Great news from the Flathead: The 155-acre Flathead River Conservation Project has been finalized. Wonderful for wetlands, water, wildlife and farmland.

From Flathead Land Trust: …the project protects 155 acres along a third of a mile of the Flathead River owned by Bob Danford. The land has key wetlands and riparian habitat important to a plethora of wildlife as well as rich farmland Bob and his family have been farming and stewarding for almost 100 years. The project adds to a network of conserved land totaling almost 12,000 acres along the Flathead River important to sustaining the River and Flathead Lake’s excellent water quality and the incredible quality of life we enjoy in the Flathead Valley.

The project was made possible with a federal grant from the Natural Resource Conservation Service Agricultural Land Easement Program which provides funding to farmers to keep their rich land in agriculture. Non-federal matching funds needed to obtain the grant were provided by the Flathead Lakers, Cinnabar Foundation, Horne Family Foundation, Charlotte Martin Foundation, Vital Ground Foundation, Montana Ducks Unlimited, Montana Trout Unlimited, Flathead Valley Trout Unlimited, Flathead Wildlife, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Conoco Phillips Spirit of Conservation Program, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Wildlife Mitigation Program, and over 100 people from the community – many of you. The Danford family also donated over a third of the value of the conservation easement through a bargain sale.

Torrance Smith photo