Gaining glory: Partnership garners 3,649 public acres in Big Hole Valley

[Ben Lamb]

Solid work from RMEF & The BLM:

Gaining glory: Partnership garners 3,649 public acres in Big Hole Valley

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and other partners held an event near Seymour Creek to celebrate acquiring 3,649 acres for public use.

mtstandard.com

WISE RIVER — People say heaven just might resemble the Big Hole Valley in summer. Absent the mosquitoes, that is.

The pesky blood-suckers buzzed the crowd on the afternoon of July 13 in the vicinity of Seymour Creek. People had gathered to celebrate a land acquisition of 3,649 acres bordering the creek, the Big Hole River and nearby lands already managed for public use.

The diverse mountain-valley landscape provoked awe even among people such as Chris Marchion, who has hunted and fished in southwest Montana nearly all his life. He said the perspective offered of the Anaconda-Pintler Range and Mount Evans was unique.

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation hosted the gathering on a bluff above Seymour Creek, which meandered through thick stands of willows on its way to the Big Hole River. The elk foundation and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management helped shepherd the acquisition. Money from the congressionally approved Land and Water Conservation Fund helped buy the property from the ranching family who had long been the land’s stewards.