Two major springtime Montana land trust events – the Five Valleys Land Trust Annual Spring Banquet and the Prickly Pear Land Trust Don’t Fence Me In Trail Run – are set to go…with some social distancing safety adjustments.

 Five Valleys will actually hold its First Annual Spring Un-Banquet on April 10, which includes a chance to remotely purchase Un-Banquet Un-Tickets and raise your Un-Paddle in support of Five Valleys projects and activities.

Prickly Pear Land Trust’s Don’t Fence Me In Trail Run is now a 2020 Virtual Trail Run & Trail Challenge. PPLT says, “The new guidelines for social distancing may have affected our plans for the 20th Annual Don’t Fence Me In Trail Run on May 9, but they haven’t stopped us from finding fun new ways to get “together” and celebrate the incredible trail system we have right in our backyard. We’re running with it!”

Check the PPLT website for details. Registration ends June 1, and it’s easy to participate.

The 630,000-acre transaction between Weyerhaeuser and Southern Pine Plantations was completed on March 26, and the Georgia-based company sent some positive signals after its purchase had been finalized. An article in the Flathead Beacon suggests SPP will – at least initially – continue the tradition of allowing recreational access on the lands, and also reports that SPP continues to work with The Trust for Public Land on a 7,200-acre conservation easement that would border Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge.

From the article: According to (SPP Vice President) Pat Patton, SPP has been in talks with organizations including the Trust for Public Land about moving forward with the Lost Trail easement.

“We have had meetings with the Trust for Public Land and we have talked to them about Lost Trail, the easement on that 7,200 acres,” Patton said. “We are moving forward. We have agreed to that, we have taken an assignment of that conservation easement and we are moving forward with it.”

The article also indicates SPP will renew the Montana FWP Block Management Program agreement once the existing agreement expires in May.

These are positive signs from SPP, but the long-term disposition of the 630,000 acres is vital to western Montana’s economy, culture and way of life.

When the going gets tough, the tough take a hike. Fun photo series in the Missoulian showing people enjoying Missoula trails.

Just in time for shelter in place restrictions…the folks at Prickly Pear Land Trust in Helena have introduced a new game called Social Distancing Bingo. The game features abundant Helena area outdoor activities – following proper social distancing –  along with some fun and positive outdoor recommendations.

The Montana Association of Land Trusts is seeking to fill the currently vacant position of Montana ALE Program Coordinator, a shared position with MALT and the NRCS based in Bozeman. Interested individuals and applicants should contact MALT executive director Glenn Marx as explained in the position announcement. The application deadline is April 24.

MALT-NRCS2020

A short video discusses ways communities can come together to build sustainable futures. Here’s why the King Ranch, part of the Winnett ACES group, is changing the way they do business.

Tatum McConnell, communications intern for The Vital Ground Foundation, writes in her Winter Wildlife Series that beaver lodges and beaver winter activity and survival are based on hard work and wise planning.

From the Vital Ground website: Much like grizzly bears, beavers make a cozy retreat for the winter months. But unlike bears, beavers stay active and awake in their lodges throughout the entire season. Sturdily built of logs, rocks, grass, and mud, beaver lodges can stay standing and in use for many years.

The lodge’s incredible construction (is)  sealed with insulating mud and chinked with small holes left for air to come in and out. Additionally, the lodge is practically impervious to predators like wolves and mountain lions because of the hardened mud and water surrounding all entrances.

The article also sheds light on the biological benefits of beavers, as well as ways beavers keep themselves nourished during winter.

Today (March 24) is National Ag Day, and even in these troubling times – perhaps especially in these troubling times – Montana land trusts express deep appreciation to the people who grow the food that feeds America and feeds the world.

Photos from The Montana Land Reliance, Montana NRCS, and Laura Verhaeghe

by Glenn Marx, MALT Executive Director

     Unless you lived through the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 (and perhaps 50 million people did not survive that flu) you have not experienced anything like the coronavirus. If you did live through the Spanish flu and are reading this…wow, you’re amazing.

     The article to the right chronicles recent local and national reports, and local land trust actions and efforts in response to the COVID-19 threat. And make no mistake, the threat – from both a medical and economic perspective – is terrifying. President Trump and Congress are preparing to spend a few trillion dollars in an attempt to save lives and avoid the possibility of 20% unemployment and a devastating recession. We in America and people across the globe may be battling coronavirus for18 months. While there is only so much we can do to flatten the curve, flattening the now-famous curve is the local and international priority. Because safety is the priority. Our part-time Helena next door neighbor tested positive for the virus. We wish him well, and we thank all medical staff for their service. 

     We are in the midst of an unprecedented (hopefully brief) time, and what happens next – both medically and economically – is uncertain and unpredictable. Within roughly ten days we have gone from (angrily) “They canceled the NCAA Basketball Tournament?” to “School’s closed?” to “Restaurants are closed?” to “A lockdown?” to (fearfully) “What’s next?” Truth is, not even the people who are taking those next steps are confident about what’s going to happen next. We do know it is going to get worse before it gets better.

    We also know it will get better. We will get through this crisis. The Spanish flu killed 675,000 Americans in 1918. That pandemic was quickly followed by the Roaring 20s. We’ll also come roaring back.

Excellent guest column by EJ Porth from Gallatin Valley Land Trust about unsettling times and foundational beliefs.

“COVID-19 can’t change the things we know for sure. Take a walk. Reflect on the strength and beauty of our community. Be confident in our Montana resiliency. We will get through this, together.”