Land Trust News

Kelly Kountz Photo / Courtesy of Gallatin Valley Land Trust

LWCF Helps BLM Acquire Lands in Blackfoot Valley

The Nature Conservancy in Montana is working with the BLM and the Land and Water Conservation Fund to improve access and recreational opportunities in the lower Blackfoot Valley. Over the next couple years TNC plans to sell about 13,000 acres to the BLM, which will use LWCF dollars to purchase the lands. TNC acquired the land in 2014 through a purchase of 117,000 acres of Plum Creek lands, with the intention of converting some of the lands to public ownership. The purchased land shares boundaries with BLM-managed lands in the Lower Blackfoot River-Belmont Creek area, about 25 miles northeast of Missoula. The project was hailed by US Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt and Missoula County Commissioner Dave Strohmaier.

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PPLT Project

Prickly Pear Land Trust’s leadership and community cooperation produced Tenmile Creek Park, a fully accessible community park in Helena near Spring Meadow Resources, VA Medical Center at Fort Harrison and Spring Meadow Lake State Park. Prickly Pear is also leading the Sevenmile Creek Restoration project, a collaborative effort on a 358-acre parcel near Helena that will restore wetlands, riparian habitat and floodplain functions to diminish downstream sedimentation and flooding.

Early Bird Registration at Rally Ends August 19

Early bird registration for the 2019 National Land Trust Conference (Rally) ends August 19. Two Montanans are also presenting workshops: E.J. Porth from Gallatin Valley Land Trust and Mitch Dougherty from the Vital Ground Foundation. From MALT, both Tom Mallon and Glenn Marx will be attending Rally as well, taking in workshops on the 2018 Farm Bill and ALE Program, presentations by Chris West of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, plus attending state association meetings, and more.

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Flathead Land Trust Is Having a Land Affair

Flathead Land Trust’s The Land Affair 2019 is set for August 15 in Whitefish and will be celebrating the Flathead’s “open spaces and wild places.“ The menu features local farm-sourced food and beverages. The event starts at 5:30 PM at Cypress Yard, 204 Wisconsin Ave. in Whitefish. FLT’s website has additional details.

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Early Bird Registration at Rally Ends August 19

Early bird registration for the 2019 National Land Trust Conference (Rally) ends August 19. Two Montanans are also presenting workshops: E.J. Porth from Gallatin Valley Land Trust and Mitch Dougherty from the Vital Ground Foundation. From MALT, both Tom Mallon and Glenn Marx will be attending Rally as well, taking in workshops on the 2018 Farm Bill and ALE Program, presentations by Chris West of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, plus attending state association meetings, and more.

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Flathead Land Trust Is Having a Land Affair

Flathead Land Trust’s The Land Affair 2019 is set for August 15 in Whitefish and will be celebrating the Flathead’s “open spaces and wild places.” The menu features local farm-sourced food and beverages. The event starts at 5:30 PM at Cypress Yard, 204 Wisconsin Ave. in Whitefish. FLT’s website has additional details.

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Morris Family, Oxbow Ranch, Receive Missoula County Land Stewardship Award

Wendy and Bart Morris and their Oxbow Ranch are being recognized for their innovative and pragmatic ranch management as recipients of the 2019 Missoula County Land Stewardship Award. The award reflects successful commitment to and adoption of stewardship and conservation practices, and the Morrises are richly deserving of the award. Five Valleys Land Trust, the Morrises, and the NRCS ALE Program recently partnered to establish a conservation easement on the Oxbow Ranch. From the August 8 Missoulian article: Vickie Edwards with the Five Valleys Land Trust added that the Morrises set the standard for stewardship, including how they raise their cattle, using them to help restore the land. “I appreciate their connection to the land,“ Edwards said. “They are thoughtful about how they affect this landscape and how what they do will affect the future of the land. That thoughtfulness makes them the perfect individuals for the stewardship award. And they grow great grass for delicious cows.”

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Prickly Pear Harvest Moon Banquet Set for Sept. 28

One of Helena’s – and the Montana land trust community’s – major events will take place Sept. 28 at the Helena Civic Center. The Prickly Pear Land Trust Harvest Moon Banquet and Auction starts at 5:00 PM, and promises to be an enjoyable and productive evening for Prickly Pear, its work and its supporters.

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