Indian Butte Land Exchange Project

Executive Summary

FarWide Conservation Trust, Inc. (FCT) is proposing to acquire the 640-acre Indian Butte property in western South Dakota. This tract would be acquired as part of the “Land Exchange” program, an innovative effort to address the issue of “landlocked” public lands. The Indian Butte property contains important wildlife habitat and likely contains both cultural and archeological resources. The completion of this project would protect important resources and provide the public with significant opportunities for a variety of outdoor recreational activities. FarWide Conservation Trust is seeking to raise $450,000 to complete this project. FarWide Conservation Trust is dedicated to the conservation of fish and wildlife habitat and the expansion of outdoor recreational opportunities today and forever.

The Conservation Need

FarWide Conservation Trust is committed to addressing the issue of “landlocked” public lands. A “landlocked” parcel is a property owned by a governmental agency, but not available to the public because the property is surrounded by private land and lacks any public access. Often, these tracts are small and lack significant wildlife habitat values. Recent published reports estimate that sixteen million acres of state and federal lands across the western states are not accessible by the public. FarWide Conservation Trust has developed a unique strategy to address this huge challenge – a “land exchange” program. The first step is to identify suitable land to acquire. Ideally, such a property would have great wildlife habitat, good access and significant opportunities for public, outdoor recreational activities. Second, FCT would acquire the property from a willing seller. Then, FCT will negotiate a “land exchange” with a public agency, transferring ownership of the parcel to the agency in exchange for lands that are of minimal resource value, lack access and deemed disposable. Finally, the parcels acquired through the exchange are sold to adjacent landowners, generating revenue to fund the next land exchange project. The net result of this program is larger blocks of quality wildlife habitat in public ownership and a significant increase in opportunities for outdoor recreation, including hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, birdwatching and many other activities.

FarWide Conservation Trust is the only non-profit conservation organization that is specifically focused on this strategy to address the extensive issue of “landlocked” public lands across the entire United States. The Indian Butte property presents a unique opportunity to address this conservation opportunity.

The Opportunity

The 640-acre Indian Butte property is in Butte County in western South Dakota, just a couple of miles from the common corner where South Dakota meets both Montana and Wyoming. As the name implies, this property contains approximately 50% of Indian Butte, with the balance of this geological feature located on adjacent land owned and managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. In addition to the cultural and archeological values associated with similar buttes in the western prairies, this property also contains important prairie habitat that is home to antelope, deer, grouse, jackrabbits, grassland songbirds and many other species of wildlife. The property also contains a portion of Indian Creek and its associated riparian habitat that is used by many wildlife species. The Indian Butte tract borders other BLM lands on both the north and southwest sides of the tract, offering a unique opportunity to expand and connect other public lands. The property is currently listed for sale.

A Plan For Action

FarWide Conservation Trust is proposing to acquire the Indian Butte property as part of the “Land Exchange” program and then offer it for exchange to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management or another public agency. If successful, FCT will receive from the partnering agency property of equal value consisting of tract(s) that have been deemed as expendable by the agency because of their small size, lack of significant resource values and lack of public access. After the transaction is complete, FCT will sell the acquired exchange tracts to the adjacent rancher(s) and put the proceeds from the sales back into the “land exchange” account, ready to fund the next land exchange opportunity. The net result of this project, and the overall program, will be larger blocks of high-quality lands placed into public ownership and a significant expansion in opportunities for the public to enjoy outdoor recreational activities.

The Financial Need

FarWide Conservation Trust has a goal of raising $450,000 to complete the Indian Butte project. We are actively pursuing a variety of fundraising strategies to fund this project and other “land exchange” opportunities around the country.