Montana purchases Missoula-area wildlife corridor

MISSOULA – A 200-acre parcel of land surrounding the confluence of a river and a creek near Missoula has become public land.

The state purchased the former ranch where Rock Creek meets the Clark Fork River from Five Valleys Land Trust, the Missoulian reported. The trust bought the land last year for $1.6 million, and Gov. Steve Bullock approved spending $400,000 from the state’s Natural Resource Damage Program settlement funds to purchase the property.

The remainder of the price came from several organizations and private donors.

The trust has already removed old fencing and debris from the land. More restoration work is planned next spring. The land is a wildlife corridor for moose, black bear and mountain lions.