Welcome to the newsletter about all things water in Montana!

MONTANA WATER NEWS will come your way via email every month with fresh news about meetings and water topics that we hope is of interest to you. If you do not want to receive this newsletter, please scroll down and follow the directions to unsubscribe. If you are seeing only text in this email, or if it's not easy to read, please make sure your email program is set to view "HTML" messages, or view the newsletter online in the newsletter archives.

Wild Fish Habitat Initiative Web Site Expands

The Montana Water Center announces a new web address for the Wild Fish Habitat Initiative at http://wildfish.montana.edu. This U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) - Montana Water Center (MWC) collaboration began in 2002, thanks in part to leadership from Montana’s Senator Conrad Burns. The Initiative augments the USFWS’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program by conducting habitat restoration research and targeting a technology transfer program to land owners and project managers. In recent years, many fish habitat enhancement and restoration techniques have been implemented; however, project results have not been shared widely and their efficacy is not well understood. To address this problem, Montana Water Center staff are collating technical information on habitat restoration projects completed in the Intermountain West. This information includes narrative descriptions, project goals, restoration methods, project costs, landowner contributions, and monitoring data. Innovative techniques will be added to the website as they are developed and tested. Please visit the website at http://wildfish.montana.edu and provide Montana Water Center staff with feedback as well as share your restoration success stories with us. We can be reached at these numbers/e-mails: Liz Galli-Noble, Assistant Director for Research, 406.994.7636, lgnoble@montana.edu; focal states: California, Colorado, Wyoming. Molly Boucher, Webmaster/Outreach Specialist, 406.994.5994, mboucher@montana.edu; focal states: Montana, Oregon, Washington. Cal Fraser, Wild Trout Lab Manager/Project Biologist, 406.994.2276, wfraser@montana.edu; focal states: Idaho, Nevada, Utah.

Let's Chat it Up: Join the Water Forums

The Community Forums are a place where you can share ideas, opinions and data with others on several water topics. Participating is easy -- you can browse the current topics to see what the hot issues are or, better yet, register and become a member. As a member you can join the discussions by giving feedback, asking questions, or providing answers to other members. Visit the forums today and take an active part in the water community!

New Publications in the Library

Daily, the Montana Water Center adds new publications to its library. Hard copies can be checked out free of charge. Plus, more and more, publications are available in electronic PDF format. To search our shelves and our electronic documents, go to http://water.montana.edu/mwc/library. Here are a few items that are new and noteable:

The latest Water Center Research Report . . . Development of Microbial Biobarriers for the Control of Acid Rock Drainage from Mine Tailings - Report No. 211. By Dr. Paul Sturman, Montana State University, 2002. This research sought to further develop an inexpensive and potentially widely applicable treatment technology to utilize indigenous microorganisms within mine tailings to abate acid rock drainage at its source. Research funded in part by the Montana Water Center and the USGS.
	43 recommendations stemming from six years of work by the Governor’s Task Force on the Upper Yellowstone . . . Governor's Upper Yellowstone River Task Force: Final Report, 2003. This report is the sixth and final in a series of yearly reports by the Task Force. It presents the 43 final Task Force recommendations to Governor Judy Martz and to the interested public. Two copies available.
	A great tool for watershed managers . . . Getting in Step: A Guide for Conducting Watershed Outreach Campaigns, Environmental Protectin Agency, 2003. New and improved tips and tools for creating awareness, educating specific audiences, and motivating positive behavior change to improve water quality. EPA 841-B-03-002. The 30-minute companion video can be found in the library, too. [SURFACE.2003.TTI.VIDEO].

We introduce you to Barb Coffman, the Montana Water Center’s newest employee. Barb has been hired full-time as a Research Engineer to work with Kevin Kundert and the Tech team to write text and design activities for the Center’s latest training project targeting wastewater lagoon operators. A Collins, Montana native, Barb became interested in wastewater issues while attending MSU-Northern, where she completed her Master of Education in General Science in 2001. Her thesis topic was: “A study of the relation of green algae and blue-green algae to biochemical oxygen demand of selected wastewater lagoon effluents.”

Her hands-on experience as an evening operator for the City of Havre’s Wastewater Treatment Plant since 2000 along with six years experience as Training and Development Specialist for the Montana Environmental Training Center compliments Barb’s new job.

Plus, she’s been fulfilling the duties of Executive Secretary for the Montana Section of the American Water Works Association since July 2003. When not immersed in this busy schedule, you’ll find her fly-fishing or riding her 23 year-old registered Arabian horse, Snipper. Barb has set up her office at MSU-Northern, so the next time you are in Havre, stop in at Room 110 Hagener Science Center to say hello. Barb can be reached Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, by calling the university operator at (406) 265-3700.

So many meetings, so little time. Even so, there are a few that water folks just shouldn't miss! Find more information on these and other upcoming events on the Events Calendar at MONTANA WATER.

Allocating Water: Economics and the Environment Portland, OR, July 20 - 22, 2004 This conference will bring together academics, federal and state agencies, water managers, and other professionals to discuss approaches and policies for allocating water. Interesting and innovative case studies, analyses of current water allocation problems in several US river basins, and proposed new techniques will be presented. [INFO]

MWEA/MSAAWWA Annual Conference, Bozeman, MT, May 12 - 14, 2004 [INFO]

Automotive Waste and Electronic Waste Collection Event, Bozeman, MT, May 15, 2004 [INFO]

2004 National Monitoring Conference, Chattanooga, TN, May 17 - 20, 2004 [INFO]

River Network's National River Rally 2004, Wintergreen, VA, May 21 - 25, 2004 [INFO]

8th Annual Missouri River Natural Resources Conference, Columbia, MO, May 23 - 26, 2004 [INFO]

15th Annual Nonpoint Source Pollution Conference, Lake George, NY, May 25 - 27, 2004 [INFO]

Best Education Practices (BEPs) for Water Outreach Professionals, Madison, WI, June 2- 4, 2004 [INFO]

The Nature of Lewis & Clark on the Great Plains - A Symposium, Nebraska City, NE, June 3- 5, 2004 [INFO]

Groundwater in the West, Madison, WI, June 16- 18, 2004 [INFO]