Whitefish once again is the beneficiary of some very generous philanthropy, this time for the $2 million needed to secure a permanent conservation and recreation easement on 1,520 acres in the Beaver Lakes area.

Jim and Lisa Stack came forward with the final $85,000 needed to meet the final payment due Dec. 31. A large portion of the $7.7 million easement cost was funded by Whitefish philanthropist Michael Goguen.

Kudos to Whitefish Legacy Partners for shepherding the fundraising for the easement and its efforts in developing the Flathead’s beloved Whitefish Trail network that keeps expanding.

Whitefish leaders stepped forward in a big way 10 years ago to create a neighborhood plan for the 13,000 acres of state trust land around Whitefish. They never took their eyes off the goal of creating for a world-class trail system, and today, Flathead Valley residents, visitors and Montana’s schools and universities (which get trust land revenue) are benefiting from that vision.

Big hearts in Big Arm

Community spirit abounds this time of year, and the Big Arm Knit Witz ladies are a shining example of that spirit. These gracious and generous women have been meeting weekly for the past couple of years, knitting and crocheting up a storm to provide several charitable organizations with needed items.

The Knit Witz members give much of the credit for their success to Darline Hoyt, a Big Arm resident who started the group as a way to channel her grief from the 2009 death of her son, a Montana Highway Patrol trooper who drowned while attempting to rescue his dog from an irrigation ditch near Polson.

Hoyt’s ability to work through her grief and wrap her arms around this wonderful group of caring women is a testament to the human spirit.

Editorials represent the majority opinion of the Daily Inter Lake’s editorial board.