The Prickly Pear Land Trust last week secured a new conservation easement on a 271-acre Montana City parcel on the south side of Mt. Ascension frequented by elk. One third of the nonprofit’s 30 easements are at least partially within Jefferson County – all in the county’s north.
The latest acquisition, known as the Elk Ridge easement and made with an anonymous landowner near Holmes Gulch, is a critical habitat for an elk herd that migrates between Helena’s South Hills and the Boulder Mountains.
“It is neat that there are elk in this area, so close to the state capital,” said PPLT Land Director Travis Vincent. “Because of this landowner’s efforts, elk will forever have access to that ridge.”
NGO-led private owner protections may be increasingly important as the federal government works to roll back Roadless Rule protections in National Forests and expose Bureau of Land Management parcels to potential development.
