Montana Great Outdoors Project

Montana’s scenic beauty, quite simply, takes your breath away. But these cherished lands are under threat of development. Recent years have brought an unprecedented land grab in Big Sky Country as many people bought up property in Montana for second homes. Real estate prices have soared as people and developers stream into the state. Never before has so much land changed hands so quickly, or the risks to unbroken wilderness been so great.

The Montana Great Outdoors Project is an opportunity to permanently protect 150,000 acres in northwest Montana. This landscape, west of Glacier National Park, includes a route to some of the most popular elk hunting grounds between Washington, Idaho, and Montana. But we must act fast to protect the lands that provide lifelong memories in the woods at dawn or on the river during the evening hatch.

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This conservation easement would permanently end the threat of development, ensure sustainable timber management, maintain wood-product jobs, protect incredible wildlife habitat and landscape connectivity, and provide public access to extraordinary recreation lands –forever.

“For decades Montanans’ access to some of our most treasured land has been guaranteed through little more than a handshake and neighborly agreements. But at a time when Montana is seeing break-neck growth, TPL is doing everything we can to keep Montana, Montana –and protect access to our favorite hunting spots, hiking trails, or secret fishing holes. The opportunity to protect the Montana Great Outdoors property completes the connectivity of previous conservation efforts and would ensure permanent public access to a highly used recreational corridor. It is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Trust for Public Land’s Northern Rockies Director, Dick Dolan.

If we don’t act now, Montana’s treasured wild places could be closed to public access and lost to private development. Forests and mountains like these are the lifeblood of Montana and a vital part of making our state a great place to live, work, and play.

The Montana Great Outdoors Project was recently named a priority project by the U.S Forest Service and awarded $20 million by the Forest Legacy Program, now Trust for Public Land must raise an additional $10 million to complete the $30 million deal. Time is of the essence, and your help is critical to our success to ensure permanent public access to these Montana wildlands.

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Learn more about our Forever Montana campaign and our work across the state.