About 30 years ago, Dawn North planted an orchard in the shadow of Mount Ascension. One day, while she was working in the orchard, her neighbor Jerry DeBacker stopped by and suggested starting a land trust to protect Helena’s trails and open space and build trails. That conversation planted the seeds for a grassroots conservation movement that became Prickly Pear Land Trust.
Dawn led the Prickly Pear Land Trust education and outreach committee for decades. She pounded the pavement for projects that have shaped our region, from building Mount Ascension Park to the Greenway in East Helena. Dawn learned that conservation, like gardening, has ups and downs, especially in Montana, where drought, hail, and extreme cold threaten. In both endeavors, she was motivated by her childhood in the Flathead Valley and supported by her husband, John North, who passed away in 2018.
“I’ve always been protective of Montana’s lands and wanted the fields to stay farmlands. I watched subdivisions consume the Flathead Valley,” Dawn says. “We had this vision of what Helena could be, and I think Helena has done really well. We’ve worked together to create our trail systems, preserve what’s best about our area, and try to make it better.”
Dawn, a self-described extrovert, made it her mission to talk to everybody. “You can’t do anything or work together if you don’t know each other,” Dawn says. She enjoyed volunteering with PPLT because she met and worked alongside people from all walks of life, and she attributes PPLT’s success to its inclusiveness.
Dawn may have slowed down in the garden, but she’s still committed to connecting land and people. She dreams of a ring of trails around Helena, offering public access for everyone in the community. Because those dreams require long-term support, Dawn made a planned gift to Prickly Pear Land Trust so that our region can continue to balance protecting the land and water with growing food and sustainable housing.
“Balance is everything,” Dawn says as she gazes at her orchard. Her trees have weathered some hard winters, but with attention, they’ll bear fruit for decades to come.
Would you like to leave a legacy that benefits you, your loved ones, and Prickly Pear Land Trust? Please call, email, or stop by our office at any time.
