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January 26, 2007
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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
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| The
Yellowstone Cultural Inventory |
Riverfront
property in Treasure County. |
The
Yellowstone River is one of Montana’s greatest treasures, as
well as America’s longest unobstructed waterway. Montanans who
share the river from its inception to its confluence with the
Missouri are from all walks of life. City dwellers in Billings,
skiers in Paradise Valley, and ranchers in Miles City all depend
on the river. Last year MSU-Billings professor Susan Gilbertz
was asked by the Yellowstone River Conservation District to
conduct a qualitative survey of the people who work, live, or
play on the river. Other projects have already analyzed the
physical, geological, and hydrological features of the river.
However, the 11 Montana and one North Dakota counties that make
up the conservation district wanted to sponsor a study that
takes the river as a whole and evaluates it from a fresh sociopolitical
standpoint. What do the people on the river care about? How
do distinct reaches of the river change the inhabitants and
users? Devising a way to assure that all viewpoints were heard
was no simple task.
Dr.
Gilbertz and two colleagues from Texas--Damon Hall and Christy
Horton--started by gathering a list of people who share the
Yellowstone River. Agriculture producers, recreationists,
civic leaders, and riverfront property owners (people who
live within 500 feet of the river and live on over 20 acres)
made up the list from the 12 counties. Nearly 160 interviews
followed, starting with 50 people in and near Big Timber using
digital recorders. Due to referrals, the number of interviews
ended up being closer to 80. This trend continued throughout
the investigation, as each one-week stop brought more and
more people who wanted to help by introducing the team to
“people they needed to meet.” The team made its way across
eastern Montana into North Dakota before working back west
to Park County.
End
results were over 300 interviews, 600 pages of transcriptions,
and detailed summaries of the locations and the groups of
people who participated in the inventory. According to Dr.
Gilbertz, one of the main findings was that “there are so
many people that are deeply connected to the river, sincerely
connected, but everybody understands that it is a shared resource
that needs to be taken care of.” A summary of the six-month
project will be available by the end of February. |
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| 2007
Montana Water Research and Student Fellowship Grants Awarded |
Five
research teams and five students have been awarded funds to
conduct water research in Montana. Last month the Montana
University System Water Center, based at Montana State University-Bozeman,
offered a total of $56,000 for five 2007/2009 research projects
and five student fellowships. The grants are funded through
the federal Water Resources Research Act:
- Dr.
Steve Parker, Montana Tech, for the project, “Identifying
and characterizing sources of dissolved organic carbon in
the Big Hole and Clark Fork Rivers, a continued investigation.”
- Dr.
Chris Gammons, Montana Tech, to study “Temporal and spatial
changes in the concentration and isotopic composition of
nitrate in the upper Silver Bow Creek drainage, Montana:
Year 2.”
- Dr.
Lucy Marshall, Montana State University, for her study “Predictive
modeling of snowmelt dynamics: thresholds and the hydrologic
regime of the Tenderfoot Creek Experimental Forest, Montana.”
- Dr.
Joel Harper, University of Montana, for his study of “Historical
and future streamflow related to small mountain glaciers
in the Glacier Park Region, Montana.”
- Dr.
Clayton Marlow, Montana State University, for his study
of “Sediment and heavy metal source determination and reduction
at a reclaimed abandoned mine site, Alta Mine, Jefferson
County, Montana.”
The
student research fellowships were presented to promising student
scientists at three Montana campuses. They participated in
a competitive application process and showed competence in
addressing a regional water-resource problem through research
in the coming year. Twelve applications were submitted, and
awards were offered to five masters or doctoral students.
They are:
- Magnus
McCaffrey, University of Montana, for his study of the influence
of beaver on brook trout invasion and cutthroat trout displacement.
- Michael
Meeuwig, Montana State University, for his investigation
on populations of bull trout in Glacier National Park.
- Eric
Boyd, Montana State University, to study natural mercury
in aquatic environments.
- Lisa
Bithell Kirk, Montana State University, to investigate microbial
transformation of selenium in phosphate mine wastes.
- Keri
Petritz, Montana Tech, for her study of biogeochemical controls
of arsenic.
For
information on the progress of these studies, contact the Montana
Water Center at water@montana.edu, 406.994.1772, or visit the
Center’s web site at http://watercenter.montana.edu. |
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| 2007
Darcy Lecturer, Dr. James J. Butler Jr., to speak in Montana |
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The
2007 Darcy* lecturer, sponsored by the National Ground Water
Association (http://www.ngwa.org/ngwef/darcy.cfm),
will be in Montana this summer. Here’s the tentative plan; mark your
calendars and spread the word: August 22nd at Montana Tech,
Butte – Afternoon or evening, location TBA. His talk is entitled:
"What the Heck Is a Phreatophyte? A Field Investigation of Ecohydrologic
Processes in Stream-Aquifer Systems" August 23rd at The University
of Montana, Missoula – around noon, location TBA. The talk is
entitled: “Getting the Information Ground Water Modelers Need:
A Report from the Field" For more information, contact John
LaFave, Associate Research Hydrogeologist, Montana Bureau of
Mines and Geology, (406) 496-4306, jlafave@mtech.edu.
