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Newsletter from Montana
March 2005
Somebody asked me if those brown hills around here ever turn green and I told her they are green on April 17 every year from 12 to 2 pm. Actually it's not quite that bad. We have some green shooting through starting at the end of March and lasting all the way through May. June and July stay green right here along the mountains with beautiful wildflowers dotting the landscape where the cows can't get to them. Here in Red Lodge and right along the mountains we have about 18" to 22" of precipitation per year, while just a mile to the east it fizzles down to 6" a year. So we are right at the edge of a desert, which makes for 300 sunshiny days per year. When you go north, after about 25 miles the annual rainfall is only 14-16 inches. This also explains the difference in land prices in these parts. Like one client put it: "I am learning some land does not have electricity, other does not have water. That which does is more expensive. Grass and trees are extra." :-) I posted a chart showing the precipitation of Montana.
If you don't have the Montana counties memorized, I posted a map of those too.
I also found a drawing that depicts the
drought outlook until June 2005 for the United States. There it looks like the Eastern half of Montana is pulling out of the drought at least a little bit and this year our ski mountain did well again, as opposed to the ski runs that are located farther west in the Rockies.
Now since I found something nice to say about Eastern Montana, I have a couple of new listings there which are a steal compared to our outrageous prices here next to the Beartooth. 80 acres for $ 27,000 with trees, pond and an old dug out with a woodstove from the early settlers! Electricity is somewhere along the horizon as you fly over it.... I didn't go there, but I send an airplane over and they took some close up pictures from the air. This would be a great spot to bring your motorhome and to go hunting!
Then I listed
20 acres between the Big Horn Canyon and the Yellowtail Dam.
You would have to drive through the Wild Horse Range and the whole length of the Big Horn State Park to Barry's Landing - which is paved, and then another 4 miles on a dirt road to the property. There is an old deteriorated homestead on it, which used to have a well and septic at one time. It is a brand new listing, I put some maps and some phony photos on the website, please check back for the real McCoy, my daughter will go out there tomorrow and take some actual photos of the property. I will also have some aerial photos posted by then. The price is right and owner will carry! $ 27,000
I listed a
nice little ranch of 422 acres
about 50 miles NE of Billings on the East side of the Bull Mountains.
It has a couple of log homes and a larger bunkhouse. It once belonged to an outfitter. The ranch is adjacent to 10,000 acres of land which is in a conservation easement (not conversation easement, as I wrote when I first made the webpage - but that land does speak out!) This conservation easement gave the owner a terrific tax break, but in exchange the land will never be subdivided and it will be left in native grasses. Consequently there are a plenty of deer and elk in the area and on the property. The lands to the east are ranches. There are beautiful sand stone formations on the property, which are unique to the Bull Mountains in Montana. It is VERY picturesque. If you are in good standing with the current neighbor, you can ride your horse on just about endless trails.
A conservation easement in general is a voluntary, written legal agreement between a landowner and a qualified conservation organization or government agency that permanently protects specific conservation values, such as wildlife habitat, riparian lands and forests, agriculture, scenic views and open space, historic property, etc. Each conservation easement is permanently attached to the property title as a deed restriction, and each easement has a specific site map, which outlines various zones. In contrast to zoning, covenants or ordinances, the restrictions in a conservation easement are permanent and are monitored for compliance every year, long after the original landowner moves on. A conservation easement does not change the property ownership; it does not grant public access and it does not change a landowner's right to sell or bequeath their land. The restrictions are negotiated and enforced by non-profit organizations known as land trusts, or by public agencies. In return for donating a qualified conservation easement, a landowner may claim an income tax deduction based on the value of the rights forgone. The reduction in ranch value associated with a conservation easement also can lower estate and gift taxes, helping families pass their land intact to the next generation.
Conservation easements can even be used to generate cash. Many ranch families are "land-rich" but "cash-poor," and as a result benefit little from income tax deductions associated with the gift of a conservation easement. As part of their land use and estate planning, some landowners seek to sell a conservation easement, which is negotiated and granted to a land trust organization or public agency. Conservation buyers choose to honor lands which have outstanding natural resource values. In return for a single homesite in a select location, and for limited, low-impact recreational privileges, a conservation buyer may be willing to compensate a rancher for granting a conservation easement. The landowner creates value by choosing restrictions on future development of the property.
