Montana Neighbor Award Nominations Sought

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Do you know a landowner who is an outstanding neighbor? Someone who takes good care of the land for production and wildlife values, who enables neighborly recreational access, and is actively engaged in his or her community in working to solve problems?

If so, the Montana Neighbor Awards® wants to hear about it and then give such "good neighbors" the recognition they deserve.

The new Montana Neighbor group is an informal coalition that includes The Nature Conservancy of Montana, Artemis Common Ground, the Montana Council of Trout Unlimited and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.

"We want to give recognition to landowners who go the extra mile through collaborative efforts to enhance our Montana sense of community," said Bruce Farling, executive director of Montana Trout Unlimited. "Our mission is to promote the on-the-ground reality of being a good Montana neighbor in a time of transition in our state. We believe that revealing the good things that are happening will encourage others to undertake similar efforts."

The group is soliciting nominations of landowners from across Montana. An awards committee comprised of the founding organizations, along with the Governor’s Office, Montana Land Reliance, as well as individuals involved in ranching or farming, will review the nominations and select the award winners. Winners will receive Montana Neighbor Award certificates signed by the members of the awards committee and by Gov. Brian Schweitzer.

"It’s no secret that land ownership in Montana is in transition," said Stan Meyer, board member of Artemis Common Ground. "There is painful tension out there between landowners, public resource agencies, and sportsmen. But the fact is there are many new and long-time landowners who are great neighbors in the Montana tradition. We want to give them recognition."

Awards will be based on four criteria, including Land Stewardship/Conservation Ethic, Cooperation, Neighborly Land Access, and Community Leadership. Nomination forms can be obtained from any office of the participating organizations or by writing to Montana Neighbor Awards, PO Box 748, Helena, MT 59624, or requested by email at Brian.Kahn@earthlink.net.

For more information contact Brian Kahn at 406-444-8744.

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