(Anaconda) – A new nine-mile recreational trail system is officially open in Anaconda marking the completion of a major environmental restoration project.
Governor Greg Gianforte and the Montana Natural Resource Damage Program recently celebrated the ribbon-cutting on land once heavily contaminated by the Anaconda Smelter. The site suffered severe vegetation loss from operations between the 1880s and 1980.
The state’s Natural Resource Damage Program recovered settlement funds to repair the injured land, with the governor approving up to four million dollars for the Anaconda Uplands Restoration Plan last year. Anaconda-Deer Lodge County used those funds this year to build the trails for hiking, biking, hunting, and horseback riding.
Local advocates call the project a major cleanup success, noting that hillsides left barren decades ago are now fully reforested. Officials say further restoration is planned for the area, including the revival of native vegetation and wildlife habitats.
