The Trust for Public Land successfully navigated land board approval last month for the final step of a 13,400-acre forest conservation project near Whitefish Lake. The final step in the Whitefish Lake Watershed Project was land board approval of a 3,180-acre addition to the Stillwater State Forest from Weyerhaeuser, funded in part by mitigation funds from the Bonneville Power Administration. BPA will hold a conservation easement on the property. The project will provide sustainable forest management and forest health, water quality protection, wildlife habitat conservation, recreational access, forest jobs and more. The full Whitefish Lake Watershed Project has been in the works for a few years and has involved many project partners, including Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks; the Land and Watershed Conservation Fund, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Legacy Program and Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.
