Public access secured on 1,040 acres near Lolo Creek

The Missoula District of the Lolo National Forest recently became the steward and manager of an additional 1,040 acres of high-quality resource lands just west of Lolo. Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and landowner Y.T. Timber, LLC, spearheaded efforts to move these lands into public ownership for the benefit of current and future generations.

“This most recent acquisition provides yet another important step toward addressing the historical checker-board ownership patterns in this area,” stated Carolyn Upton, Lolo National Forest Supervisor. “We are grateful for the leadership and partnership that the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation has provided throughout this effort, and we look forward to stewarding these new National Forest acres which will provide vital connections for habitat and opportunities for recreational access.”

The property is within or adjacent to important segments of the congressionally designated trail corridors of the Lewis and Clark National Historical Trail and the Nez Perce (Nee Me Poo) National Historical Trail, as well as portions of the Lolo Trail National Historical Landmark, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Acquisition of these parcels helps to secure the rich history of these trails and the historic, natural views experienced by people traveling the corridor linking Travelers’ Rest State Park and the Weippe Prairie in Idaho.

In addition, the acquisition of these inholdings builds on landscape-level efforts to conserve forest land and streams throughout the Lolo Creek watershed. Since 2010, partner organizations and landowners have coordinated with the Forest Service to move over 45,000 acres of undeveloped lands in this watershed into public ownership. Because of these efforts, the Forest Service can now work with partners and the public to restore Lolo Creek at the watershed scale, improve recreation access throughout the Highway 12 corridor, and maintain the connected wildlife habitat that animals need to thrive. These and other resource benefits allowed the project to successfully compete for funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).

For more information please visit the Lolo National Forest website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/lolo or follow the Lolo National Forest on Facebook.