Montana Habitat Conservation Lease Program

Montana's Habitat Conservation Lease pays private landowners a one-time per-acre fee to keep priority prairie habitat (sage-grouse core areas, prairie pothole wetlands, mixed-grass prairie) intact for 30 or 40 years. Grazing continues, and haying/farming is allowed on existing cropland up to 25% of lease acres. Landowners must allow a set number of wildlife-related public access days.

• Private landowners holding fee title with priority prairie habitat; FAQ: applications accepted for 'prairie habitat' in FWP Regions 4-7 and portions of Region 3.

• FAQ: 'privately owned land within a Tribal reservation is not eligible for an HCL'.

• Must allow a specified number of public access days based on acres enrolled, one third during hunting season (Sept 1 - Dec 31).

30- or 40-year term lease (not perpetual; mapped to Easement as closest vocabulary). Payments calculated as a percentage of fee simple value, averaged separately for eastern and western Montana. Applications ranked (sage grouse core, adjacency to protected land, block size, access, 40-year over 30-year, unique features).

Published amounts: One-time per-acre payment (30-yr / 40-yr): Eastern Rangeland $85 / $119; Eastern Major River Riparian Floodplain $349 / $489; Western Rangeland $218 / $305; Western Major River Riparian Floodplain $729 / $1021. 'Where farmed fields are intermingled with priority native habitats, FWP would pay 50% and 70% of the above per acre value for cropland or hay land, respectively'.

Standard application posted on the program page during open periods; apply in the next (2027) period; contact your regional FWP office for help.

Deadline text on the page: 'The 2026 application period is closed. Please check back in 2027.' FAQ: 'FWP will be accepting lease applications annually from landowners'.