Leo Barthelmess is no stranger to innovative ranching ideas. He and his family are long-time participants in the Montana TNC Matador Ranch grassbank, and Leo consistently seeks ways to better manage grass and livestock.
An article in John Deere’s The Furrow sheds light on Leo’s foray into the concept of virtual fencing (vence), which can lead to reduced fencing costs and benefits to the rancher’s bottom line.
From the article: The Barthelmesses picked up 45 days of winter grazing by intensifying their grazing and are excited about what they may achieve with virtual herding.
“We’re just one of the species that make a living here,” Leo says…”the number of uses and applications are only limited by our imagination.”
Flathead Land Trust has received two $100,000 grants from the North American Wetland Conservation Act (NAWCA) program that will provide a majority of the funding for two purchased Flathead-area wetland-related conservation easements.
One of the purchased conservation easements will protect 53.4 acres of key wildlife habitat along Mill Creek near its confluence with the Flathead River. The conservation project will protect 38 acres of wetlands and riparian habitat and .6 miles of Mill Creek. The project property is used by a plethora of wildlife including thousands of waterfowl and other birds and grizzly bears. It is located only about a mile downstream from the FLT’s Flathead River Conservation Project.
The other purchased conservation easement will protect 34.5 acres and a key wetland in the lower Flathead Valley, plus create a new bird viewing area for the public. The conservation project will protect 12 acres of Reed’s Slough; the other half of Reed’s Slough is already protected by a conservation easement. The project is also adjacent to about 1,300 acres of protected private land around Wiley Slough. The project parcel is used by thousands of migrating waterfowl and over 100 species of birds. The bird viewing area for the public will be created overlooking Reed’s Slough in cooperation with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. (Photos from Flathead Land Trust)
On March 12-13 stewardship staff from around Montana, northern Idaho, and eastern Washington gathered at the Lubrecht Experimental Forest Station to discuss all things stewardship. Stretched over Thursday night and into Friday, land trust stewards discussed an array of topics including GIS, timber harvest, navigating conservation easement property sales, and a myriad of easement interpretation questions. The only thing the event lacked was ample time to discuss all the topics on the agenda. It was a great opportunity for stewardship-centric staff to talk shop, discuss current challenges, and calibrate tough decisions amongst peers. This is the third year in a row for the Montana(ish) Stewardship Retreat, and based on the feedback, this one is likely here to stay.
PHOTO: (Back Row, left to right) Travis Vincent, Prickly Pear Land Trust; Peter Brown, Gallatin Valley Land Trust; Christian Dietrich, Montana Land Reliance; Matt Bell, MLR; Kyle Anderson, Bitter Root Land Trust, Drew Sovilla, The Nature Conservancy; Mark Schiltz, MLR; Steve Kloetzel, TNC; Rose Richardson, Inland Northwest Land Trust; Lucas Cain, GVLT; Ryan Hunter, Flathead Land Trust. (Front Row, left to right) Andrea Silverman, PPLT; Bri Nottingham, MLR; Kali Becher, Vital Ground; Eric Hull, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation; Stephanie Strickland, RMEF; Allison Hurcomb, TNC; Karl Meyer, Palouse Land Trust; Ryan Stutzman, FVLT.Not pictured: Will Trimbath, MLR.
Chet Work is Gallatin Valley Land Trust’s new Executive Director.
The GVLT hiring committee reported that “Chet stood out from the pool of remarkable leaders we evaluated during a national search because of his exceptional knowledge, experience and vision, his track record of success, and his sterling reputation as a strategic leader and respectful collaborator. In short, Chet impressed us as ideally suited to lead our talented staff in writing the next chapter of GVLT’s wonderful story.”
Chet has spent the last 20 years working in conservation, a majority of that time within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. For the last 10 years he has led two of the nation’s most successful land trusts as Executive Director, the Teton Regional Land Trust in Eastern Idaho and most recently the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County, California. Chet has also worked as a land manager for The Nature Conservancy in Idaho and has completed an environmental education residency at the Teton Science Schools in Jackson Hole. Chet holds a Master’s Degree in Environmental Management from Duke University, as well as certificates in Nonprofit Management and Geospatial Analysis. His rich and varied career sets him up well to be an outstanding addition to the GVLT team.
