HIGHLIGHT  2025 Board Meeting Calendar
The 2025 MACD Meeting Calendar is available here. You can find additional information about MACD, district, and partner meetings and events on MACD's web-based Events Calendar.

Big Hole Water Quality February Meeting | February 19

 NEW  Montana Invasive Species Council Meeting | February 20 in Helena

 NEW  CEMIST Quarterly Meeting | February 26

Association of Montana Floodplain Managers Annual Conference | February 25-28 in Missoula

 NEW  Noxious Weed Management Advisory Council Meeting | March 10-12 in Helena

 NEW  Montana Rural Water Systems Conference | March 12-14 in Great Falls

Envirothon 2025 | April 28-29 in Great Falls

Aquatic Pet Rehoming Event | April 29 in Missoula

North Central Drought & Climate Outlook Webinar | February 20

Rural Resilience Webinar: Enriching Soil Health With Vermicast Applications | February 27

Farm Succession/Transition Planning | March 1

 NEW  2025 NCSS National Conference Call for Abstracts | Deadline: February 28
The National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS) extends an open invitation to submit abstracts for presentations at the 2025 National Cooperative Soil Survey Conference in Corvallis, Oregon.Presenters can submit abstracts for one of the following: (1) Oral Presentations (15-minutes), (2) Poster Presentations, or (3) Lightning Talks (5-minute Oral Presentation). For more information, contact Tiffany Allen.

 HIGHLIGHT  Winter Farmer's Market | March 2 in Hysham
Treasure County Conservation District is looking for CDs to table at the Winter Farmer's Market on March 2nd in Hysham.

 HIGHLIGHT  Seeking Nominees for the 2025 Leopold Conservation Award | March 3
The Leopold Conservation Award in Montana is proudly presented to private landowners who are dedicated to leaving their land better than how they found it.
 

 NEW  Nomination Period is Now Open for the 2025 NCSS Awards | Deadline: March 14
USDA's Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) requests nominations for the 2025 National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS) Awards to recognize scientists involved in the Soil Survey Program. Nominations are being accepted in the following categories: Scientist of the Year; Scientist Achievement; Cooperator Achievement. For more information, contact Dr. David Linbo.

Nominations Open for 2025 Montana Environmental Stewardship Award | Deadline: May 1
The Montana Stockgrowers Association (MSGA) is now accepting nominations for the 2025 Montana Environmental Stewardship Award. Each year, MSGA honors a Montana ranch that exemplifies environmental stewardship and demonstrates a commitment toward improved sustainability within the beef industry.

Help Save USGS Stream Gages
The USGS currently has 10 gages that are in line to be shut down; some with near 70 years of record. See the list of at risk stream gages and donate today to help keep these gages running.

Forest Collaborative Groups
If you are passionate about the health of our forests and grasslands please consider joining a local collaborative group. A collaborative group is a gathering where the needs of local communities and stakeholders come together to find common ground, offering guidance to local public lands administrators.

Member Recruitment for the Rangeland Resource Committee | Deadline: Open Until Filled
The Rangeland Resource Committee (RRC) which oversees programmatic direction for the Rangeland Resources Program (RRP) is seeking applicants for two committee member vacancies starting January 2025. If you have questions about being a committee member, contact Diane Ahlgren, skipndiane@midrivers.com or Stacey Barta, sbarta@mt.gov

 NEW  CDB Directory Updates
The CDB is updating the Conservation District Directory for 2025. Please send updates on new CD supervisors, changes to supervisor officers, staff changes, and updated contact information to your CD Specialist. 

Montana Audubon's Screech-Owl Surveys Are Back! | Deadline: April 30
Montana Audubon's second-annual citizen science survey targeting Western and Eastern Screech-Owls is back, and we are looking for dedicated volunteers anywhere in Montana to collect some data on these Potential Species of Concern. This survey consists of 10 nighttime callback stations a mile apart along a driving route to listen for any owl vocal responses. These surveys can be completed anytime between March 1st and April 30th, no experience required! A virtual training for this survey will take place over Zoom on February 24th at 7pm.

Conservation District Directory
A landing page for all of your conservation districts general information.

310 Violation Workflow Toolkit
This document establishes guidelines and procedures for the resolution of complaints and 310 violations. It outlines the process conservation districts should follow to seek judicial enforcement under Mont. Code Ann. §§ 75-7-122 and -123.

CDB 10-Minute Training Program Library
Updated 10-minute trainings from this program include Strategic Planning, Project Development & Grants, Mill Levies, Personnel, Board Engagement, Fiscal Responsibility, 310 Joint Application, Rental Equipment, Meeting Hybridization, and Meeting Minutes.

Discounted ESRI subscriptions available through MACD
As of December 3, 2024, five discounted ESRI subscriptions are available through MACD. Each of these subscriptions is only $120. For more information, contact ginsterwlcc@macdnet.org.

New Trust Lands Public Access Map
This ArcGIS map provides the locations of trust lands in Montana and identifies which ones can be publicly accessed.

How's My Waterway
Check out the EPA’s “How’s My Waterway” map to discover the details about the water bodies across the US. It shares discharge permits, monitoring locations, water uses, and condition status as well as more information for specific uses such as swimming and fish consumption.

Prescribed Fire References Document
This link contains a list of resources for learning about prescribed fire.

HydroSolutions Inc. seeks Hydrogeologist I (Entry level) | Deadline: April 30 

 NEW  New Mileage Reimbursement Rates
Milage Reimbursement rates have changed!

Education Work Group Is Looking To Compile A Mini-Library
The MACD Education Work Group is creating a mini-library of the different projects and programs that districts in Montana do. Please send one project or program per email to eo@macdnet.org

The Montana Conservation Menu is now live! This web resource includes grant applications, information about conservation district offices, and more.

 Montana GLCI Educational Mini-Grants | First come first serve, funds will likely be gone before March 1

MACD Board Meeting Minutes | January 21, 2025

MACD Legislative Committee Meeting Minutes | January 28, 2025

 NEW  MACD Executive Committee Meeting Minutes | February 3, 2025

 NEW  MACD Legislative Committee Meeting Minutes | February 4, 2025

 NEW  MACD Legislative Committee Meeting Minutes | February 11, 2025

 HIGHLIGHT  MCDEO Roundtable Meeting Dates
MCDEO holds roundtable discussions on the third Wednesday of each month. 

MCDEO Roundtable: General Discussion | February 19 at 10am

 NEW  MCDEO Dues
Dues are still $30/employee. Employees can pay it themselves, or their districts can pay it. If you could fill out the 2025 Dues notice and send it with a check to the address on the Dues notice. If your district has already paid 2025 dues please fill out the form anyway and note that on the form!

EO Current Board Members
There's been some shuffling on the Employee Organization Board as of our January meeting. Click the link above to see the current list of the board Members.

 NEW  CD Wage & Benefit Survey

 NEW  Conservation Clips
 

Want a meeting, event, job, funding opportunity, or other announcement featured in District Dispatch? Please send it to communications@macdnet.org or ginsterwlcc@macdnet.org.