Wildlife and scenic values will be preserved, thanks to Lolo family's conservation ethic, likeminded buyers, and an assist from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
(April 2, 2007) Missoula, Montana — After years of searching for a way to preserve their ranch south of Lolo, the daughters and grandchildren of the late David J. and Frances Maclay have found what they were looking for: buyers who share their love of the land and its wildlife. The eastern three-fourths of the ranch—3082 deeded acres stretching four miles east from U.S. Highway 93 into the foothills of the Sapphire Range—is in the process of being purchased by two Minnesota men who want to keep the property wildlife-friendly and largely intact.
Mark Reiling and Kaare Birkeland, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, wanted a place "out West" with outstanding scenery and premium hunting and fishing opportunities. Reiling is an avid hunter, Birkeland an ardent fly fisherman, and they found what they were looking for in the whitetail-infested aspen groves, trout-roiled waters and elk-heavy hills of the Maclay Ranch, just 20 minutes from downtown Missoula.(This property is not part of the Tom Maclay ranch and proposed Bitterroot Resort a mile further south.)
The shared goals of the Maclay family and the future owners are being achieved with the help of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Last week, the Elk Foundation acquired the ranch. The Foundation will hold the ranch for a period of time and is committed to helping ensure that the habitat values of the ranch will be protected. The Elk Foundation intends to sell the ranch to Birkeland and Reiling.
Homesteaded in 1880 by Samuel Maclay, the ranch’s cattle and sheep herds and lush green hayfields—and the big yellow house Samuel built for his wife Nellie in 1906—have been distinctive features of the North Bitterroot landscape for over a century. And the ranch will become increasingly distinctive as housing developments and businesses continue to spring up on all sides.
For many years the D.J. Maclay Ranch and neighboring properties have provided travelers on U.S. 93 with a refreshing slice of spacious, uninhabited countryside, a glimpse of traditional agriculture and a sense of wildness that's disappearing rapidly in the West, particularly near attractive cities like Missoula. Less than nine miles as the crow flies from Missoula's city center, the ranch is situated in the middle of one of the richest, most visible and most imminently threatened stretches of private-lands wildlife habitat in western Montana.
The ranch is also part of an important wildlife corridor. Due to its location in the narrow neck of the valley, and the fact that the ranch is the only property that spans the entire valley, it's the only route in the 60 miles between Missoula and Hamilton by which large, extremely rare and/or people-shy species of animals still have a chance of crossing back and forth between the Bitterroot and Sapphire ranges. Such corridors help assure genetically vibrant wildlife populations. Moose, elk, bighorn sheep, at least one wolf and undoubtedly a number of mountain lions and black bears have made or attempted that journey on or near the Maclay Ranch in recent years. Traffic on Highway 93 is the only significant obstacle in the corridor.
Transportation planners are currently studying traffic flow, soliciting public comment and identifying sites at which wildlife crossings may someday be constructed over or under the highway—in the event that the adjacent fields and foothills somehow remain open enough for wild animals to even reach the highway.
Mike Thompson, Wildlife Manager for Region 2 of the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) said he's glad to hear that the ranch will wind up in the hands of people who value the wildlife. "The bald hills between Miller Creek and Eight Mile Creek provide prime winter habitat for elk and mule deer, and the Maclay Ranch is the center of it all," Thompson says. "We look forward to working with the Elk Foundation and the new buyers."
Faced with the usual disincentives to continue ranching—rising property values and property taxes, increasing fuel and equipment costs, falling cattle prices, daunting inheritance taxes on the horizon, the need to equitably distribute the ranch's value among family members, plus the sense that the ranch and everything on it was about to be swallowed alive by the expanding city of Missoula—Frances Maclay, daughters Annie (now deceased) Helena and Libby and the five grandchildren decided in 1999 to sell.
They listed the ranch with American Public Land Exchange, a Missoula-based, conservation-oriented real estate firm owned by family friends Bruce Bugbee and Allen Fetscher. Finding the right buyer or buyers was not easy, says Bugbee.
