USDA-Backed Conservation Agreement with Fellows Family Conserves Ranch in Rocky Mountain Front Region
NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CHOTEAU, Mont. – Nearly 4,500 acres of working agricultural land and rich wildlife habitat in Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front region will be protected from subdivision and new development after The Vital Ground Foundation partnered with the Fellows Family and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to complete a conservation easement for the Fellows Ranch outside Choteau in late December.
The ranch includes more than five miles of frontage along the Teton River as well as two miles along a tributary, Spring Creek. Lined with cottonwoods, these lush bottomlands provide important range for numerous wildlife species, including grizzly bears that follow waterways to move between mountain habitat in the nearby Bob Marshall Wilderness and the lower-elevation grasslands of the Rocky Mountain Front. Through years of careful management, the ranch has avoided conflicts between bears and livestock, but has long faced pressure to subdivide and sell portions of the acreage for residential and commercial development.
“We’ve been here fifty years and the place is the way it is because of my folks,” said Mark Fellows. “One of the last things my dad said to me was, ‘Hold onto the place as long as you can.’ This is one way we can maintain it in perpetuity.”
Ranching and Grizzly Range
Until the 20th century, grizzly bears roamed the Great Plains of western North America along with its mountains and coastlines. Now, grizzlies are gradually reclaiming parts of their historic range on the prairies of central Montana, but they must navigate a patchwork of waterways and working lands in the process. When paired with conflict prevention efforts like electric fencing and securing attractants, protecting the region’s farms and ranchlands from subdivision and new development lays the groundwork for future coexistence with grizzlies and improved social tolerance for the species.
“Land conservation is the most important thing for long-term grizzly bear conservation across North America,” said Mike Madel, a retired Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks bear biologist and Choteau-area landowner. “The fact that you have these large cow-calf operations only encourages wildlife conservation over a long-term basis, not only for elk and deer but also for large carnivores. Ultimately, the habitat has to be there.”
The Fellows Ranch offers a prime example of how working lands and wildlife habitat can overlap. While closely monitoring any bear activity, the family conducts the bulk of its ranching operations on the higher grassland portions of the property, keeping a buffer of cultivated land between livestock pasture and the riparian corridors. As grizzly activity has slowly increased in recent years, they have transitioned their calving operations to occur during the months when bears are rarely present on the property.
“We really like to coexist with a lot of things around here,” said Fellows. “The grizzlies around here are shy about things, but they’re around. Wildlife habitat in general in the world is shrinking. We recognize that, and the idea that we can’t get along is foreign to us.”
Maintaining Agriculture and Open Space
Under the easement, the Fellows will continue their ranching operation while keeping any further development on the 4,482-acre property to the small portion of the ranch containing the family’s residence and agricultural buildings. Meanwhile, a wide diversity of species beyond bears will benefit from the conservation of the two riparian corridors, including bald eagles, waterfowl and many migratory birds that frequent the nearby Freezeout Lake National Wildlife Refuge. The agreement also maintains the property’s rich floodplain soils and irrigated hay lands, protecting the region’s rural and scenic character against the backdrop of widespread development pressures.
“There’s a long history of voluntary private land conservation efforts on Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front by landowners like the Fellows,” said Mitch Doherty, Conservation Director for Vital Ground. “It’s inspiring to work with these families who recognize that working lands and ranches are good habitat, and that protecting those lands benefits not only wildlife but all of us who appreciate Montana’s open spaces.”
The conservation agreement marks the largest in Vital Ground’s 35-year history, and would not be possible without the NRCS partnership through the Agricultural Land Easement (ALE) program that draws funds from the Farm Bill. Additional project support came from the Heart of the Rockies Initiative Keep It Connected program, The William C. Bullitt Foundation and Atira Conservation.
Note: The video above was produced before project completion to highlight multiple Vital Ground projects.
For more information contact:
Mitch Doherty, Conservation Director for Vital Ground, (406) 549-8650, mdoherty@vitalground.org
About Vital Ground:
An accredited land trust and 501(c)(3) organization, Vital Ground conserves habitat for grizzly bears and other wildlife in the Northern Rockies. Founded in 1990 and based in Missoula, Mont., the organization also partners with communities to prevent conflicts between bears and people.