A federal grant will help keep Mission Valley farms and wildlife habitat

Flathead Land Trust will use a federal grant to buy conservation easements in Montana's Mission Valley, the Lake County Leader reported on November 5, 2026. The article calls the USDA Regional Conservation Partnership Program award $7.85 million in the opening and $7.5 million in the headline and a later paragraph. The money is meant for easements with about 10 producers, covering roughly 3,000 acres in the Ronan and Pablo area, spent over about five years. Landowners keep and manage the land. The easement limits development and stays with the property.

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes agreed, as part of the proposal, to place 3,000 acres of tribal land along the Flathead River into an easement. Tribal communications director Rob McDonald said the aim is working farms, water quality, wildlife habitat, and the cultural landscape of the Flathead Indian Reservation, including food sovereignty. The paper said the whole partnership will conserve about 10,000 acres. The valley still supports grizzly bears and a large migratory bird population. The grant is the start of purchases. It is not a map of acres already signed.