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.

Montana Water Rights Adjudication: 33 Possible New Positions

Montana Water Rights on the Web

Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation in conjunction with the Natural Resources Information Systems (NRIS) group at the State Library announce a new look and feel to the Water Rights Web application for Tabular Searches. Check it out here: http://nris.mt.gov/dnrc/waterrights/default.aspx. For more information, contact DNRC’s GIS program manager Jane Horton in Helena at jhorton@mt.gov or by phone at 406.444.5926.

Operator Basics: New Version Coming Soon

The Montana Water Center builds training applications (courses) to help water professionals become certified and to maintain that certification. These courses are offered online and via CD-ROM (free of charge). To learn more, please visit our training web sitehttp://water.montana.edu/training. We will be releasing a new product in April, Operator Basics 2005. To use the program in its present beta version, go to: http://water.montana.edu/training/ob2005/load_ob.html. Operator Basics 2005 includes training courses on Ground Water, Surface Water and Wastewater Lagoon Systems and more.

Water Summit for Teachers

You are invited to the 2005 Water Summit for teachers and students at the Lubrecht Experimental Forest April 18 and 19. The Water Summit is a forum for teachers and students doing water quality monitoring in Montana to share information, techniques and tips. This is a place to learn about water quality and non-point source pollution. Students get a chance to practice their presentation skills or show off their work. Teachers may present projects, share curriculum ideas or suggest workshop topics. The topics are most appropriate for high school students while including some sessions and activities for 6-8 grade students, as well.

There is an optional field trip Monday morning at 9:00. There is a $10 registration fee (can be waived for scholarship) and teachers may be reimbursed up to $100 for substitute or travel fees. There is plenty of space for more teacher and student presentations and exhibits. Registration is due by April 1. More information is available at http://www.mtwatercourse.org/Educators/summit.htm.

Announcing Short Courses in River and Stream Restoration for 2005

Part I: Principles of Stream Restoration
Offered: May 10-14 at Utah State University, Logan and Oct 2-7 at the White Mountain Research Station, Bishop, California

Part II: Geomorphology and Sediment Transport in Channel Design
Offered: May 16-19 at Utah State University, Logan

This two-part course sequence covers principles of fluvial geomorphology and applications to environmental river management and restoration. Taught by leading researchers and practitioners in the field, the course incorporates current research findings and innovative management approaches. The first course is designed for engineers, geologists, biologists, planners, land managers, landscape architects, government officials -- anyone who deals with rivers and streams and who can benefit from a more in-depth understanding of how they work. The second course is designed for those who will work more closely with sediment transport and the process of channel reconstruction, and who can benefit from more quantitative understanding and experience in applying geomorphic relations and calculations to actual design problems. The first course is prerequisite to the second course.

For details, visit these web sites

http://www.esice.org/geomorph.htm
http://www.cnr.usu.edu/departments/awer/pages/Shortcourse/shortcourse2005.htm

Help Clean Up Fleshman Creek on April 23rd

Livingston, Montana - Since Friday, April 22 is Earth Day, why not make Saturday April 23 Stream Day? Join the StreamTeam and spend a few Saturday hours along the banks of Fleshman Creek. Trout Headwaters, Inc. (THI) and its sponsors are organizing the fifth annual THI StreamTeam event to clean up trash and debris and from Fleshman Creek and Sacajawea Park. Volunteers are asked to gather at 10 am on Saturday, April 23 near the Sacajawea Park tennis courts in Livingston. To ensure there are plenty of T-shirts and refreshments to go around, those interested in participating are encouraged to register with THI by April 15 by contacting Shannan Mascari at 222-3554 or shannan@troutheadwaters.com.

Environmental Database Analyst

Agency: Montana Department of Environment Quality, Water Quality Planning Bureau State Employment
Application (required): http://discoveringmontana.com/statejobs/statejobs.asp

Lead Watershed Planner #84502

Agency: Montana Department of Environment Quality, Water Quality Planning Bureau State Employment
Application (required): http://discoveringmontana.com/statejobs/statejobs.asp

Conservation Directory 2005-2006: The Guide to Worldwide Environmental Organizations National Wildlife Federation

This new edition of the Conservation Directory is the most comprehensive listing of conservation and environmental organizations ever published, with information on over 4,000 government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and colleges and universities, as well as more than 18,000 officials concerned with environmental conservation, education, and natural resource use and management. For more information: http://www.islandpress.org/CD05/book.html

Water Follies: Groundwater Pumping and the Fate of America's Fresh Waters
Robert Jerome Glennon

In the first book to focus on the impact of groundwater pumping on the environment, Robert Jerome Glennon sketches the culture of water use in the United States, explaining how and why we are growing increasingly reliant on groundwater. As he explores the folly of our actions and the laws governing them, Glennon suggests common-sense legal and policy reforms that could help avert potentially catastrophic future effects. For more information: http://www.islandpress.org/WaterDay/follies.html

Rivers for Life: Managing Water for People and Nature
Sandra Postel and Brian Richter

Rivers for Life presents a global perspective on the challenges of managing water for people and nature, with a concise yet comprehensive overview of the relevant science, policy, and management issues. The authors present information for anyone concerned with water policy, planning and management, river conservation, freshwater biodiversity, or related topics. For more information: http://www.islandpress.org/WaterDay/Rivers.html

Achieving Sustainable Freshwater Systems: A Web of Connections
Marjorie M. Holland, Elizabeth R. Blood, Lawrence R. Shaffer

One of the most pressing challenges of the 21st century is to develop a means of satisfying the water demands of an ever-expanding human population while at the same time protecting the aquatic ecosystems and ecological services upon which all life depends. Achieving Sustainable Freshwater Systems brings together experts from a wide range of disciplines to present key insights, information, and site-specific solutions to problems involving natural resource sustainability. For more information: http://www.islandpress.org/WaterDay/Achieving.html

The World's Water: The Biennial Report on Freshwater Resources
Peter H. Gleick

Produced biennially, The World's Water provides a timely examination of the key issues surrounding freshwater resources and their use. Each new volume identifies and explains the most significant current trends worldwide, and offers the best data available on a variety of water-related topics. For more information: http://www.islandpress.org/WaterDay/series.html

Keepers of the Spring: Reclaiming Our Water in an Age of Globalization
Fred Pearce

Fred Pearce recounts the inspiring experiences of small-scale water stewards who are developing new techniques and rediscovering ancient ones to capture water for themselves. For more information: http:www.islandpress.org/WaterDay/keepers.html

So many meetings, so little time. Even so, there are a few that water folks just shouldn't miss! Take special note of the newly announced Western Wetlands Conference slated for Denver in October. Find more information on these and other upcoming events on the Events Calendar at MONTANA WATER.