“There are many large wildlife properties for sale in Montana,” he says, “and not that many buyers who can afford them, particularly at land prices associated with properties like this one, in the heated Missoula-area real estate market. The Maclays turned down numerous offers from people interested in developing. And it took some creative ideas, risk-taking and trust on the part of the sellers and buyers, including the Elk Foundation, to achieve a positive outcome for the fish and wildlife resources on this ranch.
The decision to sell was not easy for the Maclay family, and neither was the long, often frustrating, sometimes painful process that followed. A limited number of carefully selected homesites will likely occur on the property. "It was like a protracted and difficult divorce, or the death of a loved one," says Helena, a Missoula attorney. "It was heart-breaking, but it had to be done. We are very thankful that it's working out at last. We're still grieving, in a way, but we know the ranch will be in good hands with Mark and Kaare."
Reiling and Birkeland are looking forward to taking possession of the ranch, and learning where the big bucks, bulls and trout hide out. "Kaare can't wait to wet a line in the Bitterroot," says Reiling, "and I can't wait to get out into the hills with my bow."
He and his partner also look forward to developing a management plan for the ranch that will enhance the range and the habitat for a variety of species. “Maintaining winter range for elk and mule deer and whitetail deer will be a focus," Reiling says. "We're also looking at ways to enhance habitat for waterfowl and other bird species. There may also be opportunities to enhance the fisheries, and we intend to explore those as well.”
“We do not plan to graze cattle this year," Reiling added. "We’ll look at the condition of the range as the year goes by, and consider resuming some livestock grazing in the future. A long-term weed control program will also be assessed.”
J. Dart, CEO of the Elk Foundation, toured the ranch and was amazed at the abundance of wildlife so close to Missoula. "I'm glad we were able to help the Maclay family achieve their goals," Dart says, "and I deeply admire their steadfastness in resisting the very tempting offers from non-wildlife-friendly developers. We look forward to assisting Mark and Kaare in finding ways to protect and enhance the ranch's wildlife resources."
Hundreds of people have hunted, fished and hiked on the Maclay Ranch over the years, thanks to the family's generosity in granting permission to recreate on their property. Bowhunters have availed themselves of whitetail deer hunting opportunities in the Bitterroot River bottomlands, and rifle hunters have taken advantage of walk-in hunting opportunities for elk and deer on the Davis Creek portion of the ranch. Reiling and Birkeland, in consultation with Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks personnel, are considering continuation of limited, closely regulated public hunting on the property.
“We believe in providing some hunting opportunities on a permission basis,” says Reiling, “but further discussion will be needed before it will be accomplished.”
Grant Parker, Vice President of Lands and Conservation Programs for the foundation, considers that statement "a very gracious gesture" on the part of the future owners. “We greatly appreciate landowners who are willing to consider the tradition of public hunting as part of their ranch management objectives,” Parker says.
Access to the ranch will probably be very limited for the foreseeable future, but the Elk Foundation will work with the new buyers to try to arrange for some public hunting opportunities this fall. Until a formal plan is developed and the sale is completed with the new buyers, any questions relative to the property should be directed to Jennifer Bahnfleth, Lands Program Coordinator at the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Phone 406-523-4563.
The Maclay family is seeking a like-minded buyer or buyers for the remaining 940 acres of the ranch, located west of U.S. 93. For more information contact the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation or Bruce Bugbee at American Public Lands Exchange, 1-406-728-4176.
About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
Founded in 1984 and headquartered in Missoula, Mont., the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring the future of elk, other wildlife and their habitat. The Elk Foundation and its partners have permanently protected or enhanced more than 4.7 million acres, a land area nearly twice as large as Yellowstone National Park. More than 450,000 acres previously closed to public access are now open for hunting, fishing and other recreation. The Elk Foundation has more than 150,000 members, a staff of 150 and 11,000 active volunteers. To help protect wild elk country or learn more about the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, visit www.elkfoundation.org or call 800-CALL-ELK.