Tongue River Ranch
by Tracy Watt, October 1, 2007
The Tongue River Ranch is over 18,000 acres, some 30 square miles, of quintessential eastern Montana habitat. The property is located in Custer County, southwest of Miles City. It is situated along the north side of the Tongue River and includes approximately six miles of river bottom. The topography ranges from lush riparian areas full of willows and snowberry to pine covered breaks, with shrub grassland and plains forest in between. Mule deer, whitetails, antelope, Canadian geese, turkey, ducks, upland game birds, including pheasants, sharp tails and Hungarian partridge, frequent the property, and elk are often seen just south of the ranch.
In April 2007, the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) purchased the Tongue River Ranch for approximately $5 million. At closing, Pheasants Forever (PF) came in with $200,000 from their national Land Loan Fund to seal the deal. “It was a way to secure a large contiguous tract of land that provides wildlife habitat and outdoor recreational access for the public,” said PF Vice President Joe Duggan. “Consolidating land into larger tracts provides better management from a real estate perspective and better public access opportunities.”
The local PF chapter in Montana must repay the loan. When the Mule Deer Foundation was approached by Wayne Frederickson, President of the Gallatin Valley PF Chapter, MDF President Miles Moretti and the Executive Board responded quickly, contributing $25,000 from the MDF National Project Fund. “The Mule Deer Foundation responded faster than any other organization and made a substantial contribution,” said Frederickson. Other partners in the deal include Montana Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Cinnabar Foundation. PF is in contact with numerous other groups and still needs to raise about $50,000.
The Tongue River Ranch purchase was truly a team effort, with the work of many dedicated individuals culminating in what the DNRC hopes to make a showcase for their Trust Land Management/Land Banking Program. “The transaction marks the largest acquisition to date under the state’s four year old Land Banking Program,” said Mary Sexton, Director of the Montana DNRC.
This program allows the state to sell non-accessible or land-locked parcels in order to reinvest in property that can be more useful to the public. There are currently over 5 million acres of state trust lands in Montana, with only one-third accessible.
“This is an example of the success of our Land Banking Program,” added Sexton. “In 2006, the state sold in excess of 9,000 acres of inaccessible State Trust Land throughout Custer County. With this purchase, we were able to block up our ownership, provide additional acreage to the trust portfolio for revenue generation, and allow potential for increased public access to adjacent and newly acquired State Trust Land tracts.”
In total, the ranch is approximately 20,969 acres in one contiguous parcel. In addition to the 18,544 acres of deeded property, it includes access to 1,145 acres of leased land from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and 1,280 acres of State Trust Land, both of which were previously inaccessible.
The property will be leased out as State lands to support Montana schools and be open to public access as part of the State lands access program. This project complements conservation easements on two other neighboring ranches, securing a major opportunity to protect and enhance habitat on a larger base than the ranch itself.
The Tongue River Ranch will continue to be a working ranch with two separate lessees. Land will not be leased to any outfitters. The DNRC expects to raise over $60,000 per year from the property, and the monies will be used for administrative expenses and Montana’s K through 12 schools. The DNRC’s Trust Land Management Program provides about 10 percent of school funding and raised about $65 million last year.
Ranch lessees will produce small grains and alfalfa and graze cattle on a rest/rotation schedule. The DNRC will manage the property and work with the partners to develop a comprehensive management plan with a recreational component. PF, MDF and others will form an advisory council. This council will be consulted by the DNRC before any significant plans or changes are made, and council members will work with the lessees to monitor cattle grazing and maximize wildlife benefits.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) will perform an assessment regarding the conservation value of the ranch from a wildlife perspective. A tributary of the Missouri River, the Tongue River is host to smallmouth bass, sauger, walleye and numerous other fish species, so FWP has interests in the fishery potential of the river as well.
Currently, FWP rules apply to the property, including non-motorized use. There are two points of access with parking areas and maps available in kiosks that will soon list the participating conservation groups who helped to make the land purchase possible.
Maps, recreation use rules, and applicable administrative closures are available online at http://dnrc.mt.gov/trust/land_banking/purchase/#trr or contact the DNRC Eastern Land Office at 406-232-2034.