Join MWCC and our watershed partners on occasional Wednesdays at noon for an hour of learning, sharing, and connecting over lunch. These informal online gatherings begin with a short presentation by one of MWCC’s network partners on a topic relevant to local watershed conservation. The rest of the hour is dedicated to questions and discussion. Registration for all lunchtime Conservation Conversations is free.
Scroll down to see a list of upcoming conversations, as well as recordings and slides for past conversations.
Upcoming Conservation Conversations
Our March and May 2024 Conservation Conversations will relate to and build off of MWCC’s in-person Fundraising Workshop in Helena April 16-17. You do not have to attend the Fundraising Workshop to participate in these Conversations. Each will be a stand-alone event, but there will be strong links among them. We highly encourage Board members as well as Staff to attend these Conversations!
May 22 – MWCC Fundraising Workshop Follow-Up. Did you miss last month’s MWCC Fundraising Workshop in Helena? Or maybe you were there, and you want to brush up on some concepts and ask more questions now that the information has had a chance to sink in. Either way, join us for a Conservation Conversation with Certified Fundraising Executive Chany Ockert (pronounced Ch-au-ney O-kurt) about some of the key concepts she shared at the Fundraising Workshop, including annual fund development planning, donor relationships, budgeting, tracking, evaluation, and more! Register HERE. Please note that this Conversation will be hosted from 1-2:30 pm, rather than the usual noon time.
June 12 – Drought and Watershed Planning Open Forum. After the March 2024 MWCC Annual Meeting, which featured presentations on the new Montana Drought Management Plan as well as Watershed Planning, we received requests for a follow-up on how to incorporate drought considerations into our local watershed planning efforts. Two of our presenters from that event, Montana DNRC Water Planner Valerie Kurth and TetraTech Restoration Program Lead Chris James, have kindly agreed to come back and answer questions about incorporating drought into watershed planning.
There won’t be a presentation for this Open Forum Conservation Conversation. Instead, please review the slides from Valerie’s Montana Drought Management Plan presentation and Chris’s Watershed Planning to Support Local Restoration Efforts presentation OR watch the Annual Meeting recording (your choice) before joining us for this follow-up conversation. Additional details in the Annual Meeting agenda. Register HERE.
If you’d like to present at an upcoming Conservation Conversation, or if there’s a topic you’d like to learn more about, reach out to Watershed Programs Manager Terri Nichols at terri@mtwatersheds.org.
Past Conservation Conversations
Learn about the fundamentals of water quality as they relate to water monitoring during a Water Quality 101 webinar collaboratively hosted by Montana State University Extension, Montana Department of Environmental Quality, Monitoring Montana Waters, and MWCC. The webinar was geared for volunteer monitoring program coordinators but may be useful to anyone with an interest in water quality topics. This event wasn’t in our usual Conservation Conversation style; it was a more traditional webinar presentation. View the recording and presentation slides.
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality website has a variety of resources for volunteer monitoring groups, as does the MSU Extension Water Quality website [waterquality.montana.edu], and Monitoring Montana Waters program website. [flbs.umt.edu] The Volunteer Monitoring Catalogue (available here) outlines considerations for starting and running a monitoring program. The Montana Watershed Coordination Council has water monitoring information and a directory of state monitoring programs available on their website [mtwatersheds.org]. The data analysis resources touched on at the end of the webinar are available here [waterquality.montana.edu].
Additional links shared during the webinar:
DEQ 7 (numeric water quality standards) – https://deq.mt.gov/files/Water/WQPB/Standards/PDF/DEQ7/DEQ-7.pdf
DEQ 12A (Current numeric nutrient standards) –https://deq.mt.gov/files/Water/WQPB/Standards/PDF/NutrientRules/CircularDEQ12A_July2014_FINAL.pdf
Administrative Rules of Montana – https://rules.mt.gov/gateway/ChapterHome.asp?Chapter=17%2E30
Nicole Lindner and Aaron Clausen of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) joined us to talk about Nonprofit Conservation Finances. The conversation began with a presentation on grant management, then broadened into financial tracking, billing, and grant reporting. This conversation was a lead-up to MWCC’s in-person Fundraising Workshop April 16-17. Although this Conversation is geared toward nonprofit watershed groups, it will also be helpful to conservation districts and organizations working with a fiscal sponsor.
View the recording and presentation slides. For more information, scroll down to our April 2022 Conservation Conversation on Match and Leveraged Funding for Grants.
During our most recent bi-annual Yellowstone Flood Recovery meeting, MWCC hosted a panel of local watershed conservation leaders who shared their experiences using Channel Migration Zone maps and communicating their usefulness within their communities. Tony Thatcher of DTM Consulting, Allison Martin of the Musselshell Watershed Coalition, Elena Evans of the Missoula City-County Health Department, and Chris Scott of the Gallatin County Planning Department spoke about how different communities use CMZ maps before we opened up to questions and discussion.
