Protecting Montana's Open Landscapes
DANIEL & DUANE LEE
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WALKING INTO THE KITCHEN of the Lee family farmhouse feels a bit like stepping back in time. “The place is nearly the same as it was when we were kids,” said Daniel Lee. Daniel’s brother Duane pointed to the old chimney where a wood stove is plumbed, adding, “the only difference is that instead of that wood stove, we had an old cook stove, which doubled as our hot water heater.”
Daniel and Duane Lee each recently donated conservation easements to The Montana Land Reliance on their land located just outside of Bigfork.
While the easements are new to the Lee family, owning land in the Flathead Valley is not. “Our family has lived in this house and worked on this property for the past 100 years,” Daniel explained. “Our Grandpa, Even Lee, moved to the Flathead Valley from his North Dakota homestead in 1910 for reasons of poor health. He claimed he wanted to die in the mountains of Montana. Life must have been good on this place because he lived for another 48 years!”
Duane recalled their father, Halvor. “He was born in this house and lived in it his whole life. Growing up, we had three generations living under one roof. We never had much spending money, but we planted a big garden and always had food on the table.”
“Over the years our family has done it all on the farm,” Duane said. “We raised hay and a variety of other crops, ran livestock including registered Black Angus cattle, and of course harvested timber. And like many folks in the Bigfork area, we even cut Christmas trees.”
AFTER CHILDHOOD, Duane and Daniel both attended college and pursued careers away from Montana. Duane worked as an analytical chemist in Utah, and Daniel was a professor of ethics at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. While their careers took them away from Montana, they always appreciate returning to the place they call home.
The brothers recognized what was happening to other farms in the area. “We always respected and looked up to our parents, and were looking for a way to perpetuate their stewardship ethic,” said Daniel. “Our biggest concern for the land was the threat of subdivision.”
That threat ended when the brothers decided to donate conservation easements to The Montana Land Reliance.
“The only reason we have this property is because our father was adamant about refusing to sell,” Daniel stated. “Time after time he was approached by developers and had every opportunity to cash out. Instead he gave it to us.”
“By placing the land under easement with language to ensure the farm cannot be subdivided, we are extending our farm’s legacy to future generations.”
Legacy is a perfect word to describe the Lee family. In 2010, to recognize 100 years of the family legacy, Lee descendents gathered in Bigfork for a centennial celebration. “It was incredible,” recalled Duane, “over 120 family members from all over the United States and Canada gathered. We had family attend we didn’t even know!”
WHEN IT CAME TIME for the Lee brothers to choose a land trust, they found The Montana Land Reliance to be a perfect fit. “We were attracted to the Land Reliance because they worked with us to protect our land without being rigid,” Daniel said. “Our conservation easement gives us the flexibility and freedom to manage our resources the way we want.”
These days the brothers return to Bigfork at every opportunity, and both dedicate considerable time maintaining their properties.
Daniel has spent the past couple of years building a modest cabin on his tract, which is blanketed with a multi-age mixed stand of Douglas fir and western larch. “We have commercially thinned the timber over the years to maintain a healthy forest,” he said.
The timber, which extends the entire length of the property, is important to Daniel for more than just its wood fiber. “It’s an important wildlife corridor connecting Swan Hill to the Echo Lake pothole lakes complex,” he said. “The timber provides cover for many types of wildlife, especially bear, to pass through without being restricted by areas of development.”
Duane returns to Bigfork on his vacations to work the fields, employing some of the same machinery used by his father. “The haying equipment is old but still gets the job done, and I enjoy the manual labor of putting up hay and keeping the weeds under control,” he said.
On his visits, Duane stays in the original farmhouse. “I have such good memories of growing up on this place and will always call it home,” he said. “Maintaining the old house and outbuildings is a steady job. Most importantly, I put a new roof over the barn. It’s a great old building and if I keep the water out, it should last for another 100 years.”
