Institute seeks to preserve rural character

SALMON, Idaho – Tractors and open rangeland still dominate the landscape around Salmon.

But just across the Montana border, hayfields and other trappings of rural life are being replaced with massive log homes and sprawling development.

It is a fate befalling much of the West – and one that conservation groups hope to prevent here in Lemhi County.

In cooperation with the Salmon River Mountains Working Group, the Sonoran Institute has sponsored a socio-economic study of the county, an economic development seminar and a well-attended workshop to teach ranchers and farmers how to retire without selling out.

Now the 10-year-old conservation institute is investing $200,000 in the region, establishing a Main Street office and hiring a full-time staffer.

Randy Carpenter, with the institute’s Missoula office, said the organization will help Lemhi County residents discover their competitive advantage.

“To have a vibrant economy, you have to have an awesome place,” he said. “You have to have recreational opportunities, good education, transportation. Having a great downtown and a largely intact landscape that includes ranching – that’s your competitive advantage.”

Tom McFarland, of Carmen Land and Livestock, said he joined the Salmon River Mountains Working Group because he believes the future of ranching in the area around his hometown is at stake.

“If ranchers leave the land, this area will be significantly changed – and probably not for the better,” he said.

Subdivisions are a tempting solution for a ranch that is suffering financially, McFarland said.

“Most of the time, if you’re in agriculture, you have a love of the land and animals,” he said. “Conservation easements, in my opinion, are one of the best options you can have to keep it all together.”

Still, some residents are wary of outsiders’ advice on handling their land.

Lloyd Jones, a retired contractor, said he is not opposed to any group that provides education about options such as conservation easements, but he said he doesn’t think change should be forced on people.

Adrienne Blauser is leading the Sonoran Institute’s efforts in Salmon. Blauser, 27, said Lemhi County is facing a shrinking window of opportunity.

“I know that any type of community development, if it’s going to be sustainable, has to empower the local people,” she said. “This organization is about helping ranchers stay on the land.”