Easement Protects Salmon River Tributary

A 300-acre conservation easement along Carmen Creek, a tributary of the Salmon River, protects a working ranch and important wildlife habitat, including stream habitat for Chinook salmon and steelhead trout. The Nature Conservancy purchased the conservation easement and will transfer it to the Lemhi Regional Land Trust, a local organization that provides incentives and options for ranch owners to preserve their agricultural lifestyles. The easement property is owned by Tom McFarland, a third-generation rancher in the area. The McFarlands will continue to own and operate the property as a working ranch. “If we truly want to keep what’s good about this valley, we need to keep the small, local landowners on the land,” says McFarland. The conservation easement was made possible by both private and public grants. A grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation provided funding through a program to support protection for ecologically important lands identified in state conservation plans. A grant from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service provided important funding through the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program. Additional private grant funding was provided by the Page Foundation...Nature Conservancy