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Welcome to the quarterly River to Lake newsletter.
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Bidding for Bad Rock online auction ends April 30
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Businesses throughout the area have donated fun and exclusive Flathead Valley outdoor experiences to help raise money for the Bad Rock Canyon Conservation Project. Funds raised during the auction will be matched 1:1, as part of the Bad Rock Canyon $100,000 Matching Challenge in partnership with the Flathead Lakers and Flathead Land Trust.
Help us meet this fundraising challenge and enjoy a once in a lifetime Montanan experience. Check out the online auction at charityauction.bid/ForBadRock.
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Spring Bad Rock Canyon project tours
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Saturday, May 1st at 10 am, 12:30 pm, and 3 pm
Join R2L partners on a tour of the Bad Rock Canyon conservation property along the Flathead River. On the tours, we will drive and walk to view the spring creek, wetlands, river, forest, and a portion of the new Gateway to Glacier trail on the property. The tours will involve about a mile of walking, and take about two hours each. Sign up soon if you are interested as participant numbers will be limited. Email Laura Katzman to sign up. Partners will offer a few more tours later this summer.
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Conservation project protects Reed’s Slough
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A new conservation easement held by the Flathead Land Trust protects 36 acres of wetlands and farmland in the lower Flathead Valley, and completes protection of Reed's Slough, a popular bird-watching wetland. Bob Danford, the landowner, recently worked with R2L partners to also protect 155-acre along the river in 2020.
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The slough is frequented by 111 species of birds and thousands of migrating waterfowl, including tundra swans, snow geese, northern pintail, mallard, and American wigeon. The project property is surrounded by a network of protected lands totaling 1,300 acres, including Wiley Slough, a 200-acre wetland. Funding for the project was provided by a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service North American Wetland Conservation Act Program, Cinnabar Foundation, Flathead Lakers, the Flathead River to Lake Conservation Fund, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Wildlife Mitigation Program, Flathead Audubon, and Flathead Wildlife.
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Bike and Bird tour of the Lower Flathead Valley, Saturday, May 15th.
Visit Reed's Slough, and other conservation wetlands and farmlands in the lower valley, while biking and birding with Flathead Land Trust and Flathead Audubon. Participants will bike along 10 miles of back roads in the lower Flathead Valley, and stop to observe birds and protected lands along the way. This will be followed by a picnic at Somers Beach or lunch at Somers Bay Café. For more information visit the Flathead Land Trust's website.
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Volunteer riparian planting opportunities
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April 24, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm at Eaglebend Subdivision, Bigfork: Help plant trees and shrubs along the mainstem of the Flathead River.
Saturday, May 8th, 8:30 am at Goodrich Bayou, a backwater channel to the Flathead River. Work will start at 8:30 am but you can arrive at any time in the morning to help out.
Please RSVP to the Flathead Conservation District and sign up here. For questions contact Samantha Tappenbeck at 406-752-4220, samantha@flatheadcd.org.
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Funding for Ashley Creek water quality projects
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The Flathead Conservation District is accepting applications to fund projects that improve water quality in Ashley Creek. Funding is available this spring through June 1st. Landowners may receive funding for 100% of approved project costs, up to $10,000 with no match required. For more information check the Watershed Support Program.
If you have a project in mind, contact Samantha Tappenbeck with the Flathead Conservation District at 406-752-4220, before funding expires!
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Pollinator-Friendly Plants for Restoration
Science You Can Use Webinar Series
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Pollinators are essential to the survival and health of natural ecosystems but are declining worldwide. Research by the Rocky Mountain Research Station and Montana State University explores which native plants attract pollinators across a diversity of habitats in Montana. Learn which 'superstar' plants are recommended for planting and restoration projects. Listen to the webinar: recording.
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Spring bird watching with Flathead Audubon
Lawrence Park Spring Birds
April 20, 9:00 - 11:00 am
Birding at the Creston Fish Hatchery
April 22. 8:00 - 11:00 am
Owen Sowerwine Natural Area
April 24, 8:00 - 11:30 am
Riverside early Birds
April 24, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Bike and Bird the Lower Flathead Valley
May 15. A 10-mile bike ride. For more information click here.
Wings Across the Big Sky Regional Field Trips
Saturday June 5th.
For information visit Flathead Audubon Events webpage.
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DIY Flathead Lake Mussel Walk Challenge: Join the Flathead Lakers citizen science volunteer program to inspect your favorite Flathead Lake shoreline in spring and look for invasive mussels to help prevent an infestation. Learn more at DIY Mussel Walk.
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Donations can be made on line to the R2L Conservation Fund or by writing a check to the Flathead Land Trust or the Flathead Lakers (406-883-1341). If writing a check, please indicate that it is for the Bad Rock CC project and as a matching gift. Thank you!
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