When Connie Lane took her first trip up Going-to-the-Sun Road in 1996, she experienced a moment of transcendence.

“I was so moved because it felt like I was looking into God’s face,” she said. 

Three decades later, Lane partnered with Flathead Land Trust to preserve the landscape she fell in love with through a 105-acre conservation easement. 

Lane said she procured her first slice of property on Teakettle Mountain, about 2 miles south of Glacier National Park, shortly after her first visit. In the following years, two adjoining lots went up for sale, both of which Lane purchased. 

The resulting tract of land provides expansive wildlife habitat. Lane documented all sorts of animals maneuvering through the property’s forests and wetlands, including grizzly bears, black bears, mountain lions, bobcats, wolves, moose and elk. She counted at least 86 species of birds, including 24 that have been designated as sensitive or species of concern. Along with a wealth of seasonal streams, the property abuts the Flathead River, which includes key habitat for bull trout and other cold-water fish species. 

The property borders United States Forest Service land on one side and existing conservation easements on two other sides.  

Under the terms of the conservation easement, which Lane entered into with Flathead Land Trust this month, the property can only be subdivided once, into one 80-acre parcel and one 25.6-acre parcel. Any future construction is regulated to specific areas of the property. The easement is perpetual, meaning any future landowners would be required to abide by the same requirements. 

“The permanent protection of the Lane property underscores the power of voluntary land stewardship in preserving Northwest Montana’s natural heritage,” wrote the Flathead Land Trust in a Jan. 28 press release. “By choosing conservation, Connie Lane has ensured that this critical link in the Crown of the Continent landscape will remain intact in perpetuity, providing a lasting gift to the region’s wildlife and human communities.”

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Reporter Hailey Smalley can be reached at 406-758-4433 or [email protected].