Badger-Two Med sees key easment

The Nature Conservancy recently negotiated a key conservation easement on private lands that border the Badger-Two Medicine, the nonprofit announced Friday.

The 146.6-acre parcel is on the north edge of Badger-Two Medicine area of the Lewis and Clark National Forest is owned by the Gordon family. It’s in a narrow zone of private land along Highway 2 that would have been ripe for development, but that won’t happen thanks to the generosity of Doug Gordon and his family, The Conservancy noted.

Vince Gordon, whose great-grandfather purchased the land from homesteaders, said the donation of the easement was “a no brainer.”

“My father (Doug) instilled a respect for and love of the land when I was very young and stressed the need for us to take care of it.” Gordon said. “After all, he said, ‘They aren’t making land like this anymore.’”

In an interview with the Hungry Horse News, Gordon said his great grandfather purchased the property in 1945. He was a farmer in Cut Bank and the land was his retreat. He’d been through World War I and exposed to the trials of war, including being gassed.

“It was his place to find some peace,” Gordon said.

The Blackfeet people also consider the Badger-Two Medicine sacred ground and a part of their cultural identity. It has been a place of healing and peace for them for more than 10,000 years.

Today, Forest Service trails run through the land along the river.

The Badger-Two Medicine region connects the Blackfeet Reservation, Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness complex. In June, the U.S. Court of Appeals confirmed the canceling of the final oil and gas lease in the Badger-Two Medicine. The Blackfeet Nation and Montana U.S. Sen. Jon Tester have also drafted a Congressional bill to declare it a Cultural Heritage Area.

Dylan DesRosier, the Conservancy’s Blackfeet Reservation Land Protection Specialist, says he couldn’t have asked for better partners.

“It has been a real privilege to work with the Gordons who have such a passion and deep respect for their land. They donated the easement freely without any expectations other than our help in protecting the land for generations. Their long stewardship and vision for protecting this beautiful property have been truly inspiring,” he said.

The easement protects the land from any future subdivision or development, noted Bebe Crouse, director of communications for the Conservancy in Montana.

The property and surrounding area are critically important for wildlife such as grizzly bears that must move between Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex. This conservation easement will conserve both forest and grassland habitat alongside the headwaters of the Two Medicine River.