The Nature Conservancy and
The Trust for Public Land
Make First Purchase of Plum Creek Land >>

The Montana Legacy Project is working to preserve this wild, working landscape for current and future generations.

Legacy Project Goals:

--protect the area’s clean water and abundant fish and wildlife habitat
-- keep our forests in productive timber management
-- promote public access to these lands for fishing, hiking hunting and other recreation

This vision is the result of hard work and collaboration by many individuals and organizations from across the state.  Business leaders, sportsmen, elected officials, federal and state agencies, conservationists, citizen groups and others are working together to protect this unique and important area.

Securing a Future for People and Wildlife
A key component of the project is the purchase by The Nature Conservancy and The Trust for Public Land of approximately 312,500 acres of western Montana forest land from Plum Creek Timber Company. See maps.

With this purchase, the Legacy partners aim to consolidate ownership and management of these lands, enable ongoing sustainable timber harvesting and (to the extent possible) preserve public access to these lands for recreation.

"What excites me about pulling off a transaction of this scale is that we have the opportunity to keep a way of life in the West that is shrinking everywhere else you go. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to preserve the landscape and lifestyle we enjoy in the West."
- Denny Iverson, Blackfoot Valley rancher, logger, and board member of the Blackfoot Challenge