Bitter Root Land Trust

Bitter Root Land Trust Conserving the Water, Wildlife and Working Lands of the Bitterroot Valley with You

Good News Friday! You just helped make something wonderful happen for the future of Victor's westside and our beautiful ...
08/28/2026

Good News Friday! You just helped make something wonderful happen for the future of Victor's westside and our beautiful Bitterroot Valley. 👏👏👏

193 acres of agricultural land, wildlife habitat and water resources within the Sweathouse Creek watershed have been forever protected by landowners Gary and Robin Beadle and BRLT! 🦌

Rory R Ranch is located northwest of Victor, nestled up against the Bitterroot Mountain range and less than a mile from the Bitterroot National Forest. It is in close proximity to the recently completed Lippert conservation easement (check out the Victor conservation map below), and is within 1.5 miles of over 1,000+ acres of private lands protected by the conservation easement tool.

Thank you to the Beadles and our community of conservation supporters for bringing this project to life. We can't wait to share the full story with you in the fall edition of Legacy newsletter! To sign up for our mailing list, visit: https://bitterrootlandtrust.org/subscribe/

A great upcoming event hosted at the Stevensville property of BRLT’s very own Next Gen member, Kelly Hook! 🐴 Kelly and h...
08/28/2026

A great upcoming event hosted at the Stevensville property of BRLT’s very own Next Gen member, Kelly Hook! 🐴 Kelly and husband Jesse are superstar volunteers for BRLT and Bitterroot conservation. Not a horse owner? No problem! This event is for anyone interested in the stewardship of healthy pastureland. ⭐️

*Pre-registration required
https://missoulaeduplace.org/get-involved/our-calendar.html/event/2026/09/04/horse-farm-tour-storytelling-event/564945

About the event: Calling all equestrian land owners- we're sharing management and grazing strategies across counties and fence lines! It's the 2nd Annual Horse Farm Tour & Storytelling Event for Western Montana equestrians!

This is the APEX event each year for the Missoula County Pasture Evaluation Program which has been immensely popular. It's also a celebration of our collective hard work on the land, making our properties beautiful, productive, and safe for our horses. For this year's tour, we will be showcasing a well-designed track system and a rotational grazing plan. After the farm tour, participants will enjoy a catered dinner and a fabulous lineup from our very own community.

Josh Slotnick, county commissioner for Missoula County, will be weaving tales of his time developing PEAS farm. We are also honoring a recently deceased friend, George Bettas, who was slated to tell a story at this very event. His contributions to conservation education and his time on horses in the backcountry are both unparallel. We are also soliciting stories from YOU, the local equestrian community, so send us an email at [email protected] if you have a great story to tell about horses and our landscapes. We can't wait to share these experiences with you on Friday, September 4th.

What does summer look like for the BRLT crew? A little bit of everything!🚜Rhiannon, BRLT's Stewardship Director, has bee...
08/14/2026

What does summer look like for the BRLT crew? A little bit of everything!

🚜Rhiannon, BRLT's Stewardship Director, has been hitting the ground running with volunteers Kathie and Ron Messer, meeting with landowners to complete required annual monitoring of 66 (!) Bitterroot properties that have been protected by conservation easements in partnership with BRLT. And with great support from Amanda, UM Graduate Student who is in her second year of an Assistantship position BRLT, they are keeping progress moving forward on the future Groff Family Park in Victor!

🐄BRLT's Lands Team - Melissa, Elyse, and Jake - are moving the needle forward to support the more than 20+ active in-progress projects at various stages in the conservation easement process, which includes landowner meetings, site-visits, public meetings, funding application completion, and drafting easements and baseline reports.

🌲Philanthropy team duo Owen and Laura are connecting with our community who supports this work, completing grants, and are in the process of planning our annual Conservation Appreciation Party this fall (more soon!).

🤠You may have seen Stephanie, our Communications Director, out and about at various community events this summer (including the Hamilton Farmers Market tomorrow!), sharing all of the exciting conservation achievements and project updates with our community and working on a video project that we can't wait to share with you soon.

