Five Valleys Land Trust led a group of volunteers on April 27 to clean up a now closed, once heavily used, access point to the Bitterroot River in Missoula. The Missoulian article highlights the efforts by FVLT and others on the Buckhouse Bridge access site, which is located on private land and had been closed by the landowner because of “erosion, garbage and surface damage“ concerns. “The existing public use was causing damage to the site, and so the landowner was forced to temporarily shut it down,“ explained Ryan Chapin, the stewardship director for the nonprofit Five Valleys Land Trust. “There was a lot of garbage and the parking area was being misused. But the landowner does want to provide permanent access to the Bitterroot River across his property, so the Five Valleys Land Trust is working with government agencies to provide a well-designed access.”
Land Trust and FWP Seek to Connect Helena Trails
Prickly Pear Land Trust and the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks are working to link the Centennial Trail with Spring Meadow Lake State Park, which would connect trails and recreation areas, including PPLT’s Ten Mile Creek Park near Fort Harrison.
Gallatin County Losing Open Space at Alarming Rate
Gallatin County saw 93,000 acres of open space lost to residential lots between 1990 and 2016, and the number of homes in the county more than doubled, from 11,000 to a total of 29,000 during that same period, reports the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. That growth helps demonstrate why the proposed June 5 mill levy open space vote in Gallatin County is so important to the area’s economy, quality of life and conservation of the Gallatin Valley’s agricultural traditions, say open space supporters.
Tester, Daines Support LWCF Funding
Thank you to Montana Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester for signing a Dear Colleague Letter urging funding support for the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Forest Legacy Program in FY19. Great to see the Montana Congressional Delegation’s support of the economic, outdoor recreation, rural community, conservation and forest management benefits of these programs.
Montana Neighbor Awards Nominations Due May 25
Do you know a landowner who is an outstanding neighbor? Someone who takes good care of the land for production and wildlife values, who enables neighborly recreational access, and is actively engaged in their community in working to solve problems? If so, the Montana Neighbor Awards wants to hear about it! They want to give such “good neighbors“ the recognition they deserve. The Montana Neighbor Awards is a working group including Montana Association of Land Trusts, Montana Farm Bureau, Artemis Common Ground, The Nature Conservancy of Montana, Montana Council of Trout Unlimited, and Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. In 2016, four Montana Neighbor Awards were presented to leading ranching and farming families across Montana. Awards are based on four criteria, including Cooperation, Land Stewardship/Conservation Ethic, Neighborly Land Access, and Community Leadership. Deadline for nominations is May 25.
TNC Annual Matador Ranch Science and Land Management Symposium Set for June 13
The 8th Annual Matador Ranch Science and Land Management Symposium will be held on Wednesday, June 13th from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm, at the Matador Ranch in north central Montana. The symposium is an opportunity to engage researchers and land managers (private landowners, agency, and non-profit). Presentations are focused on current or recently research, land management tools and innovations, and opportunities for cooperation between conservation and ranching communities in the grasslands and sagebrush steppe in the northern Great Plains and beyond. Lunch will be provided. Please contact Jolynn K. Messerly, Matador Ranch Operations Administrator, at jmesserly@tnc.org, (406) 673-3344 (Office) or (406) 945-0378 (Cell), with questions or to RSVP.
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Salutes Volunteers
National Volunteer Day is April 20, and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is saluting its volunteers for their time, energy, work and talents. RMEF calculates that in 2017, volunteers donated over $21 million in value to conservation. “We have a profound gratitude for our volunteers who give so much of their time, talents and energy on behalf of RMEF,“ said Nancy Holland, RMEF president and CEO. “They constantly go above and beyond in helping to further our shared conservation mission of ensuring the future of elk, other wildlife, their habitat and our hunting heritage.”
Senator Daines Voices Strong Support for LWCF
Shout out to Montana Senator Steve Daines for his strong Land and Water Conservation Fund endorsement yesterday in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The LWCF benefits Montana’s economy, outdoor recreation, forest management, and much more. MALT thanks Senator Daines for LWCF support.
Kaniksu Land Trust Celebrates Cinco de Mayo and Conservation on May 5
Kaniksu Land Trust is the beneficiary of Leadership Sandpoint’s Cinco de Mayo fundraising celebration on May 5 at Trinity at City Beach in Sandpoint. Proceeds from the event benefit KLT’s Pine Street Woods community conservation project, KLT’s major endeavor to purchase 160 acres of woodland near Sandpoint to benefit the community. The May 5 Cinco de Mayo event features live music, auction, raffles, taco bar, games and drinks!
Five Valleys Land Trust Helps With River Access, Clean-Up
You can help reopen access to the Bitterroot River. The folks at Five Valleys Land Trusts are helping lead an effort to clean up and reopen the popular Buckhouse Bridge on the Bitterroot River. An access point at the Buckhouse Bridge was recently closed by a landowner due to misuse of the property. A river clean-up is set for April 29 from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM, and the FVLT website has more information about signing up and other event details.