Whitefish Riverfront Property Newly Protected With Conservation Easement

On November 25, 2024, Mark Schmidt permanently protected his 30-acre parcel along the Whitefish River under a conservation easement with Flathead Land Trust. The property protects prime agricultural lands and riparian habitats, providing wildlife habitat and connectivity.

For decades, Mark Schmidt and his team of mules hayed his agricultural fields along the Whitefish River. Prior to this, the property had a long history as farmland dating back decades before the Schmidts acquired it. Open space in a rapidly developing area, the conservation easement on this parcel just southeast of Whitefish safeguards agriculturally important soils along with wildlife habitat along the Whitefish River. The USDA classifies over 70% of the conserved property as “prime farmland”. As a protected working farm, these critically important soils can continue to be cultivated without the threat of development.

Encompassing a nearly quarter-mile stretch of the Whitefish River just below the confluence with Haskill Creek and above the confluence with Walker Creek, the Schmidt property offers habitat and respite for wildlife moving along the river. Riparian, wetland and aquatic habitats, along with the agricultural fields, support a variety of mammals, birds and fish in a region of Whitefish that has experienced substantial development.

Mark Schmidt affirmed the value of protecting his property while looking out at more than 150 mallards on the Whitefish River flowing through his property. “I just want to keep it how it is.”

The mules have since been retired, but two horses continue to graze the pastures of the property. A neighbor now uses modern machinery to hay the fields. While the methods have changed, the rich farming legacy of the property is preserved, and the fields will remain undeveloped in perpetuity. Wildlife will continue to find refuge, open space will persist and scenic views will endure by virtue of the Schmidt conservation easement.

About the Landowner:

Mark Schmidt spent his early years immersed in quintessential northwestern Montana pursuits, working as a packer in the Bob Marshall Wilderness and as a ski instructor. He and his late wife, Shirley, showed and competed with their mules and horses all across the country and traveled the world, while Mark constructed custom homes.