15 Years Coming:
Landmark conservation easement protects Grant-Kohrs Ranch viewshed
By Patti Borneman, Senior Program Coordinator
On May 31, Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site in southwestern Montana celebrated the creation of a 3,675-acre conservation easement that will protect the historic viewshed of the Ranch long into perpetuity. The $1 million easement includes 1,450 acres that form the prominent bench on the west side of Grant-Kohrs Ranch. The land was donated to Missoula-based Five Valleys Land Trust by the Rock Creek Cattle Company.
For 15 years, Grant-Kohrs Ranch sought permanent protection of this visually and historically significant landscape. The area has remained virtually unchanged since the 1800s and is part of the original grassland resource that contributed to the historic success of the ranch.
NPCA congratulates the park and the efforts of three other entities—Rock Creek Cattle Company, Powell County, and Five Valleys Land Trust—which made this happen. It shows what is possible when land managers, government officials, private interests, and nonprofits work together.
