An article in the Ravalli Republic details how Frank Mogen worked with Bitter Root Land Trust and the Ravalli County Open Land Program to conserve 161 acres of open land in the rapidly growing Bitterroot Valley.

“We can all see that the Bitterroot is changing quite a bit,” Kyle Barber of Bitter Root Land Trust says in the article. “It’s landowners like Frank that give me a lot of hope for the future of the valley. He has worked himself to the bone to pay for this place.”

“This is just what the voters wanted to keep when they passed the open lands bond,” said Sharon Schroeder, who serves on the county open lands board. “It’s a beautiful expanse of land that’s valuable for agriculture. The land will be preserved and the waters protected.”

“I now realize that my ownership of this land is not about maximizing my return on investment, but rather an opportunity to maintain what is special about this country,” wrote landowner Frank Mogen. “I feel a spiritual connection with all the animals, domestic and natural, and the decision to conserve this land is an opportunity to do right by them. For the rest of time, I want this property to be open space left untouched for wildlife and productive agriculture.”