I. INTRODUCTION 



APPROACH 



This plan is a natural resource management plan for 

 the Conservation Districts Division (CDD) of the Depart- 

 ment of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) 

 which addresses the major concerns and problems on 

 private land identified by Montana's conservation districts 

 (CDs). It is not a total natural resource plan for the state of 

 Montana. It does, however, call for cooperation with state 

 and federal agencies that plan for and manage public and 

 trust lands. In many cases, cooperative agreements are in 

 effect between the conservation districts and these agen- 

 cies. Therefore the Conservation Districts Division expects 

 that the agencies will cooperate to accomplish the plan's 

 objectives. The duties and policies of the CDD are 

 presented in Appendix A of this report. 



The CDD resource management plan could be com- 

 bined with similar plans from other agencies to contribute 

 to a statewide planning effort. Such a statewide plan is 

 needed to accomplish resource conservation objectives 

 effectively for Montana. 



PROBLEM SURVEY 



In 1978 CDs were asked to help identify the major 

 resource concerns and problems for their districts. This 

 identification was done with the cooperation and direc- 

 tion of the conservation district supervisors through public 

 participation. This process involved holding 200 public 

 meetings attended by 3,732 people, as well as making 

 presentations to service clubs and Agricultural Stabiliza- 

 tion and Conservation committees. Questionnaires were 

 used to gather the information; they were either handed 

 out at the meetings or mailed to the CD members. Each 

 Soil Conservation Service (SCS) field office district conser- 

 vationist entered the data for each CD on a worksheet 

 (Appendix B). Meeting attendance and questionnaire 

 results are shown in Appendix C. 



After the data were entered on the worksheets for 

 each CD, the information was sent to the SCS state office, 

 which then summarized and compiled it for all the CDs. 

 The results are shown as major concerns by conservation 

 district in figure 1, and major concerns in figure 2. 



The plan sets objectives for the major concerns; these 

 are shown in the work plan in section III. 



PLANNING LEVELS 



Under the Resource Conservation Act (RCA 

 PL95-192), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 

 was directed to make a continuing appraisal of the soil, 

 water, and related resources on nonfederal land, develop 

 a 5-year program for their conservation, and make annual 

 reports to Congress, until the termination of the law on 

 December 31, 1985. In carrying out the RCA law, USDA 

 cooperates with state soil and water agencies, other ap- 

 propriate state natural resource agencies, conservation 

 districts, other local units of government, and land users. 



Montana laws enacted in 1939 provide for the 

 establishment, administration, and operation of conserva- 

 tion districts for resource conservation. These districts are 

 empowered to plan and carry out measures for the con- 

 servation of resources in their jurisdiction. A cooperative 

 agreement established as a result of the Resource Conser- 

 vation Act is one of the tools used to accomplish this goal. 

 This agreement ensures that resource appraisal continues, 

 that plans responsive to local needs are developed, and 

 that necessary action is carried out. 



The Conservation Districts Division of the Montana 

 Department of Natural Resources and Conservation has 

 entered into a joint agreement with the Soil Conservation 

 Service of USDA to develop a plan designed to conserve, 

 protect, and enhance soil, water, and related resources in 

 Montana. A grant provided through the Resource Conser- 

 vation Act funded the production of the plan. 



SOURCES AND STATUS OF ASSISTANCE AND 

 FUNDING FOR CONSERVATION DISTRICTS 



Local Sources: 



Conservation district supervisors have authority 

 through county commissioners to cause taxes to be levied 

 not to exceed 1.5 mills on all real property within the 

 district to fund district programs. Also, 50 percent of the 

 qualified electors in an area can petition to create a pro- 

 ject area. An election must be held for the voters in the 

 proposed project area; a majority vote will result in the 

 creation of a project area. To pay for all or part of the pro- 

 ject expenses the regular 1 .5 mill levy can be used; part of 



