by Will Trimbath, Montana Land Reliance

On March 12-13 stewardship staff from around Montana, northern Idaho, and eastern Washington gathered at the Lubrecht Experimental Forest Station to discuss all things stewardship. Stretched over Thursday night and into Friday, land trust stewards discussed an array of topics including GIS, timber harvest, navigating conservation easement property sales, and a myriad of easement interpretation questions. The only thing the event lacked was ample time to discuss all the topics on the agenda. It was a great opportunity for stewardship-centric staff to talk shop, discuss current challenges, and calibrate tough decisions amongst peers. This is the third year in a row for the Montana(ish) Stewardship Retreat, and based on the feedback, this one is likely here to stay.

PHOTO: (Back Row, left to right) Travis Vincent, Prickly Pear Land Trust; Peter Brown, Gallatin Valley Land Trust; Christian Dietrich, Montana Land Reliance; Matt Bell, MLR; Kyle Anderson, Bitter Root Land Trust, Drew Sovilla, The Nature Conservancy; Mark Schiltz, MLR; Steve Kloetzel, TNC; Rose Richardson, Inland Northwest Land Trust; Lucas Cain, GVLT; Ryan Hunter, Flathead Land Trust. (Front Row, left to right) Andrea Silverman, PPLT; Bri Nottingham, MLR; Kali Becher, Vital Ground; Eric Hull, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation; Stephanie Strickland, RMEF; Allison Hurcomb, TNC; Karl Meyer, Palouse Land Trust; Ryan Stutzman, FVLT.  Not pictured: Will Trimbath, MLR.