EBS STAFF
BOZEMAN –
The Natural Resources Conservation Service has recently renewed a commitment
for land conservation in the Gallatin Valley. Through the service’s Regional
Conservation Partnership Program, $3.8 million has been awarded to the Gallatin
Valley Land Trust to fund conservation easements and land stewardship projects
in the valley.
“NRCS has
been a critical partner for conservation easements, providing funding to
purchase conservation easements from willing landowners to conserve working
lands, clean water and wildlife habitat in our rapidly growing valley,” GVLT
communications and outreach director EJ Porth told EBS in an email. “GVLT is
thrilled to continue focusing on the Gallatin Valley with such a committed
partner.”
The majority
of these federal dollars will go directly to farmers and ranchers actively
working to conserve their open landscapes to protect water quality, maintain
prime farmland and reduce urban sprawl.
GVLT first
received the NRCS grant in 2015 and used the funds to acquire seven
conservation easements that total over 2,600 acres, as well as complete six
land stewardship projects.
“This
focused partnership project has brought together the resources to conserve more
open space and
address
resource concerns on more acres in the Gallatin Valley than [NRCS or GVLT]
could have done
individually,”
said Tom Watson, NRCS state conservationist for Montana, in a press release.
The grant
renewal creates a pool of money that is allocated on a project-by-project basis
and funds stay within Gallatin Valley. This focused conservation effort targets
land-use conversion and urban sprawl within a burgeoning Gallatin Valley, home
to fertile soil and a deep agricultural heritage.
“At a time
when the Gallatin Valley is facing unprecedented growth, this special
allocation of funds will
increase the
pace of conservation in the valley,” said GVLT program director Brendan Weiner
in a press release. “Thank you to the NRCS for strategically allocating these
funds to a place that is committed to
conserving
its agricultural heritage and has a proven record of conservation success.”
Last year
Gallatin Valley voters renewed the Gallatin County Open Lands Program, which
provides local matching funds to the federal NRCS program.
