News from Gallatin Valley Land Trust

Back in October, we promised some exciting news about our land conservation efforts, and we weren't kidding. In the two months since then we've completed six new conservation projects, five of those in just the last 30 days. Meet your newest conservation heros:

Kimm Potato Farm - Owned and operated by the Kimm family since the 19th century, the Kimm Potato Farm is prime farmland in the heart of the Gallatin Valley and visible from Cameron Bridge and River Roads. In three separate tracts, 808-acres will be permanently conserved and available for agriculture forever. This project was made possible by a combination of federal and county funds in partnership with the Trust for Public Land.

Coker property - The Coker family has assembled and cared for a very scenic corner of Bridger Canyon that provides critical winter habitat for elk moving through the area. It also contains a wetland associated with a spring creek and ponds, forested hillsides and a prominent ridgeline visible from Bridger Canyon Road. Thanks to Fitz and the family, another 130-acres are permanently conserved for the enjoyment of present and future generations!

Bos Dairy Farm - The Bos family's 250-acre dairy farm is located on South Cottonwood Road. The property includes prime agricultural land along with wetland along a half-mile of South Dry Creek. It provides habitat for elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer and sandhill cranes just north of national forestland in the Gallatin Range. County Open Space funds helped underwrite this project.

Collectively these 1,200 acres join over 50 square miles of open land, wildlife habitat, and working agricultural land that we've conserved to date... and there's more to come. We're working hard to finish a few more exciting projects by the end of the year. Look for those announcements in next month's eNews.

News from the Field - Stewardship Update

Every year, GVLT visits each conserved property at least once. By the end of this field season, our cumulative visit log (1990-2009) totaled well over 600 stewardship visits - an easily overlooked part of GVLT's annual workload! In addition to discussions of land management, these visits yield an up-close look at the resources protected by families who have partnered with GVLT to conserve their land - acres of barley, miles of river habitat, forest and field left open for future generations. This year, rain kept these lands verdant, lush, productive. Sadly, despite the moisture, loss of trees to mountain pine beetle and spruce bud worm remains a growing concern, as do invasive weeds. So it is always heartening when nature shares a peak at the wildlife that benefit from conservation. In 2009, in addition to elk, raptors, sand-hill cranes and "the usual suspects", we spotted a pronghorn fawn darting away through wheat fields on the Dyk Farm and were stopped in our tracks by a mountain lion on the Schmidt Ranch!

Fred and Mae Happel
GVLT is honored to work with many, many amazing landowners. Yet as time passes, so too must our friends. Late this fall, we were saddened to learn that both Fred and Mae Happel, founders of Happel's Clean Cut Meats and donors of one of GVLT's earliest conservation easements, passed away. They had the vision to understand that their 40 acre farm on the outskirts of Bozeman would be worth more to this community protected than paved, and this gift of open space is just one example of their generous involvement in our community. Our sincere condolences go out to their two sons, Lyle and Logan, who lost both of their parents within a single month.

2010 Land Stewardship Fellow position

GVLT is now accepting applications for our 2010 Land Stewardship Fellow. This 6-month, professional position helps GVLT complete critical, annual stewardship tasks that lay the foundation for high quality service to landowners and simultaneously provides an on-the-ground opportunity for current or aspiring land trust professionals. For more information, please visit our website or contact kate@gvlt.org.