Article Summary –
Montana’s Habitat Conservation Lease Program, introduced by Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (FWP), aims to protect prairie, sagebrush, and wetland habitats through 30- to 40-year leases, with the first round approved and more proposals open for public comment. While some conservationists have come to support the program, critics argue that it diverts funds from permanent conservation easements and lacks transparency on development threats, habitat value, and public access details. FWP defends the program as a flexible tool for habitat protection, requiring significant public funding, primarily from nonresident hunting licenses and the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act, with the goal of securing 500,000 acres under lease in five years.
Two years ago, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks unveiled a proposal to use Habitat Montana funds for 30- and 40-year conservation leases. Proponents saw it as a “new conservation tool,” while critics warned it could weaken a popular habitat protection program.
With Fish and Wildlife Commission approval secured for the first round of Habitat Conservation Leases and another set open for public comment, Montanans are learning how the program works: Landowners describe their property’s potential for habitat, public access they’d allow, and lease preference. FWP evaluates applications, establishes a lease value, and forwards promising applications to the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission.
Familiarity has converted some skeptics into supporters, but concerns remain about using public funds for temporary protections without fully explaining property threats or ecological benefits.
Critics argue the Conservation Lease Program could weaken Habitat Montana, which has protected hundreds of thousands of acres since 1987. FWP has purchased dozens of properties and entered nearly 350,000 acres into conservation easements.
FWP Wildlife Division Administrator Ken McDonald emphasized the department’s commitment to habitat conservation, seeing the lease program as an additional tool to protect habitats from development without removing agricultural use.
The program aims to put 500,000 acres of prairie habitat under 30- or 40-year leases over the next five years, requiring $35-40 million in public funding, primarily from Habitat Montana funds and the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act.
Bill Long, a retired land trust executive, worries the state is shifting towards less protective conservation leases amid growing concerns about losing open space and wildlife habitat.
Recent polling reveals development anxiety among Montanans. Earlier this year, 90% of registered voters in the University of Montana’s Crown of the Continent poll called development into open lands a serious problem, with 59% labeling it a “very serious” issue.
Garrett Titus, Montana Wildlife Federation policy specialist, prefers conservation easements over leases but acknowledges that temporary leases are better than none.
Titus expressed concerns about the program undermining incentives for permanent conservation easements and called for more information about development threats and project economics.
Bradley Jones, a Helena attorney, echoed concerns about the program’s transparency, questioning if projects are equitably evaluated and if FWP is maximizing conservation benefits with the funds available.
Jones highlighted a current public comment period involving the 52 Ranch’s proposal to put 18,255 acres under a 40-year conservation lease.
John Sullivan, chair of the Montana Chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, stressed the need for a strong public access component in the program, given the use of public funds.
FWP’s McDonald countered that the Conservation Lease Program Environmental Assessment serves as high-level vetting to streamline project approvals.
One landowner, Steen Andreasen, described a frustrating, unsuccessful five-year attempt to secure a conservation easement for his 24,000-acre ranch, highlighting political challenges in the process.
Andreasen’s experience underscores the political dynamics complicating conservation easements, with the Land Board’s involvement adding another layer of approval.
Chase Hibbard of Cascade supports the conservation lease program, noting his family’s positive experience with a permanent easement and appreciating the security it offers against development.
FWP is taking comments on Habitat Conservation Leases proposed by the 52 Ranch, the Williams Family Trust in Broadwater County, and the QT Ranch in Dawson and Prairie Counties through Aug. 9.
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