Dear Editor: A Thank You to the Land That Now Surrounds Me

Dear Editor,

Despite the fact the headline should have read "River Ranch Gets Green Light as Proposed New Conservation Easement," I am so grateful to the Whitehall Ledger for re-printing the article the Monitor ran two weeks ago.

I have had so many gratifying conversations with community members who are interested in knowing about the process. Chad Klinkenborg was my contact at Montana Land Reliance (MLR), and he can be reached at chad@mtlandreliance@gmail.com or 406-570-4271. He explained every step clearly, and I found each member of the MLR group to be very personable and easy to work with.

My move to Montana was the result of the same hyper-development that is happening in Bozeman and along the I-90 corridor. My small (10-acre) historic farm in Pennsylvania was engulfed by housing in a matter of five years. The opening line in an essay I wrote at the time was, "I don't live where I used to, and I haven't moved." My decision to place Snapfinger Farm in a Conservation Easement was my thank you back to the land for the 35 wonderful years I spent there raising my sons and working with horses.

This gesture, too, is a thank you to the land that now surrounds me, sustains me, and delights me.

Respectfully submitted,

RUTH LOTT

Cardwell, Montana