FEATURED PROJECTS

Louden Family Farms

2010 saw the close of one of the most complex and far reaching projects FLT has yet undertaken.  3 years in the making and 7 easements later, a rich Lower Valley network of farmland, wetlands, and Flathead River lands has been protected.  Landowners involved with the project include Bruce and Janice Louden, Ben and Maureen Louden, Ken and Patty Louden, Bernice “Bunny” Louden, and Elizabeth “Betty” Louden.

The first easement was on the interior of Church Slough in 2009, an ox-bow of Flathead River containing some of the highest quality wetlands in Flathead Valley and heavily utilized by an incredible array of migratory birds and other wildlife. Later, there followed 6 more expansive agricultural easements during 2009 and 2010.

The Loudens have had a farming presence in the area since 1911, when great-grandfather Hugh Baird moved to the area from Nebraska. Interviewed by the Daily Inter Lake in December 2010, Bruce Louden commented, “There’s so much development going on.  We want to see it remain farmland.” 

The properties are remarkable for their diversity of habitat--river and slough, a short stretch of Ashley Creek, upland field and cultivated meadow.  These easements, which limit development and encourage strong stewardship practices, mean that riparian and aquatic plant communities will continue to thrive,  important wildlife travel routes will remain open, and the deep fertile soils for which Lower Valley is famous will continue to be farmed.

An anchor project within the broader River to Lake Initiative, funding for the Louden Family Farm easements included grants from the North American Wetlands Conservation Act of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program through USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, as well as funding from Bonneville Power Administration’s Resident Fisheries Mitigation Program. A portion of the value of each easement was also donated by the Louden family. 

To view other projects, click here.