HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-26-15 Saul attachment 2 StategicFramework2013-2017A Strategic Framework for
Wetland and Riparian Area
Conservation and Restoration in
Montana 2013–2017
State of Montana Montana Department Montana Wetland Council
Steve Bullock, Governor of Environmental Quality Lynda Saul, Chair
Tracy Stone-Manning, Director
OFFICE OF TI-IE GoVERNOR
STATE OF MONTANA
STEVE BULLOCK JOllN WAI.SH
GOVERNOR May2013 - ~ Lr GOVERNOR
Fellow Montanans:
We all love to see the joy in young faces at the wonder ofcatching their first fish or discovering a hidden frog lurking in a
shallow pond. Clean water, natural areas and abundant wildlife make Montana an incredible place to raise a family and
enjoy the outdoors.
Clean water is also a very necessary part ofour economy. Most of us know that wetlands and riparian areas provide clean
water and critical habitat for the abundant fish and wildlife we enjoy; many people, however, are surprised to learn that
these natural areas serve other important functions. For instance, they act as nature's sponges, soaking up high spring
flows and snowmelt, and filtering out pollution that would otherwise reach our rivers and drinking water. By holding
water on the land longer, these areas slow runoff, minimize erosion, reduce flood levels and recharge groundwater
supplies.
Unfortunately, since the late 1800s, our state has lost more than one-third of its original wetlands to fill or draining.
Countless miles of rivers and their streamside areas have been straightened, modified and deforested. If left unchecked,
continued wetland and riparian loss will result in ecological and economic ramifications. On behalf ofthe citizens of
Montana, we have a responsibility to protect and restore these natural assets to help ensure a clean and healthful
environment for future generations.
The Montana Wetland Council, with input from more than 300 Montanans, has developed this statewide plan titled
"Priceless Resources: A Strategic Framework for Wetland and Riparian Area ConseJVation and Restoration 2013 -2107."
It presents a focused approach to protecting and caring for our state's wonderful wetland resources. The result is a
blueprint that builds upon the accomplishments of private landowners, conservation organizations, local, state, tribal and
federal agencies, and others committed to protecting and restoring Montana's natural areas.
Major strategic directions of the 2013- 2017 state plan include restoration, protection and management~ mapping,
monitoring and assessment; using land use planning and policy tools; focusing on vulnerable and impacted wetlands; and
providing public communications and education.
As people who love all the opportunities afforded by Montana's great outdoors, we appreciate the private landowners who
have completed voluntarily restoration and practice good stewardship on their lands. That these areas also provide clean
water, reduce flood risk, and filter polluted runoff are seJVices we should all value and preserve. This work will take
concerted effort by all of us; we encourage you to join us in supporting this collaborative Strategic Framework to
conserve, protect and restore Montana's wetlands, riparian areas and watersheds for now and for future generations.
Sincerely,
-a-~
STEVE BULLOCK
lh~0~A /,/t~
~~Q~~~i~NN~ -- .
Director, Department of Environmental Quality irector, Department ofNatural Resources and Conservation
STATF. CAr rrOL • P.O. Box 200801 • HFLENA. MONTANA 59620-0801
T EI l:PHONI;: 406-444-3111 • FAX: 406-444· SS29 • WEB~ITE. WWW.MT.GOV
Contents
Beavers, nature’s dam
builders, create wetlands that
help hold water longer on the
landscape which provides
habitat for other wildlife and
critical water storage in the
arid west.
Photo: Tammy Crone
Acknowledgements ............................................................................................... ii
Executive Summary ............................................................................................. iii
I. History and Context ..................................................................................... 1
II. 2013–2017 Five-Year Plan ............................................................................. 3
III. Montana Wetland Council ........................................................................... 4
IV. Vision for the Future..................................................................................... 5
V. Five-Year Strategic Directions ...................................................................... 6
Strategic Direction #1: Restoration, Protection, and Management ....... 8
Strategic Direction #2: Mapping ......................................................... 10
Strategic Direction #3: Monitoring and Assessment .......................... 12
Strategic Direction #4: Planning and Policy........................................ 14
Strategic Direction #5: Vulnerable and Impacted Wetlands ................ 18
Strategic Direction #6: Public Communications and Education .......... 21
Strategic Direction #7: Montana Wetland Council Development ....... 23
VI. 2008–2012 Strategic Framework Assessment of Accomplishments ........... 25
VII. No Net Loss and Net Gain Accomplishments ............................................ 35
AppendixA: Strategic Framework Participants.................................................... 37
Appendix B: Glossary .......................................................................................... 38
Appendix C: Resources/Website ......................................................................... 38
Cover photos: Wetlands and riparian areas are a green oasis in an arid landscape providing
water quality, water quantity, habitat, and flood control benefits.
Photo credits: John Lambing. Insets left to right: Steve Carpenedo, Catherine Wightman, Karissa
Ramstead, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
A Strategic Framework for Wetland and Riparian Area Conservation and Restoration in Montana 2013–2017
i
Acknowledgements
Montana’s wetlands and riparian areas are priceless resources that add immense
value to those of us fortunate to live, work, and play in this beautiful and
diverse state. These resources are critical for the water quality, water quantity,
habitat, and flood reduction functions they provide to society.
I am indebted to the many Montanans in local, state, tribal, and federal governments and in
the non-profit and private sectors working to advance wetland and riparian protection,
restoration, and management. I am also indebted to the many landowners who have accepted
the responsibility to steward their private land and aquatic resources well. I am particularly
grateful to the many Montana Wetland Council participants (see Appendix A) who donated
countless hours and critical thinking to assess accomplishments from the 2008–2012
Strategic Framework and help develop and refine this updated STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR
WETLAND AND RIPARIAN AREA CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION 2013–2017.
I also greatly value and appreciate the involvement and input from more than 300 Montanans
who participated in this planning process, resulting in these updated strategic directions that
are unique to Montana’s strengths and address our challenges.
Finally, I am deeply appreciative of Region 8 of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for
their longstanding grant support for the continued development of a strong comprehensive
wetland program in Montana.
Sincerely,
Lynda A. Saul
DEQ Wetland Program Coordinator
Montana Wetland Council Chair
Public and private wetland stewards
are recognized every other year by the
Montana Wetland Council in an award
ceremony at the State Capitol. The
Gordon Cattle Company family accepts
the 2011 Wetland Stewardship Award
for their Blaine County wetlands
pictured here.
