Two riverfront properties newly protected with conservation easements

Over the past few days, Flathead Land Trust helped protect two riverfront properties near Whitefish with conservation easements. Sally Ericsson and Tom Garwin placed their 36 acres along the Stillwater River under conservation easement, and Mark Schmidt conserved his 30-acre parcel along the Whitefish River. Both properties protect prime agricultural lands and riparian habitats, providing wildlife habitat and connectivity. 

Ericsson and Garwin dreamed of protecting their property along the Stillwater River even before they owned it. Over two decades ago, they initiated a collaboration with Flathead Land Trust to find a property to purchase and conserve. When they found and fell in love with their 36-acre parcel just west of Whitefish, it came with significant challenges, but Ericsson and Garwin rose to the occasion.  

Many locals remember when Twin Bridges Road followed the Stillwater River through this parcel. In the mid-1990s, three major slumps along the riverbank damaged this road and even temporarily blocked the river. The county eventually relocated the road, which now follows the southern boundary of the Ericsson/Garwin property. Local experts helped restore slumped areas on the property, replanting native vegetation to stabilize the soil and revitalize the riparian ecosystem, which is now thriving habitat for wildlife.  

Encompassing diverse forests, wetlands, and seasonally wet areas, the easement protects vital wildlife habitat and winter range for grizzly bear, elk, deer, birds, and other wildlife that regularly utilize the property. Intact riparian forest along a quarter mile of the Stillwater River within the property offers a critical travel corridor for wildlife, connecting to 255 acres of State land and eventually linking to thousands of acres of public land. The easement also protects exceptional agricultural land, currently in hay production. Over 80% of the property contains soils classified as “prime farmland” by the Natural Resource Conservation Service.  

Conservation and sustainability were at the forefront when Ericsson and Garwin planned their eco-conscious home on the property. Completed in 2015, the residence blends into the landscape and overlooks the stunning Stillwater River. The residence subsequently won the award for craftsmanship in the American Institute of Architecture Seattle 2020 Design Awards competition.  

Working with and enhancing the landscape, Ericsson and Garwin have now completed their dream of owning and protecting an ecologically significant parcel in the Flathead Valley. The Montana way of life, wildlife and water quality are all safeguarded in perpetuity under the Ericsson/Garwin conservation easement. 

For decades, Mark Schmidt and his team of mules hayed his agricultural fields along the Whitefish River. Prior to this, the property had a long history as farmland dating back decades before the Schmidts acquired it.  

Open space in a rapidly developing area, the conservation easement on this 30-acre parcel just southeast of Whitefish safeguards agriculturally important soils along with wildlife habitat along the Whitefish River. The USDA classifies over 70% of the conserved property as “prime farmland.” As a protected working farm, these critically important soils can continue to be cultivated without the threat of development. 

Encompassing a nearly quarter-mile stretch of the Whitefish River just below the confluence with Haskill Creek and above the confluence with Walker Creek, the Schmidt property offers habitat and respite for wildlife moving along the river. Riparian, wetland and aquatic habitats, along with the agricultural fields, support a variety of mammals, birds and fish in a region of Whitefish that has experienced substantial development.  

The mules have since been retired, but two horses continue to graze the pastures of the property. A neighbor now uses modern machinery to hay the fields. While the methods have changed, the rich farming legacy of the property is preserved, and the fields will remain undeveloped in perpetuity. Wildlife will continue to find refuge, open space will persist and scenic views will endure by virtue of the Schmidt conservation easement.  

Completion of these two conservation easements has helped Flathead Land Trust increase the pace of conservation in a rapidly growing region. Flathead Land Trust has placed seven properties under conservation easement in 2024, permanently protecting 1,217.4 acres this year.  

For more information, visit flatheadlandtrust.org. 

  

    The Schmidt conservation easment on the Whitefish River. (Photo provided)