Flathead Land Trust’s conservation easement with Dean Robbins on land along Wiley Slough south of Kalispell will “pass the legacy of open space for wildlife and farming on to future generations.”

The 26-acre donated conservation easement is not large in size, but it is large in conservation value: The parcel stretches along 928 feet of the wetland’s shoreline and is adjacent to another 1,235 acres of previously protected land.

The Kalispell Daily Interlake reports, According to the Flathead Lakers, a nonprofit organization that aims to protect the Flathead Watershed, these sloughs are used by a great number of migratory waterfowl, osprey, upland game birds, great blue heron and double-crested cormorants. They are also important habitats for river otter and other wildlife that travel along the river.

At Wiley Slough, an intact strip of riparian and wetland vegetation around the minimizes disturbances during critical migration periods. The open space provided by the farms also supports valuable wildlife habitat.