Montana Nonprofit Five Valleys Land Trust Drives Equitable Access and Population Initiatives
Industries: Conservation – Community-Based Conservation, Nonprofits, and NGOs
Key Technologies: ArcGIS Online
Read the Esri ArcWatch Article, “In Montana, an ArcGIS Online App Helps Promote Conservation”
Founded in the early 1970s, the Five Valleys Land Trust was born out of a concern over rapid residential and commercial development in western Montana. The group, initially known as the Five Valleys River Park Association, aimed to protect the region’s unique open lands, rivers, and streams. By 1980, they secured Montana’s first public open space bond, evolving into the Five Valleys Land Trust (FVLT) by the end of the decade.
The Trust’s mission is to protect western Montana’s natural heritage, ensuring future generations enjoy its river corridors, wildlife habitats, agricultural lands, and community open spaces. They focus on preserving the beauty and sustainability of the Bitterroot, Blackfoot, upper and lower Clark Fork, and Mission-Jocko valleys. Collaborating with private landowners, governments, and community partners, FVLT seeks to safeguard these natural resources for years to come.
Conservation Challenges and Solutions
In 2022, FVLT partnered with GCS to address growing development pressures on western Montana’s open spaces. The main goal was to analyze population growth and accessibility to open spaces across the ten counties under the Land Trust’s purview.
GCS utilized ArcGIS Online to develop a data layer analyzing population trends from 2010 to 2020. The data revealed high-growth areas and identified regions where open space access was under strain. Additionally, GCS created an “open space access opportunity density” layer, pinpointing areas most in need of accessible outdoor areas.
One key aspect of the project was mapping walkability to open spaces across the region. This geospatial analysis provided critical insights into which communities had the best and worst access to recreational and conservation areas, helping FVLT to focus their efforts on high-need areas.
Innovative Conservation Tools
To further support FVLT’s mission, GCS developed an ArcGIS Online application that helps prioritize conservation efforts. Using cadastral, census, habitat, and walkability data, the application generates weighted scores for each property based on criteria like whether the land lies within a Grizzly Connectivity Corridor or is adjacent to other conserved lands.
In 2024, GCS enhanced this application with a Conservation Planning Tool, adding custom visualizations, configured widgets, and popups using Arcade scripting. The tool now allows FVLT staff to assess conservation projects in real-time using Python-driven geoprocessing workflows.
Additionally, GCS tackled a common geographic challenge, the Modifiable Areal Unit Problem (MAUP), by standardizing map unit sizes across the ten-county service area. This ensured that FVLT’s analysis reflected a consistent spatial distribution, improving decision-making and planning processes.
Impact and Results
With the implementation of these GIS tools, Five Valleys Land Trust can fully integrate geospatial intelligence into daily operations. This allows their team to access, analyze, and share critical insights in real-time, fostering collaboration and enabling data-driven decisions in conservation prioritization and resource allocation.
The centralized GIS platform provides FVLT with clearer, more accurate conservation maps and opportunities, enhancing their ability to protect Montana’s natural beauty and ensuring equitable access to outdoor spaces for current and future generations.
About Five Valleys Land Trust
While many believe that government entities manage all of the open spaces, trails, parks, and outdoor amenities we enjoy in western Montana, the reality is often different. Private citizens, through hard work and dedication, play a crucial role in preserving these lands. Five Valleys Land Trust embodies this spirit of conservation by collaborating with individuals and communities to safeguard Montana’s natural beauty for future generations.
Land Acknowledgement
Five Valleys Land Trust honors the traditional homelands of the Séliš (Salish) and Ql̓ispé (Kalispel) people. We respect their enduring presence in this region, their rich history, and their cultural contributions to the land. The stewardship they have shown over centuries continues to guide us as we protect and preserve western Montana’s natural resources for future generations.
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