Gallatin Valley Land Trust conserves southwest Montana's heritage of open landscapes, working farms and ranches, healthy rivers, and wildlife habitat;
and creates trails to connect people, communities and the land.
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| monthly news August / 2011 |
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EVENTS
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Evening on the Land Partners:
Edward Jones
Kyle Andersen, Jim Hamilton, Marty Haskins
Montana Import Group
Schnee's Boots & Shoes
As a local steward, the Gallatin Valley Land Trust strives to preserve a timeless landscape to be enjoyed by all. One of the primary missions of the Gallatin Valley Land Trust is to conserve southwest Montana's heritage of open landscapes, working farms and ranches, healthy rivers, and wildlife habitat. All of these treasures will be featured and Celebrated at an Evening on the Land on August 27th!
Tables are available for purchase at $900 for a table of 8 and individual tickets are $125. A live auction will begin at 8pm. For a complete listing check our website. The evening will wrap up with the amazing talents of the Glen Johnston Swing Band with Jeni Fleming on vocals.
If you are interested in attending this event or would like to donate, please contact Anne Tyler annetyler@gvlt.org or 406.587.8404 ext.6
Evening on the Land Sponsors:
Wayne & Fanee Freeman
Wells Fargo Bank
Norman C. Wheeler & Associates
Contributing Local Producers:
Amaltheia Organic Dairy, Kimm Potato Farm, Visser Greenhouses, Rocky Creek Farm,
Half Circle Ranch, Gallatin Valley Botanical, Crema Roasting, Willow Spring Ranch
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VOLUNTEER NEEDS:
· 6 volunteers to help set up the event Saturday 27th. Time: 9am until 4pm (until completed). We will provide snacks, lunch, and coffee.
· 10 volunteers (with previous food service experience) to help serve the 4 course meal. Time: 4:30pm line out, 5pm dinner provided, 5:30pm - 9pm serving, 10pm - 11pm (until completed) break down and clean up. We will provide thank you incentives for such a long day!
· 4 volunteers with bar tending experience to tend bar. Time: 4:30pm - 10pm set up and bar serving, and then break down.
We need MANY volunteers to help make this event a huge success! Please contact Anne Tyler if you would like to volunteer at GVLT's Evening on the Land!
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FUNDRAISERS
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NEW Wildflower Guide
Flora of Montana's Gallatin Region: Greater Yellowstone's Northwest Corner
FLORA BOOK - NOW AVAILABLE THROUGH OUR WEBSITE! It is not too late to pick up your copy of Whitney Tilt's, Flora of Montana's Gallatin Region, Greater Yellowstone's Northwest Corner, which can now be purchased (for $25 plus shipping and handling), using our website. Please visit us at www.gvlt.org to order your book or have one, or several, sent to friends and family. It is easy and convenient and helps GVLT.
This great guide may also be purchased for $25 at the Gallatin Valley Land Trust office (25 N. Willson St, Ste E), Schnee's Boots & Shoes, Vargo's, Powderhorn Outfitters, Sola Cafe, and the Country Book Shelf. Proceeds benefit the GVLT so when you purchase one, not only will you deepen your knowledge of the wildflowers, grasses, shrubs and trees of the Gallatin Region, you will also support GVLT. Thank you!
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LANDS
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The monitoring season has brought a wide array of surprises to Gallatin Valley Land Trust staff as we re-affirm our relationships with original donors and successive owners that are living on and managing conservation properties here in the Gallatin Valley. Many of our easement acres are protecting native assemblages of plants and animals that are easy to miss if you do not slow down and study the landscape that surrounds us here in Montana. A herd of 120 cow elk and their calves were hard to miss when I approached their bedding ground and wallow on one of our easement properties at Big Sky. Fragile Bitterroot blooms are a different story; they often go unnoticed on an exposed ridgeline until we slow down enough and begin to seek out the silent and small native species that truly do define the "Valley of the Flowers". Every year Gallatin Valley Land Trust finds and records amazing natural history facts and features on the conservation easement properties that we hold. We are glad to share these stories and facts with all of our local community members. Next time you see one of our staff, ask them to share a few fun facts about the plants, animals, and landscapes that we are working hard to conserve here in the Gallatin Valley. 
