Members of the community came together last week to celebrate the conservation of some of the Flathead’s natural and cultural heritage on the north shore of Flathead Lake.
The Flathead Land Trust hosted the event formally celebrating the addition of 189 acres to the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Wildlife Management and restoration of the historic barn on the property by previous landowner, Darrell Worm.
Worm agreed to sell his property near Flathead Lake for a bargain to the state of Montana, which will oversee it as a wildlife management area open to public recreation. The newly protected land, adjacent to the 161-acre state park and 1,887-acre federal management area, adds to a stronghold of protected habitat on the north shore that biologists consider vital for fish, wildlife and waterfowl species as well as water quality in the entire Flathead watershed.
The land lies atop a large channel of groundwater from the river system into the lake, entailing a key section of floodplain. The deal came together through the partnership efforts of the River to Lake Initiative, Flathead Land Trust, FWP and Worm.