A 76.5-acre property near Bad Rock Canyon is now permanently protected, safeguarding a vital wildlife corridor and a historic working landscape. This week, thanks to Luci Yeats and her late husband, Dave, the “Heart Rock Ridge” family farm near Columbia Falls was protected with a donated conservation easement with Flathead Land Trust.

The Yeats property perpetuates a rich family agricultural heritage. The Heart Rock Ridge parcel is part of a larger family complex farmed since the early 1900s. The family farm has always involved community, initially producing vegetables that Luci’s great-grandfather carted to Whitefish by horse and wagon to sell. The farm later produced potatoes, which people from Columbia Falls helped harvest, receiving potatoes as payment. Luci’s father grew up on a neighboring dairy farm and delivered milk to Columbia Falls. He and Luci’s mother continued agricultural use of the property by growing hay and pasturing beef cows. Luci and her two sisters are now caretakers of the family land that continues to produce vegetables and hay and support cattle. Four generations of the Loeffler and Rogers families have worked and tended the land in the shadow of Columbia Mountain, and this year Luci and Dave’s son and his family will move back to the farm to live.

Historical photos courtesy of the Loeffler & Rogers families, recent family photo courtesy of Chris Peterson, Hungry Horse News

Luci reflected on the personal significance of conserving this legacy easement. “As a steward of this property, I appreciate the opportunity to help protect the conservation values which I have grown up with and have come to treasure more and more as the years have gone by. As a child I roamed this land, and the larger acreage now owned by my sisters. I look forward to seeing my grandchildren look for shed antlers, see the first bluebirds of spring and watch the red-tailed hawks soaring overhead.”

The Heart Rock Ridge Conservation Easement conserves historic use of the property for both people and wildlife, preserving a family legacy as well as an important wildlife travel corridor. Nestled between a complex of millions of acres of protected lands, including Bad Rock Canyon Wildlife Management Area, Flathead National Forest, Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex, Glacier National Park and a more than 14,000-acre network of conserved lands along the Flathead River and north shore of Flathead Lake, the property sits in a strategic location for wildlife at a landscape scale. Productive valley bottom and moist riparian habitats provide a dependable food source for seasonal wildlife use. The Heart Rock Ridge property helps allow wildlife to travel from the Bad Rock Canyon Wildlife Management Area past an area of intense land development near Columbia Falls, downstream to protected areas along the Flathead River.

A diversity of habitats on the easement, including riparian forest, shrublands, wetlands and natural springs, provide foraging opportunities and security for a plethora of wildlife species. Grizzly bear, black bear, mountain lion, coyote, fox, elk, white-tailed deer, porcupine, and at least 75 species of birds use the property including bald eagle, red-tailed hawk, pileated woodpecker, great blue heron, and many grassland songbirds such as bluebird and western meadowlark.

Continuing the family legacy of community, Luci and her sister, Shirley Folkwien, spearheaded the Upper Flathead Neighborhood Association in 2020 when high-density development was proposed in their neighborhood. The Upper Flathead Neighborhood Association promotes the protection of natural resources, water quality, bird and wildlife habitat and rural landscapes, and maintains the quality of life and economic vitality in the Flathead Valley through citizen participation, education and encouraging land use planning for sensible growth.

Luci concluded, “As land development in the Flathead Valley continues to accelerate, I would encourage any landowner to consider placing their property under a conservation easement. There is no better time than the present to conserve a part of our valley for future generations.”

View of the Weaver Conservation Easements from the Bison Range.

A 122-acre ranch and wildlife haven in the Mission Valley, once platted for subdivision, has been protected in perpetuity with Flathead Land Trust. John Weaver, distinguished retired conservation biologist and land steward, added this parcel along Mission Creek just east of the National Bison Range to his conservation portfolio . Dr. Weaver’s adjacent 159-acre property to the south, containing a section of Sabine Creek, was placed under conservation easement with Flathead Land Trust in 2015.

