Above Swan Lake, near the mouth of the Swan River, a new conservation easement permanently protects a 51-acre tract of former forest land that the owners hope will serve as an important habitat corridor for wildlife.

Paul Johnson and Candace Greene said they donated the land to the nonprofit Flathead Land Trust to protect habitat for birds and wildlife and to preserve forest views for travelers along Highway 83. Maintaining the forested hill above Swan Lake in an undisturbed state also protects water quality by minimizing sediment runoff, which is a growing threat to the health of local watersheds amid increasing development pressures throughout northwest Montana.

“Montana has been a special place to my family since the days when my father drove a red bus in Glacier over 80 years ago,” Johnson said in a prepared statement after the easement was completed. “We are excited to be able to preserve a small piece of what so many people love about Montana. We also want to thank the Flathead Land Trust for working with us to make this preservation a reality.”

The property, previously owned by FH Stoltze Land & Lumber Co., changed hands several times and was proposed for development when the couple acquired it. Driven by their passion for conservation, Johnson and Greene bought the undeveloped property in 2020. Surrounded by residential subdivisions to the south and west along the shores of Swan Lake, the couple says the land shows promise as a wildlife refuge. Meanwhile, a habitat corridor to the east and northeast consists of a patchwork of state land, Stoltze properties and larger private parcels.

“This trail connects the property to the vast expanses of the Swan Mountains in the Flathead National Forest and eventually reaches the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex,” says a press release from the Flathead Land Trust. “This important connection serves a diverse range of wildlife, many of which find refuge on the Johnson-Greene property. White-tailed deer, moose, black bears, cougars, red foxes and an estimated 63 species of birds use this land.”

A series of rolling, flat-topped hills on the property provide the foundation for healthy coniferous forests. Large firs, Douglas firs, ponderosa pines and western larch dominate the landscape, while the understory includes scattered paper birch and a variety of shrubs and herbaceous plant species.

The conservation easement was made possible in part by a grant from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Johnson and Greene will continue to own and manage the land.

Flathead Land Trust is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the land and water heritage of northwest Montana through community-based conservation. For more information, visit www.flatheadlandtrust.org.

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