The River House
Our new, permanent office & visitor center
Aerial photo 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 allows us to continue to do these things, and offer visitor services, all while conserving 10 acres of river bottom.
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
