News

We Are Hiring!

by jen

Looking for a great opportunity to conserve our incredible open spaces and wild places? We’re seeking a dedicated Land Protection Specialist to join our team and help implement critical land protection strategies. Help make a positive impact on your community!

What you’ll do:

  • Manage projects involving purchased and donated conservation easements, with potential for fee acquisitions
  • Conduct landowner and community outreach
  • Implement stewardship and monitoring of easements
  • Collaborate with our Executive Director and two other Land Protection Specialists to achieve our conservation goals

What we’re looking for:

  • A professional with independence, strategic thinking, and excellent partnership and communication skills
  • A solid understanding of conservation theories, practices, and principles
  • The ability to work effectively with private landowners and the public

About the position:

This is a full-time non-exempt position under the supervision of the Executive Director and in coordination with FLT’s two other Land Protection Specialists. You’ll have the opportunity to work alongside a talented team of conservation professionals and make a real difference in protecting our natural resources.

Click HERE for more information.

News

Conservation Easement Near Swan Lake: Sanctuary for Wildlife, Water Quality and Scenic Beauty

by jen

Swan Lake Gains a Sanctuary for Wildlife, Water Quality and Scenic Beauty

Nestled just above Swan Lake near the confluence with Swan River, a 51-acre parcel of forested land is now permanently protected. Today, Paul Johnson and Candace Greene placed this ecological gem under a donated conservation easement with Flathead Land Trust, safeguarding habitat for birds, wildlife, and forested views for travelers along Highway 83. Preserving this wooded hillside above Swan Lake also safeguards the exceptional water quality of the lake. Keeping this area undisturbed minimizes sediment runoff, the biggest threat to the lake’s health.

The conservation easement honored family ties to the area. “Montana has been a special place to my family going all the way back to when my father drove a red bus in Glacier over 80 years ago. We are pleased to be able to preserve a small piece of what so many people love about Montana. We would also like to thank Flathead Land Trust for working with us to make this preservation a reality,” Paul Johnson summed up after closing.

Previously owned by F.H. Stoltze Land & Lumber Co., the property changed hands multiple times, and was once threatened with development. Driven by a passion for conservation, Johnson and Greene purchased this undeveloped property in 2020. Surrounded by residential neighborhoods to the south and west along the shores of Swan Lake, the newly established conservation easement offers a respite for wildlife. A vital habitat corridor just to the east and northeast consists of a patchwork of state land, Stoltze property, and larger private parcels. This travelway connects the property to the vast expanse of the Swan Mountains within Flathead National Forest, ultimately reaching the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex. This significant connection serves a diverse range of wildlife, many of which find refuge on the Johnson-Greene property. White-tailed deer, elk, black bear, mountain lion, red fox, and an estimated 63 bird species all utilize this land.

A series of undulating, shallow ridges on the property support healthy coniferous forests. Grand fir, Douglas fir, ponderosa pine and western larch tower over the landscape with patches of paper birch and a variety of shrubs and herbaceous plant species thriving in the understory.

This valuable conservation easement was made possible, in part, through a grant from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. The family will continue to own and manage the land.

Fox family denning on the Johnson-Greene property, photo courtesy of Hughes Goodwin.
 

News

2024 Great Fish Community Challenge Begins August 8!

by jen

Flathead Land Trust is delighted to be among 80 nonprofits chosen to take part in the 2024 Great Fish Community Challenge! The 10th Annual Great Fish Community Challenge is a charitable giving campaign, hosted by Whitefish Community Foundation, that makes it easy for you to donate to multiple nonprofits in one place.

Donating to Flathead Land Trust through this program will directly support conservation projects across Northwest Montana. Please help us protect our spectacular land and water legacy!

Help Us Win $10,000!

Donate during Week 4 (Midnight August 30 to midnight September 5) to help us secure a $10,000 Biggest Catch Incentive Grant. Your $25+ gift* will make a big impact and increase our chances of winning!

*By unduplicated donors (those who have not yet given to Flathead Land Trust during this year’s campaign).

The 2024 campaign runs from August 8 to September 13. This is our major fundraising event for the year, so we would love your support!

10th Anniversary Incentives: Can you help us win Big?

The 10th anniversary brings exciting incentives to boost your donation’s impact.

Biggest Catch

  • Each week, one lucky nonprofit will win a $10,000 incentive grant for having the most new donors who give $25 or more.

Great Fish Fun Run & Community Celebration

  • Donate $100 or more to one nonprofit at the Fun Run and be entered to win a $1,000 matching grant for that organization.

Last Day of the Challenge

  • First-time donors: Give $25 or more to one nonprofit and be entered to win a $10,000 incentive grant for that organization.
  • Generous donors: Give $25 or more to four or more nonprofits and be entered to win a $10,000 incentive grant for a participating organization.
  • Loyal supporters: Have donated every year of the Challenge? You’re eligible for a $10,000 incentive grant drawing for a participating organization.

