Property Conserved on Swan Valley's Pine Creek Bench

Just a mountain pass away from rapid land use changes in Teton Valley, Swan Valley has seen an increase in residential development over the past few years, particularly along the South Fork of the Snake River and on the Palisades Bench, a high, windswept plateau overlooking the river and valley. On the other hand, the Pine Creek Bench in Swan Valley, though equally attractive for development, remains largely committed to farming, grasslands and wildlife habitat. Many of the landowners on the Pine Creek Bench have chosen to conserve their land by working with the Teton Regional Land Trust, the US Bureau of Land Management, The Conservation Fund and/or the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG). 

As the Palisades Bench develops, the Pine Creek Bench becomes increasingly important to mule deer and elk moving from the Big Hole Mountains to the South Fork for winter range. The Pine Creek Bench also provides courting, nesting and foraging grounds for the Columbian sharp-tailed grouse, an upland game bird considered a Species of Greatest Conservation Need by IDFG.

In January 2009, the Land Trust closed on the purchase of a conservation easement protecting 235 acres of the Pine Creek Bench. This property sits high on a ridge - the highest on the entire bench - overlooking most of the South Fork as it winds its way through Swan Valley. Over the years, the owners turned down numerous offers to sell a lot or two to buyers hoping to build a big house along the river.

The 235-acre property contains several leks - places where sharp-tailed grouse traditionally visit in the spring to find mates and nest. The landowners, who also own other lands on the bench, decided to build no houses on this 235 acres to protect the views and the habitat. They retain the right to farm the land and to use it for pasture.

Many partners helped make this project happen. The landowner donated a part of the conservation easement’s value, which helped leverage federal funding for the project. The Natural Resource Conservation Service funded half the economic value of the conservation easement through its Farm and Ranch Protection Program (FRPP). FRPP Idaho program lead and state soil scientist Hal Swenson explained, "We liked the project because it protects soils of statewide significance for agriculture, and the land lies near other lands protected by FRPP, helping to keep a large landscape available for agriculture." Without a significant financial contribution from IDFG, this project would not have received federal funding. According to Regional Habitat Manager Terry Thomas, "This project helped our funding go a long way toward the protection of significant transitional range for mule deer and breeding and nesting habitat for sharp-tailed grouse."

Finally, TRLT received a significant gift from the JKL Foundation to close the gap. Without the private and state funding - and landowner’s willingness to donate part of the easement’s value - the Land Trust would not have been able to use public funding for this project. ■