FALL 2022 ISSUE

Petroleum County Conservation District

Photo Credit: Trish Smith

SNEAK PEEK OF WHAT'S INSIDE: 2 OFFICE STAFF SPOTLIGHT 3 BIRD SURVEYS 4 CMR WORKING GROUP 5 LTPBR - MT PRAIRIE STREAMS 6 MUSSELSHELL WATERSHED COALITION 7 DISTRICT 411/RENTALS/NOTICES 8 CONTACT INFO/STAFF & BOARD INSERT: PETROLEUM COUNTY LOCAL WORKING GROUP SURVEY

Office Staff Spotlight - Reba Ahlgren Reba Ahlgren was raised on her family’s ranch outside of Roundup, MT. Growing up, most of her time was spent playing sports or helping on the ranch. She was also active in 4H and other various student organizations through school. She graduated from Roundup High School and attended college at Montana State University and MSU-Billings, graduating with a degree in Business Finance and a minor in Accounting. Reba and her husband, Charlie have three kids, Shaylie, Cami and Brody.

Reba & Charlie Ahlgren

Reba started working for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in 2005 as a student temporary employee in the Roundup office during college. After college, she was hired on as a Soil Conservation Technician in Roundup. In 2014, Reba and her family had the opportunity to move to Winnett, MT to pursue their dream of ranching. Reba was able to transfer to the Winnett NRCS office and continue working as a Technician. With Finance and Accounting degrees, Reba was lacking some of the required soils, crops and plants college credits needed to advance in her career. She took several online college classes to fulfill the education requirements and was hired as a Soil Conservationist in 2021. Reba

was just recently selected as the new District Conservationist for the Winnett NRCS office and is excited to continue promoting and assisting with conservation efforts in Petroleum County and surrounding areas. When not at the office, Reba stays busy helping on their ranch and following their kids to sporting events.She is also the JH Volleyball coach for the Winnett/Grass Range co-op, an active member of Partners in Education (PIE) and the Winnett Booster Club. Free time is very rare, but when there is a moment, Reba enjoys spending time in her yard and garden!

Cami, Reba, Charlie & Shaylie out moving cattle in northern Petroleum County

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Ahlgren Family, July 2022

Bird Surveys in the Musselshell Plains Kelsey Molloy, Rangeland Ecologist

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September…it’s the second best time of year for bird enthusiasts as fall migration is underway! The best time of year is of course spring, when all the migratory birds return to their respective breeding locations and start singing. We can use those songs to help us monitor population trends of these birds. Since 2017 several conservation partners (including US Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund, Montana Audubon, and Pheasants Forever) have been doing bird surveys in the in the Musselshell Plains, as well as north of the Missouri River, as part of the Targeted Local Monitoring effort. We’re specifically trying to track trends of a Listening for grassland birds at a Field ID workshop taught by Kelsey Molloy few sagebrush and grassland birds like Brewer’s sparrow, Sprague’s pipit and thick-billed longspur. These birds have a limited range and need large, healthy grassland and sagebrush ecosystems to persist. Surveys take place in the early morning as the sun's coming up. It’s always fun and peaceful to be up early, see the sun rise, and listen to the birds. We use both bird song and visual cues to identify birds that are present. New this year is the use of Audio Recording Units (ARUs) to see if we can add additional survey sites by recording bird song. The surveys enable us to detect local population trends, as well as determining impacts of grazing and restoration projects that groups like Winnett ACES and Ranchers Stewardship Alliance are doing. I also assist with another survey effort called the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) which is run by the US Geological Survey. Volunteers across the US, Canada, and Mexico drive 25 mile routes, and do bird surveys every half mile. The survey effort has been going on since the 1960’s and is one of the best datasets we have about bird populations at a continental scale.

Sprague's pipit

Kelsey Molloy, Rangeland Ecologist with The Nature Conservancy. For more information contact at 406 654 4566, or [email protected]. You can also look up birds at allaboutbirds.org or with the free Merlin app on your smartphone!

Chestnut collared longspur nest

Sagebrush Sunrise

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CMR Working Group Update

~by Molly Masters; Missouri River Conservation Districts Council Coordinator

December 1, 2021, was the first in person meeting since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here is a picture of in person and virtual participants at that meeting.

