Land trust hauls in $1 million grant for land acquisition

The Flathead Land Trust was awarded a $1 million federal wetlands grant last week for conservation along the Flathead River and the North Shore of Flathead Lake.

The grant is the second one awarded to the trust. A prior $900,000 grant was used to purchase land along Weaver Slough on the Flathead River.

Flathead Land Trust Director Marilyn Wood said the North American Wetlands Conservation Act grant ranked the Flathead trust third out of 25 applicants.

"It was huge," Wood said. "It just goes to show the value of our wetlands and that we've got a lot of great partnerships going."

To be eligible for the funds, the land trust had to show $5 million in matching contributions, which ranged from land donations to cash.

Wood said the grant comes at a perfect time, since the Valley is practically overrun with birds as they fly through on their annual migrations.

"There are thousands of pintails on the North Shore," she said. "This is a major flyway and a major stopover."

Wood said the money would be focused on a project on the lower Flathead River along Church Slough, land along the North Shore and a project in the Mission Valley.

The property along Church Slough is about 300 acres, which includes "lots of good farm ground and lots of riparian and wetland area," according to Wood.

Though the land trust trust is involved in preliminary talks with a few landowners along the North Shore, Wood declined to get into specifics until any deals were finalized.

"A lot of landowners are interested in this, especially along the North Shore," she said. "This money is for landowners," she said. "We're just a go-between."

Not only does the money come during tough economic times, which make for more of a buyers' market, but the pace of development has slowed, allowing groups like the Flathead Land Trust to organize their partnerships without as much pressure.

"In some sense the economic downturn is helping in that it helps us get landowners and groups together and not feel so much like we're behind the 8-ball."