MONTANA WETLANDS PRIORITY CONSERVATION PLAN 

 (Reproduced from Montana SCORP 1988) 



On November 10, 1986, President Reagon signed the Emergency Wetlands resources Act 

 of 1986 ( Public Law 99-645). The purpose of the Act is to promote, in concert with 

 other Federal and State statutes and programs, the conservation of the wetlands of the 

 Nation in order to maintain the public benefits they provide. The act provides for 

 Federal wetlands acquisition and gives equal consideration (along with other lands) to 

 acquisition involving the purchase of wetlands with LWCF monies. While acquisition 

 of wetlands for public outdoor recreation has always been eligible for LWCF assistance, 

 they are now specifically highlighted under the new act. In addition, SCORP' s must 

 now contain a Department of the Interior approved wetlands component starting in 

 fiscal year 1988. 



In order to comply with the recent legislation, the National Park Service has requested 

 that states modify their existing SCORP docimnent to specifically address the wetlands 

 issue vvdthin each state. The objectives of this plan must be consistent with the draft 

 version of the National Wetlands Priority Conservation Plan (NWPCP) developed by the 

 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Factors to be considered include the estimated 

 proportion of remaining wetlands that currently exist, the estimated current rate of loss 

 and threat of future losses of the various wetland types and consideration of the 

 functional values of these wetlands to wildlife, fisheries, water quality and outdoor 

 recreation. 



In response to this mandate, the Montana Department of Fish, WildUfe and Parks has 

 included these needs in the development of an ongoing wetlands consultation process 

 that began over two years ago. Through both meetings and correspondence, all wetland 

 related activities in Montana have so far included coordination and consultation with the 

 following agencies and groups: Federal - Bureau of Land Management, Corps of 

 Engineers, Environmental Protection Agency, Fish and Wildlife Service, Highway 

 Administration; State - Department of ITighways, Water Quality Bureau; Group - Ducks 

 Unlimited, The Nature Conservancy. 



Resource Assessment 



Inventory - To date, the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks has not been actively 

 involved with a wetland inventory program nor a statewide prioritization of wetlands 

 acquisitions and easements. However, the USFWS has been involved with these types 

 of programs in Montana. This represents the best available information to date. 



The objective of the program (consistent with LWCF guidelines) is to prioritize wetlands, 

 as defined by Public Law 99-645, within the state for protection; specifically, to provide 

 for land acquisition for outdoor recreation, and to insure continued productivity of the 



