A Legacy of Conservation: Teller Wildlife Refuge Protects a Piece of Paradise in the Bitterroot Valley

Nestled between Corvallis and the Bitterroot River in the heart of the river's namesake valley sits Teller Wildlife Refuge, a not-for-profit privately owned nature reserve with a rich history of conservation, agriculture, and community engagement that endures to this day.

As you walk into the wilds of the refuge, traffic noise from Highway 93 and the Eastside Highway is overtaken by bird calls from white-breasted nuthatches and red-winged blackbirds accompanied by the drumming of pileated woodpeckers. Red-tailed hawks soar overhead. Artesian springs warm a section of creek where great blue herons gather in the throes of winter. Junipers, hawthorns, and cottonwoods provide food and shelter for black bear, red fox, moose, elk, and white-tailed and mule deer.

"You can walk through the river bottom and have a chance to see any one of those species," says Teller's executive director Dan Bailey.

Teller's origin story began many years ago with Otto "Mose" Teller fishing the waters of the Bitterroot River and hunting within the surrounding wetlands and forests. Over time, Otto and his wife Anne witnessed these wildlands change with the encroachment of civilization and a shift away from the traditional agricultural communities once prominent in the valley. They felt the need to act. With the help of their friend and attorney, Phil Tawney, the trio succeeded in protecting 1,200 acres on the outskirts of Corvallis by putting it under a permanent conservation easement through the Montana Land Reliance resulting in the establishment of Teller Wildlife Refuge in 1988.

Dan explains that Otto and Anne continued to be involved on the refuge following its inception. "They would share the refuge with folks from the community and build relationships here in the valley. There are still a lot of our supporters who have been supporting us since the '80s who have that direct relation to the Tellers," says Dan. Otto and Anne are no longer with us, but other passionate stewards are here to watch over the refuge, which means this land is forever protected and stands today as a shining example of what a small group of dedicated Montanans can accomplish.

Teller's minimal staff works tirelessly to nurture existing relationships within the community, and build new ones with the goal of fulfilling the mission of the original founders—to inspire, educate, and demonstrate conservation in action. In addition to Dan, Heather Tellock serves as the director of development, Nicole Ballard is the conservation education director, and administrative assistant Karen Zumwalt wrangles everyone and everything together. A 10-person board of trustees use their diverse backgrounds and connections to help raise money and spread the word about Teller.

As a private nonprofit, Teller's funding comes from a variety of sources. One-third of the budget stems from an endowment set up by Otto and Anne. The annual TnT Dinner and Auction brings in a significant chunk of money. Government grants and what Dan calls their "amazing donors" add to the pot. Rounding out the funding sources is the revenue that stems from weddings held at the Barn.

A unique part of the refuge's history is Otto's restoration and preservation of two historic houses on the property, the Slack Home and Chaffin Home. These two families were the first to homestead in Corvallis. Over the years, Otto, the staff, and dedicated volunteers painstakingly restored, and continue to maintain, the properties so visitors can experience this landscape much like these families did in the mid-1800s.

Each summer, the refuge is booked solid with weddings held inside, or in the field behind, the rustic yet beautiful Slack Barn offering guests stunning views of the Bitterroot Mountains. As part of the package, the wedding party has the luxury of staying in the historic homes. Heather Tellock jokes, "We own the land all the way to the river so you can be sure that no one is crashing your wedding."

Income from events in turn benefits the refuge by helping them to focus on conservation projects. Heather says, "The historic homes and weddings are a balance of generating revenue while being a hub for the community and conservation-minded groups. It's nice to know we can provide this to our community while maintaining the properties' historic values, and the wedding parties appreciate that they also have a part in supporting conservation."

Teller now encompasses just under 1,300 acres consisting of three parts agricultural land, managed wetlands, and riparian, or riverfront, corridor. Dan holds no illusion that Teller can be restored to what it once was. The land has been too altered over the centuries, but he knows they can preserve what is here. They do this through a variety of conservation projects from building nesting boxes for wood ducks to planting a mixture of grasses and flowering plants to attract honey bees and other important pollinators.

The newest conservation project involves a partnership with the Bitterroot Conservation District that led to the purchase of a no-till drill. The machine protects soil health by planting seeds without tearing up the land. They use it on the refuge and allow local farmers access to it. "It gives us an ability to work with new landowners in the valley," says Dan. "We check out the drill, we bring them out to the refuge to show how we've used it, and talk about conservation plantings and wildlife plantings to share this on-the-ground experience that we've had. It's making sure that people who live in the valley, or are moving here, understand this conservation ethos that we're trying to embed."

Father and son Bob and Levi Gingerich lease farmland located on the refuge with Levi also acting as Teller's lands manager. The family shares in Teller's conservation values and follows wildlife-friendly farming practices like waiting to cut alfalfa until mid-June to protect ground-nesting birds.

Wetlands and the waters that fill them are a vital part of the refuge. Gird, Spring, and Willow creeks are constantly being manipulated to improve habitat. Through this practice, fields of invasive cheatgrass have been replaced with willows and other plantings valuable to foraging wildlife and waterfowl.

The riparian area is a different story when it comes to management. "We let the river do its thing," says Dan. "One of my favorite things is to bring people to Teller and float the river. You drive around the valley and see houses and broken up landscape, then you get on the Bitterroot and you feel like you're the only one around. I use that landscape to show folks what it can be like here."

Opening up this landscape to the community is a major goal at Teller. The staff works hard to build connections in the surrounding communities by hosting the Corvallis High School FFA chapter for barn dances and welcoming Bitterroot Bird Alliance for the annual Christmas Bird Count. The Summer Speaker Series brings people to the refuge to hear fascinating talks on subjects ranging from the history of the Salish in the valley to Karelian bear dogs. Anyone is welcome to hike the Teller Trail, a 1.5-mile loop located off Woodside Cutoff Road for a chance to see coyote pursuing a herd of deer through a maze of cottonwoods and moose feeding in the river bottoms.

The education component of Teller's mission is important to all the staff, but it is a special passion for Nicole Ballard. Each fall, she holds hunting clinics for women, youth, and college-aged students introducing everyone to the wonders of Teller. Each summer, the refuge is abuzz with Nature Connections Camp where kids happily roam the refuge playing games, creating art, and even snorkeling in Gird Creek. Nicole says, "We use place-based learning on the refuge to connect people to their local environment. Whether someone has 10,000 acres or a small backyard, our hope is that they take these concepts and values and implement them in their own lives. It's also a great way to bring community together."

Conservation in the Classroom is an exciting new education initiative that Teller has implemented in partnership with the Montana Natural History Center and the Bitterroot Water Partnership. The goal is to build a foundation of conservation mentality and natural resource understanding for K-12 students in the Bitterroot Valley using a science-based curriculum. "We hope these kids continue to be stewards of their environment when they get out of school whether or not they choose a career in conservation," says Nicole.

Dan best sums up Teller's unique role in the Bitterroot Valley. "Not a lot of nonprofits own property," he says. "We have an ability to use this as a living classroom. We see it as a few folks being able to utilize a small chunk of land to educate a lot of folks up and down the valley. We want everyone to know that Teller is here to be a resource for the community, and that we're here to be good neighbors who are eager to share our refuge and the landscape."