May 25, 2018
Greg Mullen
Natural Resource Damage Program
PO Box 201425
Helena, MT 59620
Re: NRDP Funding Recommendation For the Purchase of the Buxbaum-Boulder Creek
Conservation Easement
To Greg Mullen and other relevant parties,
The Montana Chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers is highly supportive of the
efforts to protect 1,193 acres of grassland, wetlands, and forest habitat near Maxville,
Montana with a permanent conservation easement. The Purchase of the Buxbaum-Boulder
Creek Conservation Easement aligns with our members values as sportsmen and
sportswomen who advocate for healthy, connected habitat for wildlife, open spaces, and the
continuity of Montana’s heritage of working lands. We support funding for this project from
the Montana Natural Resource Damage Program and other available sources.
Our members include 2,000 Montana hunters, anglers and others who adamantly champion
North America's outdoor heritage of hunting and fishing in a natural setting, through
education and work on behalf of wild public lands and waters. We are especially thrilled
that this project would secure significant permanent public hunting access on and through
the property in a popular hunting district where game damage problems have become a
significant issue on private lands. The access to nearby USFS lands that would be gained by
this project is an exceptional aspect for our members.
We applaud Five Valleys Land Trust, the landowner, the NRCS Agricultural Land Easement
Program, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, as well as other parties for their dedication and
support to this land’s conservation. Please inform us of any additional activity on this
proposed project and how we might continue to support this and other such efforts.
Sincerely,
Hannah J. Nikonow, Region 2 Board Member
Montana Chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers
About Hannah Nikonow
Hannah works as a communications specialist for a bird habitat conservation organization in Missoula. She is eager to follow in the boot tracks of those currently speaking out for the protection of public lands.