stock dam complexes of eastern Montana are omitted. When the National Wetlands 

 Inventory is finished we may have the opportunity to develop a more complete list of 

 acquisition priorities. 



Thanks to state and federal programs other than the LWCF, over $1 million annually is 

 available for carrying out wetlands protection strategies in Montana. Therefore, the 

 protection of wetlands will remain for the foreseeable future one of the lowest priorities 

 for the expenditure of LWCF funds. To prioritize wetlands high enough to become 

 dependant upon LWCF funds would seriously jeopardize an already healthy program. 



The Department is however considering funding strategies which could allow the use 

 of wetland funds to share in the acquisition or development of portions of parklands for 

 waterfowl production. Therefore no change in the LWCF priority rating system is 

 necessary for these purposes at this time. 



National Issues 



First of all, Montana has complied with a National Park Service request to amend our 

 SCORP document to satisfy new wetland criteria. Yet at this point in time, LWCF 

 funding levels are no where sufficient for use in wetland acquisition purposes. Other 

 state and federal programs channel millions of dollars for wetland protection and 

 enhancement activities instead. 



Secondly, Montana wetlands have not been impacted to the degree of the prairie pothole 

 regions of the Dakotas and Minnesota. However, impacts such as drainage, intensified 

 agricultural activities and subdivision development continue to reduce the productivity 

 of wetiands within the state. From a waterfowl production standpoint, it is innperative 

 to recognize the importance of the quality of the upland areas adjacent to these 

 wetiands. This point should be emphasized in the National Priority Conservation Plan. 



Finally, the thrust of the NWPP is protection of natural wetiand basins, especially those 

 in the high loss category. Obviously these are very important components on a national 

 level. Within the State of Montana, particularly in eastern Montana, the importance of 

 artificially created livestock reservoirs to the wetiand base and waterfowl production 

 cannot be overstated. Under the proposed evaluation criteria, these wetlands would 

 assume a low priority for protection. From a state standpoint this could create a 

 problem in using LWCF or possibly other federal funds for wetland protection. 



