Conservation project completed on north shore of Flathead Lake

An important conservation project protecting 189 acres along the north shore of Flathead Lake was completed Feb. 28.

The project resulted from the collaboration of landowner Darrell Worm, the Flathead Land Trust, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and Bonneville Power Administration.

This conservation project is aimed at protecting the water quality in Flathead Lake and adding to the protection of land used by tens of thousands of migratory birds that stop each spring on their journey from wintering grounds in Mexico to their breeding grounds in Canada.

“My hope for this unique property has been that it could be preserved for the people of Montana to enjoy and that its historic character could be protected,” Worm said. “I am thrilled that through the efforts of the Flathead Land Trust and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks this hope can be realized.”

The new acquisition will be available for public recreation with a seasonal closure from March 1 to July 15 for migrating and nesting birds. Future plans include maintaining agricultural production along with gradual wetland and riparian restoration.

Worm had agreed to sell his property to FWP at a bargain price and use proceeds from the sale to restore the historic barn built by the original homesteaders of the property.

The property will be managed as the North Shore Wildlife Management Area. It adjoins the FWP’s Wildlife Management Area/State Park which is currently 161 acres in size.

The property is also adjacent to the 1,887 acre Flathead Lake Waterfowl Production Area, which is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and to conservation easements held on private land by Montana Land Reliance and Flathead Land Trust.

The Worm property includes agricultural lands that frequently flood in the spring during snowmelt and provide a food source for migratory waterfowl. The property also overlays an area with shallow groundwater. Maintaining the property as open space will help protect water quality in Flathead Lake, which will benefit bull trout and other fish that rely on the shallow waters at the north end of the lake.

The parcel will provide public opportunities for both wildlife viewing and hunting and will be managed similarly to other public lands on the north shore.

FWP purchased the 189 acres with funds from BPA’s Fisheries Mitigation Program, which provides funding for conservation projects to mitigate for the loss of fish habitat resulting from construction of the Hungry Horse Dam.

Flathead Land Trust initiated and facilitated the conservation project. The nonprofit organization was established in 1985 by community members to maintain the natural beauty, clean water and special places in the Flathead Valley that sustain the high quality of life we enjoy.

“We typically work with interested private landowners to implement conservation easements to protect the important conservation values of their land, and keep the land in private ownership managed by the landowner,” said Laura Katzman of Flathead Land Trust. “However, in this case the landowner wanted to sell his property. We were happy to help with this great conservation project and commend Darrell Worm for his commitment and patience toward a conservation outcome for his property.”

This conservation project continues the landscape-scale, collaborative effort to conserve critical lands along the north shore of Flathead Lake and the Flathead River, known as the Flathead River to Lake Initiative.

Over the past 10 years, the Initiative partners, including many private landowners dedicated to careful stewardship of this important resource, have conserved nearly 5,000 acres of critical lands along the lower Flathead River and the north shore of Flathead Lake, adding to a network totaling nearly 11,000 acres of protected private and public lands.

“These critical lands include those important to maintaining our excellent water quality, healthy river function, abundant fish and wildlife, and important agricultural soils,” said Constanza von der Pahlen, of the Flathead Lakers, a major partner in the Flathead River to Lake Initiative.

The Initiative partners plan to hold a celebration of the conservation project later this year.