Family Unites to Restore and Preserve Wetlands

Watch their story in Conservation for the Future: Foust Family Wetland Easement, Moiese, MT.

It’s not often that nine grown siblings agree on much. Such is not the case when it comes to the Foust family and their dedication to restoring and protecting wetland areas of their land along the Flathead River.

Nestled in the Moiese Valley of northwestern Montana, the Foust farm lays along a critical migratory corridor stretching from Canada to Mexico. Their land is a mosiac of hills, floodplains, terraces, land masses and islands formed by the Flathead River over thousands of years. During the early 1900’s, the Flat Irrigation Project brought water out of the Mission Mountains to the east and into the Flathead Valley. “It affected this property,” states landowner Glenn Foust. “It intercepted canals and ditches and the natural flow of the river, and it dewatered the property to a degree.”

The family began farming and ranching on the land during the 1930s; then in the 1950s a road along the property was relocated carving out gullies and transporting sediment into the floodplain, filling ponds and natural waterways. Over the following decades the Fousts followed the then-popular trend of maximizing production, which led to some overgrazing. “When I was a young boy on this land, it was full of cheat grass, heavily overgrazed, lots of weeds and brush,” states Glenn. “It was pretty degraded. Our agricultural practices had an impact on the wetlands, the ponds filled in from farming practices, basically it was a monoscape. My brother Arnold was the first in the family to realize the potential of the land and desired to bring back some of the natural wildlife.”

“Everybody agreed we went a little too far in the wrong direction,” states Arnold Foust who continues to farm the land. “Now we realize maybe we need to bring back the wetland function where it is feasible and possible. Whether wildlife or water quality - they were being jeopardized and it really did not make good farm ground, so the family decided to get it back to more of a wetland function.”

The Fousts spoke with a number of different organizations about preserving and restoring the wetlands. “A lot of entities were interested in protecting their species, but we have a lot of different species on our land, we also farm and live here with people to take care of. NRCS was the best fit for us and our situation,” continues Arnold. “They look at a lot of different species as well as looking at the farm and producer and making them successful at the same time – a really good combination. NRCS has a variety of resources at their disposal; we needed to make it work economically and NRCS was able to put together the whole package and make it work for us.” In 2015, the family enrolled three hundred thirty of their acres in a multi-phase wetland reserve program in order to protect and restore the wetlands and ensure protection of the property for generations to come.

Restoration began shortly after closing of easement with plantings of native vegetation for wildlife habitat. In 2018, the wetlands were restored through large scale earthworks and complicated design work. “We re-accessed these springs that had been sedimented in over time from irrigation inflows and various other sources; they weren’t flowing into the wetlands any longer,” states NRCS Supervisory District Conservationist Ben Montgomery. “Through the restoration process we restored the springs, we restored the flow and we restored the hydrology which in turn feeds the entire wetlands below us and provides a whole host of benefits to aquatic habitat.”

In this area of the country, ponds and lakes freeze during the winter. Fed by springs, the waterways on the Foust property never freeze, creating a haven for wintering waterfowl. “On a cold winter day,” states Glenn, “we now see upwards of 10,000 to 20,000 ducks on the property, 1,000 geese and several dozen swans all utilizing this ice-free waterway.”   

“This is a unique and valuable piece of property. Really important to wildlife,” states NRCS’s Montgomery. “Thousands of waterfowl migrate to this area over winter enjoying their warm water springs; this is a critically important wintering habitat for waterfowl throughout western Montana.”

There is more to come.

Over the next several years additional restoration efforts are set to begin. The Fousts have designated another 120 upland acres for grassland and habitat restoration. The area will be seeded with native vegetation and pollinator-friendly plantings spaced throughout to benefit upland birds, deer, elk and a variety of nesting waterfowl. “We have the ability to incorporate and use some of the existing irrigation system to help establish seeds that we are going to plant in this area,” states NRCS Soil Conservationist Austin Allen. “This fall, we plan to establish vegetation using the existing wheel line and pump and other irrigation components that will be permanently removed once that area is established. This upland seeding will be used to help provide habitat for upland birds, accessory habitats for waterfowl and ungulates that come through.” Future plans also include the elimination of non-native species and the planting of native trees and shrubs to provide a different component of habitat.

Reflecting on the success of the project so far.

“We are no longer trying to make farmland out of wetlands or rather marginal areas,” states Arnold. “It’s tough to give up and make that transition but this allowed us to restore a lot of the wetlands that were here historically. Springs, areas where water comes up out of the ground, give heat units to the land. This land allows upland game birds to stop over during migration. The combination of river system, warm water springs, having crops and crop residue, small grains and corn, the birds can stir it up and get access to it. It all comes together to provide a unique habitat.”

An engineer by trade, Glenn could not be more pleased with the progress and success of the project thus far, “I have been managing engineering projects for 37 years, civil projects, wetlands enhancement, natural resource development projects, and as an engineer you’re always looking for that perfect project. We are always looking for it but it never happens. This project is the closest I have ever come to that. We just had the right combination of good quality people at all stages. It really requires a team, it takes technical specialists, it takes people who know how to manage the construction part of it, it takes a team and for this project, we really did have a dream team.”

NRCS’s Montgomery looks over a forb island planted for ground nesting birds and agrees this project has proven successful in every way, “This is just about as good a nesting habitat as you can find. I’d say this seeding exceeded my expectations. I am really happy with it and we are hoping the next field we plant will be just as productive.”

“I’ve worked with the Fousts for nearly 10 years,” Montgomery concludes. “These easements work best when you have a willing, engaged, altruistic set of partners which we certainly have here; they have been fantastic to work with.”

Arnold concurs, “It’s a delicate balance. To find something that works well for people trying to make a living off the land and for the wildlife. NRCS looks at the reality of farming as well as being good stewards of the land.”

The Wetlands Reserve Program has brought nature and man into harmony. “Every aspect of this project is personally fulfilling, bringing back and enhancing things,” states Glenn. “Probably the most significant for me is bringing things together. This area is a convergence of different habitats, river, upland, forest, marsh, meadows – brings them all together. This area responds to that diversity of habitat. And this Wetlands Reserve Program was a godsend to our family. It brings us together as a family with one single purpose. We farm on the property then everyone comes back once, twice, three times, a year. They camp down at the river, take trips down the islands, float the river. This brings our family together in a way that never would have happened if we didn’t have some kind of unifying system to preserve and continue to use the land.”