Latest News From the Foundation Blog...

• Augmentation Trapping Summary, by Heather Reich
• Jack and Suzi Hanna Host “Friends of Montana” Fundraiser
• Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks grizzly bear management specialists relocate a family of grizzlies near Eureka, Montana

Montana Fish & Wildlife Conservation Trust

Montana’s Senator Max Baucus authored legislation in 1999 that allowed 265 cabin owners to purchase their plots at Canyon Ferry Reservoir from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. 90 percent of the proceeds from the sales of the cabin sites were to be deposited in a permanent perpetual public trust in Montana to be known as the “Montana Fish and Wildlife Conservation Trust.”

The purpose of the trust is to provide a permanent source of funding to acquire publicly accessible land and interest in land, including easements and conservation easements, in the state from willing sellers at fair market value to:

1. Restore and conserve fisheries habitat, including riparian habitat;
2. Restore and conserve wildlife habitat;
3. Enhance public hunting, fishing, and recreational opportunities; and
4. Improve public access to public lands.

In 2002 Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton appointed the Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks Foundation to be the Trust Manager of the Montana Fish and Wildlife Conservation Trust. Our responsibilities include investing the corpus of the trust and disbursing funds for projects requested by the Joint State-Federal Board, providing the projects meet the purpose of the trust.

All 265 lots have been sold. The first lot was sold on June 19, 2002 and the last lot to sell occurred on July 12, 2005. The sales of the cabin sites and the lease payments generated a total of $14,945,403 for the Trust. This amount is the principal of the Trust and shall remain in perpetuity forever. Earnings on the trust shall be used to fund projects that meet the purpose of the legislation. Not more that 50 percent of the income from the Trust in any year shall be used outside the watershed of the Missouri River, from Holter Dam upstream to the confluence of the Jefferson River, Gallatin River, and Madison River.

During the first three years of funding, the Montana Fish and Wildlife Conservation Trust has provided $1,763,108 for 17 different conservation projects throughout Montana. The projects range from helping to provide funding for the purchase of 1,280 acres of Selway Creek, a private inholding located deep within the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, to purchasing 71 acres near Glendive, adjacent to the Yellowstone River, to provide a recreation area for the public. Projects within the watershed area include the following; Crow Creek, Acquired about 20 acres for public access in the Helena National Forest on Crow Creek, near the town of Radersberg; Elkhorn Mountains, Acquired 235 acres near Winston, in the Elkhorn Mountains between Helena and Townsend; Iron Mask, A total of 1080 acres have been purchased in the Iron Mask area, overlooking Canyon Ferry Reservoir.

Based on its financial conditions, the Montana Fish and Wildlife Conservation Trust was able to provide a 4% payout of the Market Value of the Trust for 2007. $852,000 was allocated by the Trust this year alone for wildlife habitat improvement and access to public lands. This payout does not exceed the Trust’s Net Appreciation Value and is considered to be prudent.

The Montana Fish and Wildlife Conservation Trust is providing a tremendous opportunity to acquire publicly accessible land and interest in land, that will protect and enhance Montana lands for conservation and access. It is important to realize that none of this would have been possible without the Canyon Ferry legislation that allowed the sale of the Bureau of Reclamation lands, thereby forming the Montana Fish and Wildlife Conservation Trust.