HELENA – The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission has approved the acquisition of 9,350 acres in the Swan Valley for $14.8 million.
The commission approved the deal Tuesday. The state Land Board will have the final say when it meets Monday.
The land within the Swan River State Forest had been owned by Plum Creek Timber Co. It includes streams for bull trout and westslope cuttthroat trout, and supports deer, elk, moose and bears.
Plum Creek is selling the land to the Nature Conservancy, which plans to sell it to the state as two conservation easements for $3.4 million less than its appraised value.
Money to buy the easements would come from the Bonneville Power Administration Fisheries Mitigation Program and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Habitat Conservation Plan.