KALISPELL — Organizations dedicated to protecting Northwest Montana’s land and water legacy through conservation received a major victory last week.
The State Land Board unanimously approved the Flathead Land Trust’s purchase of a conservation easement on more than 400 acres of land along the Flathead River near Kalispell known as Owen Sowerwine.
“It secures that public access and secures that this place will stay intact,”explained Flathead Land Trust Executive Director Paul Travis.
Nestled between conserved lands, Owen Sowerwine is in the heart of one of the most complex sections of the Flathead River surrounded by islands, sloughs, wetlands and more.
“It just really lends itself to wildlife not only being able to use the property but to be able to move through it.”
The Flathead Land Trust has partnered with the Flathead Lakers and the Flathead Audubon to purchase the conservation easement for $970,000 thanks to grant funding and generous community donations.
Travis says the land will now be protected in perpetuity.
“It’s a forever thing, so we’re never going to see housing developments, or the property being split up for any reason, it will always be there for future generations to enjoy.”
Approval from the State Land Board was required to complete the conservation easement because Owen Sowerwine sits on State School Trust Land.
Travis says funds raised through the conservation easement purchase will help generate long-term funding for Montana’s K-12 schools as they go into the state’s school trust fund.
“It’s really going back to our education, which is the obligation for school trust lands.”
Land Protections Specialist Laura Katzman says the conservation easement ensures public access for outdoor pursuits such as trail walking, birdwatching, hunting, fishing, and teaching the next generation of Montanans the importance of land protection.
“So, this property is used for conservation education by local schools, so up to 20 local schools will be able to use this for future generations to come,” she told MTN News.
