“We've been meeting with everyone along there,” said Marilyn Wood, “and to a person, with the exception of the developers, they've shown a real concern about conserving that shoreline.”
Wood is executive director of the Flathead Land Trust, and this week she announced that one of those families - Doug and Donna Miller - has agreed to sell their 160-acre waterfront parcel for $1.9 million.
Ultimately, she said, the land will be turned over to the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, to be operated as a state park and wildlife management area.
The north shore already is home to a federal wildlife protection area that, with the addition of the Miller property, creates an important east-west corridor for animals moving across the Flathead Valley.
In fact, the north shore is one of the only such corridors left, and connects the Jewel Basin with the wilds around Blacktail Mountain. The largest stretch of undeveloped shoreline around the lake, it's home to blackbirds and bobolinks, eagles and osprey, moose and mink and the curlew's cry, not to mention fox and deer and even the occasional bear.
“This is a really big deal,” Wood said of the planned land deal. “It's an area with huge potential.”
In more ways than one.
Last spring, Sean Averill and a team of real estate developers approached county officials with plans for North Shore Ranch, 290 homes on 367 acres of farmland. But the fallow fields hide a remarkably shallow aquifer, only a foot or two below the surface. It is fed by rains and the occasional storm surge that floods portions of the otherwise dry uplands.
The Flathead County Commission ultimately nixed the plan, prompting Averill and his partners to sue.
“We've been talking to them” about a conservation deal, Wood said, “but right now they're busy with the lawsuit. So they weren't ready to talk, but other people were.”
In all, she said, there are eight properties strung out along the waterline between Bigfork and Somers. One belongs to the Millers. One belongs to the developers. And of the remaining six, two are currently listed for sale.
“We need to get on it,” Wood said. “The time is right.”
It's right, she said, in part because Averill's controversial subdivision proposal “has opened people's eyes.” Neighbors now know what's coming, unless they choose otherwise.
The landowners asked Wood to convene a meeting at the local fire hall “and what we heard were people concerned about the waterfront and wildlife and open space and water quality.”
And, of course, money.
“For a lot of people, the land is their bank account,” Wood said.
Which means protecting the north shore will come at a cost. Some parcels, like the Miller's, could be purchased outright. Some could be placed into a life estate, to be converted to conservation later. And some could remain in private hands, with owners selling their subdivision and development rights.
“We want to keep people happy,” Wood said, “and find the right mix for each landowner. How we move forward really depends on the landowner's desire, and what those communities want to see.”
What she sees is more public lake access, more parks and waterfront green spaces, more trails between Bigfork and Somers.
“This was really important, to get this first one done and show people how it can work for everybody,” Wood said. “It's important to show that we're serious about working with the full appraised value of the land, because if we can do this right, every single one of those landowners has expressed some interest in working with us. And that's a huge step.”
The deal on the Miller property still awaits a public review, she said, and must be approved by both the FWP Commission and state Land Board. Once complete, she said, the state would like to expand upland bird and waterfowl hunting in the area, as well as other recreation.
“This is a great example of local Flathead folks setting their own future for this part of the valley,” said FWP's Dave Landstrom. “Hopefully, this can be the cornerstone of a larger conservation vision for the North Shore.”
Because by linking the undeveloped waterfront in conservation, he said, “we could offer a lot more options and opportunity for the public to enjoy.”
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