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Flathead County to Receive $400,000 Grant for Foys to Blacktail Trails
Grant will create ‘community forest’ as part of federal program
Sara Boilen, left, and Carrie Simpson hike a trail at Herron Park. - File photo by Lido Vizzutti | Flathead Beacon
Flathead County, in partnership with Foys to Blacktail Trails, will receive $400,000 to protect 170 acres of forest near Kalispell.
The funds are part of $3.5 million in grants announced Aug. 28 by the U.S. Forest Service as part of a new program to support jobs and healthy forests across the nation. The federal grants are divvied out to 10 projects and are matched with an additional $8.5 million from partners.
Foys to Blacktail Trails is a local nonprofit group with a mission to “secure historic access to trails and lands connecting Herron Park to the forest lands at Blacktail Mountain,” while providing long-term stewardship of those trails.
The $400,000 grant will go toward the creation of the “Foys Community Forest.”
“Foys Community Forest will give folks in the Flathead more opportunities to enjoy and learn about our treasured outdoor heritage,” Sen. Jon Tester said in a statement. “This responsible investment in Montana’s forests strengthens our economy and ensures that folks can enjoy these trails for generations to come.”
Fellow Montana Democratic Sen. Max Baucus also praised the grant.
“Montanans have a deep connection to the great outdoors, and Community Forests like Foys are a great way for local communities to protect the hiking, camping and exploring they love for their kids and grandkids,” Baucus said.
“We all know that Montana is the best place on earth to live, work and raise a family – and helping our communities protect public access at the local level is an important part of preserving what makes Montana so special.”
According to the Forest Service, the Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program “provides financial assistance grants to local governments, tribes and qualified nonprofit organizations working to establish community forests with a focus on economic and environmental benefits, education, forest stewardship and recreation opportunities.”
The Forest Service says the program is within the focus area of the Crown of the Continent America’s “Great Outdoors Initiative” and supports the initiative’s goals of “preserving undeveloped land while producing economic benefits from timber products and recreation, protecting wildlife and encouraging community education programs.”
Birch Creek, located inside the proposed community forest, supports a population of Northern Leopard Frogs, a species “in great need of conservation,” according to the Forest Service.
“These truly are community forests: envisioned by the local community, supported by the local community and it is the local community who will reap the economic and environmental benefits,” Agriculture Under Secretary Harris Sherman said in a statement.
“This program will give thousands of Americans better access to the great outdoors, while fostering the next generation of American conservationists.”
For more information, visit www.foystoblacktailtrails.org.
The funds are part of $3.5 million in grants announced Aug. 28 by the U.S. Forest Service as part of a new program to support jobs and healthy forests across the nation. The federal grants are divvied out to 10 projects and are matched with an additional $8.5 million from partners.
Foys to Blacktail Trails is a local nonprofit group with a mission to “secure historic access to trails and lands connecting Herron Park to the forest lands at Blacktail Mountain,” while providing long-term stewardship of those trails.
The $400,000 grant will go toward the creation of the “Foys Community Forest.”
Fellow Montana Democratic Sen. Max Baucus also praised the grant.
“Montanans have a deep connection to the great outdoors, and Community Forests like Foys are a great way for local communities to protect the hiking, camping and exploring they love for their kids and grandkids,” Baucus said.
“We all know that Montana is the best place on earth to live, work and raise a family – and helping our communities protect public access at the local level is an important part of preserving what makes Montana so special.”
According to the Forest Service, the Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program “provides financial assistance grants to local governments, tribes and qualified nonprofit organizations working to establish community forests with a focus on economic and environmental benefits, education, forest stewardship and recreation opportunities.”
The Forest Service says the program is within the focus area of the Crown of the Continent America’s “Great Outdoors Initiative” and supports the initiative’s goals of “preserving undeveloped land while producing economic benefits from timber products and recreation, protecting wildlife and encouraging community education programs.”
Birch Creek, located inside the proposed community forest, supports a population of Northern Leopard Frogs, a species “in great need of conservation,” according to the Forest Service.
“These truly are community forests: envisioned by the local community, supported by the local community and it is the local community who will reap the economic and environmental benefits,” Agriculture Under Secretary Harris Sherman said in a statement.
“This program will give thousands of Americans better access to the great outdoors, while fostering the next generation of American conservationists.”
For more information, visit www.foystoblacktailtrails.org.
I’m guessing that Monroe means “Bad dog etiquette”, is really the lack of etiquette among the dog owners who have little to no regard for others who use the same areas. I exercise my dog twice a day, every day. I pick up after him each and every time…
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