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February 19, 2010 Board of County Commissioners Missoula City Council Missoula County Courthouse 435 Ryman 200 West Broadway Missoula, MT 59802 Missoula, MT 59802 RE: Acquisition of a Conservation Easement on 300 acres in the North Hills Members of the Board of County Commissioners and City Council: The Open Space Advisory Committee enthusiastically recommends that the City of Missoula acquire a Conservation Easement on 304 acres in the North Hills that is owned by Allied Waste Systems (AWS). The Committee unanimously recommends the expenditure of $445,000 of the 2006 Missoula County Open Space Bond funds to go along with the $50,000 Five Valleys Land Trust member donation to meet the negotiated price of $495,000. AWS will donate 71 percent ($1,710,000) of the value of the easement. This property is highly visible from many locations in the Missoula Valley. It lies to the north of the current AWS waste disposal site which is not visible from the property. It is primarily open grassland cut by several woody draws, some of which intermittently carry water. It is extensively used by elk and deer for critically important winter range. It also provides high quality habitat for a number of other terrestrial and avian species. At some point in the future, public access for hunting, hiking and environmental studies, compatible with overall management objectives for the property, would be allowed. The conservation easement would allow the construction of agriculture support structures within a 17 acre building envelope in the southwest corner of the property but no residential structures would be permitted. The easement would permit agricultural and silvicultural practices to continue on the property. The threat of development is real for this property. AWS representative Max Bauer stated they had already received inquiries from developers in the area. This parcel is located adjacent to private lands in Grant Creek which have already been subdivided. ---PAGE BREAK--- This parcel is part of the North Hills Cornerstone priority established in the 1995 Open Space Plan and again in the 2006 updating process. The property meets criteria for 4 of the 7 types of lands in the 2006 Open Space Bond: - Protecting Wildlife Habitat; conserving working ranches, farms and forests; providing open space and scenic landscapes and managing for growth. The conservation easement would add very significant values to the Open Space attributes of the Missoula area. The Open Space Advisory Committee is excited about the open space values this proposed easement would add as well as those it would protect in perpetuity. The Committee recommends acquisition of this conservation easement, and we thank you for considering this recommendation. Tim Aldrich, Chair Open Space Advisory Committee