A key piece of important wildlife habitat on the east side of Teakettle Mountain has been preserved through a conservation easement with a private landowner, the Flathead Land Trust announced.

The land has been owned by Connie Lane since 1999, Lane said in an interview Thursday.

She always knew the land was special. They’ve seen a host of wildlife over the years, including bears, deer and moose. 

Lane said she is going to turn 80 this year and decided it was time to preserve the 105-acre  spread in perpetuity.

“I just decided I didn’t want to be on my deathbed worrying about that,” Lane said in reference of someone coming in and developing the land after her time on Earth.

The property is contiguous with the Glacier National Park ecosystem and close to another private easement to the north.

The easement protecting the parcel ensures secure habitat and safe passage for grizzly bears and other wildlife, serving as a crucial link  within the iconic Crown of the Continent Ecosystem.  It borders existing conservation easements on two sides and U.S. Forest Service land on another. The newly protected land strengthens a vast network of contiguous protected lands totaling millions of acres, including Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness.

The property encompasses a rich mosaic of dense forest, expansive wetlands, and a network of ephemeral streams. Spanning a tenth of a mile of Flathead River frontage, this diverse habitat offers essential forage and security for wildlife moving through the corridor. Lane has documented grizzly and black bears, mountain lions, bobcats, wolves, moose, and elk traversing the land. Beyond mammals, the property is an avian sanctuary, supporting at least 86 bird species, 24 of which are designated as sensitive or species of concern. Furthermore, the  property’s riverfront protects vital habitat for the threatened bull trout and other native fish.

In addition to its value for wildlife, the Lane property plays a crucial role in maintaining the ecological integrity of the  Flathead River. Portions of ephemeral tributaries and a significant wetland on the conservation easement help protect the water quality and hydrological health of the river.

In the past 12 months, the Flathead Land Trust has successfully placed 1,200 acres of private land in easements, which restrict development on the land, while still allowing landowners to enjoy their property, noted Laura Katzman of the Flathead Land Trust.

All told, conservation easements in the Flathead River corridor and the north shore of Flathead lake now protect about 21,000 acres, Katzman noted.

The bulk of those easements, about 14,000 acres, have been protected under the Land Trust’s ongoing River to Lake Initiative.

That amounts to 45% of the 100-year floodplain of the mainstem Flathead and about 56% of the wetland habitat along the river.

Landowners can learn more about the program at flatheadlandtrust.org