Finalized in March 2026, the Case Ranch Conservation Easement now permanently protects 2,330 acres of the Potomac Valley of western Montana — a place recognized as a hub of biodiversity between the Northern Continental Divide, Greater Yellowstone and the Bitterroot-Selway Ecosystems. The historic ranch connects to state and federal lands, providing habitat and connectivity for a huge number of species, including 14 Montana Species of Conservation Concern.

The Case family has been rooted here for nearly a century, stewarding the land for agriculture, wildlife and community and scenic values. The family has long allowed the public to hunt on their property; that gift to the community is now enshrined in the conservation easement.

The conservation easement was 20 years and two generations in the making. Its significance for the long-term health of the Blackfoot River watershed attracted federal, state, county, nonprofit and private partners, including Five Valleys Land Trust and Atira Conservation. Now finalized, the easement will ensure that wildlife and people can continue to thrive here for generations to come.

Key highlights of the project include:

• Expansive Connectivity: The ranch is adjacent to state and federal lands and 10 other conservation easement properites and is near five wildernesses, greatly enhancing and safeguarding regional habitat connecivity.
• Union Creek Conservation: The ranch holds nearly three miles of Union Creek, a tributary of the Blackfoot River, and crucial range for native westslope cutthroat trout.
• Diverse Wildlife Habitat: The ranch provides important habitat for grizzlies, elk, migratory birds and many other species that depend on the Potomac Valley’s diversity.
• Agricultural Opportunities: The ranch has long produced livestock, timber and crops. These opportunities will remain open to future producers, forever.
• Public Access: The easement project secured perpetual public hunting access through Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks’ Block Management Access Program.
• Community History: A portion of the ranch was once owned by the Anaconda Copper Company; historic buildings still stand today, visible to passers-by.

• Total Transaction Cost: $4,807,903
• Atira Conservation Support: $15,000