This is a story of conservation on 75 acres of land named the Moose Mountain parcel that shifted from a possible conservation easement held by Kaniksu Land Trust to a heritage site owned by the Kalispel Tribe. 

The Sandpoint Reader article starts with this: When William Haberman, managing member of Valiant Idaho, LLC, which owns The Idaho Club, approached Kaniksu Land Trust about placing a parcel of the company’s land in a conservation agreement in the fall of 2021, the goal was to protect the property as open space and natural habitat from encroaching development.

The rest of the story is well told in the Sandpoint Reader.

Pat Bousliman–a Montana native with decades of national policy and advocacy experience–is the new executive director of the Montana Association of Land Trusts. The announcement was made during a MALT membership Zoom meeting the morning of Feb. 15

Current executive director Glenn Marx is retiring, and both Glenn and Pat will work together through a transition period until May 23, when Pat assumes full-time MALT duties.

MALT New ED

     The Montana Association of Land Trusts membership will meet via Zoom at 9:00 AM on Tuesday, Feb. 15, to formally meet the incoming MALT executive director. 

     Current MALT executive director Glenn Marx is transitioning into retirement starting in March, and the new executive director will transition into the position through late May, when the individual will begin full-time MALT duties. 

     An announcement on the new MALT ED will be distributed immediately after the Feb. 15 Zoom meeting. 

     Contact Glenn with questions. 

     The only other item on the MALT Feb. 15 meeting agenda is approval of the MALT 2023 Farm Bill Policy Recommendations. A new draft of that proposed policy document was sent to MALT members on Friday, Feb.10. 

     During the MALT ED transition (March through late May) the MALT Monday Update newsletter will be temporarily suspended, and the new executive director and MALT board and membership will later determine how best to address internal MALT communications. 

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has begun a public scoping review of the Montana Great Outdoors Conservation Project, a 113,951-acre proposal that would conserve lands surrounding the Thompson Chain of Lakes and strengthen and extend existing protection of the 142,000-acre Thompson-Fisher Conservation Easement and the 100,000-acre Lost Trail Conservation Area.

The Flathead Beacon reports FWP is accepting public comments through March 4. The Montana Great Outdoors Project received unanimous preliminary approval from the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission to perform due diligence on the proposal, and comments received from this public review will help FWP determine public interest and support, identify potential issues, and provide insight for refining the proposal or for developing and analyzing one or more alternatives.

The Montana Great Outdoors proposal is a collaboration among FWP, The Trust for Public Land,SPP Montana, and Green Diamond Resource Company.

From the article: 

If approved, FWP would hold the conservation easement while SPP and Green Diamond would maintain ownership of the land. The easement would preclude development on those lands, protect important wildlife habitat and landscape connectivity, and provide public access and associated recreational opportunities. The U.S. Forest Service Forest Legacy Program, the Habitat Montana program, and grant funding raised by TPL would be likely funding sources if this proposal were to proceed.

The project is the most recent strongly supported forest conservation project in northwest Montana that retains permanent public access, maintains forest health and sustainable forest management, provides open land and wildlife habitat conservation, and restricts development of the property.

From the article: 

As part of the Forest Legacy funding application process, FWP has received letters of support for the proposal from a diverse mix of interests, including: the Lincoln, Flathead, and Sanders county commissions; Montana U.S. Sens. Steve Daines (R) and Jon Tester (D); the Kootenai National Forest; the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes; and local timber companies.

Announcing the agency’s support for the easements early on in the negotiations, FWP Director Hank Worsech said “these projects reflect the good collaboration and stewardship that help define Montana.” Both of Montana’s U.S. senators also offered a bipartisan endorsement of the proposed deal, which has enjoyed support from sportsmen groups and conservation organizations alike.

The project would conserve key winter range and a movement corridor for elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, and moose. It would provide critical habitat for grizzly bear and Canada lynx, federally threatened species found on the property, and protect streams for the westslope cutthroat trout and Columbia River redband trout, both Montana species of concern.

Photo: An aerial view of the Thompson Chain of Lakes and its surrounding forestland.  Courtesy of Chris Boyer of Kestrel Aerial

Three MALT members—Flathead Land Trust, The Montana Land Reliance, and The Trust for Public Land—are collaborating on a 236-acre project near Bigfork that would provide new outdoor recreation opportunities and forest conservation. The trail portion of the project is currently in design phase, local creation of a management plan is ongoing, and fundraising is underway. The Montana Access Project is also a partner. TPL currently owns the property, with plans for Flathead Land Trust to ultimately own the land, protected by a conservation easement held by MLR. The goal is to complete the trail system in early 2023 and open the area to the public in summer of 2023. The project is a great example of land trust cooperation and leadership on a community project that provides signifiant conservation and outdoor recreation benefits.

