Last November, Heidi Van Everen could look toward Smith Lake north of Whitefish and watch the stars align above her organization’s flagship project to conserve 600 acres of some of the most sought-after land in the Flathead Valley. Pegging its value at $7.3 million, the state of Montana’s initial appraisal of the parcel guarding the head of Whitefish Lake was just within reach for Whitefish Legacy Partners, the local nonprofit organization Van Everen has led since 2010, racking up community-wide conservation and recreation wins stretching from Beaver Lakes to Haskill Basin while generating millions in revenue for Montana’s school trust.

Anyone who hikes, bikes, walks their dog, or picks berries in the woods around Whitefish is likely doing so on land that Whitefish Legacy Partners (WLP) h

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