Condon Creek

Year: 2007
Acres: 160
Ecosystem: Northern Continental Divide (NCDE)
Location: MT - Swan Valley
Project Type: Conservation Easement

Summary: In late December 2007, Vital Ground closed on its third Swan Valley conservation easement. The 160-acre Condon Creek Conservation Easement property lies just south of the Missoula-Lake County line and provides habitat for rare, threatened and endangered wildlife species, including grizzly bear, Canada lynx, grey wolves, wolverine, Westslope cutthroat trout, and bull trout. The property constitutes a valuable element of the Swan River Valley and its conservation values and contains an abundance of native plant species and native plant communities which appear largely intact. Water Howellia (Howellia aquatilis), a 'threatened' plant species under authority of the Endangered Species Act, has been recorded on the property. The property contains a one-half mile segment of Condon Creek, which is in good condition and provides important habitat for myriad wildlife and sensitive fish species. Dog Canyon in the Bob Marshall Wilderness provides the dramatic backdrop to the viewshed.