* To
foster interest and excellence in ground water science and technology,
the Henry Darcy Distinguished Lecture Series in Ground Water
Science was established in 1986. The series—which has reached
more than 50,000 ground water students, faculty members, and
professionals—honors Henry Darcy of France for his scientific
discoveries of 1856. Darcy's investigations established the
physical basis upon which ground water hydrogeology has been
studied ever since.
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| Watershed
Film to Air on Montana PBS |
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“Headwaters
to a Continent: Montana’s Working Watershed Groups” will air
on Montana PBS on February 17 at 5 p.m. and February 18 at 8:30
a.m. This film showcases Montana as a headwaters state to the
nation's major drainage basins. It highlights the successes
of three local groups in Montana's Big Hole, Blackfoot, and
Rosebud watersheds. Set in Montana's rustic beauty and charm,
watch how local grassroots watershed groups are responsibly
caring for the nation's headwaters and each other. Produced
by Alison Koch for the Montana Water Center, MSU in Bozeman.
Find more at http://www.montanapbs.org/HeadwaterstoaContinent/. |
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| New
Zealand Mud Snail Conference |
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The
5th Western USA New Zealand Mud Snail Conference will be held
June 26-28, 2007 at UC-Davis, California. Conference information
will be available soon via the NZMS website at http://www.esg.montana.edu/aim/mollusca/nzms/,
but with questions about submitting abstracts, please contact
Tristan Arrington, EcoAnalysts, Inc., Center for Aquatic Studies,
Bozeman, Montana, (406) 522-7350. |
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| AMFM
Conference |
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The
Association of Montana Floodplain Managers (AMFM) Conference,
“Back to the Basics” will be held at the Holiday Inn in Bozeman,
Montana, April 2-5, 2007. For more information on agenda and
abstract submittal, visit to the website at http://www.mtfloods.org/ or
email conf2007@mtfloods.org. |
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| Research
Position in Water Reuse and Natural Systems |
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Environmental Science and Engineering Division at Colorado School
of Mines (CSM) invites applications for a Postdoctoral Fellow
or Research Associate to work in the area of water reuse and
natural systems for decentralized wastewater systems. The position
begins immediately, with a two-year duration, and possibility
for renewal. The successful candidate will work for the Small
Flows Program with an interdisciplinary team from CSM to oversee
and implement field research related to sustainable solutions
for water and sanitation. Candidates must have an advance degree
in environmental science or engineering or a related field with
experience in applied field testing, assessment or characterization.
Find more about the position at http://www.mines.edu/academic/envsci;
for more about the Small Flows Program, check http://www.mines.edu/research/smallq/.
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| Water Resource Specialist |
| The
Montana Water Trust is seeking a Water Resource Specialist to:
1) research and evaluate water rights for transfer to instream
use to benefit fisheries, 2) gather information relating to
irrigation practices, stream conditions, fisheries, and water
right parameters for potential projects, 3) prepare and submit
change applications to the Department of Natural Resources and
Conservation, and 4) attend and set up meetings in the region
relating to water resource management. Job description can be
found at www.montanawatertrust.org. Closing date is February
9th, 2007; contact info@montanawatertrust.org for application
requirements. |
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| New
Volunteer Water Monitoring Guidebook Available |
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The
Montana Watercourse is proud to announce the release of the
new Volunteer Water Monitoring Guidebook. It contains information
on water basics and monitoring design, methods, equipment, data
management and analysis. The Montana Watercourse Volunteer Monitoring
Program began in 1997 to train volunteers in monitoring their
watersheds. To receive training or a copy of the guidebook,
please contact the Montana Watercourse at (406) 994-6671 or
visit its website at http://www.mtwatercourse.org. |
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| Protecting Montana’s Wetlands and Riparian Areas: Handbook Published |
Several
local governments have recently adopted regulations that protect
wetlands and/or riparian areas. The Montana DEQ Wetland Program
contracted with Montana Audubon to update the 2003 document,
A Planning Guide for Protecting Montana's Wetlands and Riparian
Areas, with case studies about these new local government regulations.
The Planning Guide and updates can be found and downloaded at
http://mtaudubon.org/html/take_action_streams
_and_marshes_planning.htm. |
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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
etennant@montana.edu.
He’d like to hear from you. |
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Take
special note of upcoming national and local water meetings
on the Events
Calendar at MONTANA WATER. |
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13th Annual Whirling Disease Symposium, Denver, CO, February
12 - 13, 2007 [INFO]
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Montana AFS Annual Meeting, Missoula, February
13 - 16, 2007 [INFO]
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2007 AFS Idaho Chapter Annual Meeting, Boise, ID, February
21 - 23, 2007 [INFO] |
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MWCC E&O Committee Meeting, Helena, February
22, 2007 [INFO]
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Montana Watershed Stewardship Award, March
9, 2007 [INFO]
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ASABE Conference on Watershed Managemant, San Antonio, TX, March
11 - 13, 2007 [INFO]
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4th EverythingAboutWater Expo 2007, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, March
15 - 17, 2007 [INFO]
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