North shore land purchase finalized

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks added to the North Shore Wildlife Management Area last week after officials purchased a 77-acre parcel bordering Flathead Lake.

In a news release, the agency noted it provides an important stop for tens of thousands of migratory birds traveling from Mexico to their breeding grounds in Canada. The addition is located about 4.5 miles east of Somers.

Fish, Wildlife and Parks bought the property for $489,000, with 25 percent of the land’s value donated by the previous owner. The agency used federal funding from the Pittman-Robertson Restoration Act program, which uses a federal excise tax on firearms and ammunition purchased in the state.

Along with two existing parcels, the new property brings the wildlife management area to a total of 426 acres. The agency manages the area through a crop-sharing program, where farmers lease a portion of the land, leaving a percentage of the crops unharvested to provide food for migratory waterfowl.

The Flathead Land Trust helped facilitate the conservation project, which is also part of the Flathead River to Lake Initiative.

“This project adds an additional puzzle piece of important conserved land to our beloved north shore of Flathead Lake that will greatly benefit waterfowl, wildlife, water quality and public access,” Paul Travis, Flathead Land Trust’s executive director, said in the release. “We are very pleased to have had a role in making this happen for the Flathead community.”

All Fish, Wildlife and Parks properties on the north shore of Flathead Lake are available for nonmotorized public recreation except during the seasonal closure from March 1 to July 15 to protect migrating and nesting birds.