Flathead River land put into conservation trust

Flathead Land Trust has finalized an agreement with a private landowner that will permanently protect more than 70 forested acres along the Flathead River near Eleanor Island.

The agreement allows the landowner to continue to own and manage the property much as they have in the past but prohibits subdivision and ensures that natural features on the property will be conserved forever.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks facilitated funding for the project from the Bonneville Power Administration.

The property contains wetlands, a third of a mile of riverbank and a spring creek that is important for bull trout in the Flathead River.

The projects adds to the more than 5,000 acres permanently protected as part of the Flathead River to Lake Initiative, a collaborative effort of private landowners, conservation organizations, and county, tribal, state and federal agencies working to conserve critical lands along the Flathead River and north shore of Flathead Lake.