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Board hears presentation on Montana Fish and Wildlife Conservation Trust priorities and Upper Missouri funding
Summary
Broadwater County Trust Board members discussed potential coordination with the Montana Fish and Wildlife Conservation Trust after learning the trust has approximately $20 million and has set aside roughly $2 million for projects, with legislation or policy directing up to half of those funds toward the Upper Missouri.
Broadwater County — At the Feb. 11 meeting of the Broadwater County Trust Board members heard a briefing about the Montana Fish and Wildlife Conservation Trust's project priorities and the potential for local coordination.
Board members said trust representatives reported the conservation trust had about $20 million in its account and had earmarked roughly $2 million for near-term projects. Board members and attendees discussed a statutory or policy emphasis requiring as much as 50% of that project funding be directed to the Upper Missouri region; presenters said that would mean roughly $1 million of a $2 million allocation would need to be invested in the Upper Missouri area if the trust follows that guideline.
Speakers at the meeting described the conservation trust's historical focus on providing public access and said lawyers and board members were examining whether the trust's program guidelines could be broadened beyond access-only projects to include other types of improvements. "One of the key things in the legislation ... is access," a board member summarized; attendees said that historically the trust emphasized public access projects, which limited opportunities in some parts of the state.
Board members suggested Broadwater County could be a priority for future investments because of its location on the Upper Missouri. The group discussed specific local objectives — for example, ramps and boat-launch facilities on the Upper Missouri that board members said are poorly suited to current river flows and could benefit from improved design or funding.
No formal action or vote occurred on this item; the discussion was presented as informational and to explore potential future coordination with the conservation trust and other agencies.
