Nestled above Swan Lake near its confluence with the Swan River, a new conservation easement permanently protects a 51-acre parcel of former timberland that its owners hope will serve as a critical wildlife habitat corridor.
Paul Johnson and Candace Greene said they donated the land to the nonprofit Flathead Land Trust to safeguard habitat for birds and wildlife, as well as to preserve the forested views for travelers along Highway 83. Maintaining the wooded hillside above Swan Lake in an undisturbed state also protects water quality by minimizing sediment runoff, which is a mounting threat to the health of local watersheds as development pressure increases across northwest Montana.
“Montana has been a special place to my family going all the way back to when my father drove a red bus in Glacier over 80 years ago,” Johnson said in a prepared statement after closing on the easement. “We are pleased to be able to preserve a small piece of what so many people love about Montana. We would also like to thank Flathead Land Trust for working with us to make this preservation a reality.”
Previously owned by F.H. Stoltze Land & Lumber Co., the property changed hands multiple times and was proposed for development when the couple procured it. Driven by a passion for conservation, Johnson and Greene purchased the undeveloped property in 2020. Surrounded by residential neighborhoods to the south and west along the shores of Swan Lake, the couple says the land held promise as a respite for wildlife. Meanwhile, a habitat corridor to the east and northeast consists of a patchwork of state land, Stoltze property and larger private parcels.
“This travelway connects the property to the vast expanse of the Swan Mountains within Flathead National Forest, ultimately reaching the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex,” according to a press release from Flathead Land Trust. “This significant connection serves a diverse range of wildlife, many of which find refuge on the Johnson-Greene property. White-tailed deer, elk, black bear, mountain lion, red fox, and an estimated 63 bird species all utilize this land.”
A series of undulating, shallow ridges on the property support healthy coniferous forests. Grand fir, Douglas fir, ponderosa pine and western larch tower over the landscape with patches of paper birch and a variety of shrubs and herbaceous plant species thriving in the understory.
The conservation easement was made possible, in part, through a grant from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Johnson and Greene will continue to own and manage the land.
Flathead Land Trust is a nonprofit dedicated to protecting northwest Montana’s land and water legacy through community-based conservation. Find out more at www.flatheadlandtrust.org.