Briefs: New 33,000-acre conservation easement; More lands open to bird hunting | Montana Public Radio

State approves purchase of 33,000 acre conservation easementAaron Bolton | Montana Public Radio

State officials Monday approved the purchase of a nearly 33,000-acre conservation easement about 45 miles southeast of Libby.

The land is in the Salish and Cabinet mountains and is owned by Green Diamond Resources Company, a timber producer.

The land has long been used by the public and the state has tried to maintain that access through conservation easements. The latest deal was approved by the Montana Land Board and allows for continued timber production in addition to public recreation and hunting.

The state plans to pay Green Diamond Resources $40,000 for this project. The agency will use a mix of state and federal conservation funding as well as private donations.

This is the first phase of a larger easement project in the area. The state hopes to purchase another 52,000-acre easement to the south in the future.

More lands open to upland bird huntingElinor Smith | Montana Public Radio

State wildlife officials have opened more land to upland bird hunting. The 40,000 additional acres are part of a program that incentivizes private landowners to allow public hunters on their property.

This year the state raised the number of acres private landowners can lease to a state program that manages upland game bird populations. The state also increased, and in some cases doubled, how much it pays landowners to conserve bird habitat.

Since that change this spring, the program has seen a roughly 10-percent increase in private landowner enrollment.

Montanans interested in hunting upland game birds this season can check out a map of new land access on the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks website.