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Conservation Districts Bureau Notes
Things you need to know
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T H I N G S Y O U N E E D T O K N O W |
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CDs Still Nailing It 80 Years Later
by Laurie Zeller, CD Bureau Chief
M.L. Wilson was a visionary and influential man in the 1930s who created many programs to help people during the depression. He was a farmer and homesteader in Montana, he was the first ag agent in Montana, served as a professor of ag economics at MSU, and rose to become the USDA assistant secretary in the 1930’s. He was also the creator of conservation districts. He firmly believed that the operating federal programs out of Washington DC was a mistake. A partnership between local, state, and federal entities was the only effective way to make any real change on the landscape. However, local control is imperative.
Mr. Wilson said, “You cannot fool the people to whom you say you are delegating authority, if you don’t in fact delegate authority.” Without actual delegation where locals are free to make decisions, given the tools to do so, and are responsible for the consequences and success of those decisions, it is all “palaver.”
Conservation district law gives locals the duty to direct or create programs that make a difference in improvement of soil, water, and natural resources within their community. Each conservation board in Montana is free to development programs in their own way. It is evident that for every natural resource challenge that occurs, conservation districts respond. Coal seam fires? Got it. Flooding? Yep. Invasive species? We are on it. River and stream health? We do projects, not to mention 1,500 to 2,000 permits a year. The list goes on. Not a bad record given the annual budgets on which most CDs operate.
M.L. Wilson’s vision is as true today as it was in the 30s. He would have been proud to see his vision coming to life here in Montana.
Mill Levy Request Time
Certified Taxable Valuations from your local Department of Revenue will be available soon. Conservation districts need this form to fill out the “Determination of Tax Revenue and Mill Levy Limitations” form to the county so they can properly levy the taxes for the district. (Note, CDs do not collect net and gross proceeds). If you don’t get your form from the Department of Revenue, be sure to contact them. The timeframe will be short to get the proper forms to the county. (Another note, some counties do this for the conservation district, but it really is the conservation district’s responsibility. It is a great way to learn about how your taxes are computed so if there are problems in the future, you have all the information you need to get to the bottom of it.)
Here is the link to the forms to be submitted. http://sfsd.mt.gov/LGSB/Budgets-and-Mill-Levies. Any one of us here at CDB can help if needed.
Area Meetings Virtually
For the first time in over 75 years, due to health concerns for supervisors and staff, host conservation districts are conducting area meetings virtually via Zoom. Currently, the details are being discussed, but the agenda will be much shortened to discuss the most important issues. If you are not a Zoom fan, or have not yet used it, there will be a series of “practice” sessions for anyone wishing to participate. There may be something good that comes out of going this direction as maybe more people can listen to the discussions. We are all looking forward to the time when we can all meet again face to face. Look for information coming out soon from MACD and your host conservation districts.
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Water Reservation Technician - 57600204 - (20141625)
CDB Position in Miles City
This position provides a range of administrative, technical, and educational services to conservation districts for the implementation and administration of the water reservation program. This position works under the direction and supervision of the water reservation program specialist.
Click here for the complete job description and application deadline.
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CD Law Book available in hard copy and online
by Karl Christians, CD Specialist
We recently received our shipment of CD Law books. We were hoping to get them out to CDs when we visited in person, however, with the Covid debacle, we are in travel lock down. So, we can ship copies to you or you can access it online. Just left us know! I like the electronic version for it is simple to do a word search if you need to locate something fast. Link to the 2020 CD Law Book here.
Old Ten Minute Trainings ... New "Guidelines"
This month we encourage you to review the 10-minute guide on Personnel Management Part 1. Please share with your board members so they can not only receive a little training on personnel, but have an idea what their responsibilities as supervisors are. One area I'd like you to look at is Annual Leave and Sick Leave. I have noticed a few CDs have errors in calculating AL/SL earned by using the wrong figures or simply forgetting to carry forward current AL/SL balances. You don't want to short yourselves by not calculating currently! This guide can be found on our website under the documents and webinars page. If you need help with anything, please let me know. Link to Personnel Part 1 here.
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310 Rule Update
by Jason Garber, Stream Permitting Coordinator
Madeleine & Jason Garber kayaking on the Helena Valley Regulating Reservoir
Photo by Jason Garber
Last fall I had sent out information on updates that needed to be made to your 310 rules per changes to the law that came out of the last legislative session. Specifically, the timeframe that applicants have to request arbitration of a Board’s decision changed from 15 days to 30 days. This change is also reflected on the Supervisor Decision Form 273. This week I have been scanning each District’s 310 rules onto our shared drive at DNRC, and I have noticed that I still do not have quite a few of your 310 rule updates.
I want to thank those of you that have sent in your updated rules. For those that have not, please do this soon. The change is now law and is in effect, so those changes need to be reflected in your rules. It is a fairly easy process this time around. The changes would need to be public noticed and a public hearing, which can simply take place at a monthly board meeting, would need to be held. This change is not controversial and I don’t know of any District that received public comment during their update process.