Bitterroot (Lewisia rediviva) Bitterroot is a low growing perennial flowering plant with a tab root. The white or pink flowers are produced by a low growing plant that prefers gravely and dry soils throughout western North America. It is often associated with foothills and sage steepe plant communities. Bitterroot became the state flower of Montana on February 27, 1895 during a particularly civil legislative session. The Lemhi Shoshone believed that the small red core found in the upper taproot held special powers; including the ability to
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TRAILS
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GVLT has had an extremely successful summer filled with volunteer work projects. Thanks to many of you, in July alone we accumulated 290 hours of volunteer trail service. These projects included trail resurfacing, erosion control and noxious weed mitigation. July's volunteer projects included: - Visiting Middle Eastern students controlled noxious weeds on the Drinking Horse trail.
- Girls for Change mitigated noxious weeds in Lindley Park
- Montana Outdoor Science School students pulled invasive weeds at Drinking Horse Mountain.
- Hope Lutheran Church youth resurfaced the College Street connection trail near Ice House Park.
- Area Health Education Center's youth camp resurfaced and controlled erosion problems on the Morning Star trail.
- Employees from Target resurfaced a section of trail at the East Gallatin Recreation Area.
- Employees from Ligocyte Pharmaceuticals resurfaced, and brushed trails at the East Gallatin Recreation Area and controlled noxious weeds along the river.
We greatly appreciate the volunteer service from these organizations and businesses; it is community support like this that makes the Main Street to Mountains trail system a success. Thank you! Volunteer Trail Project: August 9th from 5pm to 8pm GVLT will partner with the Greater Gallatin United Way and the Bozeman young professionals organization to complete trail resurfacing, erosion contrail and brushing along the trail. We welcome other community volunteers to join in this project! Please RSVP Josh at josh@gvlt.org if you plan to attend. - Meet at the main Triple Tree parking lot off Sourdough Rd. We will be car pooling up to the worksite.
- Bring sturdy shoes, water bottle, bug spray & work gloves if you have them.
- If possible bring your own rake, shovel or wheelbarrow, or GVLT can provide.
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IN MEMORY
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GVLT friend and former Board member, Jim Smith, who passed away on June 15th, was honored recently by his long time friend, Senator Max Baucus, before the United States Senate:Statement of the Honorable Max Baucus, United States Senate, July 20, 2011 Mr. /Madame President. I wish to take a moment to pay tribute to the life of a fine Montanan and good friend, James Noel Smith. Jim passed away last month after a long and courageous battle with cancer. Raised in the mountainous Northwest Montana town of Thompson Falls, Jim grew up with a deep reverence for the land, the water and the wise stewardship of our natural resources. This became his calling in life. After graduating from the University of Montana, Jim heard the noble call of public service. He was inspired by national leaders like President Kennedy, and Montana's Senators Mike Mansfield and Lee Metcalf. Senator Metcalf, in particular, became Jim's mentor. Jim, his wife Camie along their young son Mark -- who later served on my staff for a number of years -- made their way back to Washington where Jim worked as a legislative aide for Senator Metcalf. Jim went on to serve with distinction at the Interior Department, the Environmental Protection Agency and several conservation organizations. During the latter part of his career, Jim organized the Council of Infrastructure Financing Authorities, a trade association dedicated to helping municipalities pay for infrastructure improvements. While they remained in Washington for four decades, Jim and Camie were never Washingtonians. They were Montanans. Thus, when they decided to retire, it came as no surprise to those of us who know them that they headed home to the Big Sky. They settled in Bozeman, sharing their love of Montana, its land and its people. Jim immersed himself with his work on the Board of Directors of the Gallatin Valley Land Trust (GVLT), an organization that protects open land and promotes recreational opportunities throughout the Gallatin. While environmental issues too often turn fractious, Jim respected GVLT's consensus-based approach. He though it got results and made a difference. That is the way Jim lived his life -- striving for consensus, getting results and making a difference. Melodee and I offer condolences to Camie and her family.
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GIVING
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Ways to GiveBy including the Gallatin Valley Land Trust in your estate plans you can help us continue to conserve southwest Montana's heritage of open landscapes, working farms and ranches, healthy rivers, and wildlife habitat; and create trails to connect people, communities and the land. A bequest is a powerful yet easy way to support GVLT while continuing to control your assets during your life time. GVLT can be named as the beneficiary of your will, life insurance policy, or retirement plan. For more information please contact Penelope at penelope@gvlt.org or 406.570.0152 x5.
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Gallatin Valley Land Trust
25 North Willson Ave, Ste E - Bozeman, MT 59715
406.587.8404 p.
406.582.1136 f.
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