🎣Lauren, our Executive Director-extraordinaire, and Drew, our Operations & Finance Director, are supporting all of the above along with our Board of Directors to keep all things afloat here at the BRLT office and charting the course for smooth sailing into fall.

🐴Our staff had some special time in the saddle together, taking a bit of time to breathe in the views of the beautiful valley we work every day with landowners and our community to protect.

💙Thank you for your support, and to the landowners who choose conservation, for making it possible for the BRLT team to continue to work hard to protect the valley we all love this summer!

Final call for contractor bids! If you're interested in helping bring the future Groff Family Park to life, visit www.bi...
08/13/2026

Final call for contractor bids! If you're interested in helping bring the future Groff Family Park to life, visit www.bitterrootlandtrust.org

08/12/2026

In case you missed it: A 70-acre ranch at the edge of the Bitterroot Mountains outside Victor will be forever preserved for agriculture and conservation, the Bitter Root Land Trust announced last week.

The land is owned and still worked by 93-year-old rancher Jeane Lippert, according to the land trust.

Read more in comments below:

When seeking experience to prepare for a future career in conservation, it doesn't get any more hands-on than this! Meet...
08/05/2026

When seeking experience to prepare for a future career in conservation, it doesn't get any more hands-on than this!

Meet Amanda Kimball, a University of Montana Wildlife Biology graduate student who is pursuing a professional masters of science in a unique partnership with BRLT to study wildlife habitat conservation and restoration on private lands.

Part of the UM's Avian Science Center, this opportunity was created to provide hands-on experience to graduate students interested in a career in land conservation. This is the second unique position that has been made possible with a scholarship provided by generous BRLT supporters, Deb and Arnie Prentice.

"Our first two participants are outstanding scholars," said Deb and Arnie Prentice. "As Amanda's interview indicates, this program has enhanced her understanding of the conservation easement process but also demonstrated the great love this community shares for the Bitterroot. We look forward to learning about her thesis and work in the coming year."

We sat down with Amanda, who is in her second of the two-year program, to hear about her experience so far. Click below to read the full Q&A.

Photo: Amanda helping with w**d day at the future Groff Family Park in Victor

https://bitterrootlandtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/BRLT-Interview-with-Amanda-Kimball.pdf

Introducing our newest board member: Eileen Sheldon ⭐️BRLT is thrilled to welcome Eileen to our all-volunteer Board of D...
08/04/2026

Introducing our newest board member: Eileen Sheldon ⭐️

BRLT is thrilled to welcome Eileen to our all-volunteer Board of Directors! Eileen is an experienced nonprofit board leader and community volunteer with a focus on governance, strategic oversight, and mission‑driven leadership.

For nearly two decades, she and her family have divided their time between Northern California and the Bitterroot Valley. They have lovingly restored a legacy property in Darby along the Bitterroot River, where they value the open space, clean water, and agricultural heritage that define the region. Their connection to the land embodies the mission and values of the Bitter Root Land Trust.

Please join us in giving Eileen a warm welcome!

07/29/2026

Meet Jeane Lippert, a 92 year old rancher in Victor who generously partnered with the Bitter Root Land Trust to conserve her 70 acre ranch in perpetuity this year.

When you support landowner-driven conservation in the Bitterroot Valley, you are helping to bring the conservation dreams of landowners, like Jeane's, to life, forever protecting the irreplaceable agricultural lands, wildlife habitat, water, recreation opportunities, and open scenic views that define our special valley.

Thank you to Jeane for this gift to our valley - today, and 100 years from now.

New hats are here! 🧢 Beat the heat in style while supporting conservation of Bitterroot farms and ranches, wildlife & wa...
07/23/2026

New hats are here! 🧢 Beat the heat in style while supporting conservation of Bitterroot farms and ranches, wildlife & water. $25 donation per hat, available for purchase at the BRLT office in Hamilton, M-F from 9-5!

*Shipping available for additional fee

Address

400 W. Main Street, Suite 102
Hamilton, MT
59840

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+14063750956

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