Arthur Blank Partners with GVLT to Conserve Paradise Valley Ranch
By Enterprise Staff
The Livingston Enterprise
AMB West Chairman and Owner Arthur Blank purchased Paradise Valley Ranch (PVR) in 2019, at which time he pledged to preserve the ranching traditions, wildlife habitat and scenic beauty of the property. On April 19, Blank made his commitment to the community official when he established a conservation easement on the 8,800-acre ranch in partnership with the Gallatin Valley Land Trust (GVLT), an AMB West news release said.
The conservation easement permanently limits residential and commercial development on the property and allows for agriculture and outdoor recreation to continue. This is the largest conservation easement in Paradise Valley to date and the third property owned by Mr. Blank to be conserved.
“Paradise Valley Ranch is not only a stunning property in the heart of Paradise Valley, it also provides critical wildlife habitat and is rich in agricultural opportunities,” Blank stated. “It was very important to us when we purchased PVR that the land was conserved and managed in a thoughtful, responsible way and could serve as a resource for the community. We are proud to have partnered with GVLT to finalize a conservation easement ensuring that the natural beauty, ecosystem, and native landscape that makes the ranch so special with be preserved in perpetuity.”
Paradise Valley Ranch is located 10 miles south of Livingston on the western edge of Paradise Valley about 30 miles north of Yellowstone National Park. The property is mostly native rangeland and encompasses Antelope Butte, a prominent and scenic landscape feature that can be seen from across the valley. The ranch’s irrigated hayfields and meadows provide beautiful scenery, grazing for cattle, as well as important winter range for elk, mule deer and numerous other species.
The property lies close to seven other conserved properties, anchoring an open landscape rich with wildlife and historic farms and ranches. The ranch will remain in active agricultural production and is currently leased out to local farming and ranching families.
In 2020, soon after PVR was purchased, AMB West established a community elk hunting program providing access to the ranch annually. The program was developed to serve local Park County and greater Montana residents and aims to promote further conservation efforts on the property. AMB West and the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation partnered with local and regional directors of the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP), the game warden and local biologists to structure the program. Hunts are lead-free and are awarded through a lottery system free of charge.
In addition to the hunting program, PVR hosts a weather station to collect fine scale climate monitoring data, which helps local ranchers plan for drought and other extreme weather conditions.
“With the increasing rate of growth and development in the valley, we are grateful to Mr. Blank for ensuring this iconic ranch stays open forever,” said GVLT Conservation Director Brendan Weiner stated. “With over 40 existing parcels, this spectacular property could have been easily subdivided and developed but the conservation easement ensures it will stay whole.”
GVLT has been working in Park County for over 20 years and currently holds 16 conservation easements in the county in addition to over 100 conservation easements across southwest Montana, according to the release. To meet growing interest from Park County landowners, GVLT recently hired a full-time project manager solely focused on conservation work in Park County. While Blank 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 landowner,s which will enable a greater number of landowners to utilize this tool, the release said.
Landowners interested in GVLT’s conservation programs should contact GVLT Park County Program Manager Cole Herdman for more information at cole@gvlt.org or (406) 285-1826.
AMB West is a holding company comprised of Arthur Blank’s for-profit and nonprofit guest ranches in Paradise Valley, Montana. The ranches include Mountain Sky Guest Ranch, West Creek Ranch, Paradise Valley Ranch, and The Ranch at Dome Mountain. AMB West melds the missions of guest ranching, philanthropy, nonprofit convening, working ranch lands and conservation to achieve best-in-class hospitality and stewardship practices.