Flathead Land Trust and project partners recently helped add 257 acres of wetland bird and wildlife habitat to an existing 1,800 acres of conserved lands in the Smith Valley Waterfowl Production Area. The Conservation Fund played a key role in acquiring the property and then transferring it to the USFWS. The Flathead Beacon article contains excellent quotes from both Flathead Land Trust and The Conservation Fund:
“We are thrilled that such key bird habitat is now permanently protected and another special place in the Flathead Valley will be available for future generations to enjoy in perpetuity,” Laura Katzman, of Flathead Land Trust, stated, noting that protection of the land was made possible by funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Migratory Bird Conservation Fund. The congressionally authorized Migratory Bird Conservation Fund provides grants to protect migratory bird habitat throughout the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Wildlife Refuge System. “The Flathead Land Trust’s dedication to the protection of this land is unmatched,” according to Gates Watson of The Conservation Fund. “We are proud to have supported them and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with this important conservation effort.”