Photos: Ashley Stevick and
Rick Northrup
Priceless Resources:
ii ii
Executive Summary
Bird watching is
the number one,
fastest growing
outdoor recre-
ational pursuit in
the United States.
Yellow-headed
blackbird.
Photo: Eugene
Beckes
Montana’s overarching wetland goal is: No overall net loss of the state’s
remaining wetland resource base (as of 1989) and an overall increase
in the quality and quantity of wetlands in Montana. The Montana Wetland Council
also supports a riparian goal: Maintain, protect, and restore the ecological integrity of
riparian areas. The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) provides state
leadership to protect wetlands and riparian areas for their water quality, water quantity,
habitat, and flood control benefits. DEQ has chosen a collaborative approach involving the
Montana Wetland Council (MWC), to develop and help implement the state’s wetland and
riparian plan. In 2007, the Montana Wetland Council created a five-year strategic framework
to prioritize and direct collective efforts on wetland and riparian area conservation and
restoration in pursuit of its goal, PRICELESS RESOURCES: A STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR WETLAND
AND RIPARIAN AREA CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION IN MONTANA 2008–2012. This five-year
update reports on the accomplishments of the 2008–2012 Strategic Framework and updates
the strategic directions for 2013–2017.
The Montana Wetland Council is an active network of diverse interests who work
cooperatively to conserve and restore Montana’s wetland and riparian ecosystems. This
updated strategic framework identifies the work priorities that the Council can best take
leadership on and encourage Council participants to implement. Implementation relies heavily
upon Council participants working through coordinated projects, grant funding, and in
collaborative working groups. As a network, the Council helps participating organizations
A Strategic Framework for Wetland and Riparian Area Conservation and Restoration in Montana 2013–2017
iii
Lady’s tresses
and individuals build relationships, gain knowledge from each others’ work, and ensures that
the “right people” get timely and useful information to make sound decisions and take
informed actions on shared issues. Participants include federal and state agencies, tribal
governments, local governments, non-profit organizations, and the private sector. As
currently structured, the Wetland Council has no authority to take action, develop policy, or
speak on behalf of its participants. Those activities are the role of individual Council
participants based on their unique organizational mission, authority, or statutory
requirements.
Future Vision
The Montana Wetland Council sees a future where:
Montanans value wetlands and riparian areas and understand that these areas
provide important landscape ecosystem functions, including water purification,
groundwater recharge, habitat for diverse plants and animals, and flood risk
reduction.
The general public and decision-makers are engaged in wetland/riparian
conservation, management, and restoration because everyone understands
that human health relies on the condition of our natural environment, and we
all play a part in this.
Policies and protection mechanisms back up this cultural view, with effective
tools that minimize additional destruction and degradation.
An active, committed, and effective Montana wetland community’s efforts
have contributed to maintaining and restoring wetlands and riparian areas.
The Montana Wetland Council is a vibrant and engaged network that
collaborates with others to develop workable resource protection solutions to
difficult issues facing Montanans.
Five-Year Strategic Directions and Outcomes
The following seven strategic directions highlight where the Montana Wetland Council will
focus leadership, energy, activity, and resources over the next five years in order to achieve
its vision for the future. The Ideal Outcomes articulate what the Council hopes to
accomplish as the end result of its efforts.
Priceless Resources:
iv
Strategic Direction #1: Restoration, Protection, and Management
The Montana Wetland Council (MWC) will support and participate in on-the-
ground projects and practices that foster wetland and riparian restoration,
protection, and management and net gain of wetlands.
Ideal Outcome: Montana’s land and resource managers have ample human and
financial resources to cooperatively restore, conserve, protect, and increase its
wetlands, riparian areas, streams, and associated uplands.
Strategic Direction #2: Mapping
The Montana Wetland Council will support the completion, maintenance, and
dissemination of statewide digital wetland and riparian mapping information, and
provide training and support for public and private land managers, watershed
groups, and governmental entities to use this mapping information in planning,
protection, and restoration decision-making.
Ideal Outcome: Maps are used as critical tools in land-use planning, land-use and
watershed management, environmental permitting, restoration, and protection.
Decision-makers, resource managers, and the public have up-to-date, digital,
statewide wetland and riparian maps of Montana.
Strategic Direction #3: Monitoring and Assessment
The Montana Wetland Council will continue to encourage collection, integration,
and use of monitoring and assessment data to inform local planning, protection,
restoration, and landscape-level decision-making.
Ideal Outcome: Decision-makers, resource managers, and the public will rely on
field-based monitoring information that accurately assesses the stressors and
physical, chemical, and biological condition of wetland and riparian resources to
ensure sound science-based management, conservation priorities, planning
decisions, and restoration efforts.
Strategic Direction #4: Planning and Policy
The Montana Wetland Council will assist local, state, tribal, and federal
governments with planning, program implementation, and management
information, resources, and tools needed to protect wetland and riparian areas
for their water quality, water quantity, habitat, and flood control benefits.
Ideal Outcome: Local, state, tribal, and federal governments are knowledgeable, well
equipped, and supported to conserve and protect wetland and riparian resources,
functions, and values as they plan, develop, and implement programs and policies.
Lady’s slipper
More than 2,500
plant species have
been identified in
Montana and
more than half of
these are found in
the state’s
wetlands and
riparian areas.
Photos: Montana
Natural Heritage
Program
A Strategic Framework for Wetland and Riparian Area Conservation and Restoration in Montana 2013–2017
v
Strategic Direction #5: Vulnerable and Impacted Wetlands
The Montana Wetland Council will contribute to the understanding and knowledge
regarding the effects of energy development, climate change, limited water
resources, and invasive aquatic species on Montana’s wetlands and riparian
resources, and promote approaches to minimize harmful effects.
Ideal Outcome: Threats that affect wetland and riparian resources, such as energy
development, climate change, and other land-use changes, are understood. The
broader scope of Montana’s water resources, including vulnerable wetlands and
other aquatic resources, are conserved and protected across all of Montana.
Strategic Direction #6: Public Communications and Education
The Montana Wetland Council will foster the public’s awareness and understanding
of the valuable ecologic, economic, and public safety functions that wetlands and
riparian areas perform, and encourage and support effective public and private
protective actions.