The need for this panel discussion arose from growing awareness of the risk of damage to homes and infrastructure not only from annual flooding but, increasingly, from larger floods in which rivers may shift course entirely and migrate back to their historic channels.
View the recording here, slides from Allison’s Musselshell River presentation, and slides from Elena’s Missoula County presentation here. You can also check out this handy fact sheet on the difference between CMZ maps and floodplain maps.
MWCC Board members and staff shared their experiences during our recent executive director transition, including succession planning, departure, working through most of the transition with just one part-time employee, hiring, and everything in between. The conversation that followed included questions and thoughts from watershed groups currently going through leadership transitions. We also discussed the incredible usefulness of the Montana Nonprofit Association’s new Transition Toolkit, free to MNA members and $45 for non-members. The Toolkit is geared toward nonprofits but can be used by any organization preparing for or going through a leadership transition.
View the recording here. We started the recording a little late – whoops! – and then ended it early to allow for some more confidential discussions. You can also check out presentation slides and notes from MWCC Board Chair Zach Owen. We also discussed our partner Swan Valley Connections’ recent leadership transition and the changes it has brought to that organization.
We met with four experienced watershed group leaders to learn how each went from being the only – and in some cases, the first – staff person at their organization to growing and leading a thriving, sustainable watershed group.
View the recording here. One of the resources mentioned during this conversation was the spreadsheet on Calculating Expenses for an Employee vs. a Contractor, included with many other Capacity & Organizational Resources in the MWCC Watershed Resource Library. This spreadsheet calculates the full costs of hiring an employee, including salary, taxes, holidays, and benefits. Can adjust various rates within the spreadsheet to calculate your actual costs. Numbers are a little out of date. For questions about the spreadsheet, reach out to terri@mtwatersheds.org, and she can get you in touch with Ann Schwend, former MWCC Board member who created this resource.
We joined MWCC’s new Executive Director, Amy Seaman, to learn about about “what’s next” at MWCC in the coming year. Then, after a brief presentation, we discussed needs and ideas for increasing watershed group capacity, addressing septic leachate, getting more resources to Eastern Montana, and empowering communities to protect and restore their local watersheds. View the recording and see Amy’s slides.
Many of us struggle to develop, prioritize, and track conservation and restoration projects. Tracy Wendt, Executive Director of the Sun River Watershed Group (SRWG), shared with us the project screening, prioritization, and tracking process she developed with her organization, as well as how and why SRWG made developing this process itself a priority. This project was funded in part by an MWCC Watershed Fund Capacity Support grant. View the recording and download SRWG’s Project Screening Tool and Project Prioritization Matrix.
Forest health is an integral part of watershed health. With millions in federal funding now available for collaborative, cross-boundary forest health projects across Montana, there are more opportunities than ever to establish and sustain forestry-related partnerships for watershed-wide benefits. We joined Matt Arno, Forestry Assistance Bureau Chief for the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC), and Seth Wilson, Executive Director of the Blackfoot Challenge, for a conversation about how DNRC funding is helping watershed groups and other local conservation organizations advance their forestry goals. View the recording and see Matt’s slides and Seth’s slides.
Is your tiny watershed group, conservation district, or nonprofit struggling to share all the important work you’re doing? Does your head spin when you even think about developing content for your website, newsletters, and social media posts amidst your already busy schedule? Nevermind developing an actual communications plan? MWCC feels your pain! Kierra Davis, MWCC’s very part-time Outreach and Communications Coordinator, gave a short presentation on how she juggles all the communications things in just 10 hours a week, and what she’s learned along the way. Followed by a conversation about how our local watershed partners are doing the same, and how we can all better communicate our impacts. View the recording HERE and see Kierra’s slides (made in Canva!) HERE.
Tools for natural resource management, water monitoring, and organizational capacity. Funding opportunities. Workshops and training materials. Opportunities to connect and learn from the wider MWCC network. The Montana Watershed Coordination Council website has a wealth of resources for achieving community-based conservation goals. Terri Nichols, MWCC Watershed Programs Manager, gave a virtual tour. View the recording HERE and see Terri’s slides HERE.
The history of the Western United States is riddled with water management decisions, policies, negotiations, and agreements that missed the mark in terms of equitably dividing up water for multiple human and environmental needs. Many of these decisions were well thought out but tended to focus on the “human component” while simplifying the natural hydrology. Meanwhile, the scientific field of hydrology seeks to understand and model the complex natural processes of a watershed in a time when “natural” rarely exists. This inevitably leads to simplifying, or ignoring, the impacts of humans. Montana DNRC is attempting to bridge the gap between the complex modeling techniques used by the scientific community and the detailed “human component” that is the focus of water management and policy, beginning with a Pilot Basin Study on Lolo Creek. (Scroll down the page to see links to the study.) DNRC Hydrologist Todd Blythe presented on this important topic and led us in a conversation about incorporating the “human component” in watershed management. View the recording HERE and see Todd’s slides HERE.
