"This is absolutely an iconic piece of property. It's wonderful that the family would choose to protect it." - Missoula County Commissioner Josh Slotnick.
Located in the Potomac Valley, covering thousands of acres of grasslands, meadows, timberlands, creek frontage, and wetlands, lies the Case Ranch.
The Potomac Valley is known for its richness. The valley was the chief-most place for the Salish and other peoples to dig camas, an essential food staple. At the turn of the 20th century, much of the Case Ranch was owned by the Anaconda Copper Company, who used it for timber and as pastureland. In the 90 years since, the ranch has produced local beef, hay, and timber products.
The area is also hugely important for wildlife: The Potomac Valley is a natural crossroads between the Bob Marshall Wilderness and the Greater Yellowstone and Selway-Bitterroot Ecosystems to the south. The Case Ranch is adjacent to BLM, State of Montana, and other conservation lands, which provides exceptional connectivity for elk, grizzlies, lynx, native trout, a great diversity of birds, and more. The Case Ranch has long shared this abundance–the ranch has been enrolled in the Block Management hunting access program for decades.
Recognizing their land’s many values, and the threat of future subdivision, the family began exploring conservation with Five Valleys a few years ago.
"Since there are several owners of this property, we just can't predict what could happen to this property if it is not put under a conservation easement,” says co-owner Donna Hacker.
The Case Ranch conservation easement project will protect over 2,300 acres of this rich and diverse landscape, and would ensure public hunting access in perpetuity. In early November 2024, the Missoula County Commissioners voted to approve $995,000 in 2018 Missoula County Open Space Bond funds to help purchase the easement. This amount will be matched by $4.2M secured from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Agricultural Land Easement program and the Montana Fish and Wildlife Conservation Trust, as well as significant donations from the landowners and Five Valleys Land Trust.
“Adding the 2,330 acres will increase the protected ag land in the Potomac Valley by nearly 70 percent,” says Five Valleys Conservation Project Manager Derek Goble. “Adding this additional protection, you can basically draw a straight line through protected public and private land and get all the way to the Canadian border.”
The Case Ranch conservation easement will be finalized in 2025. Tremendous thanks to the landowners for their vision, the Missoula County Commissioners for their vote, the people of Missoula County for supporting conservation through the open space bond, and to Five Valleys community donors for making this incredible project possible.
Photos by Five Valleys staff
