Foys to Blacktail Conservation Project Protects 1,131-acre Parcel Next to Herron Park
The newly conserved property includes 12 miles of existing forest roads and trails, including the ridgetop trail connecting Herron Park to Blacktail Mountain
By Tristan Scott
What was once a 15-foot-wide ridgetop trail corridor connecting Herron Park to Blacktail Mountain now spans 1,131 intact and unrestricted acres after conservation advocates, landowners, philanthropic partners, and local stakeholders joined forces to preserve public access on a chunk of front-country timberland that had recently come under intense development pressure.
The property has been a central fixture in a vision that first came into focus 25 years ago when the Foys to Blacktail Trails organization formed, setting into motion a series of community-driven land acquisitions and grassroots trails projects that culminated Thursday when the Flathead Land Trust and its partners launched the Foys to Blacktail Community Forest Project, a landmark conservation initiative that debuted with a critical property procurement from the Griffith Family Foundation.
Located five miles from Kalispell, the property lies directly south of Flathead County’s popular 440-acre Herron Park. According to a joint announcement by Flathead Land Trust, Foys to Blacktail Trails and the Whitefish Community Foundation, the initiative secures a front-country parcel facing a high risk of development while also protecting wildlife habitat and expanding recreational access for the community.
For Paul Travis, executive director of the Flathead Land Trust, it’s the “realization of what has been a community dream for decades.” Over the past year and a half, however, the path toward turning that dream into a reality took an unexpected turn as federal funding through the U.S. Forest Service’s Forest Legacy Program was stalled or diverted, even as development interests intensified in northwest Montana, and on the Herron Park property specifically.
Even though land trusts, trail organizations and the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) have been laying the groundwork to protect the property for years — and in 2025 received confirmation of $2.8 million in funding through the Forest Legacy Program — competing visions for the parcel meant that conservation was never a guaranteed outcome. The Trump administration’s decision to delay or freeze federal funding for conservation and forest projects, including initiatives approved under the Inflation Reduction Act, created even more uncertainty for land managers and conservation organizations alike.
Originally part of the wholesale purchase of Montana timberlands by Southern Pine Plantations (SPP), which in 2020 bought 691,000 acres from Weyerhaeuser before selling 475,000 acres to multiple landowners in 2021 and 2022, the Herron Park property could just as easily have become a developer’s dream rather than a conservationist’s.
But SPP has “demonstrated a deep commitment to land stewardship and conservation,” according to the press release, and SPP owner Benjy Griffith donated the 1,131-acre property to the Griffith Family Foundation with the goal of permanent conservation.
As the need to purchase the land gained urgency, the pace of the grassroots campaign to raise the money to protect it accelerated locally. Rather than wait for the federal funds to materialize, 11 individual donors stepped in, working with the Whitefish Community Foundation to quickly aggregate funding and secure the property until the Forest Legacy Program grant money is finalized.
“By securing this critical property, we are now able to protect it from future development and provide permanent conservation so that the public will always be able to enjoy its trails, open scenery, and important wildlife habitat,” Travis said in a prepared statement announcing the project.
The forested property encompasses 12 miles of existing forest roads and trails, including 3.5 miles of existing ridgetop trail, a key segment of the Foys to Blacktail Trail. It links Herron Park to Blacktail Mountain via 13.5 miles of singletrack trail designated for nonmotorized use. With sweeping views of Smith Valley, the Flathead Valley and the Swan Range, the Foys to Blacktail Community Forest Project “will ensure permanent access for hikers, runners, mountain bikers, hunters, and equestrians of all abilities,” according to the press release.
Although the property’s initial acquisition has been funded entirely through private sources, FWP, which applied for the Forest Legacy Program grant, will continue to provide technical guidance to move the land transaction forward, in hopes of securing a permanent conservation easement within one to three years. The nonprofit Trust for Public Land (TPL) has also been instrumental in the strategy to conserve the land.
Under the terms of the conservation easement, housing or commercial development will be prohibited and the property will secure perpetual public access for non-commercial outdoor recreation.
Upon finalization of the conservation easement, ownership of the property will transfer from Flathead Land Trust to Foys to Blacktail Trails for long-term stewardship, including “thoughtful recreational growth” and the development of new trail connections that enhance the broader trail system.
“This project aligns with our mission and goals to advocate for access and trail connectivity between Blacktail Mountain, Herron Park, and the greater Flathead Valley,” Nathan Russell, executive director of Foys to Blacktail Trails, said in the statement. “It’s about stewardship, expanding outdoor recreational opportunities for our community, bringing people together, and celebrating the spirit of collaboration.”
Moving forward, the forest will continue to be actively managed with a focus on sustainable forest health, wildlife habitat, clean water and nonmotorized recreation. Timber management activities will prioritize wildfire mitigation and forest health and will help generate funds for long-term property maintenance. All forestry and recreational activities will be conducted in a manner that protects and enhances scenic beauty, water quality, fish and wildlife habitat, and the conservation values defined in the conservation easement.
Whitefish Community Foundation served as the project’s philanthropic advisor, working closely with each of the individual donors to aggregate funding.
“We work with donors and nonprofits to benefit the Flathead Valley, and I couldn’t think of a project that more closely aligns with our mission,” Alan Davis, president and CEO of Whitefish Community Foundation, said in a statement. “The donors who stepped up to secure the property deserve the credit, and we were proud to help bring their vision to life.”
With the property secured, the next phase of fundraising will include long-term stewardship and maintenance of the property. Flathead Land Trust and Foys to Blacktail Trails are launching a joint public fundraising campaign to raise $350,000. To contribute to the campaign, please visit flatheadlandtrust.org or foystoblacktailtrails.org.