Goguen Land Exchange

The Goguen Land Exchange will be given final consideration at a hearing at the Montana State Land Board meeting in Helena on December 15, 2008. The Land Board will review the proposal based on the DNRC land exchange criteria and the Whitefish School Trust Neighborhood Plan. Goguen has been working with the DNRC on the proposal to provide more acreage, access, recreation and diversified revenue streams to the state. Community members are encouraged to attend the hearing and/or they can provide comments to members of the State Land Board by e-mailing lrichards@mt.gov.



The Goguen Land Exchange proposal includes the following details:

DNRC
State parcel to be exchanged is 435 acres, which includes:

• Permanent trail easement
• A permanent conservation easement limiting development potential to two homesites
• Measures to protect wildlife habitat, including restrictions on motorized trail uses

GOGUEN
Goguen's Lupfer 570 acre parcel (Lupfer Road) for exchange, provides:

• Conservation easement, limited to three homesites
• Developed trail system, constructed by Goguen
• Forest management plan for "old-growth characteristics"
• Dust control on Lupfer Road
• Parking lot for trail system access

Goguen's 30 acre parcel (Livermore Flats) for exchange, provides:

• Connects two unconnected state parcels
• Highway frontage, currently lacking for adjacent state parcel
• Corridor to Spencer Lake

Goguen's Downtown property (Railway District) for exchange, provides:

• Newly constructed townhome-style commercial building in downtown Whitefish
• Under multi-year lease, providing additional revenue source for beneficiaries

Goguen's Contribution to the "Trail Runs Through It" provides:

• $100,000 "gift" for Phase I planning and design of trail
• Permanent trail easements on his adjacent private land, plus construction and maintenance of 3 miles of trail across his private, state and federal land
• $3 Million contribution for trail construction and maintenance, purchase of easements for trail corridors, and/or for conservation