Ideal Outcome: Montanans of all ages understand the value and function of
wetlands and riparian areas and the importance they provide to Montana’s water
supply, clean water quality, wildlife habitat, and flood control. Montanans have
access to information and education that enables them to act effectively to protect,
conserve, and restore these ecosystems.
Strategic Direction #7: Montana Wetland Council Development
The Montana Wetland Council will continue to build and strengthen its
communication, leadership, networking, and funding mechanisms to ensure
its vitality, effectiveness, and longevity.
Ideal Outcome: The Montana Wetland Council is an effective, action-oriented
network of 1,000 agencies, organizations, and individuals concerned about and
working for the protection, conservation, and restoration of Montana’s wetland and
riparian resources. MWC provides focus, leadership, technical information, and an
action-oriented coordinated approach to accomplish this work.
Interns and staff from
The Nature Conservancy’s
LEAF program (Leaders
in Environmental Action
for the Future) monitor
Hellroaring Creek in the
Centennial Valley,
training the next
generation of water
stewards.
Photo: Bebe Crouse/The
Nature Conservancy
Priceless Resources:
vi
I. History and Context
National
In 1989, President George H. W. Bush established a goal of “no net loss of wetlands,”
adapted from the National Wetlands Policy Forum recommendations. “No net loss” is
based on quantity, as measured in acres, and quality, as measured by health. In 2004,
President George W. Bush expanded that policy to include a national goal of wetland
net gain.
Prior, in 1977, Executive Order 11988 on floodplain management was enacted and
requires each federal agency to take action to reduce the risk of flood loss; to minimize
the impact of floods to human safety, health, and welfare; and to restore and preserve
the natural and beneficial values served by floodplains. Floodplains are vital
components of riparian areas.
Despite laws and policies enacted to protect them, wetlands and riparian areas across
the nation continue to be drained, filled, and degraded. In an undisturbed condition,
these areas protect and improve drinking water quality; maintain and restore the water
quality of lakes, rivers, and streams; filter polluted runoff from our water supply; absorb
floodwaters; recharge groundwater; provide fish and wildlife habitat; and offer natural
areas for recreation.
Wetlands such as
these at Ninepipes
National Wildlife
Refuge provide
priceless scenery,
essential to
Montana’s tourist
economy.
Photo: John
Lambing
A Strategic Framework for Wetland and Riparian Area Conservation and Restoration in Montana 2013–2017
1
Montana
Montana’s overarching wetland goal is: No overall net loss of the state’s remaining
wetland resource base (as of 1989) and an overall increase in the quality and quantity of
wetlands in Montana. The Montana Wetland Council also supports a goal: maintain,
protect, and restore the ecological integrity of riparian areas. Sadly, Montana has lost
about one-third of its original wetland base since EuroAmerican settlement, mainly as a
result of draining and filling. In addition, countless wetland acres have been lost due to
diminished quality, inappropriate land use, and other impacts. Development degrades
riparian areas, the margins along streams, rivers, and wetlands. The Army Corps of
Engineers estimates that 80 percent of all Clean Water Act permit applications in Montana
involve riparian areas. Wetlands and riparian areas now comprise less than five percent of
Montana’s land base.
In this document, Montana presents its strategic five-year plan to prioritize and direct
collective efforts on wetland and riparian area conservation, restoration, and management.
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has chosen a collaborative
approach involving the Montana Wetland Council, to develop and help implement the
state wetland plan and further our wetland and riparian goals. In the Montana context,
collaboration is the most effective approach.
Competitive funding from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grants support the
development of Montana’s wetland program. EPA developed a Core Elements Framework
in 2009 as a resource for states and tribes in building their wetland programs and identified
four core elements critical to effective, comprehensive wetland programs: voluntary
restoration and protection, monitoring and assessment, regulation, and water quality
standards. In addition, EPA considers outreach and education and a watershed approach
to be inherent components of all water resource programs. PRICELESS RESOURCES: A
STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR WETLAND AND RIPARIAN AREA CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION IN
MONTANA 2013–2017 addresses the Montana Wetland Council’s priorities from EPA’s Core
Elements Framework.
Montana Wetland Council
The Montana Wetland Council (MWC) was formed in 1994 following a “Wetland Summit”
that brought together a broad cross-section of Montanans. The Montana Wetland
Council is a vital and necessary player in assisting DEQ to meet its mission to implement
the state’s wetland program. As a result of Council capacity building and a strategic
planning outreach process, the MWC has grown into an extensive networking forum
(with a listserv of about 900) that promotes cooperative wetland conservation and
restoration in Montana.
The DEQ Wetland Program Coordinator provides consistent leadership and staff support
to the MWC, and acts as a point person for wetland issues across the state. DEQ
administers EPAWetland Program Development Grants that implement the priorities in
this Strategic Framework.
Priceless Resources:
2
II. 2013–2017 Five-Year Plan
Background
The Montana Wetland Council developed the state’s first wetland conservation strategy
in 1997. In 2007, the State Wetland Program Coordinator recommended evaluating the
progress and challenges since the 1997 Montana Conservation Strategy, and moving the
Council from an informational and educational forum to a more action-oriented network.
To do that, MWC embarked on strategic planning to focus and guide future efforts. The
resulting five-year strategic plan was published as PRICELESS RESOURCES: A STRATEGIC
FRAMEWORK FOR WETLAND AND RIPARIAN AREA CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION IN
MONTANA 2008–2012. It identified the work priorities that the Council could best take
leadership on. Implementation relied heavily upon Council participants working through
coordinated projects, grant funding, and in working groups. Accomplishments from
2008–2012 are tracked and highlighted in Section VI of this 2013–2017 update. In
addition to assessing five-year accomplishments, the Montana Wetland Council
embarked on an update of the strategic directions. The outcome of that collective work
is presented here.
State Strategy and Department of Environmental Quality’s Role
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is the lead state agency
responsible for developing an effective, comprehensive wetland program for Montana,
as well as developing the capacity of state and local governments to protect wetland
resources. The DEQ Wetland Program provides state leadership to conserve wetlands
for their water quality, water quantity, habitat, and flood control benefits. This Strategic
Framework documents the Montana Wetland Council’s priorities and is consistent with
state goals and EPA’s Core Element Framework.
