Following years of work by local conservation groups, the Montana Land Board on Monday unanimously approved the purchase of a conservation easement on the Owen Sowerwine Natural Area.

Owen Sowerwine is comprised of over 400 acres of habitat along the Flathead River just east of Kalispell. The accomplishment is the work of the Flathead Land Trust, the Flathead Audubon Society and the Flathead Lakers. 

“This required step was a major hurdle before completing the conservation easement, which should happen early in 2024,” said Jen Guse, the communications, outreach and special projects coordinator for the Flathead Land Trust. 

State officials who sit on the board are Gov. Greg Gianforte, Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen, Attorney General Austin Knudsen, Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen and Commissioner of Securities and Insurance Troy Downing.  

The conservation easement, which preserves the land in perpetuity, is on State School Trust Land. The easement sustains the state’s management of the property as a natural habitat area while also generating funding for Montana public schools, and allows for public access of the area. 

The area is also a crucial part of riparian lands and is designated as a State Important Bird Area by Montana Audubon. Seeking permanent protection has been in the works for decades, the initiative born from Owen Sowerwine, a local Kalispell outdoorsman and dedicated conservationist for whom the area is named after. 

Prior to the easement, the Flathead County Parks Board, Flathead Audubon Society and Montana Audubon held short-term leases and licenses on the land, a temporary conservation act. This easement, according to Guse, brings a permanent solution. 

The easement will be purchased for its appraised value of $970,000. Project partners obtained the funding to purchase the easement from multiple large grants, as well as smaller foundations and organizations, and donations from hundreds of community members. 

Flathead Land Trust Executive Director Paul Travis said the goal is to close on the conservation easement in early 2024. 

“We’re very excited to have received approval from the Land Board to complete the purchased conservation easement to permanently protect Owen Sowerwine. This is an important step forward for the project and we are grateful,” Travis said in a release. 

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