Montana FWP completes draft environmental assessment for West Swan Valley Conservation Project, proposes to secure permanent conservation management on up to 9,500 acres of Plum Creek Timber land

Audrey Dixon

HELENA, Montana , August 6, 2010 (press release) – Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) has written a draft environmental assessment (EA) for the West Swan Valley Conservation Project located about 7 miles south of Swan Lake in Lake County.

FWP proposes to secure permanent conservation management on up to 9,500 acres of important fish and wildlife habitat on land currently owned by Plum Creek Timber Company.

FWP is considering three alternative methods to achieve this outcome, including purchase of a conservation easement, purchase of fee-title ownership, or a combination of conservation easement and fee-title ownership, as well as no action.

A copy of the draft EA is attached [url: http://fwpiis.mt.gov/content/getItem.aspx?id=45654].

The public comment period for this draft EA runs through 5:00 p.m., September 7, 2010. A public meeting is scheduled at the Swan Lake Community Center, located behind the Swan Lake Fire Hall just south of mile marker 71 in the town of Swan Lake, August 19, 2010, at 7:00 p.m. Please direct questions to Alan Wood, FWP Wildlife Mitigation Coordinator (406-751-4595 or e-mail to awood@mt.gov), or Joel Tohtz, FWP Fisheries Mitigation Coordinator (406-751-4570 or e-mail to jtohtz@mt.gov). Please direct written comments to Nancy Ivy, FWP, 490 N Meridian Road, Kalispell, MT 59901 or e-mail to nivy@mt.gov.

* All content is copyrighted by Industry Intelligence, or the original respective author or source. You may not recirculate, redistrubte or publish the analysis and presentation included in the service without Industry Intelligence's prior written consent. Please review our terms of use.