GRAJTT APPLICATION 70R STATB TTBTLAITO PROT2CTI0N PROGRAMS 

 UMDBX SZCTION 104 (t) (3) 07 THZ CLSAH WATER ACT. SUBMITTZD 

 B7 THX STATS 07 MOHTAKA, DETART3CZ2IT 07 HZALTH AlH) 

 EHVIROIOCZHTAL SCIZNCSS, WATER QUALIT? BUREAU 



Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance No. 66.461 

 Wetlands Protection - State Development Grants 



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CONSERVATION STRATEGY 



SUMMARY 



It has been estimated that over half of ovir nations original 

 wetland acreage has been lost to development and conversion to r 

 cropland. Wetlands in Montana were not immtme and many suffered 

 same fate. Only recently have programs have been put in place on 

 the federal and state levels to reduce these losses. The 

 coordination of the many wetland conservation and protection 

 programs is critical to preserve the important fiinctional values 

 that wetlands serve. 



This component will provide for the development and 

 implementation of a state wetlands conservation strategy (the 

 strategy) . Montana cvirrently has no formal mechanism to 

 coordinate all the activities or programs of different agencies 

 and user groups that may impact wetlands. It is our goal to 

 develop and begin implementation of a strategy over the next two 

 years that will clearly define the role(s) of each agency in 

 administering regulatory and non-regulatory programs, examine the 

 effectiveness of existing programs for the protection and 

 improvement of wetland resources, propose policy or legislative 

 changes for those found to be partially or fully ineffective, 

 identify voids that are not addressed by existing programs, 

 propose ^^^-titutional changes to fill those voids and require the 

 coordina'oon of wetland conservation programs on a statewide 

 basis. "XTmou will be developed upon finalization of the strategy 

 that will's ignify the approval of each council member (agency or 

 orgsmization) and their commitment to implement those segment a 

 for which they may be responsible. 



Under the lead of the Department of Health and Environmental 

 Sciences, Water Quality Bureau (WQB) , an interagency wetlands 

 council composed of all the natxiral resource agencies in Montana, 





