Page 8 - Flathead Beacon // 9.24.14

8 | SEPTEMBER 24, 2014 NEWS FLATHEADBEACON.COM City Officials Explore Funding
Just
Sayin’...
“We must stop putting wars on our credit card. And I wonder if once we start an overseas conflict, do we know where and when it will stop?”
Montana Sen. Jon Tester on the Senate floor during a debate to fund the federal government and pay $500 million to train Syrian rebels to fight the Islamic State of Iraq.
“I do think it is
nonsense, but I cannot comment on specifics. There are of course two sides to every story. We are not hiding anything, but we need to follow the proper steps.”
Flathead County Attorney Ed Corrigan in response to a complaint alleging numerous ethical violations by Flathead County prosecutors.
(STORY, PAGE 16)
“The people of
Scotland have spoken. It is a clear result. They have kept our country of four nations together. ”
United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron after Scotland voted last week against breaking away from the U.K.
Measures for Haskill Project
Ideas include possible general obligation bond to finance protection of 3,000 acres in Whitefish
By TRISTAN SCOTT of the Beacon
Whitefish city officials are exploring ideas to develop a program that would help finance a land conservation ease- ment in Haskill Basin, including pos- sible public funding measures such as a ballot initiative.
At a work session on Sept. 15, city councilors and members of the public discussed a financial feasibility study to raise a portion of the funding to com- plete the land sale.
The meeting came on the heels of a Sept. 9 announcement by Gov. Steve Bull- ock that the conservation project had been awarded a $2 million grant by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, while other fed- eral funding has also been set aside to aide in the acquisition of the easement.
The easement would help protect more than 3,000 acres in Haskill Basin near Whitefish. The property – prime land owned by the F.H. Stoltze Land and Lumber Co. and located beside Whitefish Mountain Resort on Big Mountain – is highly vulnerable to the pressures of de- velopment, proponents of the easement say, and is the source of 75 percent of the municipal water supply in Whitefish.
Last year, Stoltze and the nonprofit Trust for Public Lands reached a deal that would keep the land permanently protect- ed for water, wildlife and recreation uses, while still allowing Stoltze’s sustainable timber management to continue.
Stoltze values the land at $20.6 mil- lion, but the company has offered to sell it for $17 million, according to Alex Diek- mann, project manager for the Trust for Public Land, which is the nonprofit work- ing to raise money from federal programs, private donors and public funding sources
Lands and Resource Manager Paul McKenzie moves a gate on land in Haskill Basin. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
in order to bring the deal to fruition. Earlier this year, the project received a funding boost from the U.S. Forest Ser- vice, which ranks such projects for fund- ing through its Forest Legacy Program, awarding grants to states to purchase per-
manent conservation easements.
The agency has given the Haskill Basin Watershed Project its No. 1 spot, position- ing it to receive $7 million in Legacy Proj- ect funding. Together, the grants give the project significant purchase toward rais- ing the $17 million needed to buy the de- velopment rights from Stoltze by the end of 2015, leaving a balance of about $7 million.
“THE CITY OF WHITEFISH IS COMMITTED TO THIS PROJECT BECAUSE IT WILL PERMANENTLY PROTECT OUR WATER SUPPLY.”
John Muhlfield
The Whitefish City Council hosted its meeting at council chambers, gearing the discussion toward identifying avenues of funding, including private and phil- anthropic contributions, as well as pub- lic measures such as a general obligation bond that would go to voters for approval.
Whitefish Mayor John Muhlfeld, a hydrologist and strong proponent of the easement due to the area’s significance as a municipal water supply and a haven for recreation and wildlife, said the continu- ing support for the project is encouraging.
“The City of Whitefish is commit- ted to this project because it will perma- nently protect our water supply,” he said, adding that the work session was pro- ductive in learning more about potential public funding measures that will be re- quired to help close the gap and make the project a reality.
The city has also asked TPL to provide feasibility research, conduct a public opin- ion survey and develop other strategies for consideration.
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