Flathead County
Brad W. Abell
Randy L. Brodehl
Pamela J. Holmquist
October 26, 2023
Board of Land Commissioners
State of Montana
1539 Eleventh Avenue
Helena, MT 59601
RE: Support for proposed Owen Sowerwine Conservation Easement
Honorable Members of the Board of Land Commissioners,
The Flathead County Board of Commissioners supports the proposal for Flathead Land Trust to purchase a conservation easement on the 405 acres of State School Trust land located just east of Kalispell known as “Owen Sowerwine.”
The project would protect important natural amenities in the community, such as bird, fish and wildlife habitat and water quality in Stillwater Rivers, Flathead Rivers, and Flathead Lake. It would also ensure public access in perpetuity for outdoor activities such as exploring trails, birdwatching, hunting, fishing, and conservation education opportunities for local schools in a natural area that is easily accessible to the city of Kalispell. To address current issues with insufficient parking, we hope provisions for additional parking will be considered in this conservation easement.
The money from the purchase of the conservation easement would benefit our local schools through its investment in the permanent trust fund, which provides revenue for K-12 education in Montana.
We thank you in advance for considering our support for this project.
Sincerely,
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
FLATHEAD COUNTY, MONTANA
More information about the Owen Sowerwine Conservation Easement can be found https://flatheadbeacon.com/2023/10/27/support-grows-for-owen-sowerwine-conservation-easement.
Image source: Flathead Beacon, https://flatheadbeacon.com/2023/10/27/support-grows-for-owen-sowerwine-conservation-easement