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Welcome to the quarterly River to Lake newsletter.
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New Somers Beach State Park opening ceremony
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On May 12th, the newest State Park on Flathead Lake opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony to thank partners who helped make the Sliter family's vision a reality. Tribal Elder Louis Kiya Jr. with the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes opened the ceremony thanking everyone for making a dream come true, protecting these special lands and all the creatures that use it.
The number of partners involved in helping create this new park was long, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and persistence. Once MT Fish, Wildlife & Parks agreed to manage the 106-acre beach property, the tremendous support shown by the community made it possible for the project to move forward. Fish, Wildlife & Parks acquired it last October. Partners visited the shoreline erosion control beach on Flathead Lake designed by Dr. Mark Lorang. Read the full story in the Daily Inter Lake and the Flathead Land Trust e-news. Click here to learn more about how these Dynamic Equilibrium Beaches work.
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Farmland of national importance conserved near Columbia Falls
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Last December, Charles and Diane Taylor donated a conservation easement on 38.9 acres of farmland and forested hills, less than a half mile from the Flathead River south of Columbia Falls. The conservation easement, which is held by the Flathead Land Trust, protects agricultural soils of national importance. The forests on the hill are regularly used by elk, white-tailed deer, great-horned owls, wild turkey, and ring-necked pheasant, as well as the occasional black bear, mountain lion, coyote, and fox. The property has been in the family since 1965, and Charles and Diane wanted it to remain a farm with bird and wildlife habitat in perpetuity.
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River to Lake Initiative partners news
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Flathead Land Trust fills new position
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This July, the Flathead Land Trust is adding a new member to their staff.
Jen Guse, a seasonal botanist in Glacier National Park, will fill the new Communications, Outreach and Special Projects Coordinator to help the land trust run their growing outreach and communications. Jen will be able to merge her deep appreciation and knowledge about the Flathead Valley's plants, wildlife, and natural beauty with her Zoology and Graphic Design degrees. Welcome Jen!
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Kris Tempel's conservation sights grow
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Last Feberuary, Kris Tempel left MT Fish, Wildlife and Parks to accept a new position with the US Forest Service, in Kalispell, as Assistant Program Leader for Forest Legacy and Community Forest in Regions 1 and 4, which means she will take her abilities to secure conservation deals and funding to a larger scale. Kris was a key R2L Initiative partner working to protect critical lands for native fish and wildlife, including the Bad Rock Canyon Wildlife Management Area. Her conservation legacy however, extends far beyond our R2L focus area, as she helped FWP secure millions in grants to protect thousands of acres of important wildlife corridors in Region 1.
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Recently, Kris received the Flathead Land Trust 2021 Conservation Leadership Award and the Montana Chapter of The Wildlife Society’s Biologist of the Year Award. Congratulations Kris!
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Flathead Lakers say good bye to Science Education Coordinator
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Hilary Devlin, the Flathead Lakers Science and Education Coordinator, is moving on to new endeavors after seven years of leading its education programs. Hilary and her husband Dr. Shawn Devlin, an aquatic ecologist at the University of Montana Flathead Lake Biological Station, were responsible for starting the monthly Science on Tap Flathead talk series and Flathead Lake Citizen Science projects. She implemented many other watershed education events for students and adults throughout the watershed, as well as the Lakers communications efforts. Hilary and Shawn will be staying in the Flathead Valley. She will be missed!
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Conservation Program Manager position at the Flathead Conservation District will work to fulfill its mission of promoting natural resources through on-the-ground conservation projects, education, and administration of the Natural Streambed and Land Preservation Act (310 Law). Applications are due May 31, by 4 p.m. Click here to learn more.
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AmeriCorps VISTA Communications position hosted by the Flathead Lakers to develop communications and outreach around the Living in the Flathead Guide, highlighting landscape resilience issues and solutions. The position starts August 15, 2022 and lasts one year. To read the position description, scroll down to ‘positions openings/Polson.'Applications are through the UoM AmeriCorps VISTA Campus Compact program.
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Wednesday, June 15, 6:00 PM
Living by Water & Septic System Solutions
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Wednesday, June 29, 9:00 AM - noon
Flathead River to Lake Initiative quarterly meeting
Creston Fish Hatchery Pavilion, Kalispell.
For more information, contanct Constanza at constanza@flatheadlakers.org.
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Saturday, August 6, 8:30 - 11:00 PM
Going Batty!
Limited to 20 participants. Location TBD.
For more information click here.
To learn about more field trips and events, visit the Flathead Audubon website.
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