Columbia Falls Realtor Bill Dakin and retired educator Ken Siderius were recognized by the Flathead Land Trust during their Dec. 7 annual membership meeting with the Flathead Land Trust Leadership award.

This is the first year the award has been given to recognize the conservation achievements, leadership and volunteer service individuals have given to the community through their work with Flathead Land Trust.

“This well-deserved award acknowledges the efforts of both of these incredible community members, thanking them for having gone well beyond the call of duty for many years for this organization,”  Flathead Land Trust executive director Paul Travis said. “Their leadership, vision and ability to get things done has made this organization what it is today and has created a land and water legacy for the benefit of all of us in the Flathead.”

Dakin was born and raised in Columbia Falls and worked for Glacier National Park for 16 years before becoming a Realtor and broker. He joined the Flathead Land Trust board in its infancy, serving for 14 years before stepping down in 2008 but continuing to serve on the Finance Committee.

“I volunteered to join the Land Trust in its fledgling years because it held a promise — to be an enabler for land protection in the Flathead,” he said. “I knew that generations to come would benefit from anything we could achieve.”

Siderius spent his career as an educator in the Flathead Valley for more than 34 years and received the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce” Great Chief Award in 2009 in recognition of his civic and volunteer spirit to the community. He joined the Flathead Land Trust’s board of directors in 2003 and served as president in 2004 to 2009. He continues to serves on the Flathead Land Trust’s Lands Committee as a community advisor to this day.

“Ken has brought so much to the organization – his knowledge of this valley, his connections with people and his passion for conservation,” Travis said. “Ken’s leadership was crucial to several conservation easements in the Lower Valley, including Church Slough and other parcels along the Flathead River totaling more than 1,000 acres, as well as many other projects through his work on the Lands Committee.”

The Flathead Land Trust is a local nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of Northwest Montana’s land and water legacy through voluntary agreements with private landowners. For more information, visit online at www.flatheadlandtrust.org or call their office in Kalispell at 406-752-8293.