Public invited to Save the Flathead open space forum

Residents of Flathead County are invited to attend Save the Flathead: A Community Conversation about Our Land, Water and Future on Thursday, Sept. 10 from 6 - 8 p.m. at Flathead Valley Community College, Room A-T 139. The event is free and open to the public.  

Organized by a growing coalition of local residents, agricultural producers, conservation groups and outdoor enthusiasts, the forum will focus on how a community-driven open space bond could help protect Flathead County’s working farms and ranches, wildlife habitats, recreational opportunities, water quality and overall quality of life.  

Flathead County is one of the fastest growing counties in Montana and has lost over 49,120 acres of open space to development from 2000 – 2021. An open space bond program can be an impactful tool to retain our most cherished qualities and help sustain a high quality of life by mitigating loss of important open space. The bond could be used to purchase voluntary conservation easements from private landowners, keeping lands in private ownership, as well as secure open space for public benefit.  

Attendees will hear directly from local landowners and conservation leaders, explore findings from a recent countywide voter poll, and learn how similar open-space programs have succeeded in other Montana counties, including Missoula, Gallatin, Ravalli and Lewis and Clark.  

The forum will highlight results from a survey of 300 registered Flathead County voters conducted in Dec. 2025 by New Bridge Strategy. It found 78% of polled voters want county commissioners to place an open-space measure on the ballot; 83% agree the county should protect agricultural and timber lands threatened by development, and 58% explicitly support a $10 million bond.  

Protecting drinking water sources led voter priorities (86%), followed closely by preserving quality of life (84%), conserving farms and forests (83%), protecting fish and wildlife habitat (82%), and safeguarding river and lake shorelines (80%). Polling showed that clear financial transparency increases support. A $10 million bond would cost homeowners approximately $1.13 per year per $100,000 of assessed home value.  

To learn more about the event or the coalition, contact Flathead Land Trust at 406-752 8293, email [email protected], or visit flatheadlandtrust.org.