Stillwater Mining has fulfilled its obligations to environmental groups by handing over conservation easements on two ranch properties in Montana as part of a Good Neighbour Agreement.

The donation brings the total number of conservation easements - which are designed to exclude certain activities from taking place in a particular area - to a total of six ranches, covering nearly 3000 acres in Stillwater and Sweet Grass counties.

Stillwater chief Francis R. McAllister said the mine was pleased to contribute the two additional conservation easements, as the firm continues "to fulfil commitments made at a time when the mine was expanding its operations".

"The conservation easements ensure that these properties will continue to have the rural qualities and beauty we all enjoy," he added.

The deal forms part of the 2000 Good Neighbour Agreement, which brought together Stillwater, the Northern Plains Resource Council and its affiliates, the Stillwater Protective Association and the Cottonwood Resources Council.

Welcoming the deal by the North American pgm miner, Stillwater County rancher Jack Heyneman explained to the Billings Gazette the significance of the easement agreements.

"When the minerals are gone, these ranches will still be ranches. The main thing about a conservation easement is it maintains land as it is now and preserves open space,' said Mr Heyneman, a member of the local mine oversight committee.

The Good Neighbour Agreement incorporates a series of obligations on the properties in question, cutting mine traffic on county roads, developing clean air and water technologies, and engaging local citizens in evaluating the company's environmental performance.