The River House
Capital Campaign
Help us secure our permanent Swan Valley home.
Aerial footage by Joost Verboven
In May of 2024, the U.S. Forest Service announced its plan to convey (sell off) the Condon Work Center, SVC’s home of 28 years. After considering many options, from going remote to renting an office in Bigfork, we found a house that would give us a permanent space to call our own…right in the heart of the valley we love most.
A Commitment to Community & a Place to Convene
It became clear that having a home base to meet with our community, partners, and staff & board was a top priority, a part of who we are at our core.
The River House will allow us to continue to do these things, and offer visitor services, all while conserving 10 acres of river bottom.
We’ve already raised $296,000 from incredibly generous supporters towards the $530,000 total campaign goal.
If we can raise $117,000 more (bringing us to $413,000), the Liz Claiborne Art Ortenberg Foundation will match every dollar, and close the gap to complete the purchase and get a few necessary jobs done, including ADA upgrades.
Give $50 and we’ll receive $100, give $5,000 and we’ll get $10,000!
Have questions? Our managing directors would be happy to answer them
Above: Rich and Sally Thomason, their sweet rescue dog Yaskay, and Maria Mantas at the Thomason’s Swan Valley cabin.
Below: Photos by Austin Seback
“Swan Valley Connections connects. It connects us to the landscape.
But it also connects the wisdom of people who, like the late Bud Moore, grew up in a simpler, wilder Montana with those of us who remain and must replace them as best we can. SVC staffers have preserved what those people knew, while adding a scientific dimension. SVC's education programs transmit this knowledge to younger generations, making them woods-aware and deepening their love of the Swan Valley and similar wild places. Its conservation programs equip us to meet the challenge of preserving this unique valley, and other places like it.
This is why we're proud to support SVC, and why we wish it well in its new River House home.”
— RICH & SALLY THOMASON
You Get What You Give
Over fifty years ago, when self-awareness overwhelmed me in my teens, I found sanctuary at my grandmother's cabin in the quiet community of Swan Lake. There, in a log cabin formerly part of the Swan Valley Lodge, at the base of Six Mile, Hall, and ConKelley summits, I discovered solitude that never felt lonely. As I navigated the path to adulthood, I shared those cherished summit hikes with people who became lifelong friends. I've witnessed the valley's struggles – corporations pillaging as they departed the Swan – and celebrated its triumphs as these lands were restored to the People via the Montana Legacy Project. Now in my sixties, my forest bathing is made possible by the unified vision of those who recognized and protected the Swan watershed's sacred character.
When my life's partner, Jee, and I purchased our home in the upper Swan in Condon in 2000, we expanded our exploration, pushing higher and venturing further into both sides of the valley. Our hikes often unfold in reverent silence, acknowledging that the magnificent conversation between sky, flora, fauna, rocks, crunching snow, and meadows of glacier lilies requires no human voice. Whether gazing at Turquoise Lake in summer's warmth or watching otters play from a snowy riverbank of the Swan River, we recognize these moments as precious gifts meant to be preserved for future generations.
Though we consider ourselves citizens of the planet, having explored countless corners of the globe, the Swan Valley holds our heart. Our richest portfolio isn't measured in dollars but in memories – captured in photographs and treasured in our minds – and the Swan Valley offers our greatest returns. It's natural, then, that we choose to protect and invest in this future through Swan Valley Connections. This organization has a long successful track record of conservation focus empowering us to give back and secure our legacy while witnessing its impact in our lifetime. We invite you to pause, breathe in the beauty, and join us in supporting an organization that shares our lifelong passion for this extraordinary valley.
Photos: Donn & Jee (and their pointy-eared pack!) at their Swan Valley home