Photo: The 236-acre Harrell Forest property near Bigfork will soon be owned by Flathead Land Trust and will offer over 4 miles of trails to the public. Photo courtesy of The Trust for Public Land.

IN-PERSON FOR THE FIRST TIME IN TWO YEARS, DFMI IS BACK BIGGER AND BETTER THAN EVER

The Don’t Fence Me In race began 22 years ago and what started off as a small gathering aimed at growing support and excitement for local open space is now a major recreation event for people of all ages.

This iconic event has something for everyone; whether pushing through the 30K dash, scrambling through hills and trees with the 5K or 12K races, or taking time to sniff the wild roses in the non-competitive 5K Dog Walk, all are invited to celebrate our local wild lands and our connection to them. Stick around afterwards for a party in the park with food, live music, and family-friendly fun.

Funds from this race support ongoing projects like the Mount Ascension and Mount Helena land acquisitions, South Hills trail maintenance, and Tenmile Creek Park. It’s all about coming together, celebrating our unifying love of fresh air, and just letting off some steam and running wild.

Register now for the 30K, 12K, 5K races or the 5k dog walk. Kids under 13 run for free!

     Flathead Land Trust, with help from the NRCS ALE (Farm Bill) Program, Heart of the Rockies and the Liz Claiborne & Art Ortenberg Foundation, is working on a conservation easement on a key 655-acre parcel that borders the Stillwater River and sits adjacent to the Kuhns Wildlife Management Area in the Flathead Valley.

    FLT reports the “project will protect important forested riparian and wetland habitat used by federally listed grizzly bears and a plethora of other wildlife including black bears, coyote, fox, mountain lion, elk, deer, otter, and many bird species. The project will also protect the water quality and healthy river function of the Stillwater River. In addition, the project will conserve rich farmland containing soils including ‘Soils of Statewide Importance’ or ‘Prime Farmland’ as determined by the Natural Resource Conservation Service on 85% of the property.”

The Bozeman Daily Chronicle’s lead sentence says it all:

The ribbon is finally cut: 12 acres on the southern edge of Bozeman’s iconic Peets Hill have been saved from development.

Bozeman Mayor Cyndy Andus cuts the ribbon held by GVLT chair Bill Cochran and GVLT executive director Chet Work during an event celebrating the new 12-acre addition to Peets Hill on Thursday, Jan. 27. Photo by Rachel Leathe/Chronicle

      Bitter Root Land Trust, the Sutherlin family, Montana NRCS and the ALE Program, and the Ravalli County Open Land Program have teamed up to conserve 378 acres of “the most productive farmland in the the state.” 

     The Ravalli Republic reports the conservation easement will conserve agricultural lands in the Bitterroot Valley, and fulfill a long-tern dream of rancher Bob Sutherlin.

     From the article: “We wanted to keep it in ag,” Sutherlin said. “It’s all we have ever wanted to do with the ground and don’t want to see anything else done with it.”

     The funds that will offset the value the family gave up by placing an easement on the property will go toward adding additional land in the Bitterroot to raise crops and cattle.

     “We’re going to add to the farm with what we got from the land trust,” Sutherlin said. “We’re not going out and buying a new Cadillac. We’re going to add land to it. We want to farm. He (their son) wants to farm and I have three grandsons who might want to farm too.”     

     The Sutherlin project is another example of BRLT and Ravalli County landowners working with the NRCS and within the Farm Bill’s Agricultural Land Easement program and county open land program. 

    BRLT executive director Gavin Ricklefs said in the article that land preserved by the Sutherlin family is some of the most productive farmland in the state.

      “They are on our best soils,” Ricklefs said. “That area between Corvallis and Stevensville on the Eastside Highway is some of the best ground in the state of Montana.”

Photo Bob Sutherlin; Perry Backus photo

     In a Jan. 21 eNewsletter The Trust for Public Land offered “eight places to savor the season,” and among the greatly diversified locations was Montana’s Swan Valley. Recommendations for seasonal fun also include Maine, Florida, Arizona, California and Colorado. Here is what the TPL says about the Swan Valley:

     In northwestern Montana, the Swan Valley stretches from the Mission Mountains to the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex—an expanse of lakes, ponds, marshes, and streams that together support a riot of wildlife, from mule deer to moose. Come winter, the landscape is swallowed by snow, and another mammal—the sled dog—takes center stage. A number of “mushers” operate businesses in the area, their teams of dogs pulling tourists over miles of terrain. The Trust for Public Land, working with other conservation groups, has protected thousands of acres in and around the Swan Valley. (The effort was part of the 310,000-acre Montana Legacy Project, one of the largest conservation undertakings in American history.) Among the dogsled tour operators in the area is Base Camp Bigfork. [Explore our work in Montana.]

 A teacher leads an after-school class in ecology on a snowshoeing adventure in the Swan Valley, MT.  Photo Credit: © Ted Wood