MALT is pleased to welcome Chet, his wife, and three children are excited to the Montana land trust community.
Montana land trusts and others interested in participating in the 2020 Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) learned last week the deadline for applications is April 17. The deadline was announced during the NRCS/MALT March 4 Partnership Call, and followed up with a NRCS news release.
In other MALT NRCS-related action, MALT is finalizing its comments on the draft ACEP/ALE Program rule, and is anticipating upcoming webinars related to ALE Program information.A March 18 Land Trust Alliance webinar titled “Updates and Improvements to the NRCS ALE Program: What You Need to Know” starts at 12:30 PM MT time. Webinar instructors are Jerome Faulkner and the indomitable Lisa McCauley.
The Montana Water Summit offered several impressive presentations and many interesting topics, and from a land conservation perspective perhaps the most impressive presentation was from Chase Hibbard.
Chase Hibbard
Chase (left) and the Hibbard/Baucus/Sieben families are legendary within Montana agricultural lore, and Chase touched on the colorful history of his family’s various movements and pursuits as they moved throughout a pretty large chunk of Montana.
Chase educated the crowd of over 300 people about the “myth of the western romantic era” in the 1800s, the evolution of western and Montana land management, land designations, and livestock grazing practices. Much of that evolution was – as he pointed out – neither mythic nor romantic. Some of it was brutal.
But the main point of Chase’s talk is what his family, and agriculture in general, has learned, and is learning, over the years. He said he and his family debated the idea of a conservation easement on the property for nearly a decade before agreeing in 2008 to a 40,000-acre conservation easement held by The Montana Land Reliance. Chase spoke factually, candidly, and tenderly about his ranch and his family, and said what sealed the deal on the conservation easement was “the fifth generation (on the ranch) unanimously supported” the easement.
The fifth generation on the ranch is just as devoted to stewardship, conservation, sustainability – and making a living – as the previous generations. In our current meme culture, I can picture a meme of Cooper Hibbard (Chase’s nephew) in this video with a caption reading, “I wish my husband looked at me the way Cooper Hibbard looks at a patch of grass.”
All of us are indebted to people like Chase and the Hibbard/Baucus/Sieben families…for their legacies and their vision.
Full and permanent Land and Water Conservation Fund funding is amazingly and impressively within sight. This is a big deal for Montana, and a great opportunity for America. Bipartisan support for America’s premier conservation program can produce historic accomplishments. One of those accomplishments is improved forest management. Thank you, Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester. Let’s get the LWCF/National Parks bill quickly on the path toward passage. Tommy Martino/Missoulian Photo
Full text of a March 3 tweet from President Trump:
“I am calling on Congress to send me a Bill that fully and permanently funds the LWCF and restores our National Parks. When I sign it into law, it will be HISTORIC for our beautiful public lands. ALL thanks to @SenCoryGardner and @SteveDaines, two GREAT Conservative Leaders!”
This is big news, and great news for the LWCF, Montana conservation, Montana’s economy, and outdoor recreation. Read more about the March 3 LWCF Rally in Bozeman.
Seth Wilson, executive director of the Blackfoot Challenge, and Jenny Zaso, executive director of Five Valleys Land Trust, were two of the participants at Blackfoot Conservation Strategies Committee Meeting in Helmville on Feb. 27. Both have been in their respective positions for about six months. The meeting, attended by a wide range of local landowners, local government officials, state and federal agencies and conservation organizations, focused on Blackfoot Valley forest management, weed control, controlled burns, and conservation measures. A Lincoln Valley Public Lands Proposal was also presented. MALT Photo
The Universal Trails and Outdoors for Everyone Workshop is – as expected – attracting significant attention and interest, and MALT member land trusts that have not yet signed up for the workshop are encouraged to do so immediately. The July 8-10 workshop, led by Five Valleys Land Trust and MALT, with support from the Land Trust Alliance, takes place in Missoula and opens with a July 8 evening panel presentation that is open to the public. The panel topic is “Voices from the Community: Why Access, Equity, and Inclusion Matter.” Day 2 of the workshop offers technical advice about universal access trails planning, design and maintenance. It is limited to 30 people, and is very close to full. Land trusts should contact Ryan Stutzman at Five Valleys immediately to sign up. Day 3 features an outdoor trail building session.
