Sabin named Legacy Partners new board chair amid push to expand trail

Longtime Whitefish resident Reid Sabin has been selected as the new board chair at Whitefish Legacy Partners, the nonprofit that oversees development of the Whitefish Trail.

Sabin has been involved with the Whitefish Trail since its beginnings in 2010. Conservation and education are his priorities moving forward in his new role as the organization seeks to build more trails on the north end of Whitefish Lake. 

“My wife and I have been here since ‘95 and we’re passionate recreationists. We chose Whitefish because it’s just a wonderful place, and the Whitefish Trail is the perfect example of conservation and recreation working together,” Sabin said, who replaces outgoing board chair Mike Jopek. 

Sabin, who raced for the U.S. Telemark ski team in the early 2000s, works in landscaping and excavation contracting.

“I was always helping to build trails and trailheads,” Sabin said.  

Now that Sabin’s kids are grown, he has more time to volunteer.  

“Reid is a thoughtful and visionary leader... he’s a busy guy, always volunteering – we invited him to join the board before someone else scooped him up because he’s such a great asset,” said Heidi Van Everen, executive director of Whitefish Legacy Partners  
“Reid thinks deeply before he speaks and fully considers the pros and cons of every opportunity to make a decision for the greater good,” Van Everen said.  

While Sabin said he loves recreation, “conservation is becoming more and more important” to him.   

“The more I've been involved and the more I've learned — it’s conservation. I’m a biker, a runner ... but the opportunity to protect land for generations? That's the big picture that gets me excited.”

“Reid, like our outgoing board chair [Mike Jopek], has incredible ties to the community. They both believe in maintaining the character and quality of life of our community,” said Cynthia Ingelfinger, director of development for the Legacy Partners.

With that, Sabin said he has big shoes to fill. 

“The leadership and the amount of time that the previous and current board members and directors have put in is amazing ... and so are our extremely passionate and skilled staff. 

“I could say that everyone involved is proud of what we’ve done and excited about what we’re working toward. We truly believe that what we do is important — including education, which is an asset for ourselves and our community,” Sabin said. 

Whitefish Legacy Partners also has new leadership on the volunteer board of directors. Somer Treat is the vice chair, Julie Baldridge is treasurer and Rachel Schmidt as secretary. 

“Somer and Reid leadership qualities complement each other. Rachel has worked under the governor as the director of outdoor recreation and brings a lot to the table. And Julie’s been on the board for over a decade and is an involved community philanthropist, locally and regionally who does so much,” Van Everen said.  

This leadership is a part of what Ingelfinger calls a “great balance.” 

“We currently balance a board of old-guard folks who have been around 10 years or more and new community leaders who all help to guide us,” said Ingelfinger. 

SABIN’S TOP priority as chair will be the Smith Lake and Swift Creek Legacy fundraising campaign. 

Swift Creek and Smith Lake at the north end of Whitefish Lake are the focus of a campaign to purchase a 615-acre public recreation use easement from the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.

The piece of land is at the headwaters of Whitefish Lake that is currently owned by the state as school trust land that generates revenue for public schools.  

While similar to protected public lands in usage, these parcels are vulnerable to sale and commercial leases or development.

“From a water quality perspective, the threat of development is very real. It’s such a beautiful chunk of land... and our concern is to save it for everyone, for forever,” Sabin said. 

The plan is to work with the DNRC and the Flathead National Forest to expand the Whitefish Trail on that easement with about 15 miles of new connecting trails, including more than 5 miles of new loop trails around Smith Lake, connecting trails to upper and lower Smith Creek, and new loop trails and creek access along Swift Creek.  

“The first obstacle is raising the money to afford the easement. It just takes a tremendous amount of support,” said Sabin. 

The funding to purchase the land would go directly to supporting schools, Ingelfinger added.  

By purchasing the easement, the project will generate about $300,0000 per year for the School Trust Lands permanent education endowment. This annual revenue stream is an estimation based on the likely investments the state would make with the payment.   

To date, Legacy Partners has developed 47 miles of trail accessed by 15 trailheads and is inching closer to the 55-mile dream of closing the loop.  

“We still have work to do to close the loop around Whitefish Lake, and we have left the hardest parts to the end. In the next year, in addition to trying to protect Smith Lake and Swift Creek from development and increase recreational amenities there, we are also focusing on connecting Holbrook Overlook to Hellroaring Creek and then eventually to Smith Lake,” said Ingelfinger.

    An aerial photo of Smith Lake, with Whitefish Lake in the background. (Photo courtesy of Whitefish Legacy Partners)
  

    A map of the Smith Lake and Swift Creek area. More maps of the Whitefish Trail are available at whitefishlegacy.org/maps-conditions.