Teton River
Vital Ground Foundation’s Teton River project permanently protects nearly 4,500-acres
In December 2025, The 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.
In addition to the grizzly bears that frequent the area, the property’s native grassland, irrigated pasture land, and floodplain soil sees a host of state-sensitive species such as golden eagles, great blue heron, chestnut collared longspur, bobolink, long-billed curlew, thick billed longspur, and sauger. Black bears, coyotes, sandhill cranes, deer, and pronghorn also visit and reside on the property. Additionally, the project area is a couple of miles from Freezeout Lake, which sees an annual migration of up to 50,000 snow geese and tundra swans.
The Rocky Mountain Front is a conservation stronghold. The Nature Conservancy has protected more than 250,000 acres west of Highway 89. This project, east of the highway, builds on 650 acres already protected by Vital Ground on Spring Creek north of Choteau. In an area that is also experiencing substantial residential and commercial development, this project keeps a large parcel of land close to a growing town in agriculture, which is significant to the region’s culture and history.
This project was largely funded through the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Agricultural Land Easement (ALE) program with additional support from Keep It Connected and other private funders.
“For anyone lucky enough to experience Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front we owe a great debt of gratitude to families [who make decisions to do easements with us, like this one]. It’s their commitment to the open spaces, habitat and ranching community that will ensure people and wildlife will have a place to coexist in the future.” – Mitch Doherty, Conservation Director, Vital Ground Foundation