Celebrating the Owen Sowerwine Conservation Easement at our May meeting in 2024 was a delightful walk down memory lane as we honored those people and organizations whose diligent dedication to the cause brought the conservation easement into fruition. The evening began with our annual tradition of a silent auction and potluck dinner which gave both old and new friends time to share news and stories. A celebratory cake was served for dessert. An Owen Sowerwine slide show furnished our visual back-ground throughout the evening – displaying photos of the Owen Sowerwine Area and of the people who have worked there throughout the years.
After the potluck, the Flathead Lakers was presented with Flathead Audubon’s prestigious Conservation Achievement Recognition. For more than 65 years the organization has worked to protect the Flathead Watershed ecosystem, and more recently, the Lakers has played a major role in developing funding for the Owen Sowerwine Conservation Easement. Constanza von der Pahlen and other Lakers staff were present to accept the award for the organization. (Click here for more on the Lakers conservation achievements.)
The program for the evening was a series of five short presentations by individuals who had been directly involved in crafting the Owen Sowerwine Conservation Easement or in developing the conservation framework for it.
In her keynote presentation, Laura Katzman of Flathead Land Trust reminded us of the conservation vision that inspired Owen Sowerwine and Sam Bibler in their original effort to protect what we now call the Owen Sowerwine Area. She then outlined the ways the OS Conservation Easement will accomplish the goals of these early visionaries. (Click here for the full text of Katzman’s presentation.)
Anne Moran of the Montana Department of Natural Resources talked about some of the challenges encountered in working out details of the easement, including satisfying the requirements of multiple agencies and complying with state laws. Anne also expressed her pleasure at being able to work with the capable and congenial people engaged in the project, including those from Flathead Audubon and the other non-profit partners.
Pam Willison, Chair of the FAS Owen Sowerwine Committee, detailed the many ways the requirements of the Conservation Easement will ensure that Owen Sowerwine will continue to be managed according to the conservation principles and practices that have guided Flathead Audubon’s work at Owen Sowerwine for over 20 years. Flathead Audubon looks forward to continuing the conservation trajectory set in place by Owen Sowerwine and the Flathead County Park Board 50 years ago.
Kay Mitchell, Flathead Audubon Board member, talked about the Major Community Grant awarded to Flathead Audubon by the Whitefish Community Foundation, to help finance the purchase of the Conservation Easement. Kay also recounted the critical role that Brent Mitchell played in protecting the Owen Sowerwine Area. Brent is the one who in the 1990’s got Flathead Audubon involved in helping Flathead County pay the state lease fee for the Area, and then shaped Flathead Audubon’s early OS management program.
Denny Olson, FAS Conservation Educator, described the special nature of the Owen Sowerwine habitat that allows for a robust Conservation Education Program based there, a program that has been central to Flathead Audubon’s conservation management of the Area. Denny also shared some delightful stories about the young students he has brought to Owen Sowerwine to learn about birds and nature and conservation.
Following the presentations, President Darcy Thomas introduced two other individuals who have been central to our Owen Sowerwine effort.
The first was Gael Bissell, formerly a land-use specialist with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, and more recently, a former President of Flathead Audubon. Gael was the primary representative of Flathead Audubon on the committee that negotiated and wrote the Conservation Easement – a process that required frequent committee meetings over the course of more than three years, working with representatives of multiple government agencies and Flathead Valley non-profits.
The second was Montana Senator Janet Ellis, who had travelled from Helena to join in the celebration. Janet has been an invaluable part of Flathead Audubon’s work to provide continued conservation management and protection for the Owen Sowerwine Area, and crucially, she paved the legislative way for placing a conservation easement on the Area. (Click here to read the full introduction of Senator Ellis.)
Topping off the evening was a presentation of gifts to each of the speakers and to the three other honored guests – Constanza von der Pahlen, Gael Bissel, Janet Ellis.
In closing, President Darcy Thomas said she wished it were possible to mention and honor every individual who contributed to the achievement of protecting Owen Sowerwine with a permanent Conservation Easement – but that would have made for a long, long night. It took many hands across the span of many years to get to this point. To all those unnamed people we at Flathead Audubon extend our heartfelt thanks and appreciation.
She noted that this Conservation Easement is the culmination of years of effort to provide permanent conservation protection for the Owen Sowerwine Area. The effort began with the man named Owen Sowerwine, who was a well-known community leader in the Flathead. He was one of the founders of the Flathead Valley Community College, an avid outdoorsman, a dedicated conservationist who contributed to the establishment of the Flathead Lake Waterfowl Production Area, and a former member of the Montana State Land Board. He looked at the tract of state school trust land where the Stillwater and Flathead Rivers meet – the place that is now named after him, and saw a big island in virtually pristine natural condition, surrounded by two large cold-water rivers, a place used by fish and wildlife to feed, travel, and raise young, a place where ducks hang out, and where the rivers can be allowed to overflow and contribute to preserving the water quality of Flathead Lake. His vision was to preserve that place and he hatched a plan to do it. The plan involved passing a State Natural Areas Act, and then making this tract a State Natural Area to provide conservation protection, and then having Flathead County lease it from the state to keep it protected from the heavy hand of man. His plan didn’t quite work out. But others following after him have adopted his vision – and their efforts have resulted in putting a conservation easement on the tract.
We think that Owen Sowerwine would have been pleased with this result – that he would be proud of those who made it happen. He would urge us to visit this remarkable place. To spend some quiet time there. Walk its trails. Enjoy the birds. Listen to the breeze in the trees. Sit by the river and think of what it means to the birds, wildlife, and native vegetation, to have a haven for perpetuity.
You must be logged in to post a comment.