Success Stories

The winter sky is icy-blue, and the morning sun is golden. Surrounded by open hay fields and Threemile Creek meandering just below, Frank Mogan softly pats his new German shepherd pup, Trapper, on the scruff with his rough hands, worn from a lifetime of hard work.

Trapper’s eyes slowly blink and glint in the morning sun. It’s quiet and peaceful. Frank breaks the silence and looks up. “My mom came over to take a look,” he said. “After she took one walk up along the creek, she fell in love with it. From that day, I knew this wasn’t going to be a money-making thing.”

But Frank Mogan didn’t always feel that way. Conservation didn’t seem like an option for him and his land early on. For landowners contemplating conservation, there is much to consider. Barriers like financing, debt, resources, and misconceptions can make it difficult for farmers and ranchers to pursue a conservation outcome on their land.

Hard Work Pays Off

Frank worked for a number of years to pay down his debt and position himself to conserve the farm. He accomplished a lot through honest, hard work. “I was lucky,” Mogan said. “I’ve always had all the work that I needed to make the payments, even during the recession. Sometimes it meant that I had to travel to places like Park City, but I always had the work.”

The good news is that with programs like the NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Services) , critical funding is available to farmers and ranchers that make projects like Frank Mogan’s pencil out. Thanks to NRCS funding, an important wildlife corridor, ¾ of a mile of Threemile Creek riparian habitat, and productive hay ground was protected, totaling 161-acres of beautiful Bitterroot Valley ground.

“I think it could have been worth millions in a heartbeat, but I don’t think I would have been any happier than I am now.”
– Frank Mogan

This critical funding helps to leverage local Open Lands Bond dollars, making it possible for farmers like Frank to protect their land do right by those that came before them. As Frank puts it, “It makes me feel great,” Mogan said. “It wouldn’t give me satisfaction if this had been developed with million-dollar homes and turned into a city. This creek and the cottonwoods are important to wildlife. And now they are always going to be there.”

Momentum in Three Mile

Frank Mogan’s farm is adjacent to another conserved family farm. The 160-acre Gates family partnered with Bitter Root Land Trust the year prior to make sure their family land and legacy could be passed on to the next generation. Sam Gates’ daughter and granddaughter will play a big role in the future of the farm.

Now, because of NRCS funding, and because Montanans care about the future of farming and ranching, Frank’s land stays in working hands.

Long days, and even longer nights on their dairy farm in southern Idaho, didn’t stop Doug and Janis Astle from pursuing their dream to ranch in the Bitterroot. In fact, it fueled their desire to one day work the land here.

If you asked the Astle’s, they’d say they’re like anyone else, just living life, taking one day at a time. But their story is anything but mundane.

Many years ago, Doug and Janis traveled each year to western Montana for their sons’ football clinic. What started as a visit of necessity, turned out to be something they looked forward to every spring.

Struck by the rugged beauty of the mountains and the river, they made it their goal to ranch here one day. Janis’ eyes twinkled with the memories of those visits, “We just fell in love with this place, the Bitterroot Valley.”

A Harsh Reality

The reality is, it’s not easy to find large tracts of land for farming and ranching in the valley.

The average parcel size in the valley is 10 acres. That makes it difficult for farmers and ranchers, especially the next generation, to start and expand their own ag operation.

The good news is, conservation is making a difference.

This momentum in the Bitterroot, particularly the Burnt Fork area, is making it possible for farm and ranch lands to stay in tact and thrive. That’s exactly what drew Doug and Janis here, to continue ranching and ultimately to conserve their ranch.

Doug adds, “I know what it took for us to get this land. So I think, oh my gosh, there’s other folks like us–where in heavens are they going to find this? Land that’s not broken up?”

The Astles were given a warm welcome by neighbors and other ranchers, like Jim and Sharon Schroeder.

Sharon recalls, “When we talked with them about our conservation easement, and how they could become part of that community, they were intrigued to hear more. It is comforting to know that the ground you love and nurture will be preserved in perpetuity and that you are making the right decision for future generations. We are thankful we live in a neighborhood where we share that value of preserving agricultural lands and are grateful to the Astles for joining the Burnt Fork community.”

Without A Doubt

There’s no doubt Doug and Janis believe they made the right decision, “We were drawn to this valley by the incredible beauty, and especially to the ag lands. What sealed the deal though, were the people. They were all so good to us. So this–conserving this ranch–is how we can give back.”

The Astles are thinking long-term about who will need this land in the future.

“There’s always someone that needs a little space to have cows or whatever they’d want to farm. And if we don’t set some of this aside in this valley, that opportunity will disappear faster than we might realize.”

Thanks to the Astles, and thanks to you, we can set some land aside for the future. The next generation farmer or rancher will have the opportunity and freedom to work the land, raise cows, or grow crops.

Situated on an oasis of open countryside in the Illinois Bench neighborhood of Stevensville and surrounded by clusters of neighboring homes, the fate of the 150+ acre “Yoder Angus” ranch could have someday resulted in subdivision if one Bitterroot family hadn’t stepped in to conserve the property in November 2021.

The newly conserved property rests on valuable Bitterroot agricultural ground and is home to a cow-calf operation, as well as to a variety of wildlife including elk, fox, geese, ducks and hawks. The ranch is operated by Jake and Fannie Yoder who cherish the opportunity to continue a traditional way of life working in agriculture, and look forward to passing the ranch down to their three children someday.

After relocating to Stevensville from the St. Ignatius area where they ran a longtime cow-calf operation, the Yoders originally purchased 80 acres of what was at one time part of ranch nearly double in size. The “missing” adjoining 70 acres was owned by neighbors, which the Yoders eventually purchased as well. The original ranchland was now reunified in its entirety and, thanks to a conservation easement, never to be divided again.