The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks has a modest but stable supply of money for securing easements to augment wildlife habitat and recreation opportunities. They may request hunter and fisherman access, or negotiate limits on agricultural activities to improve wildlife and fisheries habitat. The NATURE CONSERVANCY emphasizes biological diversity. The terms of a Nature Conservancy easement often include specific protections for vulnerable plant and animal communities. The Montana LAND RELIANCE is a state-wide land trust which emphasizes open space and agriculture, as well as wildlife and fisheries habitat. Local land trusts, such as the Gallatin Valley LAND TRUST, write easements to maintain the traditional land uses that define the character of the community.
If you would like to find out more, here are some links:
Montana Land Reliance
Land Trust Alliance
(National umbrella organization for land trusts)
The US Fish and Wildlife Service
The Montana
Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks
The Nature Conservancy
The price of my favorite ugly duckling, the
hunting cabin, was reduced to $ 165,000
It is right adjacent to an old Indian camp. Many residents in that area have a fine collection of artifacts and the Westfork of the Stillwater runs through this property. The views from the deck of the highest mountains in Montana are stunning, but I just can't think of anything favorable to say about that little gravel pit on the other side of the road from it...
Now back to the city lights. If you need to work and make money, like the rest of us, you might want to stay in a metropolitan area. Billings comes to mind. I listed a
brand new home with many upgrades
just 4 miles from downtown Billings and less than a mile from the onramp of Interstate I-90 for $ 186,000
The population of
Billings
is now 120,000 which put it on the radar screen of corporations looking for a workforce. The Wells Fargo payment processing plant located here recently and we have brand new
commercial districts
developing toward the west of the city.
Speaking of work, we hired a receptionist! Her name is Martie, she is from Texas and used to be on the switchboard for Dupont as a contractor until she was hired full time as a Chemical Operator running heavy equipment and working on barges, rail cars, tank cars and tank trucks. On top of that, she is very well acquainted with the computer. How is that for a winner? She is funny too. I had sold her a home in Luther two years ago, and we had stayed in touch. She loves photography, and has some of her work at the Carbon County Art Gallery. She and her son enjoy hiking and camping in the mountains and she is learning how to quilt. Her husband still commutes to Texas for work, but her ten year old son and the dogs stay with her year round, enjoying our beautiful area.
If you like to have some treed acres, within commuting distance to Billings and only 25 minutes from Red Lodge, take a look at these
fabulous 20 acres
It comes with deer, elk, and lynx. Most of the land is usable with a small coulee running across one corner of it. Electric, phone and mountain views on two sides.
The wells in the area range from 5 to 20 GPM
Many well owners never treat their well for a whole life time, but let's say a nosy bug fell into your well and you would like to treat it for bacteria: For every 10 feet of standing water you pour in 1 cup of chlorine household bleach, then open every spicket you can find, when you can smell the chlorine turn off the spickets and let it sit for 24 hours. If you have a cistern, pour in 42 oz for a 300 gal tank and for every additional 100 gal ad 14 oz.
You might want to download the
little program "Skype"
for your computer. It doesn't cost anything, but with it you can make phone calls around the world for two cents a minute to any regular telephone and when you call another computer (that has it installed,) the phone call is free! All you need is a microphone and loudspeakers or better yet, earphones. I tried it out because I have some clients that travel extensively around the globe and are hard to catch. It is as simple as one, two and forget the three! The sound quality is excellent too. If you want to call me, my ID is Skylodge. Be sure not to fill in your birth date and as a picture use a pet or none at all. I used the bear that roams Cathedral Mountain. If you are a female, check "male" that will cut down on phone calls you don't want to receive.
If you are interested or know about the ski area around Big Sky, you might enjoy this article
"Millionaires Flocking to Yellowstone Club"
By Sallie Hofmeister, Times Staff Writer
This webpage tries to
solicit kids for a passion in aviation
My daughter is graduating from high school this year, and since most problems people have seem to arise from how they treat other people, I will give her the book
"How to win friends and influence people"
by Dale Carnegie If your life is a little bit easier, you have more freedom and what comes with freedom? Happiness. The best graduation gift for under $ 10 I can think of
:-)
Best Regards,
Dorothea Lowe, Broker
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