Flathead Land Trust is proud to be a significant partner in development of the Bigfork Area Outdoor Recreation Plan. We are thrilled to announce that the plan is finished!
The completed recreation plan includes exciting developments, including a connector trail from the Swan River Nature Trail to Harrell Forest!
The Bigfork Outdoor Recreation Alliance (BORA) spearheaded a community effort to develop an outdoor recreation plan for the Bigfork area. BORA met from 2022 to 2023 to produce this plan, intended to guide safe, connected, and sustainable high-quality recreation access for all to Bigfork’s superlative rivers, mountains, parks, trails, and Flathead Lake.
The Bigfork Outdoor Recreation Plan is a community-led, multi-jurisdictional outdoor recreation plan designed to guide decision-makers, land managers, and community leaders to develop and sustain places for residents and visitors to get outdoors every day.
Members of BORA include the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), PacifiCorp, Flathead Lake Lodge, Community Foundation for a Better Bigfork (CFBB), Bigfork Chamber of Commerce, Bigfork Rotary, Whitney Family, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP), Trust for Public Land (TPL), Flathead Land Trust, Montana Land Reliance, Montana Department of Natural Resources (DNRC) and several passionate Bigfork residents.
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. On February 29, 2024, that vision blossomed into reality.
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.
“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.”
Big Island of Owen Sowerwine, between the Flathead and Stillwater Rivers, photo by Eric Witts, Flathead Lakers
The Montana Land Board granted unanimous approval for a purchased conservation easement on over 400 acres of pristine riverine habitat along the Flathead River near Kalispell on Monday. The purchase of a conservation easement on the State School Trust Land east of Kalispell, known as Owen Sowerwine, will sustain the state’s management of the property as natural habitat for birds, fish and wildlife, and generate long-term funding for Montana’s K-12 schools. It will also secure public access for outdoor pursuits such as trail walking, birdwatching, hunting, fishing, and conservation education, ensuring that these activities continue to thrive for generations to come.
Designated as an Important Bird Area by Montana Audubon, Owen Sowerwine is an ecological stronghold lying in the heart of one of the most complex sections of the Flathead River, a braided area including islands, sloughs, wetlands, and gravel bars. It is an integral component of an over 13,000-acre conservation network of privately and publicly protected land along 50 miles of the Flathead River and north shore of Flathead Lake, providing habitat for federally listed grizzly bear and bull trout and many other species, while safeguarding water quality in the Stillwater and Flathead Rivers and Flathead Lake.
Seeking permanent protection of Owen Sowerwine has been a passion of many organizations and individuals for decades. Born of a desire to protect the site as a natural area under the Natural Areas Act of 1974, an effort was led by Owen Sowerwine, an avid outdoorsman, dedicated conservationist, and community leader, for whom the area is named. The Flathead County Parks Board, Flathead Audubon Society, and Montana Audubon held short-term leases and licenses on the land over the years, which served as temporary fixes while collaborative partners sought a permanent solution for protection. More recently, the Flathead Lakers, Flathead Audubon and Flathead Land Trust have worked collectively toward purchasing a conservation easement on Owen Sowerwine as this permanent solution.
The conservation easement will be purchased for its appraised value of $970,000. Project partners obtained the funding to purchase the conservation easement from multiple large grants, as well as smaller foundations and organizations, and donations from hundreds of community members. Localphilanthropists Jim and Lisa Stack’s generous $50,000 donation through Whitefish Community Foundation recently closed the final funding gap. The project is now fully funded and ready to move forward.
Approval from the Land Board was required to complete the conservation easement. The Montana State Board of Land Commissioners holds the legal authority to determine how State School Trust lands are managed. The Board is comprised of the state’s five highest elected officials — Gov. Greg Gianforte, Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen, Attorney General Austin Knudsen, Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen, and Commissioner of Securities and Insurance Troy Downing.
“We’re very excited to have received approval from the Land Board to complete the purchased conservation easement to permanently protect Owen Sowerwine. This is an important step forward for the project and we are grateful. We can now move forward to close on this incredible project and hope to do so early in 2024,” said Flathead Land Trust Executive Director Paul Travis.
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 very 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.
