Page 6 - Flathead Beacon // 11.5.14

6 | NOVEMBER 5, 2014 NEWS FLATHEADBEACON.COM Foys to Blacktail Trails Reaches
READER POLL
FLATHEADBEACON.COM
Do You Dress Up for Halloween?
21% YES 79% NO TOTAL VOTES: 97
Do You Traditionally Vote Prior to Election Day?
69% YES 31% NO TOTAL VOTES: 137
Should the Flathead County Commission Support the Water Compact?
22% YES 78% NO TOTAL VOTES: 143
ONLINE POLL RESULTS ARE NOT SCIENTIFIC
$2.25 Million Fundraising Goal
Final 60 acres of 440- acre park outside of Kalispell to be purchased
By MOLLY PRIDDY of the Beacon
It’s taken seven years and plenty of leg- work, but local nonprofit Foys to Blacktail Trails officially met its fundraising goal of $2.25 million on Oct. 30, giving the orga- nization the money to buy the remaining 60-acre addition for Herron Park.
Since 2010, the group has purchased and added 260 acres to the existing 120- acre park, which sits just west of Kalispell. Foys to Blacktail Trails board chairman Clifford Kipp said on Oct. 31 that it feels gratifying to reach such a major milestone for the project.
“It feels really, really good,” Kipp said. “A lot of it is grant money, for sure, which speaks to the caliber of board members we have, because everybody is volunteer.”
The group’s namesake goal is to con- nect Herron Park, which sits nearby Foys Lake, to the national forest lands on Black- tail Mountain in Lakeside through a trail system. When they first started, the econ- omy was on its way downhill in the reces- sion, Kipp said, and plenty of local orga- nizations had their doubts about whether the nonprofit could hit such large fund- raising goal.
“Through the years we have built a lot of momentum,” he said. “I think that peo- ple saw the value of the project. We were able to advance the recreational aspect simultaneously with the land purchase piece of it.”
Buying the land means it will be per- manently protected from development. The nonprofit is working toward a Decem- ber goal of purchasing the final 60 acres, which was being held in The Conservation Fund, and simultaneous transfer to the Flathead County Parks Department.
Volunteers put the finishing tread on a new trail above Herron Park. BEACON FILE PHOTO
Herron Park is extremely popular al- ready, Kipp said, with an average of about 100 visitors per day throughout the year; the extra-busy nature of the summer ac- counts for a good bulk of that average, he said, but the winter months are also popu- lar.
The park is also attractive to profes- sional athletes and world-class events, he said.
To reach the $2.25 million mark, the organization received donations from al- most 1,000 individuals, businesses, foun- dations and agencies. Grants from the U.S. Forest Service, Montana State Parks, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, and Flathead County Parks made up about half of the money, and the remainder came from hundreds of private donors.
Increasing the park from 120 acres to 440 acres puts pressure on the county to maintain it all, but Foys to Blacktail in-
tends to remain active in coordinating trail maintenance, trail construction, sig- nage and other tasks.
The county has been a steadfast, “fab- ulous” partner throughout the project, Kipp said.
“As a community, the Flathead has in- dicated and now demonstrated that that size of a park is a community asset,” Kipp said.
And now that the group has reached its considerable fundraising goal, it can focus on establishing a permanent recreational route between the park and the national forest lands on Blacktail Mountain.
“We’re excited for the next phase,” Kipp said.
For more information on the Foys to Blacktail Trails project, visit www.foysto- blacktailtrails.org.
[email protected]
FLOORS INSTALLED WITH PRIDE
So you’ll be proud!
Most homes with fresh wood flooring command a better resale price. Invest in quality.
Install Sand Finish or we rent professional flooring machines and have the commercial products and advice to help the do-it yourselfer.
Call to book your flooring upgrade today!
Larry Alton, Eagle Woodworking 755-4770 shop 212-8235 mobile
Decades of experience, hundreds of local happy customers.