The Missouri River Conservation Districts Council (MRCDC) is the leading stakeholder and coordinating entity of the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge (CMR) Community Working Group (CWG). This group is comprised of local, state, and federal agencies, private landowners, ranchers, non-government organizations (NGOs), and interested individuals that are concerned with the vitality of the CMR and the surrounding six-county region. The group serves as a forum for discussion of important issues, stakeholder updates, and regional projects. The CMR CWG is back on track having hybrid meetings (in-person and virtual attenders) every other month. At the December 2021 meeting, the focus was reconnecting with one another, giving updates, and coming up with a list of potential CWG meeting topics for the future. At the next meeting, the topic was sage-grouse. There was a panel with five agencies, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, US Fish Wildlife Services, US Bureau of Land Management, USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, and the Montana Sage Grouse Oversight Team, whom each presented on the programs and work regarding sage-grouse and the improvement of their habitat in the landscape. Invasive species are always a great topic to learn more about so that was the focus of the May meeting. There were presentations regarding invasive annual grasses, specifically ventenata, cheatgrass, Japanese brome, and Medusahead, aquatic invasive species and the boat check stations across Montana, and an update given from the Montana Invasive Species Team on the work they are doing. At the most recent meeting, the discussion topic was drought. Questions answered by ranchers included how they are getting along, what they have had to do differently, and if their drought management plan has changed and how? With this topic can come a lot of stress, so there was a short presentation from Montana State University Extension Health and Wellness Specialist regarding mental health. Overall, there was a lot of great discussion. The Planning Committee is currently organizing a revitalization meeting being held October 20, in Lewistown. We will present about the Working Group in more detail, have partner updates, and then finish with discussions on what the Working Group would like to see moving forward. Additional dates for the CMR CWG to get on your calendar for 2023 are: January 19, March 16, May 18, June 22 (Field tour), September 21, and November 9. For the most up to date information regarding the CMR Community Working Group, please visit its website at http://www.cmrcwg.org/.

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Low-Tech Process Based Restoration (LTPBR) - Helping to Restore Montana's Prairie Streams

By: Autumn Holzgen; Montana Conservation Corps-Missouri River Watershed Program Coordinator



You may have heard the word beaver being passed around more than usual lately, and there is a good reason for that. Historically, whenever you used “beaver” in a sentence it was to say, “those darn beavers cut down my cottonwood trees.” Lately, however, there's a new meaning behind the word beaver: drought resiliency. Many wildlife and livestock depend on mesic and wet meadow ecosystems–areas with moderate moisture– for habitat, hydration and late-season forage. These ecosystems are essential to our prairies and Montana ranchers and are currently at risk, with the primary cause being drought. What can be done? Historically, beavers have had more of a presence within prairie streams. When beavers are present in a stream, they look to create pools of water for protection against predators and to build their dens. Beavers’ structures are designed to manage the energy of water allowing sediment to settle and erosion rates to decrease, while simultaneously inducing stream channel complexity and meandering. The resulting alluvial soils are ideal for woody vegetation recruitment and establishment. Newly formed stream pools force water up into the floodplain. Here, energy is further dissipated and can then recharge the groundwater, increasing riparian plant productivity. Don't have an active beaver in your stream? No problem: that's where beaver mimicry structures come into play. As conservationists, we’ve put our own twist on an age-old process by mimicking the benefits of beaver activity in streams. Beaver mimicry is associated with a restoration method called Low-Tech Process Based Restoration (LTPBR). The most sought-after beaver mimicry structure is a Beaver Dam Analog (BDA) and is constructed out of natural materials such as willow, conifer and sod. It's also important to note that beaver mimicry is just one technique in the LTPBR toolbox, there are additional techniques such as natural wood accumulation and rock structures. Incorporating LTPBR projects often requires technical assistance for appropriate structure selection and permits. In 2022, Montana Conservation Corps (MCC) formed a specialized field crew trained in LTPBR projects: dubbed the Mesic Strike Team. MCC is working collaboratively with landowners and partners—Winnett ACES, The Nature Conservancy, Pheasants Forever, NRCS, BLM, World Wildlife Fund—to plan and implement LTPBR projects across Central and Eastern Montana. This summer launched the first-ever adult and youth Mesic Strike Teams. Each crew worked in 4 different counties (Fergus, Petroleum, Garfield, Phillips), completing 7 stream projects and building close to 200 low-tech structures in prairie streams. The field season will conclude this fall with 4 additional landowner stream projects in Phillips County. The LTPBR method is a cost-friendly low-tech approach to building drought resiliency in prairie streams. Beavers have done this work instinctively for eons. By following their lead, we can all be better equipped to store moisture on the landscape and restore our vital mesic and wet meadow areas.

