View of the Flathead River and Glacier National Park from the newly protected Lane property

Permanently Protected

A newly established conservation easement secures critical habitat and a key segment of a major wildlife corridor south of Glacier National Park. Connie Lane partnered with Flathead Land Trust to permanently protect her 105-acre forested property west of Coram this week, safeguarding habitat and connectivity along the Flathead River and a critical stretch of Northwest Montana’s landscape.

A Vital Connection for Wildlife

Protecting this parcel ensures secure habitat and safe passage for grizzly bears and other wildlife, serving as a crucial link within the iconic Crown of the Continent Ecosystem. Located on the backside of Teakettle Mountain, just two miles south of Glacier National Park and the confluence of the North and Middle Forks of the Flathead River, it lies in a strategic location for wildlife movement. Bordering existing conservation easements on two sides and U.S. Forest Service land on another, the newly protected land strengthens a vast network of contiguous protected lands totaling millions of acres, including Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness.

Protecting Habitat, Water and Scenic Beauty

The newly protected property encompasses a rich mosaic of dense forest, expansive wetlands, and a network of ephemeral streams. Spanning a tenth of a mile of Flathead River frontage, this diverse habitat offers essential forage and security for wildlife moving through the corridor. The landowner has documented grizzly and black bears, mountain lions, bobcats, wolves, moose, and elk traversing the land. Beyond mammals, the property is an avian sanctuary, supporting at least 86 bird species, 24 of which are designated as sensitive or species of concern. Furthermore, the property’s riverfront protects vital habitat for the threatened bull trout and other native fish.

In addition to its value for wildlife, the Lane property plays a crucial role in maintaining the ecological integrity of the Flathead River. Portions of ephemeral tributaries and a significant wetland on the conservation easement help protect the water quality and hydrological health of the river.

Recreationists floating the Flathead River will also benefit from this easement, as it permanently preserves the scenic, forested view shed that defines the experience of the river corridor west of Coram.

The Impact of Private Land Conservation

The permanent protection of the Lane property underscores the power of voluntary land stewardship in preserving Northwest Montana’s natural heritage. By choosing conservation, Connie Lane has ensured that this critical link in the Crown of the Continent landscape will remain intact in perpetuity, providing a lasting gift to the region’s wildlife and human communities.

Connie Lane offered this insight into the project’s personal impact: “Back in 1996, I went up the Going to the Sun highway for the first time. I was so moved because it felt like I was looking into God’s face. The beauty of Mother Nature inspired me to find a way to buy some land on the river close to the Park. Eventually that opportunity presented itself to me three times so that I was able to combine three lots and protect 105.6 acres. I am so grateful for Flathead Land Trust’s help in taking all the steps necessary to protect this land and the animals and birds who use it. It gives me peace of mind.”

Growing their conservation legacy along the Stillwater River west of Whitefish, Doug and Carolyn Kohrs permanently protected an additional 110 acres of critical habitat this week in partnership with Flathead Land Trust. Once slated for an eight-home subdivision, the Kohrs chose conservation over development, fulfilling a vision they first established when they began acquiring land in the area in 2005. This new conservation easement augments 655 acres protected by the family in 2022, adding to a significant conservation block adjacent to thousands of acres of contiguous protected and public lands.

Landscape-Scale Conservation

The new land protection agreement permanently secures a vital portion of a critical wildlife corridor. The Kohrs’ conserved parcels connect to the 1,560-acre Kuhns Wildlife Management Area and are contiguous with a nearly 5,000-acre block of undeveloped habitat. This expanse includes 1,850 acres of DNRC-managed forest and nearly 900 acres of U.S. Forest Service land, creating a seamless, intact landscape.

Wildlife traveling along the Stillwater River find vital sanctuary on the newly conserved property, which secures an additional quarter-mile of riverfront and extends a protected riparian stretch to over three miles. The land’s rich mosaic of riparian forests, wetlands, and fertile fields, bisected by a half mile of Tobie Creek, provides high-functioning habitat for a diverse array of species. Both grizzly and black bears have been documented utilizing the property as a travel corridor through the Stillwater region. On-site game cameras have captured nearly every major regional carnivore, including mountain lions, wolves, bobcats, coyotes, and foxes. Elk calves and deer fawns have also been recorded, confirming the land’s importance as a safe nursery for ungulates to raise their young.

The site also supports remarkable avian biodiversity, with 127 recorded bird species in the area, 95 of which were personally documented by the Kohrs family. Furthermore, the Stillwater River reach within the Kohrs easements serves as essential habitat for two of Montana’s most sensitive aquatic species: the threatened bull trout and the westslope cutthroat trout.

Protecting Our Heritage

Beyond protecting wildlife, the conservation easement safeguards high-quality farmland. By building upon the adjacent lands already preserved by the Kohrs, the agreement creates a contiguous block of nearly 700 acres of protected, fertile soil—the majority of which is officially designated as “prime” or of “statewide importance.”

Just as this land serves as a vital anchor for a critical wildlife corridor, the Kohrs themselves have become a cornerstone of conservation in the Flathead Valley. Their dedication has created the essential framework for a landscape that remains open, connected and productive, ensuring that the region’s natural character endures for generations. By prioritizing ecological integrity over development, Doug and Carolyn Kohrs have ensured that this vital land along the Stillwater River remains a functional, wild landscape for generations to come.

