Denny Iverson in front of the Potomac State Forest. Photo by Lindsey Mulcare.
“Our community trusted the Blackfoot Challenge to get it right. To involve them, not just bulldoze through it knowing what was best. That’s not how we operate. When people see how well this process can work, it’s infectious.”
IN 2008, RANCHER DENNY IVERSON and his neighbors in Potomac began hearing rumors that Plum Creek Timber Company was planning to sell 34,000 acres south of town. If sold, the future of the intact landscape that bordered their community was in jeopardy – 10,000 acres had been prioritized for subdivision. “That would have really changed the face of the valley, the quality of life, everything,” said Denny. “We were really concerned and wanted to find a solution.”
Only a few years before, the Blackfoot Challenge partnered with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to purchase 89,000 acres of Plum Creek land in the Blackfoot and transfer those lands into permanent conservation ownership. TNC was ready to team up again, and Denny was ready to bring his community together through the Blackfoot Challenge process to ensure these lands continued to produce timber, be grazed by neighboring ranches, provide wildlife habitat, and be open to public access for generations to come.
When the legislative session began that winter, Denny and his neighbors were ready to campaign for the State of Montana to purchase the land. “We had about 70 people from our community and the logging community show up for the hearing. They had to move it to a bigger room to get everybody in. It was impressive.” With such strong and diverse local support, the funding was quickly approved.
When it comes to an intact landscape, the sum of the parts doesn’t necessarily equal the whole. As Denny explained, “A healthy watershed that has the ability to hold snow, to keep the creeks flowing, to support forest health – it keeps me on the land.”