The DEQ uses grant funding and other
resources to accomplish Montana Wetland
Program goals. The DEQ has chosen a
cooperative network model of partnering to
accomplish far more than any single
individual or program could alone. Montana
Wetland Council participants recognize that
in the complex social and legal environment
of natural resource protection and
management, a network fosters discussion to
better evaluate resource protection
challenges from diverse perspectives, and
find common solutions. Montana’s model has
tremendous strengths and challenges, and
requires a flexible, opportunistic approach to
wetland conservation and restoration.
Damsel flies,
such as these
boreal bluets,
are important
indicators of
water quality
and the health of
ponds, lakes,
and streams.
Their favorite
prey are flies
and mosquitoes.
Photo: Steve
Carpenedo/DEQ
Wetland
Program
A Strategic Framework for Wetland and Riparian Area Conservation and Restoration in Montana 2013–2017
3
III. Montana Wetland Council
American avocets
prefer shallow
wetlands with
broad expanses of
mud flats for
feeding, resting,
and nesting.
Photo: Eugene
Beckes
Mission
The Montana Wetland Council is an active network of diverse interests who work
cooperatively to conserve and restore Montana’s wetland and riparian ecosystems.
Core Beliefs
Core beliefs provide the foundation for the Montana Wetland Council’s mission, vision,
and its five-year strategic plan:
Wetlands and riparian areas are essential to maintain water
quantity and clean water quality in Montana.
Sound science must be the basis for wetland and riparian
management, conservation, restoration, policy decisions, and
public education.
The state of Montana has a responsibility to safeguard its
wetlands and riparian ecosystems.
Healthy wetland and riparian communities sustain healthy human
communities.
Montana’s current landowners, land managers, and the public are
the stewards of wetland, riparian, and water resources for future
generations.
An informed and engaged public is essential to wetland and
riparian protection and conservation.
Open, informed communication and cooperation among all
interested parties are essential ingredients for sound management
of wetland and riparian ecosystems.
Structure and Role
The Montana Wetland Council welcomes participation by all entities with an interest in
wetland and riparian protection, restoration, management, regulation, education, science,
or other aspects of wetland resources. MWC meets three times a year, and administers
the biennial Wetland Stewardship Awards ceremony to recognize outstanding wetland/
riparian stewardship in Montana.
As a network, the Council helps participating organizations and individuals build
relationships, gain knowledge of each others’ work, and ensures that the “right people”
get timely and useful information to make sound decisions and take informed action on
shared issues. Participants include federal and state agencies, tribal governments, local
governments, non-profit organizations, and the private sector.
Within the current structure of this Strategic Framework, the Wetland Council has no
authority to take action, develop policy, or speak on behalf of participants. Those
activities are the role of individual Council participants based on their unique
Priceless Resources:
organizational mission, authority, or statutory requirements.
4
IV. Vision for the Future
Montana youth
get their feet wet
with hands-on
science at the
annual Water
Summit.
Photo: Montana
Watercourse
The Montana Wetland Council’s vision for the future sees Montana as a place
where wetlands and riparian areas are restored to healthy, fully functioning
ecosystems that have long-term protection. Our measures of success are a net gain
of wetlands by both acreage and function, and riparian areas that are protected and restored
to natural functions and processes.
We, the Montana Wetland Council, see a future where:
Montanans value both wetlands and riparian areas and understand that these
areas provide landscape ecosystem functions, including habitat for diverse
plants and animals, water purification, flood control, and groundwater recharge.
The general public and decision-makers are engaged in wetland/riparian
conservation, management, and restoration because everyone understands that
human health relies on the condition of our natural environment, and we all play
a part in this.
Policies and protection mechanisms back up this cultural view, with effective
tools that minimize additional destruction and degradation.
An active, committed, and effective Montana wetland community’s efforts have
contributed to maintaining and restoring wetlands and riparian areas.
The Montana Wetland Council is a vibrant and engaged network that
collaborates with others to develop workable resource protection solutions to
difficult issues facing Montanans.
A Strategic Framework for Wetland and Riparian Area Conservation and Restoration in Montana 2013–2017
5
Cow moose. Photo: Tom Hinz
V. Five-Year Strategic Directions
Overview
The Montana Wetland Council is committed to participatory planning, and relies on
participation from a broad spectrum of wetland and riparian players involved in the
process (see Appendix A). The Council engaged a diverse set of wetland and riparian
leaders via numerous channels, including 2008–2012 Strategic Framework Assessment
conference calls involving 32 individuals, responses from more than 300 e-mail surveys,
a day-long Wetland Council meeting involving about 40 participants, in-person meetings
with key individuals, organizations, and agencies, and written review and comments from
more than 30 leaders in wetland/riparian science and management. Our goal was to learn
from our past accomplishments and challenges about the opportunities and needs for
wetland and riparian conservation restoration, and management in Montana, and
determine how the MWC could best contribute to this important work over the next five
years.
As a result of the strategic planning outreach, 900 individuals now participate on the
Council’s listserv, representing the following categories: consultants, federal agencies,
local government, state agencies, tribes, university, and other. “Other” is the largest and
most diverse category (170 individuals) that includes agriculture and irrigation interests,
builders, biology-based and environment-based conservation groups, land trusts,
mining and other industries, real estate development, recreation/sportsmen, water/
wetland education organizations, and wood products. “Local government” is the other
extensive category (160 individuals). It includes conservation district representatives,
Priceless Resources:
county commissioners, floodplain administrators, mayors, mosquito control districts,
land-use planners, water quality protection districts, and others.
6
Focused Action
This document defines the Montana Wetland Council’s focus for the next five years.
The Strategic Planning team worked hard to limit the scope to areas where the MWC
could be most effective and take leadership. In order to realize our ambitious aims,
MWC’s participants must actively implement the actions outlined in this Strategic
Framework.
The following seven strategic directions highlight where the Montana Wetland Council
will focus leadership, energy, activity, and resources over the next five years in order to
achieve our vision for the future.
Mallard eggs in nest.
Photo: John Lambing
The life cycle of many
mammals, reptiles, and
birds, including moose
(facing page) and this
mallard, rely on a
variety of healthy
aquatic and upland
habitats throughout the
year.
Photo: Eugene Beckes
A Strategic Framework for Wetland and Riparian Area Conservation and Restoration in Montana 2013–2017
7
Strategic Direction #1: Restoration, Protection, and Management
The Montana Wetland Council (MWC) will support and participate in on-the-ground
projects and practices that foster wetland and riparian restoration, protection, and manage-
ment and net gain of wetlands.