Doug Kohrs reflected, “Carolyn and I are excited to add this additional piece of wildlife-critical land to our existing easement. Secure and safe wildlife corridors are important for all the different animal species who live in the Valley, especially as the inevitable development creeps closer to their natural habitat.“

A critical 140-acre parcel on the flank of Big Mountain is now permanently protected due to a dedicated collaboration between Flathead Land Trust, the Heart of the Rockies Initiative, and local landowners. Today, Flathead Land Trust placed a conservation easement on this vital property, protecting essential habitat for wildlife, maintaining the pristine water quality of Whitefish Lake, and securing the future of the area’s beloved scenic views.

Flathead Land Trust worked closely with The Heart of the Rockies Initiative on the project, recognizing the property as a part of a critical wildlife area. Grizzly bears and other wildlife moving from Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex to the Salish and Selkirk Mountains utilize a belt of open space across the slopes of the Whitefish Mountain Range. Several large conserved areas, including the Trumbull Creek and Haskill Basin conservation easements, serve as safe harbors along this route. However, portions of this vital habitat are increasingly threatened by human development and infrastructure. This new conservation easement, directly adjacent to Flathead National Forest land on two sides as well as to another 100-acre conservation easement, adds security to this imperative passageway. It significantly contributes to an interconnected network of open space and quality habitat on a landscape scale.

With its extensive, mature Douglas fir and western redcedar forests, the property provides foraging opportunities and refuge for robust mammal and bird populations. The variety of large mammals is notable; the landowners have observed moose, elk, black bears, grizzly bears, wolves, mountain lions, fox, and both white-tailed and mule deer utilizing the land. Upland forests, spring creeks, seeps, wetlands and seasonally wet areas harbor a diversity of plants and provide excellent habitat for nearly 100 bird species.

The property’s hydrology – featuring at least seven springs and abundant seeps and subsurface water flow – is directly connected to Whitefish Lake. Protecting this large area from future disturbance is important for reducing the influx of nutrients and erosion-related sediments, thereby safeguarding the ecological integrity, water quality, and clarity of Whitefish Lake.

This conservation easement also preserves stunning scenic views of the forested hillside for the public traveling on Big Mountain Road. It protects the open-space character enjoyed by hikers and recreationists on nearby public lands, including the Flathead National Forest and Whitefish Lake.

Jim Williams, Partnerships Manager for the Heart of the Rockies Initiative, who helped fund the project through the Keep it Connected program, championed the effort: “This important Flathead Land Trust project will ensure that one of the last undeveloped forested wildlife habitats on Big Mountain, strategically located between the Haskill Basin and the Lazy Creek conserved areas, will remain intact. It serves as both seasonal and a year round home to mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk, black and grizzly bear, mountain lion and a host of other species. The family has worked tirelessly for decades to employ forest management practices to ensure that wildlife habitat and a partial watershed for Whitefish Lake was protected.”              

Ryan Hunter, project lead and Land Protection Specialist at Flathead Land Trust, underscored the project’s significance: “It’s been exciting to work with the landowners to conserve their large, intact parcel that is so important to wildlife on Big Mountain and water quality for the Whitefish Lake watershed. This area is facing tremendous development pressure, so conserving this core property is a real win.”

The success of this conservation effort is a testament to strong partnership. The project was made possible by The Heart of the Rockies Initiative’s “Keep it Connected” Program, which supplied essential funding through a grant from the Liz Claiborne & Art Ortenberg Foundation, furthering the dedicated mission to conserve habitat critical to North America’s wildlife.

Flathead Land Trust is pleased to announce the permanent protection of the 40-acre Bradshaw property, just northeast of Bigfork. Sally and Paul Bradshaw partnered with Flathead Land Trust to establish a conservation easement on their property on July 15, 2025, safeguarding a vital piece of the Flathead Valley’s natural landscape.

The newly conserved property plays an important role in a larger network of protected lands, helping to preserve a contiguous swath of largely undeveloped forest extending from Swan Hill to the Swan River. It borders the 238-acre Harrell Forest Community Trails property, which is owned and managed by Flathead Land Trust, and is protected by a conservation easement with Montana Land Reliance. This protected block of land is further expanded by the 173-acre Whitney property, also protected by a Montana Land Reliance conservation easement, as well as adjoining Pacificorp land, which includes the Swan River Nature Trail and 80 acres of open space forest. The addition of the Bradshaw property to this conservation network helps to maintain the rural character and natural views of the area.

Nestled within this relatively undeveloped area, the Bradshaw property harbors healthy upland coniferous forests and open upland meadows. The land will be managed with minimal intervention, ensuring that the property continues to thrive in its natural state, providing critical habitat and safeguarding a wildlife movement corridor to and from Swan River. White-tailed deer and mountain lions are frequent visitors, and black bears are observed annually. The Bradshaws have enjoyed sightings of red fox, skunk, coyote, a variety of bats and numerous bird species, including great gray owls, hummingbirds, and western tanagers. The property also offers potential habitat to sensitive species, such as grizzly bear, fisher, porcupine and pileated woodpecker. A wide array of native plant species are also supported by this healthy forest ecosystem.

This conservation easement ensures that the Bradshaw property will forever contribute to the ecological health and natural beauty of Flathead County, providing invaluable habitat and landscape connectivity for numerous wildlife species and preserving open space for future generations

The Bradshaw’s summed up, “Our hearts are in the Flathead. Supporting the Land Trust is our way of giving back – of ensuring its rivers, forest and wildlife endure for those who will walk these trails long after we’re gone.”

View of Flathead Lake from open meadow on the Bradshaw property.

Rock outcrops in forest on the newly protected Bradshaw property.