I never dreamt that in five years we would have been able to put this farm back together. I think about that every day when I come over the top of the hill and look around. I know this is the way it will stay now. If I die tomorrow, there’s no threat that it will be sold and developed.”
– Jake Yoder, Landowner

As it turned out, the Yoders weren’t the only ones in tune with land’s value. Leading up to the completion of the conservation easement, Jake received phone calls from multiple developers inquiring about purchasing the land.

They were like, ‘Mr. Yoder, we can help you do something with your property.’ To me, that was a rude awakening. There is something about being respectful to your ground… There’s nothing wrong with a little cow manure and a little bit of green grass and being outside on your saddle horse.”

Thanks to the vision of the Yoder family, this valuable open space will continue to serve as agricultural ground and wildlife habitat, as well as a reminder of the importance of conservation amidst an area that has been heavily developed over the years.

Pine needles and leaves crunched under her feet. The sun shone brightly in the September bluebird sky, and the West Fork River hummed along its orange, glowing tree-lined banks in Conner. Marty Stomberg smiled quietly from beneath the large brim of her hat.

She paused her steps, “We’re just here to care for the land, the best way possible.” Her family has been caretakers of this land along the West Fork River for many years. “My son, Ben, grew up here. You know, kids fledge. When he came of age, he came back. It was his playground as a kid, and he came back as an adult, wanting to care for it.”

Marty’s son, Ben, passed away tragically in 2010. This pine covered bank on the West Fork has been the family’s special place to honor Ben’s memory. And to share this peaceful spot with the entire Bitterroot community is meaningful to them. Marty recalls with glossy, blinking blue eyes, “We started thinking, this is a thing to do for Ben. It’s the thing that I’m going to do for him.”

More than just the Stomberg and White families have benefited from forested land and river access. Locals and visitors alike have been coming here to “High Bank” to wade fish, launch boats, and spend time together with family and friends for decades. All because of the generosity of Marty and her family.

It Breaks My Heart

Marty motioned to the nature around her, “It breaks my heart we’ve lost so much river frontage, so many hot springs, and places to go. But this will be public access. Open land makes recreation available to the people of Darby, to the people of Conner. They can have a place to go to the river.”

The family knew permanently protecting the community’s access to the river was the right thing to do.

“We’ve had offers, and we turned them down because it just didn’t feel right. We started asking the Bitter Root Land Trust, ‘what if?’ What if it was a better fishing
access, a small campground? The next access is about 20 miles up the road”, said Marty.

For many years, Marty and her family, sister Barb and her husband Robert Dickman, and brother, Don White, worked with the land trust to see what is possible for this special piece of ground, and how it could benefit the people of Conner and Darby.

The road was long and difficult.

Marty and her son Ben, sister Barb, and husband Bob Dickman, and later, Ben’s father, Don White, worked diligently to keep the land intact. They cashed out retirement funds and sold other assets to put themselves in a position to make decisions for the future of their land. It was a balancing act navigating tenuous family dynamics and finances. But it was their graceful determination that made this vision come true.

Access to the River for All

And now, thanks to you, and many more caring supporters, access to the river was not lost. It was protected. Organizations and stakeholders from across the valley came together around conservation: The Open Lands Program, FWP, Connell Foundation, Ravalli County Fish & Wildlife Association, Montana Fish and Wildlife Conservation Trust, Five Valleys Audubon, and Bitterroot Audubon.

The partnership with the Stomberg and White families, the Bitter Root Land Trust, and Montana Fish,Wildlife, and Parks, ensures forest and river access for camping, fishing, horseback riding, hunting, and hiking are here to stay.

Marty says it best,

“It doesn’t feel like a compromise, really. It just feels like a good solution.”

When family and community find a way to make great conservation happen, the people of this valley benefit.

Lifelong Bitterroot Valley farmers and ranchers Bob and Laurie Sutherlin have spent decades establishing and growing Sutherlin Farms with a goal in mind: to keep their land in agriculture for generations to come.

Bob was only a teenager when he first started buying cows, and until they could afford to buy their own, he and his wife Laurie rented ground to run their cattle and farm.

Thanks to your support, and in partnership with the Sutherlin family, Ravalli County Open Lands Bond Program, and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), BRLT was able to conserve Sutherlin Farms located along Eastside Highway between Corvallis and Stevensville this month, forever protecting 377-acres of of immensely productive and prime farmland here in Ravalli County.

Located between Corvallis and Stevensville, Sutherlin Farms rests on some of the richest soil in Ravalli County. The farm is primarily used for irrigated crop production, including hay, alfalfa, grain and silage corn, all of which are grown to feed their cow/calf operation and herd of Red Angus that now has seed stock all over the world.

“It takes good productive ground to raise enough hay to winter these cattle. You can’t just let it go away,” says Bob.

Nearly all of the farm – 99%, to be exact – is identified by NRCS as “agriculturally important soil.” In addition to prime farmland, the property’s open space provides valuable wildlife habitat as well as areas for wildlife movement, especially for locally important species such as elk, deer, sandhill crane, bald and golden eagle, and other raptors. With several other conservation easements close by and directly adjacent to the farm, the newly conserved Sutherlin Farms has added to the area’s preservation of open space near the Bitterroot River.

“At a time like this when land values are so high and the opportunity to convert that to a different use is there for all of our ag families, it makes the decision to do this that much more difficult from a financial standpoint,” says Gavin Ricklefs, BRLT Executive Director. “But it also makes it that much more laudable and appreciated. It’s a challenging decision to limit development on your land permanently. There’s not more important ground in the valley for production.”

Thanks to the decision to conserve their farm, the Sutherlin family has guaranteed the preservation and enhancement of one more section of open space in western Montana – forever.