Restoration, protection, and management most directly address Montana’s overarching
goals, which includes an overall increase in the quality and quantity of wetlands in
Montana (referred to as “net gain”). The Council also supports the goal to maintain,
protect, and restore the ecological integrity of riparian areas. Wetland and riparian areas
occupy about 5 percent of Montana’s land surface and provide water quality, water
quantity, habitat, and flood control benefits to all Montanans. These aquatic resources
provide essential habitat for more than 50 percent of the species identified as the greatest
conservation need in the State Wildlife Action Plan (draft 2013) and are also critical for
keeping common species common.
In 2000, the Montana Wetland Council was instrumental in creating the Montana Wetlands
Legacy Partnership to meet the Council’s 1997 conservation strategy priority to encourage
voluntary conservation and restoration on private and public lands. From 2000 to 2013,
the Legacy Partnership was housed and staffed by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP)
and grew to involve more than 50 organizations and agencies to address Montana’s
wetland and riparian goals. Through incentive-based technical and financial assistance,
extensive coordination and partnerships, Legacy Partners have restored and protected
thousands of acres of wetlands, riparian areas, and associated uplands. At this time, FWP
recommends that the Wetland Council or another entity take on the leadership role of the
Legacy Partnership. The Montana Wetlands Council will seek additional funding and
governmental support for wetland and riparian restoration, protection, and best
management practices to meet the national and state goal of increased quantity and
quality of wetlands.
Ideal Outcome: Montana’s land and resource managers have ample human and financial
resources to cooperatively restore, conserve, protect, and increase its wetlands, riparian
areas, streams, and associated uplands.
To achieve this outcome, Montana Wetland Council participants will:
Objective 1A: Identify options to provide the services of the Montana Wetlands Legacy
Partnership. Support and encourage the work of the Montana Wetlands Legacy
partners, including government agencies, conservation organizations, land trusts,
individual landowners, and others engaged in voluntary wetland and riparian
restoration and conservation projects on public and private lands.
Objective 1B: Work cooperatively with agencies that manage public lands, resources, and
infrastructure under their authority. For example, integrate wetland, riparian, and
floodplain protection and conservation practices in hazard mitigation projects.
Priceless Resources:
8
Objective 1C: Coordinate with wildlife-oriented agencies and conservation organizations to
incorporate wetland and riparian ecological considerations into restoration,
protection, and management decisions. Examples include Montana’s Crucial Area
Planning System supported by the Western Governors’ Association, Montana’s
State Wildlife Action Plan, Montana’s three Joint Ventures, Montana Audubon’s
designated Important Bird Areas, federal Landscape Conservation Cooperatives,
coordinated initiative and landscape efforts of state and local land trusts, and other
landscape-scale prioritization and coordination efforts.
Objective 1D: Research, collect, and promote low-impact, passive restoration design tech-
niques and land management practices that promote healthy wetlands and riparian
areas. Partner with non-governmental organizations and public agencies to
encourage public and private landowners to employ these best management ap-
proaches. Examples include fencing, beaver reintroduction and management,
subdivision swales and retention ponds, thinning forest encroachment, and grazing
management systems.
Objective 1E: In areas where warmer and drier climate might be anticipated and where
agriculture, industry, or development might increase competition for water, and other
similar water shortage situations, recognize the need to actively manage existing
wetlands and support management, restoration, enhancement, and creation.
Objective 1F: Expand the pilot project that integrated wetland restoration considerations into
DEQ’s larger watershed-level restoration planning processes as a way of doing
business. Partner with the DEQ Watershed Protection Section, Montana Watershed
Coordination Council, state and federal agencies (such as USFS Watershed
Condition Framework), and watershed groups in this effort.
Objective 1G: Complete a statewide Restorable Aquatics Database to guide restoration and
protection of wetland, riparian areas, and aquatic sites throughout the state to inform
the public and resource professionals regarding varying levels of restoration priority
in order to protect the quality of Montana’s environments.
Objective 1H: Identify and, where needed, develop and promote a reliable web-based source
for Best Management Practices for agriculture, development, forestry, and other
activities that can potentially affect Montana’s wetland and riparian resources.
Objective 1I: Develop a dedicated wetland, riparian, and stream restoration funding source
and program for Montana that can be used to match federal and other funding
sources to protect, restore, manage, and monitor ecological integrity to Montana’s
aquatic resources. Examples to emulate include recently created funding sources in
other western states such as Great Outdoors Colorado, Wyoming Wildlife and
Natural Resource Trust, and the North Dakota Natural Resources Trust.
A Strategic Framework for Wetland and Riparian Area Conservation and Restoration in Montana 2013–2017
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Wetland and
riparian mapping
in combination
with other overlays
can help prioritize
areas that need
protection. This
example depicts
Flathead River
oxbow bends and
sloughs.
Images: Recreated
from Susannah
Casey/American
Bird Conservancy
Strategic Direction #2: Mapping
The Montana Wetland Council will support the completion, maintenance, and dissemination
of statewide digital wetland and riparian mapping information, and provide training and
support for public and private land managers, watershed groups, and governmental entities
to use this mapping information in planning, protection, and restoration decision-making.
The last five years have been tremendously successful in advancing digital mapping for
wetland and riparian areas in Montana. Prior to 2007, 43 percent of Montana had digital
wetland mapping created from 1980s-era aerial imagery. Since 2007, one-third of these
areas with historical mapping now also have digital wetland and riparian mapping
created from 2005 or later aerial imagery. An additional 34 percent of the state that
lacked digital mapping now has wetland and riparian mapping created from recent aerial
imagery. An additional 23 percent of the state is funded for mapping over the next five
years, resulting in coverage of 71 percent of Montana with 2005 or later digital wetland
and riparian mapping.
Wetland and riparian mapping is one of 14 Montana Spatial Data Infrastructure
Framework Layers, which are the official state sources of data for their respective topics
and have priority above other sources. Typically, five to eight photo-interpreters at the
MTNHP Wetland and Riparian Mapping Center develop this data layer according to
Federal Geographic Data Committee standards. To date, 14 funding partners have
recognized the value of a statewide data layer and have contributed financially to help
make the statewide digital mapping goal a reality. While completing, updating, and
maintaining the data layer is a critical project, the focus must also shift from generating
information to disseminating it to end users in ways that are easy to use and include
documentation and data limitations.
