American Prairie wants to create the largest nature preserve in the Lower 48. It recently purchased an additional 70,000 acres of land in central Montana, bringing its total to over half a million acres.
"We saw a once-in-a-generation opportunity to secure an important piece of ecologically and culturally significant land," Spokesperson Beth Saboe says. "One that certainly, as I said, is a huge win for public access."
The group purchased Anchor Ranch, formerly owned by Texas billionaires the Wilks Brothers. It was listed for about $36 million. American Prairie declined to disclose the purchase price.
The new land contains a portion of Bullwhacker Road, which is a primary access point for 50,000 acres of public land in the Upper Missouri River Breaks area. It’s been a historic point of contention due to former landowners restricting access for the route.
American Prairie says it plans to keep the route open to the public. Saboe added that ranching families who’ve leased on this land will remain in place.
The nonprofit’s prior land acquisitions have been highly controversial among locals. This purchase is no different.
Former state legislator Dan Bartel of Lewistown attempted to pass legislation in 2023 that would limit how much agricultural land nonprofits could purchase. Bartel says big purchases like this hurts locals by increasing land values. He says that’s making ranching uneconomical.
"It’s disappointing because a lot of that land will probably never be used to the full extent of its agricultural purposes,"
Bartel says he believes in conservation, but wants to see it stem directly from local ranchers rather than nonprofits.
American Prairie is a sponsor of Montana Public Radio. The MTPR Newsroom covers sponsors in the same way it reports on other companies.
Montana Public Radio is a public service of the University of Montana. State government coverage is funded in part through a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
