Jette Farm is a 133-acre property located in the Grass Valley, west of Missoula, Montana. This property that was settled by the Jette family in the late 1880’s and has a long history of providing working lands for both producers and wildlife. Historically, the Séliš (Salish) Nation gave the name Člmé (Tree Limb Cut Off) to the area where the Jette Farm is located. Soils made rich by eons of Clark Fork River flood cycles have helped give Missoula and its surrounding area the “Garden City” nickname. Currently the Natural Resource Conservation Service has designated over 65% of the land is as Important Agricultural Soils.
Additionally, Jette Farm provides critical wildlife habitat in an increasingly high-pressured area of Missoula County. The property sits in the heart of the Clark Fork River-Grass Valley Important Bird Area, a region recognized by the National Audubon Society for having critical and diverse bird habitat. Within the surrounding area of Jette Farm, the Five Valleys Audubon Society has documented over 246 bird species, which represents more than half of the species recorded across the entire state of Montana. Thirteen of species are Species of Conservation Priority, including Lewis’s Woodpeckers, and the short-eared owl, both of which are Montana Species of Concern. The property also lies within proximity to a Five Valleys’ conservation easement property where Trumpeter Swans were discovered nesting in 2016 – the first time in recorded history in this region.
The Jette Farm landowners generously donated the value of their conservation easement. Atira Conservation partnered with Five Valleys Land Trust, Five Valleys Audubon Society, and community donors to cover the transaction costs, legal fees, stewardship fund contribution and staff time to complete the easement. The Jette Farm conservation easement will join Five Valley Land Trust’s portfolio of over 100,000 acres protected across western Montana.
- Easement Cost: $51,507
- Atira Conservation Funding: $15,000