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Ideal Outcome: Maps are used as critical tools in land-use planning, land-use and
watershed management, environmental permitting, restoration, and protection.
Decision-makers, resource managers, and the public have up-to-date, digital, statewide
wetland and riparian maps of Montana.
To achieve this outcome, Montana Wetland Council participants will:
Objective 2A: Seek funding to complete the remaining 30 percent of Montana that lacks up-
to-date digital wetland and riparian maps.
Objective 2B: Develop a method for maintaining and updating the wetland and riparian areas
data layer as one of the 14 official framework layers in the state’s Montana Spatial
Data Infrastructure. Continue to refine the data layer by including value-added
information, such as landscape position, landform, water flow path, and waterbody
type (LLWW descriptors), additional ground truthing, photo points, wetland
assessment, and other data.
Objective 2C: Leverage the wetland and riparian mapping information with floodplain
mapping projects. Partner with DNRC to assist National Floodplain Insurance
Program communities and other local governments with wetland mapping and local
programs to reduce flood risk by protecting natural wetlands and increase
Community Rating System points.
Objective 2D: Develop training and outreach programs for using wetland, riparian, and
floodplain maps and value-added information targeted to specific audiences,
including federal, tribal, state, and local government agencies; consultants and
other private sector users; and nonprofit and community organizations. Examples of
the types of map uses to target include: land-use planning, land-use and watershed
management, environmental permitting, restoration, management, and protection.
Explore the approach used in CAPS to link maps and information with best
management practices.
Objective 2E: Coordinate and centralize in the GIS Data List wetland and riparian mapping
information, DNRC’s State Floodplain Mapping Repository, and other river hazard
mapping information, such as channel migration, ice jams, and flood inundation
studies for Montana’s rivers, streams, and aquatic resources.
Objective 2F: Focus mapping and information updates on areas undergoing rapid land-use
changes, such as energy development, urbanization, and exurban development.
A Strategic Framework for Wetland and Riparian Area Conservation and Restoration in Montana 2013–2017
11
Montana Natural Heritage
Program staff and others
conduct wetland ecological
integrity assessments, an
important part of assessing
wetland health.
Photo: Montana Natural
Heritage Program
Strategic Direction #3: Monitoring and Assessment
The Montana Wetland Council will continue to encourage collection, integration, and use of
monitoring and assessment data to inform local planning, protection, restoration, and
landscape-level decision-making.
Montana has collected a wealth of wetland and riparian information over the last two
decades. The Montana Riparian Association and the University of Montana worked
collaboratively to develop the document “Classification and Management of Montana’s
Riparian and Wetland Sites.” Since then, much more detailed wetland assessment and
monitoring in Montana has been accomplished. For example, the BLM has assessed more
than 11,000 acres of wetlands and more than 5,000 miles of riparian resources. The
MTNHP has created a statewide reference network of herbaceous wetlands, and conducted
hundreds of assessments to collect information on the ambient condition of wetlands across
the state.
State agencies also contribute to wetland assessment and monitoring information for
Montana. For example, Montana FWP collects data on wetland condition to assess the
success of its Migratory Bird Stamp habitat program. The MDT continues statewide
monitoring of its compensatory mitigation projects. Despite these efforts, no clearly
integrated or single assessment and monitoring approach exists across these organiza-
tions. Additionally, the data collected from these efforts are often not readily accessible to
wetland resource practitioners.
As a result, little of this information is used to make a collective impact to advance wetland
planning, restoration, or decision-making. In addition, our ability to track no net loss and
net gain remains elusive. Although there is still work to do to apply this information to on-
the-ground results, Montana has succeeded in developing multiple tools to assess wetland
condition and function, including MTNHP’s Montana Ecological Integrity Assessment
protocol and MDT’s Montana Wetland Assessment Method.
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Ideal Outcome: Decision-makers, resource managers, and the public will rely on field-based
monitoring information that accurately assesses the stressors and physical, chemical, and
biological condition of wetland and riparian resources to ensure sound science-based
management, conservation priorities, planning decisions, and restoration efforts.
To achieve this outcome, Montana Wetland Council participants will:
Objective 3A: Work with the Montana Watershed Coordination Council Water Monitoring
Work Group to expand its focus to include wetland and riparian monitoring and
assessment. This expansion in scope will help inform wetland and riparian resource
management, planning decisions, and restoration efforts, including systematic,
consistent, and repeatable data collection and analysis protocols, and use of
existing data (for example: MTNHP wetland assessments, BLM watershed
assessments, and USFS Pacfish/Infish Biological Opinion). Develop or refine an
implementation strategy and schedule, an information clearinghouse, and a data
distribution plan.
Objective 3B: Encourage the Montana Natural Heritage Program to: (1) continue to develop a
comprehensive statewide reference network of wetland/riparian sites that reflects all
resource types in all eco-regions with the full range of condition from unimpaired to
degraded for use in identifying and monitoring restoration goals, (2) incorporate
assessment data from other organizations (such USFS Research Natural Areas,
Botanical Special Areas, and other protected areas) along with the collection of new
assessment data, (3) determine common denominators for what constitutes a
reference site, and (4) promote and disseminate the reference network to restoration
providers as a target for restoration performance measures.
Objective 3C: Develop a reporting protocol for wetland/riparian monitoring and assessment
data for Montana’s Biannual Water Quality Integrated Report, and include informa-
tion in 2014 and 2016 reports.
Objective 3D: Employ monitoring and assessment tools and methodology to evaluate the
long-term success and ecological effectiveness of restoration, management, and
compensatory mitigation in Montana. Encourage public agencies to collect data to
monitor water levels, vegetation, and wildlife and human use of wetlands. Use this
information to report on and improve the ecological effectiveness of aquatic
restoration, management, and compensatory mitigation.
Objective 3E: Build on the USFWS status and trends and the EPA national wetland condition
assessment reports, and other organizations’ methods of reporting, and implement a
statistically sound approach to track losses and gains of wetland resources in terms
of both quantity and quality in Montana. Use this information to report on
Montana’s goals.
A Strategic Framework for Wetland and Riparian Area Conservation and Restoration in Montana 2013–2017
13
One of the most
serious ecosystem
threats facing
Montana today is
the development
occurring along
our waterways
that fragments or
reduces the
functions of
riparian areas.
