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September 29, 2006
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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.
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the newsletter online in the newsletter archives. |
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| Clark
Fork Watershed Education Project |
Students along the Clark Fork
River. |
Since the late 1800s, the Clark
Fork River Basin has been damaged by mining activities and the tailings left behind. While
the mining history of Butte and Anaconda has been well documented, the knowledge of how to
prevent further damage is exclusively left to water scientists and engineers. The Clark Fork
Watershed Education Project (CFWEP) was established to instill the value of watershed protection
and education. Based out of the Technical Outreach Office of Montana Tech in Butte and led
by program administrator Dr. Colleen Elliott, the project has trained 90 teachers and involved
over 3,000 secondary students regionally. The Natural Resource Damage Program and the Office
of Public Instruction are principal funders.
When they visit the Clark Fork
Superfund sites, students make their own observations and take the extra step to conduct water
chemistry experiments and vegetation
surveys. They get first hand knowledge of the damage that comes with toxic river water degradation.
“The differences are night and day,” says Colleen of the project’s two main sites, Warm Springs
Creek and Silver Bow Creek. According to Colleen the program’s professional advisors also give the
kids “a chance to meet a scientist or engineer face-to-face and see what they do.”
Map of the Clark Fork Basin
Superfund Area. |
CFWEP draws
on the upper Clark Fork Superfund complex as an outdoor laboratory, using professional scientists
as instructors. The program targets over 30 schools from Butte to Bonner including the Blackfoot
River and Flint Creek tributaries.
Elliott calls on scientists,
teachers, and citizens to be the spark that engages kids in resource decision-making. Restoration,
she says, creates the conditions in which sustainability can be realized, but a crucial component
is science-based watershed education.
Find out more at http://www.mtech.edu/outreach/
Clark_Fork/index.htm.
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| 2006
Watershed Symposium: Charting Our Course in a Changing West |
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The 2006 Watershed Symposium:
Charting Our Course in a Changing West, is scheduled for December 5-7 at the Great Falls Holiday
Inn. This Symposium will help participants learn and use information that can help local efforts
improve natural resources while maintaining community values. Symposium speakers include Ed
Marston, publisher emeritus of the High Country News, Dr. Harry Fritz, University of Montana,
and many more local and regional experts and practitioners. It also offers opportunities for
networking and further resources. Scholarships are available and due on October 18.
Early registration is due November
14. Forms and further information about the Symposium are available on the web at http://watersheds.montana.edu/symposium or
by emailing or calling Montana Watercourse at mtwatercourse@montana.edu or
(406) 994-6671.
The event is hosted by the Montana
Watershed Coordination Council and is sponsored by the Montana Association of Conservation
Districts' Leadership Empowerment Program, US Environmental Protection Agency, MT Department
of Environmental Quality, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Conservation
District Grant Program, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, Montana Fish, Wildlife and
Parks, the Sonoran Institute and the USDA Forest Service.
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| Hazards
in Water Resources |
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Hazards in Water Resources, the
2007 UCOWR/NIWR Conference is slated for July 24-26 in Boise, Idaho. The conference is co-sponsored
by the University of Idaho, the Idaho Water Resources Research Institute, and Southern Illinois
University Carbondale (UCOWR Headquarters). The Call for Papers can be viewed at http://www.ucowr.siu.edu. |
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| Montana
Water Research Program Request
for Pre-Proposals |
Announcing the
availability of the Request for Pre-proposals for the Montana Water Research Program (USGS
104b). Deadline for submittal is October 16, 2006. For more information download this document
[64 KB PDF]: http://water.montana.edu/attachments/
104b_RFPP_Sept2006.pdf. |
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| Montana
DEQ Seeking Public Comment on Water Quality Report |
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The Montana Department
of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is seeking public comment on Montana’s 2006 Draft Integrated
303(d)/305(b) Water Quality Report. The 2006 draft list update is now available for review
and comments will be accepted during a 60-day public comment period extending from 5:00 pm
September 8, to 5:00 pm November 7, 2006. This report, containing the 303(d) list, includes
a list of Montana water bodies that are impaired and in need of water quality restoration as
well as a summary of state water quality information, known as the 305(b) report.
