Flathead Lakers raise funds to preserve natural area

This GivingTuesday, Nov. 29, the Flathead Lakers are raising funds to support the purchase of a 442-acre conservation easement on the Owen Sowerwine property along the Flathead and Stillwater Rivers.

The proposed easement would generate income for schools as well as ensure the land's natural values continue to be protected and open to the public for conservation education, bird-watching, fishing, walking and hunting.

The overall project will cost approximately $775,000 and the Flathead Lakers have committed to raising $70,000 to contribute to the project. Any funds raised above and beyond the organization’s goal on Giving Tuesday will go directly to the Owen Sowerwine Natural Area fund.

“The area is a filter for the water that comes into Flathead Lake,” said the Flathead Lakers executive director Kate Sheridan. “A healthy, protected ecosystem upstream is integral to Flathead Lake’s viability – both environmentally and for our quality of life.”

GivingTuesday, always the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, was launched in 2012 as a simple idea: to create a day that encourages people to do good. Over the past 10 years, this idea has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.

In the past decade, GivingTuesday has raised billions of dollars for critical causes around the world and gets 21 billion impressions on social media from people and organizations speaking up for the causes that matter to them and encouraging others to get involved in their communities.

The Owen Sowerwine Natural Area contains relatively pristine riparian habitat at the confluence of the Stillwater and Flathead rivers just east of the Kalispell city limits. It borders a mile of the Stillwater River, over a mile of the Flathead River, and at least 1.3 miles of braided channels connecting the two rivers.

Those who are interested in joining the Flathead Lakers’ GivingTuesday initiative can visit:

givebutter.com/flatheadlakersgivingtuesday22. For more information on the Flathead Lakers, visit flatheadlakers.org.