Imagine the
effect streamside
development
would have on
this landscape.
Photo: Steve
Carpenedo/DEQ
Wetland Program
Strategic Direction #4: Planning and Policy
The Montana Wetland Council will assist local, state, tribal, and federal governments with
planning, program implementation, and growth management information, resources, and
tools needed to protect wetland and riparian areas for their water quality, water quantity,
habitat, and flood control benefits.
Wetland and riparian area protection, restoration, and management is increasingly
complex on all fronts: legal, social, ecological, political, and economic. In addition,
management and protection of these resources is challenging because the majority of
Montana’s wetlands and riparian areas are on private lands. Proposed policy, guidance,
rules, court decisions, and programs affecting wetland and riparian resources are continu-
ously revised, and new efforts emerge at the federal, tribal, state, and local levels. The
range of potential actions on wetland and riparian areas is broad, including such diverse
policy issues as Farm Bill legislation, Clean Water Act reform, the Army Corps of Engineers
mitigation program, the National Flood Insurance Program, land-use development
projects, conservation easement policy, land acquisition policy, water rights regulations,
energy development policy, and many other issues.
MWC has a responsibility to track and assess scientific information, management recom-
mendations, and policy analysis on national, tribal, state, and local actions that could
affect wetland and riparian protection, restoration, and management, and seek solutions to
these challenges by informing Council participants and decision-makers. For example, the
causes and consequences of native prairie and grassland conversion to cropland in
Montana are well understood and documented. Between 2008 and 2012, about 40,000
acres of native Montana prairie was plowed for the first time and converted to row crops.
Many of these converted acres include wetland basins that are completely lost or severely
degraded due to impacts, resulting in direct and indirect wetland losses. This information
can be used to develop recommendations for government programs and landowner
practices.
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Ideal Outcome: Local, state, tribal, and federal governments are knowledgeable, well
equipped, and supported to conserve and protect wetland and riparian resources, functions,
and values as they plan, develop, and implement programs and policies.
To achieve this outcome, Montana Wetland Council participants will:
Local Government
Objective 4A: Research, compile, and distribute information that supports wetland and
riparian protection in local growth policies, pre-disaster mitigation plans, subdivision
review and regulations, floodplain regulations, stormwater management, design
standards, future land-use maps, and other documents and local approaches to help
guide land-use planning. For example, promote the recommendations for riparian and
wetland protection in the Fish and Wildlife Recommendations for Subdivision and
Development in Montana (April 2012) adopted by FWP (Section ll. A. Water Bodies,
and Appendix C-6.)
Objective 4B: Support the efforts of local government agencies and local groups to incorpo-
rate wetlands and riparian areas into their watershed restoration planning to help
address identified water quality and quantity impairments.
Objective 4C: Coordinate with MWCC to develop, refine, and employ training programs such
as NEMO (nonpoint education for municipal officials) to help train land-use
decision-makers who address the relationship between land use and natural resource
protection, with a focus on water resources.
Objective 4D: Identify and develop financial support for science-based river hazard mapping
that includes identification of floodplains, channel migration, flood inundation, and
ice jams. Advocate for incorporation of river hazard information in: (1) local land-use
planning, (2) Conservation District 310 permit reviews, (3) wetland and floodplain
restoration for distributive flood storage, and (4) other local decision-making.
A Strategic Framework for Wetland and Riparian Area Conservation and Restoration in Montana 2013–2017
Fens recharge
groundwater. If
climate change
results in more
frequent and
severe droughts,
then protecting
and restoring
wetlands that hold
and slowly release
water to aquifers
and downstream
users will be
increasingly
important.
Photo: Steve
Carpenedo/DEQ
Wetland Program
15
State Government
Objective 4E: Encourage Montana’s governor to reinstate the Governor’s Task Force for
Riparian Protection as a coordinating entity for state agencies (such as DEQ, DNRC,
FWP, MDT, Dept. of Agriculture, Commerce/Community Technical Assistance
Program, and MilitaryAffairs/State Hazard Mitigation Program) to collaborate and
streamline the many programs and policies affecting streamside corridors.
Encourage participation from local government associations such as the Montana
Association of Conservation Districts and the Montana Association of Counties.
Objective 4F: Participate in the 2015 Montana Water Supply Initiative (State Water Plan)
representing conservation, particularly environmental flow and water-dependent
habitat needs, with the purpose of providing advice, recommendations, and
evaluation of strategies, studies, and proposed actions for water resources from a
wetland and riparian conservation and restoration perspective.
Objective 4G: Identify and incorporate wetland and riparian protection and restoration
components into the Montana Nonpoint Source Water Management Plan to protect
and restore water quality impacted by nonpoint sources of pollution and other
pollutants.
Objective 4H: Participate in the Montana Silver Jackets program to help foster flood-resilient
Montana communities and protect floodplain functions. Advocate for
recommendations from Montana’s 2011 report Floodplain Management
Assessment: Strengthening Policies and Programs that Reduce Flood Risk and
Protect Floodplains that address wetland and riparian restoration and protection.
For example, partner with DNRC to assist floodplain management plans for National
Flood Insurance Program and Community Rating System communities, stressing the
importance of maintaining healthy wetlands and riparian areas for flood storage and
lowering flood risk.
Objective 4I: Participate in State Wildlife Plan updates and implementation to focus protec-
tion and restoration on wetlands and riparian areas that provide high-quality wildlife
habitat. Participate in the State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation planning
process to include natural aquatic resource protection as a priority.
16
Priceless Resources:
Federal protection for
some isolated wetlands
has diminished in recent
years, making land-
owner management and
conservation that much
more important, as seen
here on this private
ranch west of Dupuyer.
Photo: John Lambing
Government has a
responsibility to
protect and restore
wetlands and
watersheds to help
ensure a clean and
healthful environ-
ment for future
generations.
Photo: John
Lambing
Tribal Government
Objective 4J: Partner with MWCC to conduct a series of listening sessions with tribal
planning and environmental staff regarding their aquatic resource concerns and
what they need in order to address those concerns, including helping to develop
technical assistance programs (i.e. monitoring and assessment and wetland/riparian
plant identification).
Objective 4K: Support tribal government efforts to protect, restore, or manage ecologically
and/or culturally significant wetlands, riparian areas, or aquatic dependent species.
Tribal governments may require support and assistance with these efforts on
reservation lands, as well as within their ancestral territories.