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The Musselshell Watershed Coalition By Laura Nowlin, MWC Coordinator

The Musselshell River Watershed

. The Musselshell River Watershed contains approximately 9,500 square miles. The entire area is home to approximately 9,325 people. Draining from the Crazy, Castle and Little Belt Mountains, the main stem of the Musselshell River flows from the confluence of the North and South Forks near Martinsdale, Montana for nearly 340 miles to Fort Peck Reservoir. As it flows, it provides irrigation water for nearly 85,000 acres and 250 farms and ranches and 388 water rights holders, including six municipalities.

Water Use and History Ranchers were the first non-indigenous people to settle the Musselshell River Basin. In this semi-arid place, people recognized the significance of water immediately with the first water right filing in the Basin occurring in 1869 for stock use. Irrigation water rights were first filed in 1875. Agriculture and water use for stock and irrigation continues to be the dominant water use of Musselshell River water. From the beginning, the Musselshell drained to a trickle in the late summer and water shortages set the stage for future water development and disagreements. With the formation of the Montana Irrigation Commission in 1919, irrigation districts were created in the basin, and the emphasis of the board was on water storage projects. By 1938, federal funding for state water projects was secured to store water to allow irrigation of land in the basin. Martinsdale Reservoir was completed in 1939 and stores water for the Upper Musselshell Project. The largest funded project was Deadman’s Basin, which was completed in 1941. The Delphia-Melstone Canal was built between 1945 and 1949. It carries decreed Musselshell River water and contract water purchased from Deadman’s Basin Water Users Association. Numerous off-channel small dams and reservoirs were also built in the 1930s and 1940s with federal funding. The USGS estimates the total consumptive water use for irrigation in the Musselshell basin to be 93,690 acre feet per year (USGS, 2004). For over 50 years, the water users of these reservoirs fought, violently at times, over the timing of filling the reservoirs with river water. The Martinsdale project, located further upstream and completed first, felt the right to fill with water from the Musselshell first during the year. However, the Deadmans Basin water right was filed first, therefore, according to Montana water law, the lower reservoir has senior rights to Musselshell River water. Finally, in 1995 the two water user association boards adopted a formal agreement to cooperatively manage river diversion rates and timing. Even with this agreement in place, it was the Musselshell River Distribution Project, implemented in 2002, that truly led to accurate water distribution on the Musselshell. The Musselshell River Distribution Project (MRDP) involves the administration of decreed water on over 350 miles of the Musselshell River, from the confluence of the North Fork and the South Forks to the USGS gage station at Mosby, and all waters considered by the Montana Water Court to be a part of the lower Musselshell River below the USGS gage station at Mosby, Montana. All parties recognize the benefits of maintaining year-round flows, and all recognize the benefits of the MRDP that came with water rights enforcement. From 2005 until 2022, water flowed uninterrupted to the confluence of the Missouri every year. The drought years of 2021 and 2022 tested the MRDP and only briefly did the river run dry.

Flatwillow Bridge during the 2014 Flood

2011 Flood

The Musselshell Watershed Coalition While the MRDP is viewed a success, the Musselshell remains classified by Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks as “chronically dewatered.” Water quality issues, in particular excessive salinity, have been exacerbated by low flows. The water quantity issue, recognized as significant by water users up and down the river, coupled with aging irrigation infrastructure precipitated the formation of the Musselshell Watershed Coalition (MWC) in 2009. The Musselshell Watershed Coalition (MWC) works to bring together water users and conservation entities to tackle the issue of using water more efficiently to benefit water users, river health, and the whole river ecosystem. The MWC is comprised of Conservation Districts, Water User Associations, Counties, Cities, state and federal agencies, and landowners living and working within the Musselshell River Valley.

