by Glenn Marx, MALT Executive Director: Kaniksu Land Trust and about 200 supporters, partners, funders, community leaders and more officially opened Pine Street Woods on a picture-perfect Saturday in Sandpoint on Sept. 21. Pine Street Woods, 180 acres of trees, hills, trails, flowers, and vast potential, is a gift to the community of Sandpoint. The 180 acres rests just west of Sandpoint and will be managed by KLT to ensure the property offers tremendous conservation, recreation and education assets to area residents. On Sept. 21, the grand opening included: Yoga, a trail run, several different educational hikes, mountain bike rides, education about native trees and the emerging Pine Street Woods forest management plan, a kids program with KLT’s Dave Kretzschmar, a community picnic, bluegrass music, an ice cream social, star gazing, and other activities. The day also featured a “ribbon” cutting, with the ribbon composed of native Pine Street Woods grasses and vegetation. KLT executive director Katie Egland Cox and KLT board president Jim Zuberbuhler led the crowd in the ribbon cutting, which ceremonially opened Pine Street Woods to the public. Pine Street Woods is a remarkable accomplishment, and it is a national example of community conservation that achieves not just conservation, but weaves in tremendous outdoor recreation and outdoor education benefits as well. Big tip of the hat to previous KLT executive director Eric Grace for his leadership on this project. It is breathtaking to realize how much KLT has accomplished in such a short amount of time. And the truth is, they’re just getting started.
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Newspaper Extols Prickly Pear Land Trust’s Value to Helena Community
The Sunday, Sept. 22, editorial in the Helena Independent Record is an ode to Prickly Pear Land Trust’s conservation and outdoor recreation lasting contributions to the greater Helena area. The editorial discusses courtesy and respect on the community trails system, highlights the Sept. 28 Harvest Moon banquet and auction, and salutes PPLT’s ongoing projects and activities that have led to popular trails and dynamic conservation and restoration. The editorial ends with: “While Prickly Pear Land Trust’s 24-year history may seem like a long time, countless generations will benefit from the work this organization is doing in the greater Helena community. Here’s hoping the organization will continue to get the support it needs to continue this critically important work for many more years to come.”
MSGOT Approves Sage Grouse Funds for Habitat Conservation
The Montana Sage Grouse Oversight Team (MSGOT) on Sept. 18 approved $3.4 million of sage grouse habitat program funding to conserve over 46,000 acres of key sage grouse habitat in central and southwest Montana. MSGOT approved funding for two Montana Land Reliance projects and one The Nature Conservancy in Montana project. Jessie Wiese, MLR Southwest Manager and Brad Hansen, MLR Eastern Manager; and Jim Berkey, TNC High Divide Headwaters Director, presented sage grouse habitat conservation projects to MSGOT and received program approval. MSGOT also approved three sage grouse term leases, a first for the program.
Gallatin County Okays Funding for MLR Project
The partnership between the Montana land trust community and the Natural Resources Conservation Service – in concert with the Gallatin County Open Land Program and the Woosley Ranch – produced 2,100 acres of agricultural conservation last week. County commissioners approved additional funding for two conservation easements on Woosley Land & Livestock land, for a county open program funding total of $377,603 for the overall project. The easements also received NRCS ALE Program funding. “Both of (these properties) are spectacular. … They are just marvelous,” said Commissioner Don Seifert in a Bozeman Chronicle article. “I think this is an appropriate use of the (county) funds.” The new easements will add to large areas already under conservation easement in eastern Gallatin County and are near state trust lands, said Kathryn Kelly, the Greater Yellowstone Manager for the Montana Land Reliance, which works with the county’s open lands program. Adding to the protected land in the area will help preserve wildlife habitat and three tributaries of the Shields River.
Flathead Land Trust, The Conservation Fund, Team Up on Wetlands
Flathead Land Trust and project partners recently helped add 257 acres of wetland bird and wildlife habitat to an existing 1,800 acres of conserved lands in the Smith Valley Waterfowl Production Area. The Conservation Fund played a key role in acquiring the property and then transferring it to the USFWS. The Flathead Beacon article contains excellent quotes from both Flathead Land Trust and The Conservation Fund:
“We are thrilled that such key bird habitat is now permanently protected and another special place in the Flathead Valley will be available for future generations to enjoy in perpetuity,” Laura Katzman, of Flathead Land Trust, stated, noting that protection of the land was made possible by funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Migratory Bird Conservation Fund. The congressionally authorized Migratory Bird Conservation Fund provides grants to protect migratory bird habitat throughout the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Wildlife Refuge System. “The Flathead Land Trust’s dedication to the protection of this land is unmatched,” according to Gates Watson of The Conservation Fund. “We are proud to have supported them and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with this important conservation effort.”
GVLT’s Peter Brown Discusses the Gallatin Valley
Peter Brown, Gallatin Valley Land Trust’s stewardship director, shares his thoughts about the future of the Gallatin Valley in Edible Bozeman, a publication devoted to “telling stories of local food & drink.” Peter’s comments focus on the valley’s agriculture industry’s tradition and its future, which are relevant topics given the valley’s population growth and residential development. While he points out “ghost farms” dot the valley, he remains optimistic that the valley’s commitment to its legacies and neighborly relationships can help retain a “vibrant and healthy Gallatin Valley in the future.”
Montana Land Reliance Community Cocktails Set for Sept. 18
The Montana Land Reliance and Gulch Distillers in Helena is having a “Community Cocktails” session on Sept. 18, starting at 4:00 PM. The event will celebrate the return of Perpetuity Gin, a Gulch Distillers product honoring Montana Land Reliance conservation accomplishments. Gulch Distillers is located at 790 Front Street in Helena.
Land Trust Mount Dean Stone Forest Management Plan Featured in Forestry Publication
A publication from the Montana Forest Stewardship Foundation features an article about the Five Valleys Land Trust and The Nature Conservancy in Montana partnership to develop a comprehensive forest management plan on Mount Dean Stone. The article starts on page 9 of the Winter 2019 Forest Steward’s Journal. The article highlights the collaborative approach Five Valleys and Montana TNC are taking toward creation of the comprehensive forest management plan..a plan that with contemplated projects will “assist in the ongoing transformative management for the Mount Dean Stone area,” a total of about 2,800 acres.
Gallatin Valley Land Trust Conservation Bus Tour Sept. 12
The Gallatin Valley Conservation Bus Tour is set for Thursday, Sept. 12, starting at 5:30 PM. The 2019 tour will feature GVLT conservation work at the Bozeman Pass area and will also include a walk through the Visscher property. Contact GVLT for details.
Bat Cruise Features Montana Land Reliance’s Matt Bell
A new YouTube video on the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks YouTube channel features Matt Bell of The Montana Land Reliance. Matt and Bryce Maxell with the Montana Natural Heritage Program led a Bat Cruise along the Missouri River near the Gates of the Mountains, north of Helena. Take a look at the two minute video and you’ll see several Montana bats flying through the nighttime sky.