Mill Creek | Montana
Gallatin Valley Land Trust, with support from the Keep It Connected program, closed their Mill Creek Drainage project in the Spring of 2026. The 437-acre Mill Creek conservation easement provides a vital migration route for wildlife, such as grizzly bear, black bear, wolf, elk, mule deer and pronghorn.
Kootenay Forest Lands | British Columbia
Over 112,000 acres outside of Fernie, British Columbia, totalling around 32% of the valley’s private land, is now protected in perpetuity. This large-scale fee acquisition project completed by the Nature Conservancy of Canada British Columbia contains nearly 37,066 acres of core habitat and over 16,308 acres of high-value linkage habitat for grizzly bears, elk, and mule deer.
Teton River | Montana
Vital Ground Foundation closed on a 4,482-acre conservation easement on Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front. Just outside of Choteau, Montana, this project protects five miles of the Teton River frontage and two miles of Spring Creek, securing critical riparian movement corridors for grizzly bear use.
Hailey Hot Springs | Idaho
Hailey Hot Springs Ranch—2,700 acres of beloved open space and vital wildlife habitat—has been permanently protected thanks to an extraordinary community effort that raised nearly $16 million. In December, the Keep It Connected program contributed the remaining funds to bring the project across the finish line, ensuring this landscape will be conserved for generations.
Darby Canyon | Idaho/Wyoming
Teton Regional Land Trust, with support from the Keep It Connected program, closed their 100th conservation project in Idaho in late 2023. Darby Creek Farm provides key winter habitat for mule deer and bighorn sheep, as well as irrigated meadows critical for sandhill cranes.
Chico Peak | Montana
This completed flagship easement permanently protected a key migration corridor between Yellowstone National Park and the Absaroka–Beartooth Wilderness, conserving habitat for grizzlies, wolves, wolverines, trout, and more. Its success has already inspired neighboring landowners and strengthened a growing block of over 5,000 acres of connected conservation in Paradise Valley.
Carmen Creek | Idaho
Keep It Connected recently helped to secure funds for a new Lemhi Regional Land Trust project northeast of Salmon, Idaho. The Carmen Creek project will protect 617 acres of quality habitat that supports mule deer, elk, white-tailed deer, pronghorn, black bear, and mountain lion, as well as a section of Carmen Creek that supports bull trout, Snake River Basin steelhead trout, and Chinook salmon.
Trail Creek | Montana
Gallatin Valley Land Trust, with support from Keep It Connected, permanently protected 902 acres in the Trail Creek corridor of Paradise Valley—one of North America’s most intact ecosystems. The easement safeguards 1.5 miles of Trail Creek, rich riparian habitat, native grasslands, and working ranchland, while preserving a critical migration and connectivity route for elk, pronghorn, grizzly bears, wolves, and more. With development pressures rising, this project keeps wildlife moving and family ranching thriving in a rapidly changing landscape.
Alaska bench | Montana
Gallatin Valley Land Trust, with support from Keep It Connected program, permanently protected nearly 2,400 acres outside Twin Bridges, Montana. The Alaska Bench conservation easement safeguards productive ranchland, open space, and a vital wildlife movement corridor between mountain ranges—critical for grizzly bear dispersal, as confirmed through USGS modeling. In a rapidly developing region, this project keeps habitat intact, supports a stewarded family ranch, and ensures wildlife can move safely across the landscape.