A film by the American Angus Association documents the loss of farm and ranch lands in the US and the sobering impact of those lost open lands to domestic food production and food security.
Leopold Conservation Award Nomination Deadline is July 1
Nominations for the prestigious Montana Leopold Conservation Award, an award recognizing voluntary conservation work by agriculture producers and landowners, is July 1. In Montana, the Governor’s Office, Department of Agriculture, and Department of Natural Resources and Conservation’s Rangeland Resources Committee will join the Sand County Foundation to present the $10,000 award to the first recipient from Montana later this year. The application may be submitted on behalf of a landowner, or landowners may apply themselves. The application form is available on the Sand County Foundation website. The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is among a large group of organizations supporting the Montana Leopold Conservation Award.
Katie Egland Cox is New Executive Director at Kaniksu Land Trust
Welcome, Katie! Katie Egland Cox, a Sandpoint resident with “proven non-profit leadership experience, a passion for bringing people together, and years of collaborative service to education, recreation, and open space conservation“ is the new executive director at Kaniksu Land Trust. The announcement was formally made on June 14, and her first official day at KLT is June 17. Katie served as the volunteer co-chair of the KLT Pine Street Woods Capital Campaign and, upon its completion, jumped in to help with the implementation of Pine Street Woods.
RMEF Works to Conserve Land, Improve Access in the Swan Valley
The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation has worked with the Cruz family and the Lolo National Forest to purchase and conserve 638 acres of key habitat within an important wildlife corridor between the Bob Marshall Wilderness and the Mission Mountains. The area is also a designated core area for Canada lynx and grizzly bears within the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem and is near another RMEF-USFS collaborative effort, the 2017 Holland Lake project. A high priority for the USFS, the new Swan Valley project received funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund and full support from the Montana Congressional Delegation.
Flathead Land Trust Helps Conserve North Fork
Flathead Land Trust, with funding assistance from the Vital Ground Foundation, has closed on a 30-acre conservation easement in the North Fork of the Flathead that blocks up existing conserved lands and protects wildlife habitat for grizzly bears and a wide range of species. The Kalispell Daily Inter Lake reported that FLT had partnered with landowners Del and Linda Coolidge on the easement, which abuts a 1996 31-acre FLT easement. From the article: “(Original family owners) Betty and Pep Coolidge strongly advocated protection of open space for wildlife,“ the Coolidges said. “They would be proud to know that the property is now protected by a conservation easement with the Flathead Land Trust.“ For the Flathead Land Trust, the completed project adds to its efforts to conserve the open space wildlife habitat around Polebridge. “Sometimes, conserving a number of adjoining smaller parcels achieves the same conservation objective as conserving larger parcels of land,“ said Ryan Hunter of the Flathead Land Trust.
Gallatin Valley Land Trust Urges Improved Trail Etiquette
Penelope Pierce of Gallatin Valley Land Trust has produced a guest column in the Bozeman Chronicle in which she urges trail users to practice an improved sense of trail etiquette. GVLT’s trails are immensely popular in the Bozeman area, and Pierce writes, “Perhaps it is time for all of us to consider small sacrifices and changes in our individual behavior to ensure that everyone’s trail experiences remain positive. If we all took small steps to mitigate our cumulative impact, we could remedy many of the problems we experience.”
Montana TNC Ready to Revive and Thrive on July 14
The Nature Conservancy in Montana has set the date for the 5th Annual Revive and Thrive for July 14 near Placid Lake in the Seeley Lake area. Revive and Thrive is a TNC-sponsored community event which features volunteers focusing on on-the-ground stewardship, restoration and enhancement actions on projects like trails construction, weed management, and site restoration. Work activities will start at 10:00 AM and lunch will be served about 1:00 PM. More details from TNC will be forthcoming. From the TNC Save the Date notice: Bring your gloves, sunscreen and community spirit to help us spruce up the trails and other areas around Hill 16 (near Owl Creek Road). This spot gets a lot of use and deserves a little TLC! You supply the labor and we’ll supply the lunch and brews. Contact TNC’s Chris Bryant at cbryant@TNC.ORG with questions.
Flathead Land Trust Celebrates Summer Solstice on June 21
Flathead Land Trust and event partners Flathead Lakers and Flathead River to Lake Initiative will be celebrating the summer solstice on June 21 at a gathering at Hormuth’s Rivers End Ranch in Bigfork. Music will be provided by Mike Murray and Chris Krager along with food by Somers Bay Cafe. Wine from Mission Mountain Winery and beer from Flathead Lake Brewing Co. will be available for purchase at a cash bar.
Middle School Girls Organize GVLT Race to Help Fund Land Trust
Two middle school girls in Bozeman are organizing the Run for Trails 5K Race on June 15 to help raise funding for Gallatin Valley Land Trust trails and open land projects. “We both really like trails and running,“ Maya Keefer, age 12, said. “We both really love GVLT.“ Thirteen-year-old Nomi Friedman explained that they’re having their bat mitzvahs this summer, to mark becoming adults in the Jewish community. They are members of Temple Beth Shalom. As part of the ceremony, they are encouraged to do a project to give back to the community. “I really love that we’re teaching our classmates about the beauty of nature and trails,“ Maya said. “I feel grateful to live in a place where trails are everywhere and nature is everywhere.”
Prickly Pear Land Trust Takes Education Outside
Prickly Pear Land Trust in Helena is working with AmeriCorps VISTA and Helena Public Schools’ Project for Alternative Learning to get more high school students outside and help them learn about conservation and the natural world. “As a big fan and supporter of public lands, I was giddy when Tim told me that PPLT was interested in working with us,” teacher Ryan Cooney said. “Getting kids involved and fostering passion for public lands is key to preserving and conserving our natural treasures. In three short weeks, the students clearly developed an affinity for our trails, parks and local ecosystems.”