Updating your rules to reflect the laws is very important. First, having updated rules provides clarity for both the Board and the regulated public and second, should any changes to the 310 law come out of the next legislative session, you would need to update your rules again, and it will be much easier to do this if you are starting with the most recent rules. As always, if you have any questions about the process of updating your rules please give me a call or email me, I’d be happy to help. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
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Think Big, Start Small, and Reach for the Sky
by Linda Brander, CD Specialist
The Resource Advisory Conservation Council, a board made up of governor-appointed supervisors that advise DNRC about developing conservation district assistance programs, encourages conservation districts to develop on-the- ground projects that will impact the health of natural resources in their community and watershed.
Montana conservation districts have already made great progress in protecting the land and improving the health of watersheds. One example of a large restoration project that started small and evolved into BIG was the Deep Creek project led by the Broadwater Conservation District.
Denise Thompson stated the project’s mission was to better the health of the community and the watershed. It started small, with a few partners and overtime evolved into a strong and committed partnership of private landowners and public sector agencies.
Chuck Hahn, Townsend rancher, indicated, “the more people we brought together the better it became.”
To listen to the Deep Creek Story go to: https://mtwatersheds.org/app/audio-watershed-stories/
Conservation district supervisors are key community leaders who can jump start a restoration project with a 223 grant, build private and public sector partners, and leverage the 223 award to secure other funding.
A public agency grant funding chart is attached here.
Remember, the Conservation District Bureau staff is here to help you with your projects. The next round of applications are due by October 15, 2020. Visit the DNRC Grant and Loans webpage for more information.
Adaptability grant saves northeastern Montana small business
Glasgow spa uses grant funds to recover from Corona shut-down
GLASGOW, Mont. – A business grant recently assisted a young woman’s dream of helping people relax and feel good while adapting to the Coronavirus-pandemic induced new regulations.
Read the full article here on the DNRC administered Business Adaptability Grant Program.
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Double Space After A Period
by Mary Hendrix, CD Specialist
It's true. Those over a certain age were taught to add a double space after a period. However, Microsoft Word has entered the long anticipated debate of whether to use single or double spacing and the verdict is I-N. Double spaces are O-U-T and now being flagged as errors. Personally, I think double spaces are okay, but triple or more spaces are egregious! To read the article, click here.
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CD Bureau Webpage now accessible with QR Code
What is a QR Code? QR Code is a two-dimensional version of the barcode, typically made up of black and white pixel patterns. Denso Wave, a Japanese subsidiary of the Toyota supplier Denso, developed them for marking components in order to accelerate logistics processes for their automobile production. Now, it has found its way into mobile marketing with the widespread adoption of smartphones. "QR" stands for "Quick Response", which refers to the instant access to the information hidden in the Code.
What's the benefits of using a QR Code? They are gaining popularity because of their versatility. You can use them to gather feedback to improve your products or services, increase customer engagement with images or videos, or even promote your business via events and coupons. All of these can be done with just a single scan!
How do I scan a QR code? Depending on your device, you might already have a built-in QR Code reader or scanner. Open the camera app on your mobile phone and hold it over a Code for a few seconds until a notification pops up. If this doesn’t happen, check your settings and see if QR Code scanning is enabled. Still not working? Don’t worry, all you have to do now is install third-party QR Code readers from your app stores.
Learn more or generate your own QR code, visit QR Code Generator here.
Thank you to Chris Evans with the Lewis & Clark Conservation District for letting us know about QR Codes!
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Conservation Districts are hiring
Lewis & Clark Conservation District is hiring a full-time Conservation Planner position in Helena. This position is for one year with the possibility of extending to a second year. Application deadline is Friday, August 21, 2020. To learn more, visit the LCCD website job announcement link here.
Sheridan County Conservation District is hiring for a part-to-full-time field technician position. To learn more, visit the SCCD website job announcement link here.
Valley County Conservation District is seeking a full-time Coordinator for the Milk River Watershed Alliance. Location of position would be located along the Hi-line and is flexible. May be able to work remotely. Application deadline is Monday, August 3, 2020. To learn more, visit the MRWA website job announcement link here.
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Streamgage User's Survey
by Nikki Sandve, Water Education Coordinator, DNRC Water Management Bureau
Do you check stream gage data in Montana for water rights, irrigation needs, flooding information, or stream flow data? Montana is home to 264 gages funded and maintained by state, federal and local governments; companies, and nonprofits. Each organization has its own goals and needs for the gage data. The data for most of the gages is publicly available through apps, and websites for people to use. We know that gage data sites are being visited much more over the last 5 years, but we don’t know who is checking on the data and for what reasons. Public funding for the gage’s maintenance has decreased or remained flat over the last decade.
The Stream Gage Data Users survey was created by representatives from local nonprofits, and state and federal agencies to help us understand how people and organization are using and accessing data. Whether you are a ranch, farmer, water commissioner, tribal representative, watershed group, an irrigator, or water rights holder, please complete the Montana Stream Gage Data Users Survey, it is a short survey that takes about 5 minutes to complete and can be found here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/95JZPPC [surveymonkey.com].
If you would like the 5" x 7" postcards to distribute, please call Nikki at 406-556-4505 or email at NSandve2@mt.gov.
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Upcoming CD Bureau Events
Dates to be announced, Watch for an Invite!
WEBINAR: Records Management
ZOOM: New CD Employee Virtual Welcome Wagon
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If you received this CDB "Notes", please share it with your Supervisors and fellow Employees electronically or at board meetings. Additionally, if they find the information valuable, ask them to subscribe at the link below. THANK YOU! |
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