310 Permits, Education, Water Quality

Great Ad from Montana DEQ

A supervisor at the Conservation District recently ran across the following ad on TV, placed by Montana DEQ.  It stresses the importance of riparian/streamside vegetation, especially native vegetation with cottonwoods and willows etc. If you are a new landowner in Lewis and Clark County, or even an established one, please take heed.  Leave the vegetation alone.  You are also considered to be in violation of the Montana Streambed and Land Preservation Act of 1975 if you remove the vegetation without a 310 permit from the Conservation District. https://youtu.be/g5CEAwSrW2M
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310 Permits, Agriculture, Communication, Flooding, Forestry, Monitoring, Noxious Weeds, Planning, Plant materials, Pollinator, Programs, Water Quality

New Landowner Resource Concern Survey

As part of our annual planning operations, the Conservation District has a new survey for landowners to report natural resource concerns to us.   Residents of Lewis and Clark County are asked to take this short survey, giving feedback on new concerns about our natural resources in the county or ongoing concerns.   The Conservation District will utilize the feedback we receive as we look at program development, budgeting,  collaboration with other partner organizations such as the NRCS, and in our planning revisions for our long-range-plan. Please take just a minute or so to fill this out for us!
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310 Permits, Education, Water Quality

Living with Beavers?

Are you a landowner living with beavers on your property?  If so, have a look at a new page on our website, under Landowner Resources. If you have a stream running through your place, it's likely that you've experienced having beavers in the stream, building dams and houses, and taking down trees. But before you decide to summarily get rid of the beavers, think twice. First, you need to get a permit from the Conservation District if the dam is in a perennial stream in the county, and if you aren't sure if it is, give us a call, we're…
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310 Permits, Agriculture, Cost Share, Flooding, Programs, Water Quality, Watershed

A Day in Augusta

For landowners in the Augusta or Dearborn areas who were affected by the flooding this past week, we want to let you know that we're going to be in Augusta at the Youth Center/Senior Center/ Public Health office on June 29 from 10-2 collecting information on bridge and culvert damage as well as stream damage.  We'll have permit forms--regular and emergency--bridge and culvert installation information, and other information for you.   We're also hoping to have any program information from the Farm Service Agency and information on whether the Conservation District will have funding available to assist with bridge and culvert…
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310 Permits, Education, Events, Noxious Weeds, Students, Water Quality, Watershed

Flood Awareness at EVMS!

Since the spring of 2008, the Lewis & Clark Conservation District has worked with area agencies to bring Flood Awareness to the East Valley Middle School.  What began with a parent visit during an open house in the fall of 2007, turned into a 9 year commitment to education. Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Lewis & Clark County Disaster and Emergency Services, and the Water Quality Protection District helped with planning efforts that first year and in subsequent years.  This year, we missed the East Helena Volunteer Fire Department, but had great presentations from DNRC's Michelle Phillips (floodplain), USGS'…
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Agriculture, Budget, Drip irrigation, Education, Resolutions, Water Quality, Watershed, , , ,

Sustainable Low Cost Crop – No More Over Grazing

Over Grazing Solutions for Small to Large Landowners By: Ashley Rivero           The discovery for us here at the Conservation District was during a stream permitting assessment on the Rocking Z Guest Ranch.  The Rocking Z Guest Ranch along Wolf Creek, run by a ranching family since 1974, offer an innovative range of opportunities to horseback riders, vacations goers, internships, as well as ranching and conservation education with the full Montana experience.  They offered to show us some of the environmentally friendly methods they have integrated into their daily operations and one that stuck out the most offers a potential solution to overgrazing…
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Employees, Water Quality, Watershed

New Face in the Office

Ashley Rivero is a Big Sky Watershed Corps member who will be housed in the Conservation District office for the next 10 and 1/2 months.  Ashley has a varied background and will be posting a bio and some ideas about what she'd like to do for the next year.  Her time will be shared between the Lewis & Clark Conservation District, the Lake Helena Watershed Group and the Lewis & Clark County Water Quality Protection District.   If you're in the Helena Field Office, stop in and say "hi" to Ashley in the CD office.  We're the first door on the…
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