Flathead Land Trust celebrates placement of conservation easements on two area properties

For Carolyn and Doug Kohrs — and their three adult children — seeing the family property outside of Whitefish preserved for the future was always the goal.

“Once we decided we were going to buy the land, we knew we wanted to protect it,” Carolyn said.

Minnesota residents, the Kohrs began visiting the Flathead Valley in 2001. Since then, they’ve bought up roughly 655 acres of farmland and wildlife habitat along the Stillwater River, beginning with the purchase of a 20-acre parcel in 2005. With the help of the Flathead Land Trust, that 655-acre tract is now under a conservation easement, one of two properties in the region the nonprofit finished shepherding through the process in December.

“The easements are protecting our quality of life in Northwest Montana,” said Laura Katzman, a land protection specialist for the Flathead Land Trust.

The nonprofit organization works to protect the water, habitat and farmland in the area — often through conservation easements. Essentially, an easement limits future development of the land.

The Kohrs’ property is a mix of vast, open farmland and forested riparian areas. A critter cam the family installed on the property captures visiting black bears, mountain lions, elk and other wildlife. A six-year member of the Minnesota Land Trust, Carolyn Kohrs said the family saw protecting the property as a priority.

After all, they fell in love with Montana for its landscape.

“Why does one fall in love with Montana? What can we do to protect that?” Carolyn said, musing on her thought process.

On Dec. 30, the Kohrs’ placed all 655 acres under the conservation easement, the result of a yearslong effort. The easement will help to ensure that water quality remains safe and the ecological integrity of the Flathead remains intact. In return, the Kohrs’ received financial compensation through the federal government.

The Kohrs’ land is near the 1,557-acre Kuhns Wildlife Management Area, as well as an additional 1,800 acres of contiguous public land. According to Katzman, these easements are especially important when they are adjacent to other protected lands.

Doug and Carolyn’s youngest daughter, Clara, 28, recently had the family’s first grandchild, Quinn. Because the property is protected in perpetuity, Quinn is guaranteed to enjoy the same land as his family.

A SECOND piece of property, this one encompassing 315 acres just south of Polson, also went under a conservation easement late last year with help from the Flathead Land Trust. The group describes it as an “agricultural gem” in the Mission Valley.

It’s been farmed by the same family for more than 50 years and includes lakebed sediments and is located south of the Pablo Reservoir, which provides irrigation water.

The family, which opted to remain anonymous, sought a conservation easement after its third generation decided to eschew farming.

Like the Kohrs, the family saw securing a purchased conservation easement through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s NRCS Agricultural Land Easement program as the best path forward. The land is protected and the family receives compensation without having to sell.

Conservation easements are often the result of the fear around the future development on Montana land, Carolyn Kohrs said. In the past decade, the Flathead Valley and its neighboring regions have boomed regarding infrastructure and population growth.

“There is going to be development and growth [in the area] but we are looking to protect the special places that ensure our quality of life,” Katzman said.

Reporter Kate Heston can be reached at kheston@dailyinterlake.com or at 758-4459.