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Who We Are

Decades of expertise in land conservation, real estate brokerage, and environmental planning drive our mission forward.

Bruce Bugbee

Bruce A. Bugbee is a seasoned conservationist who employs market-based strategies to develop projects that are mutually agreeable to landowners, environmentalists, communities, developers, and natural resource managers. Through the company he owns with Mark Sommer, American Public Land Exchange (APLE), and the conservation-focused real estate brokerage he co-founded with Robert Kiesling, Bruce has helped conserve nearly one million acres in Montana and completed more than 90 conservation easements. Career highlights include collaborating with The Conservation Fund since 1987, contributing to the Missouri-Madison River Fund, establishing the Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge, and facilitating the expansion of the Rattlesnake National Recreation Area and the American Prairie Reserve.

Experience: 

  • American Public Land Exchange, Inc., Founder and President, 1982-present
  • American Conservation Real Estate Company, President, 1991-93
  • Bruce A. Bugbee & Associates, Principal, 1976-present
  • Regional Planning Association of Western Montana (RPAWM), Project Director, 1971-74

Education:

  • University of Montana, Missoula, completed course requirements for Master of Science in Environmental Studies: Land Use Planning, 1976
  • University of Montana, Missoula, Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts, 1974

Awards:

  • 2022 Inductee, Montana Outdoor Hall of Fame
  • 2005 Recipient, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Outstanding Contributor Award 
  • 2002 APLE Company, recipient of the Wildlife Conservation Award, from the Montana Chapter of The Wildlife Society
  • 1988 Recipient, Don Aldrich Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Award

Licenses:

  • Licensed real estate broker in Montana

Mark Sommer

Mark Sommer was born and raised on a family dairy farm in central Wisconsin. In addition to farming, he spent countless hours hunting, fishing, and exploring the family farm and neighboring lands. These childhood experiences developed an extremely strong tie to land, and the importance of being a good steward, which in turn led to his choices in his adult life which include higher education in soil science, and careers with the U.S. Forest Service as a soil scientist and his current position as a “land conservationist” with American Lands.

Experience: 

  • American Lands, Vice President and Geographic Information Administrator, 1998-present
  • Moab/Monticello Ranger District, Minerals and Lands Administrator, Manti-La Sal National Forest, Monticello, Utah, 1996-98
  • Red River Ranger District, Minerals and Lands Program Administrator, Nez Perce National Forest, Elk City, Idaho, 1991-96
  • Nez Perce National Forest, Soil Scientist, Grangeville, Idaho, 1990-91

Education:

  • University of Idaho, Master’s Degree in Forest Soils, May 1991
  • University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, Bachelor’s Degree in Soils, December 1988

Licenses:

  • Licensed real estate broker in Montana