At Five Valleys, our conservation work only begins with the signing of an easement.  In our view, this is when our partnership with the land and landowner begins in earnest. With the signing of a conservation easement comes the Trust’s perpetual responsibility of stewarding the protected conservation values and supporting landowners in their efforts to manage their land with conservation in mind.

We take this commitment seriously.  We monitor our conservation easements and visit with landowners every year.  We listen carefully to the concerns of landowners and work to help them meet their management goals in a way that achieves optimal protection for their land and its conservation values.  We pride ourselves in working collaboratively with landowners and other partners to bring resources and sound solutions to difficult land management issues.

MONITORING -

The Five Valleys Land Trust accepts a perpetual responsibility to monitor all of its conservation easement lands to ensure that the purposes of each easement are realized. We visit each property at least once each year and strive to maintain healthy working relationships with easement landowners: our perpetual partners.

LANDOWNER ASSISTANCE -

The Five Valleys Land Trust also works collaboratively with interested landowners to develop, implement and monitor voluntary land management practices that enhance the conservation values of the land.  Projects include:

*  Weed Control
*  Restoration Forestry Practices
*  Grazing Management Techniques

HANDS ON THE LAND -

Stemming from the combination of landowners’ desires to restore and enhance the conservation values on their property and the interest many FVLT members have expressed in getting involved on the land, in 2003 FVLT launched our Hands on the Land (HOTL) program.  Working with partnering landowners and a growing crew of volunteers, the HOTL program promotes outstanding stewardship through grassroots, on-the-ground restoration.  This program has quickly proven to be an effective (and fun) way to meet and exceed the conservation standards of our easements while increasing our members’ direct involvement in our efforts.

Each year we bring members of the community to easement lands to learn about the land’s conservation values and the importance of good stewardship practices.  Participants have the opportunity to walk with experts in diverse fields, such as fire ecology, native flora of intermountain prairies, restoration ecology, and ornithology and lend a hand on habitat restoration projects, such as:

* Riparian and Wetland Plant Community Restoration
* Native Prairie Restoration/ Noxious Weed Pulling
* Fence Building/ Removal
* Trail Maintenance
* Habitat enhancement for rare and threatened species

Please click here for more information & the current Hands on the Land event schedule