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Welcome to the quarterly River to Lake newsletter.
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Matching gifts challenge for Bad Rock Canyon
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Enthusiasm for the Bad Rock Canyon Conservation Project continues to grow as people learn more about this treasure, and what we'd lose if this land was subdivided for riverfront homes. The Flathead Land Trust and Flathead Lakers are fundraising to secure $500,000 in non-federal match to support MT Fish, Wildlife, and Parks' purchase of the property.
We are already off to a great start! In 2020, our partners raised $115,000 from private donations and grants, leaving $385,000 left to raised by the end of this year.
Now, three donors have offered $100,000 as a matching challenge.
Help us meet the fundraising challenge by July 15 to protect these 772 acres of critical habitat along the Flathead River. Click here to read about this project.
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Donations can be made online to the R2L Conservation Fund, or by writing a check to the Flathead Land Trust or the Flathead Lakers. If writing a check, please indicate that it is for the Bad Rock CC project match challenge. Thank you!
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Sliters' matching gifts boosts Somers Beach project
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The Somers Beach project is moving ahead! Last December, the Montana Land Board approved the proposed acquisition of the 106-acre property on the north shore of Flathead Lake, for inclusion in the state park system (read the story in the Daily InterLake). This spring, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks will ask the state legislature for spending authority to purchase the property.
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The Sliter family has committed matching gifts, $25,000 to the Flathead Land Trust and $100,000 to the Montana State Parks Foundation, to help raise funds for long-term operations and maintenance for the new state park (by April 1st). For questions, call the Flathead Land Trust at (406) 752-8293.
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Vital wetlands protected along Mill Creek
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Last December, Marty and Linda Boehm placed a conservation easement on their 53.4 acres along 0.6 miles of Mill Creek, near its confluence with the Flathead River south of Creston. Most of the property includes wetlands and quality riparian habitat, is in the 100-year floodplain, and over shallow groundwater, 5 feet or less from the surface. These land features make the land important for sustaining clean water in the Flathead River and Flathead Lake, as well as native wildlife, including nearly 190 bird species.
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A warm spring on the property is used by numerous birds in winter and spring when other waterbodies are ice-covered. The land is also used by grizzly and black bear, mountain lion, coyote, red fox, and otter. Funding for the project was secured from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service North American Wetland Conservation Act Program, a grant from the Cinnabar Foundation, and our River to Lake Conservation Fund. Read more about the Mill Creek Project here.
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Large conservation easement protects Whitefish Lake
The Collins family decided to donate a conservation easement on their 672 acres around Whitefish Lake to the Montana Land Reliance. “We placed this easement on our property to keep a large part of Whitefish Lake forever free of development,” stated John Collins. The conservation easement will protect excellent wildlife habitat, including deer, elk, moose, wolf, lynx, and black and grizzly bear, as well as sustaining the lake’s water quality. Read the full story in the Flathead Beacon.
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Significant wildlife habitat conserved along the Stillwater
A conservation easement along the Stillwater River, near Olney, now protects 1,072 acres of working forests and wildlife habitat in a deal arrived at between F.H. Stoltze Land & Lumber Company, The Trust for Public Land, and the Flathead Land Trust. The land is surrounded by Flathead National Forest and Montana State forests, as well as other nearby F.H. Stoltze Land & Lumber working lands which provide important habitat for wildlife. Read more about this project here.
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Conservation Leadership Awards
Congratulations to Marilyn Wood and Susan How, both former Flathead Land Trust Executive Directors and key Flathead River to Lake Initiative partners! They recently received the Flathead Land Trust Conservation Leadership Award - future generations will benefit from their for contributions to conservation in the Flathead.
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Retirement reflections
Congratulations to Alan Wood, a key R2L partner since our inception, on his retirement from an incredible career at Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Read this recent story in the Daily InterLake, Wildlife biologist reflects on a life embedded in conservation.
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ASHLEY CREEK LANDOWNERS ACTION CALL!
Want to improve water quality in Ashley Creek and groundwater supply through long summer droughts? Numerous small actions can have wider-community impact. Find out how the Conservation Grant Program can help you sustain the Flathead's natural resources.
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February 12-15, 2021. The Great Backyard Bird Count is a great way to go outside and take part in a fun worldwide event to count birds and create a snapshot of bird populations before spring migration. You can do it for as little as 15 minutes or spend as long as you wish during the four-day event. Find out how you can participate in Flathead Audubon Society's website.
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Land Stewardship Webinar Series
Wednesdays at 6 PM from February 17 - March 31st
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Make the world better for birds
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Flathead Audubon features three new videos, both light-hearted and serious, for k-12 students. The videos outline ways that bird are critical to our survival, and add joy and wonder to our lives; why birds' future prospects are dependent on our own attention to science and evidence, and how we can make a big difference in the future of birds (and ours). Read more about the videos and their creator on Flathead Audubon Society's website.
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