Restoring the ecological integrity of streams that have been infested by aggressive, shallow-rooted reed canarygrass can be a huge undertaking. Through dozens of on-the-ground restoration projects and targeted research into new and more cost-effective techniques, Brita Olson is finding ways to replace reed canarygrass with native trees and shrubs, restoring the Bull River through her work with the Lower Clark Fork Watershed Group. Brita led a conservation conversation about what she’s learned along the way, providing tips for more resilient long-term revegetation efforts. The MWCC Watershed Fund recently supported Brita’s research with a Capacity Support grant. View the recording HERE and see Brita’s presentation slides HERE.
What does it mean to be vulnerable to the effects of climate change? How do we respond effectively to our communities’ unique climate change vulnerabilities? After our summer-fall Conservation Conversations hiatus, water and climate scientist Nick Silverman led a conversation centered around these questions. Nick is a lead author of the Montana Climate Assessment and founder of the consulting firm Adaptive Hydrology. He is currently helping Montana DNRC’s Water Resources Division with vulnerability assessments for the updated state Drought Management Plan. View the recording HERE and see Nick’s presentation slides HERE.
During the conversation, several people shared examples of local climate action plans, including the Climate Ready Missoula website, the Bitterroot Climate Action Group, and the Bozeman Drought Management Plan.
Heart of the Rockies Initiative, a partnership of land trusts across the Central Rocky Mountains, is transforming the way they approach their external work and partnerships by focusing on Justice, Equity, and Inclusion principles within their own organization. Kali Hannon, Heart of the Rockies Managing Director; Bray Beltrán, Heart of the Rockies Conservation & Equity Director; and Emma Gjullin, Development and Communications Coordinator, shared their experiences through this process and what it means to put equity and justice at the forefront of land conservation work. View the recording HERE. (We forgot to record Terri’s introduction of Kali, Bray, and Emma, but everything else is there!)
Bray also shared with us this fascinating article about Why Equality in America Is So Elusive, as well as the Radical Candor website, which provides a framework to help organizations embrace honest feedback and uncomfortable conversations as a way of caring for one another, rather than falling into the trap of “niceness” without challenging one another. At its core, Radical Candor is guidance and feedback that’s both kind and clear, specific and sincere.
It’s a perennial challenge: Where do we find enough match funding to go with our grants? Christine Brissette, Project Manager for Trout Unlimited, shared her strategies for creatively leveraging both cash and in-kind services, and several other grant managers and funders chimed in with their own challenges, ideas, and tips. Click the links to view the recording and download Christine’s presentation slides. Christine also shared with us an example of the match tracking spreadsheet she uses.
This conversation centered on the importance of historical context, patience, and humility in stream restoration planning. Karin Boyd, a fluvial geomorphologist with Applied Geomorphology in Bozeman, shared examples and lessons learned from her work and experiences across the state and around the world. Click the links to view the recording and download Karin’s presentation slides. Additional resources shared during this conversation include Montana DNRC’s Stream Permitting Guide and the Living on the Bank project.
Our February 2022 conversation was all about using willow soil lifts to reduce erosion and improve habitat along rivers and streams. Jeff Ryan, supervisor for the Lewis & Clark Conservation District, led the conversation. We forgot to record this one, but you can learn all about this process through the educational StoryMap of a project on the Upper Musselshell that Jeff shared during his presentation, and through the before-and-after photos of an earlier bank restoration project on Jumping Creek (scroll down to pages 5-7). Jeff received a 2021 Watershed Stewardship Award for his efforts and expertise.
Our January 12, 2022 conversation focused on watershed monitoring, including the purpose of monitoring, monitoring goals, funding, and other resources. Rachel Malison, Program Manager for Monitoring Montana Waters, and Abbie Ebert, Water Quality Monitoring Specialist for the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, led the conversation. Click the links to view the recording and download Abbie and Rachel’s presentation slides.
On November 10, 2021, Wendy Weaver, Executive Director of Montana Freshwater Partners (MFP – formerly Montana Aquatic Resources Services), spoke about the many services MFP offers to local watershed conservation organizations. Her presentation led to a conversation about the need for more funding and planning resources in our local watershed communities. Click the links to view the recording and download Wendy’s presentation slides.
We kicked off the series on October 13, 2021 by celebrating and learning from one of our 2021 Watershed Stewardship Award recipients. Gerald Wagner and Termaine Edmo from the Blackfeet Environmental Office spoke about the Blackfeet Nation Ksik Stakii (Beaver) Project, including challenges and successes. View the recording here.
Thank you to NorthWestern Energy and Montana DEQ for their generous sponsorship of the 2024 MWCC Conservation Conversations! You can learn more about sponsoring MWCC trainings and events here.