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District 411 310 PERMITS are required: If you are planning any project including the construction of new facilities or the modification, operation, and maintenance of an existing facility that may affect the natural existing shape and form of any stream, its banks or its tributaries. Any private entity or non-governmental individual that proposes to work in or near a stream on public or private land must obtain a 310 permit prior to any activity in or near a perennial stream.  When in doubt please call the Conservation District Office @ 429-6646 ext. 104 for more information.  

NRCS Conservation Program Funding Application BOZEMAN, Mont., August 22, 2022 – The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Montana is accepting applications for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), and the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). To be considered for funding in the current cycle, producers and landowners should apply by October 28, 2022. Conservation funding is available for the following programs and initiatives:

Sage Grouse Initiative: Producers can work with NRCS on three different components to improve sage-grouse habitat. One is a general category to implement prescribed grazing management practices. The others are to seed cropland back to perennial species to improve the connectivity for sage-grouse that depend on large, intact landscapes and the removal of conifers to increase nest success rates. Regional Conservation Partnership Program: The RCPP promotes coordination of NRCS conservation activities with partners that offer value-added contributions to expand our collective ability to address onfarm, watershed, and regional natural resource concerns. Currently, there are three RCPP land management projects in Montana, including the Big Game Habitat Improvement Project, Northern Great Plains Grassland Conservation Project, and the Gallatin Valley Land Trust project. EQIP offers financial and technical assistance to eligible participants to install or implement structural and management practices on eligible agricultural land. In Montana, historically underserved participants, including limited resource, and beginning farmers and ranchers, socially disadvantaged, and veteran farmers and ranchers will receive a higher payment rate for eligible conservation practices applied. The CSP is for working lands. For farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners already taking steps to improve the condition of the land, CSP can help find new ways to meet resource and operation goals. All of the land in a producer’s agricultural operation must be enrolled to be eligible for CSP.

The Petroleum County Conservation District recognizing Laura Nowlin for her 10+ years of dedication to the Winnett Community and surrounding areas. Laura has been an integral leader in helping preserve our way of life, through tireless work with the PCCD, Winnett ACES, P.I.E., Stockgrowers, MWC, & the Community Enhancement Committee. Laura has especially stepped up in helping ensure smooth transitions with new CD employees over the last year. Thank you, Laura, for all you do for our community!

Time to Order Trees!

Need trees for your property? Please get your order in ASAP. Ordering deadline is March 1st, but if you wait, there is a high chance trees will be sold out already. To order, please stop by the office for an order form.

FOR SALE

FOR RENT Tree Planter Fabric Layer Level & Tri-pod Flow Meter Rangeland Monitoring Bag No-Till Drill (*will be available by 2023)



**Call the CD Office for availability of all items.

Prices are subject to change**

Land Ownership Maps Range Plant & Grass ID Books Fabric rolls (by roll or foot, depending on size) & fabric staples Wildlife Escape ramps Sage Grouse Fence Markers -currently out but planning to get more Gate Closers

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The public is always invited to the

Conservation

District

Petroleum County Conservation District Board JC King - Chairman, Elected Supervisor

meetings. Regular meetings are

Brenda Brady - Vice-Chairman, Elected Supervisor

held each month at the USDA/

Laura Kiehl - Treasurer, Elected Supervisor

PCCD office up on the hill. Meeting time is usually the last Thursday of the month at 5:00 p.m. Look for notices posted around Winnett.

Ralph Corbett - Urban Supervisor Rodney Rowton - Rural Supervisor Diane Ahlgren - Associate Supervisor

PCCD– NRCS Office Staff

All PCCD and NRCS programs are

Nate Descheemaeker - Elected Supervisor

offered

on

a

nondiscriminatory basis without regard to race, color, nation of origin, religion, sex, age, marital status or handicap.

Trish Smith - PCCD Administrator Katie Lund - PCCD Fiscal Manager Loyd Bantz - NRCS District Technician Reba Ahlgren - NRCS District Conservationist Michael Lucas - NRCS District Conservationist Laura Nowlin - MWC Coordinator Josh Hobbs - Pheasants Forever Partner Molly Masters - MRCDC Coordinator

 



For more up to date information on events and meetings please check out the District’s: Facebook page @ https://www.facebook.com/Petcocd55 Website @ www.PetroleumCD.com

  Petroleum County Conservation District PO Box 118 Winnett, MT 59087-0118 (406) 429-6646 ext. 104 [email protected]

 

Postal Patron