To review
this list, go to http://www.cwaic.mt.gov. Anyone experiencing problems accessing this site
should contact the Montana Integrated Report Coordinator by phone at (406) 444-3409. Comments
on the list should be submitted electronically via the Public Comment page on the “Clean Water
Act Information Center” (CWAIC) at the web site noted above or can be mailed to: Integrated
Report Coordinator, Department of Environmental Quality, P.O. Box 200901, Helena, MT 59620-0901.
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| Conference
Proceedings Available |
| The proceedings of the Conference,
Freshwater for the Future: Policies for Sustainable Water Management in Canada, are available
at the following link: http://policyresearch.gc.ca/page.asp?pagenm=pub_wp_abs#WP031.
This Conference was hosted by
the Government of Canada's Policy Research Initiative (PRI) in Gatineau, Quebec, on May 8-10,
2006. Some of the topics addressed in the Conference included water allocation, watershed stewardship,
international experiences with water management, and drinking water for First Nations.
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| Free
Handbook for Developing Watershed Plans |
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The Draft Handbook
for Developing Watershed Plans to Restore and Protect Our Waters was created to help communities,
watershed organizations, and local, state, tribal, and federal environmental agencies develop
and implement watershed plans to meet water quality standards and protect water resources.
The document is structured so that it can be followed through the watershed planning process
or so that readers can go to individual sections that highlight specific technical tools.
You
can order a free copy of the Handbook from the National Service Center for Environmental Publications
(NSCEP) at 800-490-9198 or by e-mail, ncepimal@one.net. When requesting a copy of the Handbook,
please refer to EPA document number: EPA 841-B-05-005. You can also download the Handbook at http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/watershed_handbook
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Do you have more news?
Many Montana Water News articles
are generated by the Montana Water Center’s new student intern, Evan Tennant. Evan is studying
public policy at Montana State University with a special interest in water policy. He spends
what free time he has writing stories for this e-newsletter. Do you have some stories of interest
you would like him to feature? If so, please contact Evan at ewtennant@montana.edu.
He’d like to hear from you. |
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So
many meetings, so little time. Take special note of upcoming national and local water
meetings on the Events
Calendar at MONTANA WATER. |
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 Ground
Water Protection Council Annual Forum, Miami, FL, September 30 - October 4, 2006
[INFO]
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Water
School, Bozeman, October 2 - 5, 2006
[INFO]
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Sustaining
Colorado Watersheds: Science and Restoration Through Collaboration, Breckenridge, CO, October
4 - 6, 2006
[INFO]
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GPS/GIS
for Outdoorsmen, Belgrade, October 10 - 14, 2006
[INFO]
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2006
AWRA Montana Section Annual Meeting, Polson, October 12 - 13, 2006
[INFO]
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Extension
Wildlife Specialist Conference, Big Sky, October 14 - 18, 2006
[INFO]
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River
Short Courses 2006: Applied Fluvial Geomorphology, Fayetteville, AR, October
16 - 20, 2006
[INFO]
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2006
Watershed Management Council Conference, Walla Walla, WA, October 16 - 20, 2006
[INFO]
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2006
Northwest Environmental Summit, Tacoma, WA, October 18 - 19, 2006
[INFO]
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CWP's
Watershed Institute '06, Columbus, OH, October 23 - 26, 2006
[INFO]
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2006
Annual AWRA Water Resources Conference, Baltimore, MD, November 6 - 9, 2006
[INFO]
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Clark
Fork River Basin Ground Water Policy Conference, Missoula, November 9, 2006
[INFO]
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Hard
Rock 2006: Sustainable Modern Mining Applications, Tucson, AZ, November 14 - 16, 2006
[INFO]
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