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Fish, Wildlife & Parks asks Land Board to approve eight 30- and 40-year habitat leases totaling $6.08 million
Summary
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Director Dustin Temple told the Land Board the eight proposed Habitat Montana term leases would conserve grassland habitat while keeping lands in active agricultural production; the board approved enrollment of the eight leases totaling $6,077,570.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Director Dustin Temple told the Land Board that his agency is asking the board to approve enrollment of eight private properties in a new long-term Habitat Conservation Lease program, describing 30- and 40-year leases that pay a percentage of fee value to landowners and aim to conserve imperiled grassland habitat while keeping lands in active agricultural use.
Temple said the Habitat Montana fund currently holds roughly $31 million in cash and about $14 million in authorized spending authority, and that the eight leases before the board total about $6,077,570 in state funds. "These 8 leases total just around 6,000,000, all state funds," he said, adding that a 30-year lease is priced at about 15% of fee value while a 40-year lease is about 20% plus a 5% bonus in the department's template.
The program, Temple said, was developed with input from agricultural and conservation groups to create a voluntary tool for landowners for whom permanent easements or fee purchases are not a good fit. "We've been listening over the last couple of years... and I'm happy to say that we come before you with the support of both of the agricultural community and the conservation community," he said.
Public commenters who identified themselves endorsed the approach. Carly Johnson of the Montana Farm Bureau said the association "commends the department on creating a program that balances long term conservation, recognizes that agriculture is a [priority]," and called the term leases an attractive, flexible alternative to perpetual restrictions. Ellie Bryton of the Montana Stockgrowers Association told the board that incentive-based, voluntary agreements and 30- or 40-year terms are more workable for many ranch operations.
Agency staff described lease mechanics during board discussion: landowners can exit a term lease early but would typically repay the unearned portion pro rata and incur a 25% penalty on the original payment; that penalty would not apply if an owner exited the term lease to enter a permanent conservation easement. Staff also said the leases include provisions addressing mineral rights: third-party mineral owners retain their development rights, and surface owners who hold minerals would be restricted from initiating development under the lease terms, though staff acknowledged technological drilling methods may allow access without surface disturbance.
After the presentation and public comment, the Land Board voted unanimously to approve DNRC item IM 0824-3 to enroll the eight properties into the Habitat Conservation Lease Program.
The board packet lists individual lease details and maps; FWP leadership remained available to answer follow-up questions about specific parcels and proposed lease terms.