Our Fall/Winter 2023 ViewPoints newsletter is here! Download the entire newsletter below to read a message from our new president and feature articles: In Memory of Dean Marsh, an update on the Owen Sowerwine project, Keeping it Connected: Protecting a Vital River Corridor, Summer and Fall Outreach and Fundraising Recap and Harrell Forest Community Trails: A Vision Comes to Life, plus an invitation to join us for our Member & Partner Appreciation Year-End Celebration. Thank you for your support, which makes our work possible, and enjoy!
Photo of braided section of Flathead River containing Owen Sowerwine (above) 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. Finally, that vision has blossomed into reality.
Owen Sowerwine, circa 1970, courtesy of the Sowerwine family
Owen Sowerwine is a 405-acre haven just to the east of Kalispell in one of the most complex sections of the Flathead River. It contains important habitat for birds, fish and wildlife and lies adjacent to other protected lands that together provide an interconnected network of open space and quality habitat at a landscape scale. It also helps safeguard water quality in the Stillwater and Flathead Rivers and Flathead Lake and provides public access for outdoor activities and conservation education opportunities for local schools.
Big Island of Owen Sowerwine, between the Flathead and Stillwater Rivers, photo by Eric Witts, Flathead Lakers
WHY was the OWEN SOWERWINE PROPERTY in NEED of PROTECTION? Owen Sowerwine is State School Trust land administered by the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC). As State School Trust land its purpose is to generate revenue for Montana K-12 public schools. Thus, its future as natural habitat with public access had not been secure. In order to generate revenue for schools, Owen Sowerwine could have been used for cabin sites, residential purposes, agriculture or grazing, timber sales or commercial uses. A purchased conservation easement ensures that the property’s vital habitat will remain intact for birds and wildlife while securing public access while also providing significant revenue for Montana schools.
CONSERVATION VALUES Owen Sowerwine is in the heart of one of the most complex sections of the Flathead River, a braided area including islands, sloughs, wetlands, and riparian forest. The project protects 405 acres of this ecologically diverse habitat. This bird and wildlife haven borders a river ecosystem that is dynamic with a braided pattern of waterways including a mile of the Stillwater River, over a mile of the Flathead River, and at least 1.3 miles of intertwined channels connecting the two rivers. It is used by federally listed grizzly bear and bull trout as well as black bear, fox, coyote, mountain lion, white-tailed deer, westslope cutthroat trout, and 156 bird species. It has been designated an Important Bird Area critical to the conservation of birds by Montana Audubon. Together with adjacent protected land it helps provide an interconnected network of over 13,000 acres of conserved land along 50 miles of the Flathead River and north shore of Flathead Lake. In addition, it provides public access for outdoor activities such as walking on trails, birdwatching, hunting, and fishing, and conservation education opportunities for local schools.
PROJECT HISTORY Local citizens attempted to get Owen Sowerwine designated as a Natural Area under the Natural Areas Act of 1974. This effort was led by an avid outdoorsman, dedicated conservationist, and community leader, for whom the area is named. Although it was never officially designated as a Natural Area, Owen Sowerwine had been managed as a natural area through lease and license agreements with Flathead County, Montana Audubon and Flathead Audubon Society since the late 1970s. However, a long-term solution to ensure that the forested riparian habitat and wetlands of Owen Sowerwine remained intact for birds, wildlife and public access was sought for years.
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.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT Flathead Land Trust, Flathead Audubon Society, the Flathead Lakers and other River to Lake Initiative partners worked together with neighbors, community schools and other organizations to protect Owen Sowerwine’s natural integrity and current public uses in perpetuity. Partners raised the $970,000 needed to purchase a conservation easement to protect the property in perpetuity while providing significant revenue for Montana schools.
Owen Sowerwine has long been recognized for its natural and community values. For the past 40 years, leases and licenses held by Flathead County, Montana Audubon and the Flathead Audubon Society allowed the area to be managed for its natural habitat. Fees associated with these leases and licenses were paid to compensate the State School Trust. The purchased conservation easement replaces the current license and ensures that Owen Sowerwine will be managed for its natural habitat in perpetuity. It will also generate predictable, annual revenue to benefit K-12 education through an investment of the initial lump sum received for the purchased conservation easement in the permanent trust fund.
