Land Trust News

Kelly Kountz Photo / Courtesy of Gallatin Valley Land Trust

Trust for Public Land Works to Conserve 22,295 Acres Through Kootenai Forestlands Conservation Project

Assured public access, conservation of critical wildlife habitat, sustainable forest management, and healthy forests are the goals of a 22,295-acre project in northwest Montana involving The Trust for Public Land, Stimson Lumber Company and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. The Kootenai Forestlands Conservation project will be the subject of a June 12 public meeting in Libby, and a project environmental assessment is available on the MT FWP website.

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Montana Land Trusts Celebrate National Trails Day

June 1 is 2019 National Trails Day, a day to celebrate, recognize, and enjoy trails. Several Montana land trusts are saluting National Trails Day with volunteer work projects, trails events and more. Thank you to everyone who helps maintain, build and improve community and public trails.

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Land Trust Voices Heard on Forestry Council

Governor Steve Bullock appointed two land trust voices – Mark Aagenes of The Nature Conservancy of Montana and Blake Henning of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation – to the Montana Forest Action Advisory Council. The Council, created through Executive Order, is charged with updating the Montana Forest Action Plan to address long-term efforts to conserve working forest lands, protect forests from harm, and enhance public benefits from forests throughout the state. “We can and we must work together for the well-being of our forests and to reduce wildland fire risk,“ said Governor Bullock. “I’m confident that through these new partnerships we can protect our outdoor recreational opportunities, wildlife and fisheries habitat for a diverse range of species, drinking water supplies and soil health, all while treating more acres on the ground and investing in priority areas around the state.” Governor Bullock called on the Council to examine current conditions and trends affecting all forested lands in Montana using a data-derived and scientifically rigorous process, ensure the plan does not counter or conflict with existing land management plans, and amplify ongoing collaborative efforts that bring together stakeholders representing diverse perspectives.

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RMEF Works to Conserve Lands Along Rocky Mountain Front

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) acquired 620 acres of critical public access and prime wildlife habitat, including elk habitat, along Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front within the boundary of the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest. RMEF then conveyed the property to the USFS. Not only does the transaction create new public access but it improves access to more than 2,000 acres of adjacent public land.

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TPL Seeks ‘Urban Wildlife Oasis’ at Story Mill Community Park

Story Mill Community Park in Bozeman, a community outdoor gem led by The Trust for Public Land, opened its nature sanctuary within the park and a recent guest column by TPL’s Maddy Pope and others details the balanced management needed to ensure wildlife and people – and dogs – can enjoy the park. As the community conservation efforts of land trusts expand, concepts of park management and conflicts among users and purposes also expands. The 60-acre park is largely open to dogs, but the nature sanctuary portion of the park will focus on wildlife, and exclude dogs. TPL, the City of Bozeman and others are proposing “adopting this common sense management plan to ensure a balanced, happy and safe experience for people, dogs, and wildlife at Story Mill Community Park.“ Story Mill Community Park will hold its official park opening celebration July 20.

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Lewis and Clark County Commission Approves Falls Creek Funding

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Lewis and Clark County Commission and Dan Barrett help open up 26,000 acres of new access near Rocky Mountain Front. LWCF funds last piece of the puzzle. All three county commissioners voice strong support for the project, and vote to commit $1.4 million in county open land program funding to help make the project happen. Thank you, Lewis and Clark County Commissioners!

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Flathead Land Trust Launches Battle for the Paddle

Is the Flathead ready for the Battle for the Paddle? On May 5 Flathead Land Trust kicked off the Battle for Paddle, a roughly six-week fundraising effort that culminates on June 21 with FLT’s Summer Solstice Party. Battle for the Paddle features an online bidding opportunity in which eight beautiful hand-painted canoe paddles will be auctioned during the bidding period. Funds are earmarked for FLT’s Flathead River Conservation Project. From the FLT website: The Battle for a Paddle online auction includes 8 one-of-a-kind hand painted wood canoe paddles by well-known Flathead Valley artists. Participating artists who have generously donated painted paddles for the auction include Nancy Cawdrey, Colt Idol, Nick Oberling, James Corwin, Kenneth Yarus, Susan Guthrie, Lonnie Collinsworth and Joe Bottomly. Each paddle is unique and beautiful, depicting scenes of our amazing Flathead River system as well as fish and wildlife of northwest Montana. We can’t thank the artists enough for showing their support for conservation along the Flathead River, and we look forward to offering everyone the chance to win one of these exceptional pieces of local art. To view the paddles and access the online bidding site, go to www.auctria.com/auction/battleforapaddle. Bidders will then need to register on the site before bidding on the paddles.

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RMEF Takes on Google, and Wins

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation enlisted the support of the Montana Congressional Delegation to persuade Google to reinstate a RMEF advertisement that Google originally denied because the pro-hunting ad was viewed as “animal cruelty.“ The Missoulian reported on the debate, which swirled around an ad placement on Google for a video featuring RMEF board member Nancy Hadley hunting elk in New Mexico. The advertisement for the video went to Google’s Ad Network, which places the sponsored results above any Google search. When Google informed RMEF its ad was not allowed, RMEF contacted the Montana Congressional Delegation, each of whom fired off a letter to Google with strong encouragement to allow the RMEF ad to be restored. Google then reinstated the ad for the video, and the video is viewable here.

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