EBS STAFF
Gallatin Valley Land Trust has permanently conserved 190 acres of agricultural land near South Cottonwood Creek through a voluntary conservation easement with the Bos family. The property, located south of Bozeman, will remain in agricultural production while also protecting wildlife habitat, migration corridors and scenic open space. The land sits between existing conservation easements and contributes to more than 4,800 acres of protected land within a five-mile radius, including important winter range and movement corridors for the Gallatin elk herd, explained a Jan. 20 press release from GVLT.
“The Bos family’s commitment to the land is a testament to the deep-rooted farming heritage of the Gallatin Valley,” Zane Ashford, GVLT conservation project specialist, said in the release. “By choosing to conserve this land, they are ensuring it remains a productive resource for agriculture and wildlife for generations to come.”
The easement was made possible through a combination of a land value donation from the Bos family, funding from the Gallatin County Open Lands Program and matching federal funds from the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
The project marks the second conservation partnership between GVLT and the Bos family, who have farmed in the area since the 1950s. GVLT has now completed 137 conservation easements, protecting more than 75,000 acres of working lands and wildlife habitat across southwest Montana.
