Missoula County approves letter supporting BLM purchase of 17,000-acre Blackfoot parcel

Missoula County commissioners approved a consent-agenda item that included a letter of support for a Bureau of Land Management acquisition of about 17,000 acres in the Twin and Gold Creeks area of the Lower Blackfoot.

County staff member Annie presented the item, saying, "This is a letter of support for Bureau of Land Management acquisition," and that the parcel is among former commercial timberlands acquired earlier by The Nature Conservancy. Annie said the BLM has worked with the Blackfoot Challenge and other local efforts to identify acquisition opportunities.

The letter reiterates points raised in earlier county correspondence, according to Annie: that the acquisition process should emphasize a collaborative management approach that works with tribes and that the lands are important to local communities for working lands, recreation and wildlife habitat. Annie said the BLM has completed a number of environmental assessments (EAs) related to acquisitions in the Blackfoot dating back to about 2015.

The item was considered and approved as part of the consent agenda. A motion to approve the consent agenda was made and seconded; the presiding member called for the vote and commissioners responded "Aye." The meeting record did not state individual roll-call votes for this item.

The letter of support does not itself enact management changes; it expresses the county's position in favor of the BLM continuing acquisition and collaborative-management work in the Lower Blackfoot region.