nature Conservancy and the Trust for Public Land would pay property taxes on the land while they own it. Plum Creek currently pays about $100,000 in property taxes.

Project officials said the land has been periodically logged for more than a century, but that it is in good shape and not a clear-cut “moonscape” as some people have claimed.

They said the amount of timber that Plum Creek would receive at market prices over the next 10 to 15 years under the project's fiber supply agreement has not been determined, but that only sustainable harvesting monitored by third-party certifiers would be allowed.

Walt Hill, a member of the Seeley Lake Community Council, said Wednesday he was excited about the project, but that “if Plum Creek gets half a billion dollars,” the company should be required to set aside the interest on 10 percent of its profits from the deal and to spend that money on local communities' infrastructure, such as schools, roads and utilities.

Local governments, residents, environmentalists and others have expressed concern about the Plum Creek selling off timberlands for residential development, which require taxpayers to pay for urban services and firefighting crews in new forested neighborhoods.

If the Legacy project funding comes together as expected, Plum Creek would receive $200 million by the end of this year, another $200 million by the close of 2009 and $110 million when the deal is completed in December 2010.

More information is available at www.themontanalegacyproject.org.