The Stream Gage Oversight Work Group is seeking public feedback on the Draft Report to the 2022 Montana Water Policy Interim Committee on Stream Gaging in Montana.

The Work Group was created by the 66th Montana Legislature in response to water users’ concerns over the shutdown of 10 USGS stream gages in Montana. The Work Group conducted a review of the USGS network and developed recommendations to improve network resilience and continuity considering decreased funding.

The report is available here

The broad recommendations of the report are:

• The State of Montana should work with its elected representatives in Washington D.C. to encourage a significant and sustained federal investment in the nation’s stream gage network.
• The Montana Legislature should consider an increase in state funding to maintain its current level of support to the USGS network in Montana.
• The Montana Legislature should consider appropriating additional funding to complete the build-out of the DNRC state-based stream gage network called for in the 2015 State Water Plan.

Comments will be accepted until 5 p.m. August 12, 2022, and will be used to inform the Water Policy Interim Committee on Montanan’s support for stream gaging.

Submit Online Comments Here

Or email [email protected]  if you need to send an attachment.

Or mail to:
Montana DNRC
Attn: Paul Azevedo
PO Box 201601
Helena, Montana 59620-1601

FWP seeks public input on local elk management issues

HELENA – Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will be hosting a series of public meetings this summer and fall to gather ideas about local elk management issues and population objectives. Meeting places, times and details are posted on the FWP website.

FWP began developing a revised statewide Elk Management Plan in 2020. The first step in the process was to convene a citizen’s group to develop guiding principles for revising the plan. The next step is to gather input on current elk population objectives and other local challenges that could be addressed in the revised Elk Management Plan.

“Revising the statewide Elk Management Plan is a critical step for improving elk management to meet both hunter and landowner expectations,” said FWP Wildlife Division Deer/Elk Coordinator Lindsey Parsons. “Public input from the beginning is critical and we’re hoping hunters and landowners alike will provide comment during this scoping period.”

A public comment period will be open from June 20 to Oct. 15. Beginning June 20, comments can be submitted online or emailed to [email protected].

Input gathered during the local process will be used with information obtained at the statewide scale to develop a draft Elk Management Plan.

Once the draft Elk Management Plan has been developed and released, there will be additional public comment opportunities offered.

The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) is seeking nominations and applications for conservation district supervisors to serve on the newly formed Conservation Districts Advisory Council (CDAC). CDAC was created to replace the former Conservation Resources Advisory Council (RCAC).

Council’s Name and Agency 

Conservation Districts Advisory Council, Department of Natural Resources and Conservation

Council’s Composition 

The composition of the Council shall be seven (7) members with one (1) from western Montana, one (1) from south central Montana, one (1) from northwestern Montana, two (2) from eastern Montana and two (2) from north central Montana.

Council’s Purpose 

1. Advise and assist the Conservation Districts Bureau on district operations and conservation-related issues including impending conservation matters.
2. Facilitate communication between the Conservation Districts Bureau and districts.
3. Advocate the importance of the work and value of the conservation districts to the public, partners, and stakeholders.

Council Member Responsibilities

The Council will meet at a minimum of 2 times per year. Members will be tasked with ensuring that the Conservation Districts Bureau is in alignment with its purpose of empowering conservation districts to meet their mission through legal and operational support, financial assistance, and professional development.

If interested, please complete the gubernatorial application and send to Stephanie Criswell. She is available for questions and nominations at 406-444-6669, [email protected].

PLC Seeks Information on Voluntary Grazing Adjustments

The Public Lands Council has been working with the BLM and Forest Service to ensure they’re directing their staff to use as much flexibility as possible during the upcoming grazing season. The agencies have asked PLC to help them encourage permittees to report actual use, or to help them demonstrate that permittees are already making grazing decisions that match the landscape needs. There are a variety of reasons a permittee may not report actual use, but in order to push the agencies to use more flexibility, we need your help. 

Please complete the two question survey below, and share with your neighbors, state PLC delegates, and friends. Personal identities are not collected as part of the survey unless you want to be contacted as an example of grazing changes.

Take Survey Here

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT HISTORIC PRESERVATION IN MONTANA?

The Montana State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) is revising the state’s five-year preservation plan, Preservation Montana, and we need your input on how SHPO and Montana’s preservation community can better promote and facilitate preservation across the state. Our 10-question survey provides you an opportunity to express your opinions and identify emerging preservation issues. SHPO will synthesize survey results and revise the current plan’s Issues, Goals, Objectives, and Strategies for a 2023 rollout.

Take the survey now:
Survey – Montana Preservation Plan Update 2023-2027 (surveymonkey.com)

SHPO appreciates you sharing your most valuable commodities: your time and thoughts!

The EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers have published the first of their two-phase rulemaking to repeal the Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR). Following a recent court decision in Arizona that vacated the NWPR, the agencies have been implementing the 1986 regulation. Phase 1 of the rulemaking removes NWPR from the Code of Federal Regulations, so that the agency is able to implement the 1986 regulation, with revisions, while they work to revise the definition of “waters of the United States” through a second phase.

For question, please reach out to Raylee Honeycutt at ra[email protected]

Montana’s Livestock Loss Board is looking to revamp the loss prevention grant process and is requesting suggestions from Montana Ranchers to make the process easier for ranchers to apply. Give your ideas today!

In order to facilitate a new process, the board directed two of their members to come up with a new grant application. Elaine Allestad a rancher from Big Timber and Patty Quisno a rancher from Harlem have begun working on new grant requirements. Early thoughts in the process are lowering a cost share requirement for a grant match to make it more affordable. It’s not always a cash match for a cost share. It can be value for your labor such as installing an electric fence to help keep grizzly bears out of smaller pastures as just one example.

“The board’s philosophy has always been that a rancher will know what will work best for their own ranch. We will never tell you what you need to do to reduce predation. This is where you come in. If you have ideas that may help the board, we want to hear from you.” – George Edwards, Livestock Loss Board Executive Director

Ideas can be sent to [email protected]. Please keep in mind that our funding is restricted to non-lethal methods related to grizzly bears and wolves. 

The Livestock Loss board encourages public comment throughout their meetings and your input will help the board come up with better solutions In the future. 

A board meeting to discuss a new grant form will be held sometime during the week of October 11-15^th. Meeting details can be found at www.llb.mt.gov.