About Us

Five Valleys Land Trust is a community-supported non-profit conservation organization with a mission to “preserve and protect western Montana’s natural legacy—our river corridors, wildlife habitat, agricultural lands, and scenic open spaces.”  We are not an advocacy group.  We work with landowners and other partners to craft unique, collaborative solutions to conservation challenges and opportunities. Click here to contact us >>  

Five Valleys Land Trust (FVLT) is a credible, widely-known and well-respected community-based land trust with a leadership role in local and regional land protection initiatives. We provide important land conservation planning and stewardship resources to individual landowners and growing and changing communities. Our goal is to work with landowners to help realize a conservation-oriented vision that honors our past and assures that this natural legacy will be enjoyed by our children.

Using creative and sometimes complex solutions, FVLT works collaboratively with private landowners, communities, public agencies, and other organizations to ensure that Western Montana and the Rocky Mountain West conserve those natural resources that have sustained us in the past and that continue to enhance our quality of life.  Our reputation is built on our ability to provide informed, capable, trustworthy, and flexible assistance to private landowners, community groups, government, and other conservation partners to achieve our shared conservation goals.  We foster and reflect a strong land ethic and encourage state-of-the-art management practices through our land conservation and stewardship education programs.  FVLT helps leave a landscape that contributes to our collective identity and quality of life by supporting sustainable land use practices.

FVLT has a large, diverse, engaged membership; dedicated volunteers; a visionary Board of Directors; a talented, creative and resourceful Staff; and the financial capacity to carry out our mission.  We use innovative, personal and appropriate educational and outreach opportunities to maintain and enhance our credibility, broaden our membership and build and diversify our funding base to accomplish our mission and goals.

Working with Private Landowners

Private landowners who share in our vision are the lifeblood of Five Valleys. It is those landowners, their love of the land and their commitment to wise stewardship that provides the spark to ignite our efforts. And it is their dedication and perseverance that enables us to see each project through to completion.  We strive to assist landowners in achieving their personal vision for the future of their land. We listen carefully to landowners’ desires and plans for their land. We walk the land with them to learn about its unique character. And we work hard to help design solutions that fit their personal situations. Five Valleys’ goal with every landowner is to build a solid, interactive relationship, one that is based on trust, and one that will stand the test of time. We believe that kind of relationship is absolutely essential to achieving long-lasting and truly meaningful conservation.