WHITEFISH – The nonprofit Whitefish Legacy Partners has met its fundraising goal of $2 million to secure a permanent conservation and recreation easement on 1,520 acres in the Beaver Lakes area, and along with the city has generated more than $12.5 million for schools and universities through state trust lands over the past decade.
The most recent conservation and recreation easement was structured over a two-year period, with the final payment due to the state Dec. 31. The nonprofit group met its fundraising goal this week when longtime Whitefish supporters Jim and Lisa Stack pledged the final $85,000.
The culmination of more than a decade of work, the Beaver Lakes easement secures permanent public access, ensures no development in the area, provides continued forest management by the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, offers more money than ever for schools and universities, and allows continued community enjoyment and expansion of the Whitefish Trail project – a proposed 55-mile trail system on state trust lands in Whitefish.
The easement was proposed by the city of Whitefish and the Whitefish Legacy Partners, and includes seven pristine lakes. It will provide watershed protection, new trails, an education pavilion and public access in perpetuity.
A significant portion of the $7.7 million easement was funded by Whitefish philanthropist Michael Goguen, with Whitefish Legacy Partners responsible for raising the final $2 million from the community. Goguen has donated nearly $10 million to the project through the years, including the easement, a land exchange and trail development.
To reach the final $2 million mark, the organization received donations from a broad base of individuals, businesses and foundations. A recent $100,000 major challenge grant by the Whitefish Community Foundation provided the impetus to complete the community fundraising efforts.
A handful of Whitefish representatives met with the Montana Board of State Land Commissioners in Helena on Dec. 15, and presented a 10-year assessment and progress report, as well as a check for $12.5 million. Those in attendance included Whitefish Mayor John Muhlfeld, city councilor John Anderson, and Whitefish Legacy Partners Executive Director Heidi Van Everen. Gov. Steve Bullock was on hand to praise the group’s work and voice support for another decade of community-driven conservation and recreation initiatives.
“We could have sat back and watched these lands develop for short-term economic gain, but we realized that they mean much more to our community, and that there is an economic model that better meets the needs of the community and the DNRC that also maximizes returns to the school trust,” Muhlfeld told Gov. Steve Bullock On Dec. 15. “These lands are our open spaces; they define our heritage; these lands are our legacy what we leave behind to our children, while providing the opportunity to educate the future generations of Montanans. The protection of these lands have catalyzed economic development in Whitefish. The tens of millions of visitors that come to our state annually choose to spend their hard earned money in Whitefish because of these amenities – trails, open spaces, viewsheds, a clean environment.”
On Dec. 1, the Whitefish City Council approved a resolution to extend the Whitefish Area Trust Lands Neighborhood Plan through 2024. Declaring the successful completion of the first ten years of the plan, the city joined Whitefish Legacy Partners in celebrating the permanent protection of over 3,000 acres.
The state land board formalized the extension of the Whitefish Area Plan for another 10 years.
The Whitefish Trail is currently a loop trail system consisting of more than 26 miles of buff, singletrack trails located around the city and includes 7 trailheads. Eventually, it will encircle Whitefish Lake and the greater Whitefish area, connecting Whitefish Mountain Resort on Big Mountain and the city’s paved trail system.
“We can now move forward in partnership with local landowners and the Whitefish community to assure continued public access, protect our water quality, maintain healthy forests, sustain quality wildlife habitat and provide recreational and educational opportunities into the future,” Van Everen said.
For more information on Whitefish Legacy Partners, visit www.whitefishlegacy.org.