An innovative land-use transaction, which provides more public recreation opportunities at Hauser Lake, has been completed by PPL Montana, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and a private landowner.
Representatives from all three parties met at Hauser Lake on Friday (4/23) to celebrate the land exchange, which protects the investments made by PPL Montana and the Bureau of Land Management at the White Sandy Recreation Site on the shores of Hauser Lake, to protect the views enjoyed by Hauser Lake visitors and to provide more opportunities for the public to enjoy the lake.
“Today’s land dedication is a great example of what can happen when people work together to reach an agreement that benefits the public and protects and expands the outdoor recreational resources of our state,” said David Hoffman, director of External Affairs for PPL Montana.
“We thank Dave and Shelli Hoerning and the district staff of the Bureau of Land Management for their cooperative spirit and concern for the protection of our state’s natural resources,” Hoffman said.
The Hoernings, who live in Helena, the Bureau of Land Management and PPL Montana began talking in 2002 about a property exchange that would allow the Hoernings to build a home in an area where subdivisions and residential development already exist, and at the same time conserve and free up land for public use.
Ultimately, an exchange agreement was reached consolidating five noncontiguous, intermingled parcels into a 681-acre block of public land, and creating more than 2.5 miles of continuous lakeshore for public use.
“The win-win expression is often overused these days, but it really applies here,” said Rick Hotaling, district manager for the Bureau of Land Management’s Western Montana District. “The Hoernings now have a parcel of land that they can use to build on, and the Bureau and PPL Montana can continue working together to provide public recreational opportunities here at Hauser Lake.”
Hotaling said the consolidation of land will provide more boat access and more areas for primitive camping along Hauser Lake.
PPL Montana contributed $1.4 million to acquire, design and develop White Sandy Beach at Hauser Dam. The company also has contributed $400,000 to expand the dam’s causeway and reconstruct the access site. In addition to its initial contributions, PPL Montana continues to provide $50,000 a year for the operation and maintenance of recreational sites at Hauser Dam.
Hauser Lake and nearby Lake Helena are popular sites for recreational activities such as fishing and hiking. Numerous campgrounds dot the river above and below the dam. PPL Montana’s Holter Dam, located 29 miles downstream, offers additional recreational opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts.
PPL Montana provides safe, reliable energy from coal-fired power plants at Colstrip and Billings, as well as 11 hydroelectric plants along West Rosebud Creek and the Missouri, Madison, Clark Fork and Flathead rivers. It has a combined generating capacity of nearly 1,200 megawatts and has offices in Billings, Butte and Helena. PPL Montana and its 500 employees are dedicated to Montana and its communities, supporting educational, environmental and economic development programs across the state. PPL EnergyPlus operates a trading floor in Butte that markets and sells power for PPL Montana in wholesale and retail energy markets throughout the western United States. PPL Montana and PPL EnergyPlus are subsidiaries of PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL).