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BLM seeks county support to acquire 65‑acre parcel near Maiden Rock; council concurs
Summary
The BLM Butte Field Office asked the council to support acquisition of a 65‑acre parcel adjacent to the Big Hole River for conservation; commissioners voted 10–0 to concur and place a support letter on file.
Lindsay Babcock, the Bureau of Land Management’s local field manager, asked the Butte‑Silver Bow council for a letter of support for a block sale opportunity: 65 acres adjacent to the Big Hole River near Maiden Rock that the National Wild Sheep Foundation had helped bring to BLM’s attention. Babcock said the parcel is surrounded by roughly 300 acres of existing BLM lands and that land‑and‑water conservation funds (federal offshore oil‑and‑gas revenues) were available to secure the purchase for habitat protection and recreation access.
Commissioners asked for background about the landowner and intent; Babcock said the owner (named Dawn Marie in discussion) offered the parcel for conservation sale and the BLM wanted local concurrence before moving forward. County Attorney Ann Ruth, speaking as a longtime Wild Sheep Foundation member, supported the acquisition. The council voted unanimously (10–0) to concur and place the communication on file.
The concurrence does not obligate local funding; it signals local support for the BLM’s acquisition under federal conservation programs.
