Swan Valley
Date: 08/29/2021
State: MT
Issues: Watersheds, Wild Lands, Wildlife
Partners: Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes, Swan Valley Connections, The Nature Conservancy
Airport Origin : Seeley Lake, MT
Mission
The wetlands of Swan Valley are home to rare plant and animal species, as well as Tribal Nations and multiple Wilderness areas. This region, with its many stakeholders, requires complex management. EcoFlight provided Tribal and conservation partners with an aerial perspective of the Swan Valley to understand various environmental needs and to encourage beneficial restoration programs.
The Swan Valley exemplifies a wild and working landscape. Being over 90% public land, the Swan Valley boasts a harmonious relationship between humans, rare plants, and animal species. Located in the wettest watershed in Montana, the region is 16% surface water. The area is home to Tribal Nations and two Wilderness complexes. Swan Valley Connections works to ensure this multiplex space is managed in a way that services the region's many stakeholders and environmental needs. In the face of climate change, increased recreation, and human population growth, the Swan Valley remains a resilient demonstration of proper management. Swan Valley Connections (SVC) strives to connect the community to nature through research and monitoring, restoration, and education. SVC believes ecological knowledge and indigenous perspectives are crucial to protecting the waterways, ecosystems, and wildlife of the Swan Valley.
Support and funding is needed to retain the precious biodiversity of this region; in particular, restoration efforts, as well as a program to monitor rare forest carnivores in the Southwest Crown of the Continent could greatly benefit this region. The unique beauty, ecosystems, and wildlife of the Swan Valley are certainly worthy of protection!