Ferry Creek Ranch Placed in Conservation Easement

The Livingston Enterprise

Gallatin Valley Land Trust (GVLT) has partnered with Rob Forstenzer to conserve his 546-acre Ferry Creek Ranch in Park County northeast of Livingston.

Forstenzer chose to create a conservation easement, which is a voluntary land protection agreement, to ensure the property will remain open and available for agriculture, wildlife habitat, and scenic views for generations to come, according to a news release from the GVLT.

Since purchasing the property in 1990, Forstenzer has spent the last three decades restoring both the land and historic home, which had fallen into disrepair after years of neglect. The property is registered on the list of National Historic Places through the Montana Historical Society as the “Ebert Ranch,” a tribute to Livingston’s agricultural heritage.

“When we purchased the property, the land was a mess and the house was worse,” said Forstenzer. “But we thought the place had good bones and good potential. So, we decided to roll up our sleeves and fix it up. It became a love affair with the property. It has been a central focus of my life.”

Today, two local families lease portions of the ranch for agriculture, maintaining the hay production on irrigated fields and grazing on the rangeland.

After learning more about conservation easements in recent years, Forstenzer decided it was the right tool to ensure the community can forever enjoy the land as it is now.

“When I envision the kind of development that could happen, with houses and roads, it disgusts me,” said Forstenzer. “I would never want to see that happen.”

Ferry Creek Ranch also provides transitional wildlife habitat from valley bottom grasslands to semi-arid sagebrush grasslands which is important for elk, pronghorn, deer, fox, badgers, raptors, songbirds, and various migratory species. Both Ferry Creek, a spring-fed tributary to the nearby Yellowstone River, and the Livingston Ditch run through the property, adding to its diverse habitat.

“The wildlife was a big factor for me,” said Forstenzer. “I want to do my part to keep the open space for them.”

“We are extremely grateful to Rob,” said Kelsie Huyser, GVLT Conservation Project Manager. “Permanently conserving Ferry Creek Ranch will help to ensure important natural resources and the rural character of Livingston and central Park County are protected forever.”

Since 1990, GVLT has partnered with families to establish 132 conservation easements, forever protecting nearly 72,000 acres of some of the most highly productive, scenic, and wildlife-rich lands in southwest Montana.

Ferry Creek Ranch represents GVLT’s 19th conservation easement in Park County. To meet growing interest from Park County landowners, GVLT opened an office in Livingston and has two full-time staff members solely focused on conservation work in Park County.

While Forstenzer generously donated the financial value of this conservation easement, GVLT has also developed public and private funding sources that allow the organization to purchase conservation easements from interested landowners which will enable a greater number of landowners to utilize this tool.

Landowners interested in GVLT’s conservation programs should contact GVLT’s Park County Conservation Program Manager, Cole Herdman, for more information at cole@gvlt.org or 406-285-1826.

GVLT partners with private landowners to conserve working farms and ranches, fish and wildlife habitat, open lands, and scenic views. To protect these special places, GVLT uses conservation easements, which are voluntary agreements with landowners that limit the type and amount of development on a property while keeping it in private ownership. Each easement is tailored to the specific property and runs with the title of the land in perpetuity.