Our Vision:
The Swan Valley in 50 years
The Swan Valley is rural and wild. It is a rich environment where people and a natural diversity of native plant and animal species thrive. People learn and work together to ensure that the ecosystem’s resources are protected, responsibly used and available for all future generations.

Swan Ecosystem Center
Swan Ecosystem Center (SEC) is a nonprofit community group in the Swan Valley of northwestern Montana. People with diverse perspectives learn about the watershed and are involved in land management on public and private land. SEC helps people work together to sustain the valley's natural resources and rural and wild characteristics.

Our Mission
We, citizens of Swan Valley, Montana, have a self-imposed sense of responsibility to maintain a strong, vital community involved in setting its own destiny through partnerships that encourage sustainable use and care of public and private lands.

Forest Service Partnership
Swan Ecosystem Center has an office and visitor center in the U.S. Forest Service Condon Work Center. SEC helps the Forest Service continue an on-the-ground presence in the Swan Valley, enabling residents and visitors to connect with Flathead National Forest managers. Staff and volunteers provide information about wildlife, land stewardship, trails and recreation.

The extensive system of lakes, ponds, marshes and streams supports most wildlife species found in the Crown of the Continent ecosystem and more rare plants than anywhere else in Montana. Water howellia, a tiny rare plant, grows in glacial potholes throughout the valley bottom. The Swan River and its tributaries provide the best habitat for native bull trout in the lower 48 states. The area is home to grizzly bears, wolves and other threatened native animals.

The human population is growing. Yet it is estimated in 2007 that about 900 people live within this still intact ecosystem. The Swan Valley is one of the most productive timber growing areas in the region. Land ownership in the Swan Valley is segmented in a square-mile, checkerboard pattern. Plum Creek Timber Company and the Flathead National Forest manage most of the land. Smaller portions are managed by the Swan River State Forest and residential landowners. Checkerboard ownership demands cooperation among all parties. Swan Ecosystem Center and its partners work across boundaries to achieve common goals and maintain a thriving ecosystem.

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