DNRC director outlines trust-land revenue, forest work and water programs

Amanda Kaster, director of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, gave a high-level overview of DNRC’s responsibilities and recent work to the House Natural Resources Committee.

Kaster said DNRC manages state trust lands — she cited roughly 5,200,000 surface acres and 6,200,000 mineral acres — and that revenue from those lands funds K–12 education. She described a new public digital trust-land map and said DNRC provides technical and financial assistance to local governments for conservation and infrastructure. Kaster noted the department distributed American Rescue Plan Act funding for water and sewer grants and $12,000,000 in state funding for conservation, reclamation and emergency grants, and described a $26,000,000 loan obtained to support repairs to the St. Mary’s Canal damaged earlier in the year.

Kaster emphasized forest-health work, citing investments under last session’s House Bill 883 and projects using the Good Neighbor Authority to increase cross‑boundary forest management and reduce wildfire risk (she cited the Basin Creek watershed near Butte as an example). She said DNRC’s fire response covers approximately 60,000,000 acres and that, last year, the department kept 95% of fires under its jurisdiction to 10 acres or less.

On federal engagement, Kaster said DNRC and the governor’s office intervened on an old‑growth plan amendment proposed by the U.S. Forest Service; she said the Forest Service announced it would rescind that amendment and that the rescission will be published in the Federal Register on Jan. 10. Kaster offered DNRC as a resource to the committee for the session and introduced senior DNRC staff who will appear before the committee on DNRC bills and subjects.