New Supervisors - Welcome

by Mary Hendrix, CD Specialist

As the year starts, so do a slew of newly elected supervisors in their respective conservation districts. CD Bureau is developing a new supervisor orientation that's presently scheduled for February 17, 2021, time TBA. In the meantime, here's a few things for supervisors  to complete and review in the month of January.

• Oath of office
• Oath of office instructions
• Technology Based Notarization
• Supervisor Elections & Terms Calendar Tracker
• Roles of Supervisors
• Sturgis Parliamentary Procedures
• Sturgis Parliamentary Procedure Motions Chart
• Open Meeting Act
• Supervisor ID Card Request Form
• Laws Pertaining to Montana's Conservation District 2020 Edition A section particular to conservation districts can be found in Title 76 Chapter 15, however, please note that there are laws in most sections that can affect your CD operations. We will cover some of those at the training.

New Personnel Model Policy

Updated December 2020

If you currently have a personnel policy or looking to incorporate one in your district operations, the newly updated personnel model policy is now available. 2020 New Personnel Model Policy

Appendix forms to the policy will be sent out at a later date.

NOTE: The personnel policy should be adopted at a board meeting and completed with date and signature of the Chair or Vice Chair and each staff member. Keep a copy for the office. If desired, each employee should also maintain a copy for their own record and use. 

310 permit surveys

by Jason Garber, 310 Permit Specialist

Now that we are at the end of the year, it is time for me to remind you about 310 permit surveys. At the end of each calendar year, I send out a 310 permit survey for Districts to fill out and send back to me. 

The information in the surveys is very important for several reasons. First, for Districts that qualify, the 310 permit numbers are used to establish admin grant amounts.  Second, by receiving permit surveys from all Districts, I am able to tabulate numbers through the years and compare that to historic data for a district and also across Districts throughout the state. Having the most current 310 permit numbers on hand is important should any 310 related bills come up in the legislature. Third, when I do 310 workshops, I like to present graphics to the District or MACD Area where the training is being held, that show trends in how many permit applications are being processed.

Please try and get me your completed survey by February 1, 2021.  

Happy New Year!

By Randell Hopkins, Water Reservation Technician

Happy New Year everyone! This is Randell Hopkins and I wanted to remind you that I am the new contact in the Conservation District Bureau for Water Reservations. Duane Claypool retired at the end of December after a long career of assisting conservation districts with their water reservation needs. I work in the CARDD office in Miles City and I assist the conservation districts that have water reservations in the Upper and Lower Yellowstone River Basins, Lower Musselshell River Basin, and the Lower Missouri River Basin. If you have any questions regarding the water reservation application process, please let me know.

For the conservation districts that have water reservations in the Yellowstone River Basins, if you have not completed your 2020 Annual Water Reservation Report yet, please finish those reports and get them back to me as soon as possible. They can either be emailed or mailed to me at the following address:

DNRC-CARDD

Randell Hopkins PO Box 276

Miles City, 59301

Randell.Hopkins@mt.gov

Thank you and I hope everyone has a great 2021!

Montana Forest Action Plan Implementation Program - Request for Proposals 

Final information session scheduled for January 12, 2021 at 4:00 pm

The DNRC Forestry Division has recently announced an Implementation Grant RFP for the launch of the MT Forest Action Plan. Two of the three public meetings about the RFP has occurred, but there's still an opportunity to learn more at the final session in January 2021.

Following the 2^nd meeting, a FAQ document was posted on the RFP Website and will be updated as new content is defined.

Montana Forest Action Plan - Request for Proposals

Please reach out to montanaforestactionplan@mt.gov to begin the discussion and to request secure meeting information.

Upcoming grant deadlines

• District Development, HB 223 and Mini-Education Grant applications are due February 17, 2021.
• Pollinator grant applications are taken on a first-come, first-served basis.

Upcoming Zoom 

• Targeted Implementation Plan with NRCS sometime in January 2021, date & time TBD. A Zoom invite will be sent out after the first of the year.