by John Dowd
If there is one thing it seems all Montanans can agree on, it is their love for the outdoors, and according to a local organization, a national honor they recently received is proof of exactly that. The Bitter Root Land Trust (BRLT), a nonprofit out of Hamilton that works with landowners and organizations to conserve privately owned spaces across the valley, was awarded the 2023 Land Trust Excellence Award. According to Gavin Ricklefs, executive director of BRLT, he believes they received the award because, “it is a recognition of the community’s level of support for conservation,” and it is “really an award for the community.”
The reason Ricklefs, and others in the organization, believe the award is a form of community recognition stems from the renewal of the Ravalli County Open Lands Bond Program. The program is administered by the county, and has helped create numerous parks, fishing access sites and aids the local agricultural economy. The program helps farmers, ranchers and landowners put their lands into conservation easements while also allowing them and their descendants to keep their land set aside for agriculture. The program pays landowners to help offset the costs of operation and keeps continued agriculture a viable economic option. This means they can continue to operate as opposed to selling or subdividing, which for many is becoming the easier way to go without options like BRLT.
The program was originally passed in 2006 and then renewed in 2022 with an overwhelming vote of nearly 71%. According to Ricklefs, this shows the community’s commitment to and recognition of the importance of conservation in their area and in their lives. He explained that the change towards local appreciation of conservation has occurred over the last 20 years, and their support “ensures that the things we all love about the Bitterroot are still here for future generations.” In addition, according to BRLT, that same year, 2022 saw a 30% increase in BRLT’S total conserved lands in one year alone.
These are the same principles that BRLT stands by, helping to maintain scenic open space, wildlife habitat and the continued natural and agricultural tradition of the state. The program provides $10 million to local landowners to achieve these goals, and BRLT helps facilitate private conservation through this and other means. BRLT is there, according to Ricklefs, to “provide another option for those who want to leave a legacy for the community and future generations,” while still operating in a way that “makes financial sense.”
The award was announced at the National Land Conservation Conference by the Land Trust Alliance, which is a collection of over 1,000 similar programs across the country. “It’s a huge honor,” added Ricklefs. “It is a recognition of the substantial, on-the-ground conservation success thanks to local landowners and support from our community… This is a really unique and special story” that exemplifies that uniting idea of conservation in a community “around the shared love of place.” To him, that is a very unusual and empowering thing that seems to have inspired conservation around the nation.