Lolo Forest buys 4,000 acres

HELENA – The Lolo National Forest expanded by nearly 4,000 acres last week after the Forest Service completed a $5.8 million deal with a Virginia-based nonprofit group.

Keeping the lands public are part of any ongoing effort by The Nature Conservancy and a group of Lincoln and Ovando area residents who are trying to protect the land from subdivisions and development.

The latest purchase is known as the eastern Horseshoe Hills. It is located southeast of Seeley Lake and borders the Lolo forest.

“This land is extremely valuable because it offers winter range for white-tailed and mule deer and elk,” said Tim Love, district ranger for the Lolo National Forest.

When federal funds become available next year, the Forest Service plans to purchase the western half of the Horseshoe Hills, Love said.

The land is part of about 51,400 acres The Nature Conservancy bought from the Plum Creek Timber Co. for about $40 million three years ago.

The group doesn’t make a profit from selling the lands.