Multi-generational farmland protected near Creston
Part of the land protected by the Jaquette family's conservation easement in Creston. (Photo courtesy of Flathead Land Trust)
The Creston area stands as a testament to the Flathead Valley’s multigenerational farmers, where acres of farmland with productive soils have mostly withstood recent change.
This week, more of that land was conserved in perpetuity after Charles and Renate Jaquette placed their 497-acre farm under a conservation easement with the Flathead Land Trust.
“We just have a real interest and desire to do as much conservation of the ground in the Creston area as possible,” said Paul Travis, the executive director of the Flathead Land Trust. “This is a long-time family farm, it is just really cool to see.”
The Jaquette farmland has been passed down through generations, beginning with the purchase of the land by Charles’ grandfather in 1907. The land has championed a myriad of agricultural tasks, raising wheat, canola, potatoes, barely, peas, corn, hogs and more. The farm also boasted a few dairy cows early in the 20th century and some grazing beef cattle.
The soils around Creston are incredibly high quality, Travis said. The Jaquette’s conservation easement is the latest in the area where multiple groups are fighting to preserve the farmlands. Just at the end of last year, Myron and Vicky Mast, neighbors of the Jaquettes, placed their 731-acre farm under easement with the Montana Land Reliance.
The Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, through the Natural Resources Conservation Service, helped to fund both easements, Travis said. It is a key component of farmland conservation, he said.
Through the easement, the family farm will remain intact as one parcel, limiting any development on the property thus protecting its conservation values, including productive soils and wildlife habitat.
There is an existing conservation network in the area, according to the Flathead Land Trust, where more than 13,000 acres of conserved lands along a 50-mile stretch of the Flathead River. The Jaquette property, the land trust says, is an “integral piece of the preservation puzzle.”
“As a land trust we are not expecting to conserve every single place,” Travis said, “but this place was definitely a priority.”
The Flathead Land Trust anticipates a busy 2024 in terms of closing conservation easements. At the end of February, the trust anticipates closing on the easement for the Owen Sowerwine Natural Area, just east of Kalispell.
Reporter Kate Heston can be reached at kheston@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459.