Northwest Montana took an important step toward long-term habitat protection and public access, as the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission unanimously approved the purchase of the Upper Thompson Conservation Easement Phase 1 during its June meeting. The 34,610-acre project, located in the Thompson River drainage, solidifies a key conservation effort years in the making.
The easement, situated on Green Diamond Montana Timberlands LLC property in the Cabinet Mountains, locks in a critical landscape connection north of Thompson Falls and Plains. The agreement prevents future development, secures permanent free public recreation access and keeps the land in active forest management with continued sustainable timber harvest.
The area is home to elk, moose, deer, mountain lions, black bears and a wide range of other wildlife. It also supports roughly 10,000 days of public hunting and angling use each year. With Phase 1 approved, those opportunities, and the habitat that sustains them, are now permanently protected.
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"We are thrilled with the outcome of this project," said Leah Breidinger, habitat conservation biologist for FWP. "Protecting this landscape ensures that the wildlife, the working forest and the outdoor traditions it supports will endure for generations."
The project was made possible through a broad coalition of funding partners. The U.S. Forest Service Forest Legacy Program contributed $13 million, joined by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Montana Fish & Wildlife Conservation Trust, and private fundraising coordinated by the Trust for Public Land. Green Diamond also committed a substantial land value donation, covering approximately 34 percent of the easement’s cost.
Approval of this project marks a major milestone for regional conservation and public access in northwest Montana.
