Willie Peck, introduced as the natural-resources adviser for Sanders, Mineral and Powell counties, presented a pitch for Granite County to join a regional collaborative that he said has successfully secured grants and advanced large stewardship projects in western Montana.

Peck described recent efforts including grant-assisted post-and-pole yards, a proposed 270,000-acre shared stewardship project, and DNRC grant-writing support. He said Mineral County currently carries a larger share of program costs while partner counties pay a suggested $15,000 annual contribution. "I've been successful writing grants through the DNRC...we've been hugely successful at increasing the base and scale of forest restoration," Peck said.

Commissioners said they need concrete budget details, a clear description of county benefits and a fiscal plan for how Granite County's share would be budgeted. They noted joining would require a board-level MOU and likely a fiscal commitment in a future budget cycle.

Next steps: staff will ask Peck for a written budget/benefit summary and sample MOUs so commissioners can evaluate whether to include a contribution in next year’s budget process.