A very heart-felt THANK YOU to all the donors and supporters for the critical support for this project!
The land trust accreditation program recognizes land conservation organizations that meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. Flathead Land Trust is pleased to announce it is applying for renewal of accreditation this year and is requesting public input from partners, donors and stakeholders of the organization.
The Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, conducts an extensive review of each applicant’s policies and programs. Being an accredited organization shows that Flathead Land Trust meets the national standards of excellence as a professional land trust organization.
The Commission invites public input and accepts signed, written comments on pending applications. Comments must relate to how Flathead Land Trust complies with national quality standards. These standards address the ethical and technical operation of a land trust. For the full list of standards:
To learn more about the accreditation program and to submit a comment, visit www.landtrustaccreditation.org, or email your comment to [email protected]. Comments may also be mailed to the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, Attn: Public Comments, 36 Phila Street, Suite 2, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866.
Comments on Flathead Land Trust’s accreditation renewal application will be most useful by November 30, 2023.
Trailhead kiosk at Harrell Forest. It took a village! Kiosk design by Jim Atkinson, additional engineering by Eclipse Engineering, built by JD Thinning, sign design by Highline Design, project management by Forestoration.
After a years-long collaboration with partners The Trust for Public Land and Montana Land Reliance, we are proud to announce that the Harrell Forest Community Trails are now open to the public! Lying on the flanks of Swan Hill, just outside of the town of Bigfork, at 1017 Bigfork Stage Road, Harrell Forest offers stacked loop trails for up to 7 miles of hiking and biking round-trip treks. The flowy trails, with beautiful filtered vistas overlooking the pristine waters of Flathead Lake and Swan River and the majestic Swan Mountain Range, have gotten great reviews so far from trail users who are thrilled with the new public access.
Dream Adaptive Recreation staff exploring the new trails.
At an impassioned Grand Opening Ceremony at the trails on September 22, in conjunction with TPL’s 50th Anniversary celebration, Cindy Harrell Horn shared the personal significance of the project as legacy to the Harrell name. Alan Horn and Cindy Harrell Horn made the dream of the Harrell Forest Community Trails possible through their generous land donation to The Trust for Public Land in 2020. A drizzly early fall day did not deter many of the ~140 attendees from hiking and enjoying the trails after the ceremony.
The mission of Harrell Forest is three-fold: to provide recreation for the public, facilitate environmental education and to conserve the property’s open space, scenic and natural values. Now that the recreation component is in place, we plan to add educational signage and programs in the future. Working with Montana Land Reliance, we have ensured that the entire 238-acre property is forever protected under a conservation easement, preserving this stunning property for wildlife habitat and environmental benefit.
Just a reminder that the new trail system is open for non-motorized and day use only. We ask the public to enjoy the trails responsibly and follow all rules and trail etiquette including keeping dogs on leash, picking up pet waste, respecting adjacent private property and refraining from cutting of switchbacks or creating social trails. Horseback riding is not permitted on the property. For more information and to download a map of the Harrell Forest Community Trails:
We a thrilled to announce that a conservation easement now protects 40 acres of primarily undisturbed forest along the Swan River east of Bigfork. Ed Goldberg worked closely with Flathead Land Trust to place the property under easement on May 1. The parcel borders a third of a mile of the Swan River and contains a mosaic of riparian forest and wetlands supporting a myriad of birds and wildlife. The riparian forest houses large mature spruce, cottonwood, aspen and birch trees and a thick understory of shrubs such as hawthorn, serviceberry, alder, and willow. This natural, largely intact forest with standing snags and woody debris on the forest floor also provides quality wildlife habitat. Grizzly bear, black bear, mountain lion, coyote, fox and deer visit the area, along with at least 114 species of birds. The reach of the Swan River along the property provides unique winter habitat vital to trumpeter swans, hooded mergansers, and other waterfowl. The riparian forest and undeveloped floodplain also helps protect the healthy function, water quality and ecological integrity of the Swan River.
Ed Goldberg expressed his sentiments on conservation of this special place: “The wilderness corridor along the Swan River is a national treasure that needs to be preserved as natural habitat and for its recreational value. It has been my privilege to have worked with Flathead Land Trust in establishing a conservation easement and it is my hope other like-minded landowners will consider doing the same.”
