Congressman’s Position on House Appropriations Committee Results in nearly $15 Million in Funding for Montana Projects

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg today announced $14.89 million in funding for projects throughout the state, including $11.75 million for five separate Conservation Easement projects. The projects are Meeteetse Spires, Blackfoot Challenge-Nora Gulch, Rocky Mountain Front, Blackfoot River Special Recreation Management Area and Greater Yellowstone Area-Cooke City Mining Claims. The funding was included in the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee bill for Fiscal Year 2010.

"Conservation has many faces, and Conservation Easement projects are among the most effective because they are built around the consensus of all interested parties," said Rehberg, a member of the House Appropriations Committee. "This funding will assist the grassroots efforts of local groups and willing land owners who have come together to preserve these important landscapes for generations to come. I was happy to partner with President Obama on these conservation easements. While we don’t agree on everything, ensuring future generations of Montanans have access to these diverse landscapes is something we all can support."

President Obama included requests in his budget and Rehberg submitted them to the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee. This cooperative two-pronged approach made inclusion in the final bill more likely.

Conservation easements are voluntarily conveyed, partial legal interests in land. Since the 1975 passage of The Montana Open-Space Land and Voluntary Conservation Easement Act over 300,000 acres have been protected with conservation easements. They comprise ecological, open space, recreational and historic areas and can include wildlife habitat, natural and undisturbed ecosystems, wildlife and scenic river corridors, threatened or endangered species, recreational resources, productive agricultural land, educational resources and historic sites or structures.

Each easement is different because each parcel of land is unique, and each easement is designed in consultation with the landowner. All land uses not specifically given up in the easement deed remain with the landowner.

"We appreciate Congressman Rehberg’s support of these projects. Landowner demand for easements on the Rocky Mountain Front grew by 30,000 acres this year," said Bebe Crouse, Director of Communications at The Montana Chapter of the Nature Conservancy. "These United States Fish & Wildlife Service easements support the viability of local ranches and communities in which they reside. The Blackfoot Bureau of Land Management project represents the largest remaining public portion of the larger Blackfoot Community Project, which, when complete, will conserve more than 100,000 acres in diverse public and private ownership and will help maintain a rural way of life for that community."