Public input sought on proposed Fergus County conservation easement

Press release

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking public input on an environmental assessment for a proposed conservation easement on approximately 1,733 acres near Denton.

FWP is inviting the public to review and comment on the draft EA and CE.

The proposed CE, called the Everson Bench Conservation Easement, will protect and conserve in perpetuity mixed agricultural lands and sagebrush-grassland habitat adjoining the Coffee and Arrow Breaks in deer/elk hunting district 426. The proposed CE serves as a gateway to approximately 9,000 acres of inaccessible of Department of Natural Resources Conservation and the Bureau of Land Management Upper Missouri Breaks National Monument lands. This CE will keep the property in private ownership, ensure habitat values are protected in perpetuity, and guarantee free public access for hunting and other recreational pursuits on and across CE lands, satisfying FWP’s objectives in providing access and recreational opportunities to the public.

The EA document can be seen on the FWP website at http://fwp.mt.gov/news/publicNotices/environmentalAssessments .

The comment period for the Everson Bench CE is Oct. 26 through Nov. 25.