Let’s make a big splash together!

News

Unveiling Honorary Benches at Harrell Forest

by jen

A devoted passion project came to fruition in mid-July as three beautiful benches were brought to Harrell Forest, dedicated to Don Schrage and his late wife, Delores. Their daughter, Linda, orchestrated a phenomenal team to manufacture and deliver the benches to three beautiful sites along the trail system.

A plaque on each bench honors Delores and Don Schrage. At the installation, Linda pointed out the irony of these beautiful resting places dedicated to her parents, since they have never been the resting kind. Don’s involvement in the project every step of the way speaks to that point. The gorgeous views from the benches of Flathead Lake and Swan Valley

(where the family has owned land since the 1970s) do, however, reflect their love and appreciation for the incredible beauty of the area, where they loved to hike together.

Bob Martin led the team, with his many years of forestry and building experience. The process was many-faceted, beginning with selecting and cutting the 100+-year-old larch on Bob’s family homestead. We are so grateful to Bob Martin, Don Schrage, Linda and Darryl Thompson, Mark and Jennifer Schrage, Ken Myers, and the entire team for bringing these gorgeous benches to Harrell Forest for the public to enjoy!

Photos: Top: Linda Thompson and her father, Don; Above: Bob Martin (lead builder), Don Schrage, Darryl and Linda Thompson and Paul Travis at bench installation.

A project of this size takes months of collaboration and dedication, with countless hours of donated work time. Join this mini-photo journey of the process:

As benches were being manufactured, the good people at Trees for Life volunteered their time on Arbor Day to thin the vistas at the Flathead Lake and Swan River view points. Many thanks to Trees for Life!

Above: Before and after vista clearing

The Team: Leader Bob Martin, Mark Schrage, Don Schrage, Linda Thompson; Linda Thompson trying her hand at carving out the base log saddle where the seat log will sit.

Bob Martin measures diameter of larch from his homesteaded property; Team Leader, Bob Martin moving logs at his sawmill.

Bob Martin and Don Schrage during initial construction at Bob’s shop; Darryl Thompson and Ken Myers secure a bench to the tractor for transport.

Bob placing a bench at the trail head and transporting a bench to an upper overlook at Harrell Forest.

Linda Thompson and her husband Darryl Thompson testing out a bench; Bob placing bench at the Swan River overlook; Bob Martin, Don Schrage, Darryl Thompson and Jen Guse at bench installation.

News

Celebrating Permanent Protection of Owen Sowerwine with the Community!

by jen

Over 100 people took respite from the heat in air-conditioned comfort to celebrate permanent protection of the Owen Sowerwine property, just east of Kalispell. After years of collaboration, the community gathered to honor this milestone event, a half-century in the making. David Sowerwine, Owen’s son, and his wife Haydi, reigned as special guests, along with several major donors. David reminisced about his father and the meaning of conserving his namesake place. Speakers from each of the partner organizations followed, unfolding the chronological story of this great collaborative effort.

Paul Travis, Executive Director of Flathead Land Trust, emceed the event. He kicked things off by reading a heartwarming account from Carol Bibler, who reminisced about her childhood adventures exploring the wonders of Owen Sowerwine. Next, Gael Bissell of Flathead Audubon took the stage, her voice filled with the passion of a decades-long mission. Bissell recounted the organization’s monumental efforts, along with Montana Audubon, to find a conservation solution for this irreplaceable property for decades. The baton was then passed to Larry Berrin of Montana Audubon, who shed light on the ecological significance of the area, designated as an Important Bird Area in 2010. The community and educational significance was highlighted, especially as a refuge for children, who “spend an average of an entire year in front of a screen by the age of seven.”

Constanza von der Pahlen, representing Flathead Lakers and a key partner in the Flathead River to Lake Initiative, painted a vivid picture of the significance of this 405-acre oasis in the growing mosaic of protected lands along the river corridor from Columbia Falls to Flathead Lake. A heartfelt reflection from Dave Poukish of Montana DNRC followed. Poukish, nearing the end of a distinguished career, mused on this project as one of DNRC’s crowning achievements, a capstone to his dedicated career in conservation. Flathead Land Trust’s Laura Katzman expressed appreciation for all the incredible groundwork laid before us, acknowledging that we’re all “standing on the shoulders of giants” in securing this conservation easement.

The evening culminated with several extraordinarily worthy awards. David and Haydi Sowerwine were honored with a special painting from Flathead Audubon. Flathead Land Trust presented both Flathead Audubon and Montana Audubon with Conservation Stewardship Awards for their unwavering dedication over many years to conserve this special place in perpetuity (see separate post on July 18 for details). Gael Bissell‘s unwavering dedication to Owen Sowerwine over decades was celebrated with a framed photo of Owen Sowerwine taken by Gravity Shots.

