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Over 10 years ago . I decided I wanted raise Cashmere Goats. Keep in mind that I am from Washington DC a City Girl & had no idea what was in store. When I found out how much work it was. I decided it would be easier to let someone else raise them . I am an Eco Fashion Designer & had a few other things on my plate . I bought a mountainside near Missoula Montana. It had been logged several years earlier. When I heard the seller say Oh they forgot one larch on the 147 acres lets come back & get it . I made the offer. Imagine this guy was so greedy with the trees he wanted to take the very last big tree on the property.I have had a hard time hanging on to this land . I thought, hey, I own it ,so its protected . You can’t watch a big piece of land all the time . I have the Xmas tree pirates, the helilogging across the line & the hunters.
The greed for the trees has been intense.It made me aware of my own mortality . I was 42 when I bought it. My neighbors were Plum Creek & the Forrest Service. I have to have permission to go thru their land to mine . I worried they are going to hate me if they found out I’m a tree hugger. 2 years ago Plum Creek sold to The Legacy Project . Its private money to keep the land from being developed . I don’t have acess to the land . They aren’t the wonderful neighboors that I had hoped for .The important thing is the land is still protected . Some logging company kept sending me letters asking me if I wanted to sell. Finally after getting mad I sent them a letter ,it said I’m an evironmentalist you will never get your hands on this land. Paws Off. 4 different times when I was behind on my property taxes greedy people or companies wanted to take an asignment on it . Hold on . Now I wondered, since I’m female, are they targeting me ? Maybe . Back off Jack your not getting it . They have those infommercials, pick up a $200,000.00 property for 500.00 . That hardly even happens.
Back to being a female owner . I found out that Women only own around 10% of the real estate in the US . That surprized me. Why so low ? I’d like to encourage other women to buy . I liked the story about the Gal that started Burton’s Bees buying up land in Maine . I know in the city 147 acres is a lot of land but in Montana its just a drop in the bucket .We have a lot of forrests that need saving this is just one women’s small atempt to make a difference. It has been really hard . Would I do it again ? YES!
Maybe you have done or can do something that will help . What ever it is tell us . I was encouraged by Lynn Hasselberger to write this . To me it is just part of my life but she said others would find it interesting.
Eco Designer Anna Herman