The newly conserved property adds to a network of protected land especially important for grizzly bear and birds. It is strategically located downstream from the Mission Mountain Wilderness, a grizzly bear stronghold, and secures a critical slice of wildlife corridor connectivity along a mile of Mission Creek, a known travel route for grizzly bear. The property offers premiere habitat and foraging opportunities frequently used by grizzly bear.

The Weaver Mission Creek conservation easement also adds to and enhances an 18,000-acre protected wetland complex providing critical nesting habitat and a vital migratory stopover in the Intermountain West portion of the Pacific Flyway. The parcel boasts diverse bird use, with 96 species flourishing in the riverine forests, wetlands, and agricultural fields, including a multitude of songbirds, pileated woodpecker, great blue heron and bald eagle. The property provides critical nesting habitat for at least 50 species, with nearly 40 additional potential nesting species.

Varied and vibrant riparian vegetation and wetlands on the Weaver II easement are also crucial for the health and integrity of Mission Creek and its spring-fed tributary flowing into the property. One of the wetlands on the property containing gray alder and skunk cabbage has comparable value to a wetland community listed as “imperiled” by the Montana Natural Heritage Program. This unique wetland and a portion of the spring creek on the property are used by rare fireflies.

Homesteaded in the early 1870s, the ranch has a rich tradition of agriculture. Over half of the property contains “farmland of local importance” as determined by the Natural Resource Conservation Service. Now permanently protected, these rich soils will be available for farming in perpetuity.

Conservation of this distinctive landscape not only safeguards the Montana way of life, our wildlife and water quality, but local residents and visitors benefit from the scenic views and open space secured within the Weaver Mission Creek Easement.

This valuable conservation easement was made possible with funding from the North American Wetland Conservation Act, Liz Claiborne and Art Ortenberg Foundation through the Heart of the

Rockies Keep It Connected program, Cinnabar Foundation, and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Wildlife Mitigation program.

Photo above: View of the Weaver Conservation Easements from the air. The Weaver Mission Creek easement is along the bottom of the photo.

Conservation Victory Secures Sanctuary, Funds Education

Photo above: Braided section of the Flathead River containing Owen Sowerwine, photo courtesy of GravityShots.com

Nearly fifty years ago, a man named Owen Sowerwine dreamed of safeguarding a 405-acre community treasure with exceptional, intact forested river bottom habitat near Kalispell. This week, that vision blossomed into reality.

After years of collaboration between Flathead Land Trust, Flathead Audubon Society, Flathead Lakers, and Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, the Owen Sowerwine property is now permanently protected by a conservation easement held by Flathead Land Trust.

Photo above: Owen Sowerwine, circa 1970, courtesy of the Sowerwine family

Owen Sowerwine, with its mosaic of wetlands, riverine forest, and meandering waterways, including the Flathead and Stillwater Rivers, is critical habitat for diverse wildlife and an “Important Bird Area.” It also plays a vital role in safeguarding water quality in the rivers and downstream. It has served as a cherished community sanctuary for decades, sustained as natural habitat by Flathead County, Montana Audubon, and the Flathead Audubon Society through leases and licenses. However, these leases and licenses were not a permanent solution to keep this natural and community gem intact.

Photo above: Braided section of the Flathead River containing Owen Sowerwine, photo courtesy of GravityShots.com

This distinctive project presented a unique challenge: protecting the property while generating income for Montana’s schools, as mandated for State School Trust Land. A solution was found in a rare purchased conservation easement on State School Trust Land – only made possible by the foresight of Montana lawmakers nearly twenty-five years ago, when they enacted a statute allowing a conservation easement to be placed on this specific parcel of land by a nonprofit.

To fund this massive project, the community rose to the occasion, adding to significant grants and contributions from foundations. When a final grant proposal was unsuccessful, Whitefish philanthropists, Jim and Lisa Stack donated generously to close the funding gap. Through tireless efforts, dedicated partners, and many generous donors, the easement was secured for $970,000, which will be invested in the State School Trust Fund, supporting education for years to come.

Owen Sowerwine’s dream for this land, envisioned five decades ago, has become a lasting reality – a vibrant haven for wildlife and a cherished community resource. Ownership will remain with the state, while Flathead Audubon Society will continue its passionate stewardship of resources and educational programs, as it has for many years. Public access will continue, and Owen Sowerwine’s legacy will live on.

