Celebrating Permanent Protection of Owen Sowerwine with the Community!

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.