November 1st was another milestone for LRLT–our eighth conservation easement, bringing our total acres conserved to nearly 8,000 since our creation in 2005.
Each new project is different from the last, no two pieces of property are exactly alike, nor is any conservation easement. This most recent conservation easement marked LRLT’s first as a suite of four Pahsimeroi Valley projects completed in conjunction with our partners at The Nature Conservancy (TNC). Ultimately these project will collectively protect over 5,700 acres of working ranchlands that provide prime fish and wildlife habitat, including eight miles of the Pahsimeroi River, its tributaries and the associated riparian areas. LRLT’s piece of this puzzle is our newly completed O’Neal Ranch conservation easement. A 353 acre piece of property owned by the O’Neal family for four generations, currently by Ted & Debbie O’Neal & the second of the four conservation easements included in this package, with the first being TNC’s conservation easement on the Hoffman Ranch. Eighteen miles from Ellis, Idaho, the O’Neal Ranch sits in the heart of the rugged and wild Pahsimeroi Valley and will continue to function as a working ranch, all while providing critical habitat for the fish and wildlife that call this valley home.