This project would not have been possible without major funding from the Montana Fish and Wildlife Conservation Trust; The Kendeda Fund and Liz Claiborne and Art Ortenberg Foundation through the Heart of the Rockies Initiative; Whitefish Community Foundation; North American Wetland Conservation Act Grant; Flathead River to Lake Initiative; High Stakes Foundation; Cinnabar Foundation; Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Wildlife Mitigation Program and several smaller grants.

“We are incredibly grateful for the support we received from over 300 individuals in our communities that gave to Flathead Land Trust, Flathead Audubon Society and Flathead Lakers,” said Paul Travis, Executive Director at Flathead Land Trust. “The generous donations from Jim and Lisa Stack, James Hollensteiner, Molly Miller and Mark Jungerman, Lauren Pipkorn, Thomas and Teresa Quinn, Carol Bibler and Jim Watson, Lynda Saul, Michael Russell and Sally Cameron-Russell, Julie Baldridge, Alan and Sallie Gratch, and the Sowerwine family, among many other community members, was instrumental in bringing this project to fruition.”

For a full list of all of the vitally important donors, click HERE.

To learn more about visiting Owen Sowerwine, explore HERE.

Egan Slough on the Jaquette Conservation Easement.

Prime Time for Preservation:

Flathead Land Trust is thrilled to announce the permanent protection of one of Flathead Valley’s agricultural jewels. On January 17, 2024, Charles and Renate Jaquette placed their 497-acre farm just east of Kalispell under conservation easement with Flathead Land Trust. Containing some of the richest topsoil in the valley, the easement adds to a growing network of conserved farms in the highly productive Creston area, including a 731-acre farm placed under easement by Myron and Vicky Mast with Montana Land Reliance late last year. Safeguarding these fertile farming grounds in the Creston area is vital to preserving the Flathead Valley’s agricultural heritage and way of life. This suite of protected lands also protects scenic vistas and open space that is exceedingly valuable to the public.

The Jaquette farm legacy has been passed down through generations, since 1907 when Charles’ grandfather, also named Charles Jaquette, first settled in the productive Flathead Valley. The family farm has raised everything from wheat, canola, potatoes, barley, peas, corn, soybeans, mint and hay to hogs. They had a few dairy cows in the early years and later switched to grazing some beef cattle. The property is perfect for agriculture, if irrigated, with the majority of it containing “prime farmland”, according to the Natural Resource Conservation Service.

Ag with a View: wheat and potato fields on the Jaquette property

The conservation easement will ensure that the family farm stays intact as one parcel and will limit residential and commercial development in perpetuity, protecting its conservation values. The rich soils will forever be available for agriculture and its wetlands will remain intact for birds and wildlife in the future. Encompassing over a mile of Egan Slough, the Jaquette property provides excellent bird habitat and is strategically located for both birds and wildlife at a landscape scale.

Building upon the existing network of more than 13,000 acres of conserved lands along a 50-mile stretch of the Flathead River and north shore of Flathead Lake, the Jaquette property is an integral piece of the preservation puzzle. This conservation network provides vital habitat and an important travel corridor for wildlife, including grizzly bear that travel along the passageway. Lying within a major bird flyway, the Jaquette easement serves as critical stopover habitat for birds to rest and refuel on their long migrations. It also affords nesting habitat for many birds including bald eagle, which nest on an island in Egan Slough within the property. Over 150 species of birds have been chronicled in the area, 24 of which are sensitive or species of concern.

The conservation easement was purchased with funding from the Natural Resource Conservation Service Agricultural Land Easement program. “This NRCS program is a great way for farmers to be compensated for keeping their valuable land in agriculture. The landowners are able to keep their land intact and have some cash for retirement or to pay down a mortgage or whatever the landowner chooses,” says Laura Katzman of Flathead Land Trust. “The easement ensures there will never be a residential subdivision or box store or gas station or dump on the property. The property will remain largely as it is today throughout time.”