Johnston Easement
Protecting a Family Legacy and Wildlife Haven
In 2007, Glenn and Hazel Johnston secured their family’s legacy and safeguarded a vital wildlife sanctuary by donating a conservation easement to Flathead Land Trust. Their 682-acre property, bordering over a mile of the Flathead River, is an ecological treasure.
Glenn credits his father for preserving the land. “My dad, if anyone, deserves the credit for preserving this piece of land,” said Glenn.
Photo above: Glenn and Hazel Johnston
Glenn’s father loved the outdoors – hunting, trapping, fishing, and just being in the woods. He purchased 160 acres of forested riparian land and islands, adding to the ranch in the 1930s, and also bought the remainder of the ranch from his siblings – transforming it into a wildlife sanctuary.
“My dad really inspired me. He knew every tree and was so proud of the ranch. I fell so much in love with the place,” said Glenn. “It was important to me to keep it intact.” The best way to do this was with a conservation easement. Glenn discussed the concept of a conservation easement for the land with his son and granddaughter and they supported the idea.
Riparian habitat with mature cottonwoods, conifers, and lush wetland vegetation create prime habitat for fish and wildlife, while protecting water quality. An ancient stand of ponderosa pine adds to the property’s biodiversity. The expansive agricultural lands on the high bluffs secure rich soils important for food production. This remarkable property is a testament to the Johnston family’s commitment to conservation and the health of the Flathead River ecosystem.
For Glenn, the value of keeping the ranch intact with a conservation easement was rooted in his deep family ties to the land. The property has been in the family since the 1880s when his grandfather, a pioneer from Pennsylvania, homesteaded it. Facing arduous conditions, he established a foothold in the Flathead Valley, and raised a family of five children on the land including Glenn’s father (Glenn senior).
Photo above: View of Flathead River on Johnston Conservation Easement
When asked whether he saw the conservation easement as taking away options and encumbering his heirs, Glenn responded, “This notion is contrary to my point of view. A conservation easement takes away the option we wanted to take away, subdivision.”
The value of the Johnston’s donated conservation easement was used as match for two $1 million grants that Flathead Land Trust received from NAWCA. These funds helped Flathead Land Trust and their partners conserve nearly 700 acres along the Flathead River, Church Slough and the Smith Lake Waterfowl Production Area, as well as to restore nearly 90 acres of wetlands in Ninepipes National Wildlife Refuge and Wildlife Management Area. The grants also increased protection of wetlands along the Mission Mountain Front and east of the National Bison Range and protected a critical pothole wetland habitat in the West Valley.
Mark Johnston, son of Glenn and Hazel, summed up his feelings on conserving the property. “I hope that any of you that are considering conservation, you’ll seriously consider it. Things are so ephemeral and they go so quickly; as you try to hold on to certain things they just slip right from your fingers, but if you can invest in things of true value and that last, it is a very, very important thing to do.”