Paul extended a huge thank you to all who donated and special thank you to Jim and Lisa Stack who closed final funding gap with generous donation. Through this permanent conservation easement, Owen Sowerwine’s legacy will live on. His dream for the land, envisioned five decades ago, has become a lasting reality – creating a vibrant haven for wildlife and a cherished community resource.

News

Flathead Audubon Society and Montana Audubon Honored with 2024 Conservation Leadership Awards

by jen

Breaking with tradition, Flathead Land Trust presented Conservation Leadership Awards on July 10, 2024, at the Owen Sowerwine Celebration. Usually given at our winter party, we simply could not miss this opportunity to honor two of the organizations that have worked tirelessly for decades to find a conservation solution for the Owen Sowerwine property. Both Flathead Audubon Society and Montana Audubon have been instrumental in our ability to place a conservation easement on the 405-acre parcel just east of Kalispell.

The story of each organization’s involvement in the Owen Sowerwine project is intertwined, echoing the theme of collaboration in reaching permanent protection of this ecological oasis. It began during a time of budget shortfalls in Flathead County, when Flathead Audubon helped the Flathead County Parks Board pay the lease while determining a more permanent fix. In 1996, Flathead Audubon stepped forward to assume the lease and manage the area as a natural area. Facing a potential significant surge in lease costs due to a new assessment in 1999, Montana Audubon teamed up with Flathead Audubon to negotiate a long-term license for Owen Sowerwine at a more affordable rate. A series of subsequent licenses and permits held by both organizations allowed Flathead Audubon to continue managing Owen Sowerwine’s natural habitat for many years, but this distinctive project presented a unique challenge: protecting the property while generating income for Montana’s schools, as mandated for State School Trust Land.

Also mandated by law, Montana State School Trust Lands had not previously allowed for conservation easements on any of their properties. Enter Janet Ellis of Montana Audubon, current Montana State Senator, who lobbied for Montana Audubon for almost three decades. Janet was instrumental in changing legislation nearly twenty-five years ago, helping to enact a statute allowing a conservation easement to be placed on this specific parcel of land by a nonprofit.

Flathead Audubon Society and Montana Audubon have both recognized the significance of this incredible piece of property just outside the city limits of Kalispell from the beginning. Members of Flathead Audubon Society have worked tirelessly for decades to steward the land, from managing trails and invasive species to administering environmental education programs for school groups. Knowing that at least 168 bird species utilize the area, Montana Audubon designated the site as an Important Bird Area shortly after it was nominated by Flathead Audubon members in 2003. The Important Bird Area designation, one of only 42 IBA sites in the state, definitely helped to solidify support for the efforts of both Flathead Audubon and Montana Audubon to maintain the natural character of this valuable riparian area.

Pam Willison, Vice President of Flathead Audubon Society and Chair of the FAS Owen Sowerwine Committee, accepted the award on behalf of the local organization. As a retired teacher, Pam spoke eloquently on the significance of this milestone to the local chapter. Larry Berrin, Executive Director of Montana Audubon, travelled from Helena to speak at the program, and accepted on behalf of the statewide organization. Larry spoke earlier in the program, reiterating the significance of the site, both ecologically and as a community and educational resource, especially as a refuge for children, who “spend an average of an entire year in front of a screen by the age of seven”.

Since 2014, this annual award has been given in recognition of those whose leadership, vision, service and stewardship of incredible land and water resources has furthered meaningful conservation throughout the Flathead Valley and across northwest Montana. The dedication of Flathead Audubon and Montana Audubon has had a profound impact, and we are delighted to recognize their achievements!

Read more details about Flathead Audubon Society and Montana Audubon’s roles in securing Owen Sowerwine over the years HERE.

News

Conservation Easement: Protecting Habitat and History

by jen

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.”

News

Conservation Easement Protecting Mission Valley Heritage and Habitat

by jen

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.

News

Spring Has Sprung! Check out our Spring 2024 Newsletter

by jen

Our Spring 2024 ViewPoints newsletter is here! Download the entire newsletter below to read a message from Paul Travis, our Executive Director, and articles on our 75th Conservation Easement, the nearly 500-acre Jaquette farm with a rich legacy; a thank you to our major Owen Sowerwine donors, grantors & partners and project recap; a grand thank you to all of our 2023 donors, along with our 2023 Annual Report & Financial Summary. Plus an invitation to sign up for a guided hike at Harrell Forest with FLT staff and attend our Owen Sowerwine Celebration on July 10.

As always, we want to thank each and every one of you who supports Flathead Land Trust in so many ways. Enjoy the issue!

Download the entire issue HERE.

News

Final Bigfork Area Outdoor Recreation Plan is Published!

by jen

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!

Click HERE to view and download the plan.

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.