2023 Conservation Leadership Award Presented to JoAnn Speelman Dramer

JoAnn Speelman Dramer shakes fellow founder, Mike Connor's, hand as she is presented with the 2023 Conservation Leadership Award by Executive Director, Paul Travis on December 12, 2023.

With deep gratitude for her foundational leadership, we are honored to award this year’s Flathead Land Trust Conservation Leadership Award to JoAnn Speelman Dramer. Since 2014, this annual award has been presented in recognition of individuals whose leadership, vision, service and stewardship of our incredible land and water resources has furthered meaningful conservation throughout the Flathead Valley and across northwest Montana. JoAnn was one of Flathead Land Trust’s founders and the first Executive Director, who has given so much to this organization to ensure our success as the Flathead’s local land trust. The legacy of our lands is enriched by her foresight and dedication.

Jo Ann grew up in Ennis Montana on a family ranch along the Madison River. She and her first husband, Gene Speelman, graduated from the U of M School of Journalism in 1967, after which they moved to the Flathead Valley. She had a long and prosperous career as a journalist for the Missoulian, the Kalispell Weekly News with George Ostrem and ultimately at the Daily Inter Lake. In the early 1980’s she met Mike Conner, another FLT founding member, as he was working for the Flathead National Forest on the Wild and Scenic River easement acquisition program.  JoAnn, Mike and others helped form the steering committee that worked towards forming a local land trust.  Once Flathead Land Trust become an organization, JoAnn volunteered to be our very first executive director.

With a shoestring budget and an all-volunteer board, JoAnn had to make every effort to keep the organization moving forward, which was an incredible commitment of time, energy and passion to a fledgling organization.

JoAnn’s deep-rooted ties in the valley helped pave the way for Flathead Land Trust’s initial endeavors. Her connection to the Blasdel family helped forge FLT’s first project, laying the groundwork for the Blasdel Waterfowl Production Area. Flathead Land Trust partnered with Trust for Public Land, enabling them to purchase the 460-acre farm near Flathead Lake, which was later transferred to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Additionally, JoAnn’s relationship with Alice Sowerwine likely played a role in Alice’s decision to place her family’s 157-acre parcel under conservation easement, Flathead Land Trust’s first, in 1988.

In the words of Mike Connor, fellow founder who also volunteered countless hours to build this organization, “Flathead Land Trust wouldn’t be without JoAnn. That’s just the way it is”.

Through the years she has been involved, JoAnn always volunteered to do whatever needed to be done.  She is a person of trust, is full of energy and is always there to help.  In fact, even today she is helping bring a new conservation easement to Flathead Land Trust. Beyond FLT, her generous spirit also keeps her busy volunteering for Toys for Tots, the Bigfork Riverbend Concert Series among other causes.  We can’t thank her enough for all that she has done for FLT and for the conservation of our outstanding land and water resources.