Federal Government
Objective 4L: Notify MWC participants of opportunities to collaborate, review, and comment
on wetland and riparian components of federal agency (USFS, BLM, USFWS, USBR,
and NPS) land management planning and resource operation initiatives.
Objective 4M: Support wetland and native grassland programs and provisions in Farm Bill
policy that avoid and minimize wetland impacts and grassland conversion. Help
reinvigorate the NRCS State Technical Committee Wetland and Wildlife Subcommit-
tee as an avenue to comment on and provide wetland and riparian recommendations
on agriculture-related policies and practices to promote wetland and riparian
restoration, protection, and health.
A Strategic Framework for Wetland and Riparian Area Conservation and Restoration in Montana 2013–2017
17
Excess sediment can
impact wetlands and
riparian areas, reducing
water quality and fish and
wildlife habitat.
Photo: Eugene Beckes
Strategic Direction #5: Vulnerable and Impacted Wetlands
The Montana Wetland Council will contribute to the understanding and knowledge
regarding the effects of energy development, climate change, limited water resources, and
invasive aquatic species on Montana’s wetlands and riparian resources, and promote ap-
proaches to minimize harmful effects.
Montanans value wetlands and riparian areas, for the direct benefits they provide for
wildlife habitat, flood storage, erosion reduction, groundwater recharge, and filtering
anthropogenic-caused excess sediment, nutrients, and other pollutants from our water
supply, yet the state has no specific wetland or riparian protection statue. Federal
protection has diminished dramatically in recent years, leaving some of these aquatic
resources vulnerable to impacts and outright destruction. This plan will focus on ecological
vulnerability and impacts.
Rapid and historic energy development in Montana calls for science-based information to
determine potential impacts and mitigation measures. Climate change may pose a long-term
threat to prairie pothole wetlands and other wetland types in Montana. Water resources—
both adequate water availability and healthy water quality—are crucial ingredients for
ecologically functioning wetlands and riparian areas. Yet, in many places our water supply
is over-appropriated or subject to increasing variability. Non-point source pollution,
including hydrologic modification, traditional pollutants, and pollutants of emerging
concern are affecting aquatic health. Aquatic invasive species harm our biological,
agricultural, and recreational resources.
Science-based information is needed to identify approaches to protect Montana’s vulnerable
wetlands and riparian areas from the effects of a changing climate, changing land use, and
invasive species. The MWC is uniquely positioned to engage its diverse participants in
developing Montana solutions to protect the broader scope of the state’s vulnerable and
impacted aquatic resources.
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Ideal Outcome: Threats that affect wetland and riparian resources, such as energy
development, climate change, and other land-use changes, are understood. The broader
scope of Montana’s water resources, including vulnerable wetlands and other aquatic
resources, are conserved and protected across all of Montana.
To achieve this outcome, Montana Wetland Council participants will:
Prioritize
Objective 5A: Collaborate with natural resource professionals to identify threatened wetlands
that provide high-priority wildlife habitat or are high quality and highly functioning.
Use new and existing resources such as Crucial Area Planning System, thunderstorm
maps, conservation organizations priority areas, and other resources, to identify and
guide protection, management, and restoration priorities. Identify and take advan-
tage of opportunities to integrate these preferences and needs across different land
management responsibilities and ownerships.
Energy Development
Objective 5B: Organize and support a team of experts to identify and prioritize scientific
needs, data collection, risk analysis, technical studies, and GIS resources to effec-
tively determine the direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of energy development
on wetland and riparian resources. Identify best management practices and develop
a plan of action to disseminate this critical information to both public and private
stakeholders and decision-makers. Implement data collection and technical studies
as quickly as practicable such that current and relevant data can benefit wetlands
and riparian areas affected by current and pending energy development projects in
Montana.
Climate Change
Objective 5C: Compile and synthesize existing science-based information on the anticipated
effects of climate change on Montana’s wetlands and riparian resources. Publish and
disseminate this information widely.
Objective 5D: Identify practical options for minimizing the adverse impacts of climate change
on Montana’s wetland and riparian ecosystems, including, but not limited to, the
reduction of current anthropogenic stresses, best management strategies to preserve
wetland hydrology and floodplain functions, and mitigation and policy options.
Publish and disseminate this work widely.
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19
Water Quantity and Quality
Objective 5E: Research the ecological limits of hydrologic alteration of prairie wetland types
and impacts to fish, wildlife, and water supply in Montana, and expand this study
approach to other wetland and riparian types in Montana. Attribute potential
impacts to all anthropogenic stressors affecting wetland and riparian systems and
make recommendations for resource protection.
Objective 5F: Synthesize the research regarding the effects of nonpoint source pollution and
traditional and emerging pollutants on wetlands and riparian areas and make
recommendations on wetland and riparian protection and restoration strategies.
Aquatic Invasive Species
Objective 5G: Provide scientific information and field-based eradication experience regarding
aquatic invasives’ impact on wetlands and riparian areas to the Statewide Aquatic
Invasive Species program and efforts to implement the 2009 Montana Aquatic
Invasive Species Act. Support early detection/rapid response (EDRR) and monitor-
ing for known and potential new invasive aquatic plant and animal species.
Several non-native,
invasive perennial plants
are established in
Montana’s wetlands and
waterways such as yellow
flag iris. Inspection stations
are located at key sites
across the state to help
prevent the spread of
aquatic invasive species
such as these quagga
mussels.
Photos: Lynda Saul/DEQ
Wetland Program and NPS
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Strategic Direction #6: Public Communications and Education
The Montana Wetland Council will foster the public’s awareness and understanding of the
valuable ecologic, economic, and public safety functions that wetlands and riparian areas
perform, and encourage and support effective public and private protective actions.
Wetland and riparian areas provide myriad valuable services to society, such as protecting
surface and ground water quality and quantity, reducing flood risk, reducing erosion,
providing wildlife habitat, and offering recreation and aesthetic appreciation. Thoughtful
protection and stewardship by citizens, landowners, and decision-makers must be based on
accurate, science-based information. The public needs an understanding of the importance
of wetlands, riparian areas, floodplains, and other aquatic resources, and knowledge of the
tools available to enable action. Various educational entities have produced outreach
information and targeted workshops, however, an increased emphasis on wetlands and
riparian areas is needed to meet the pressures and impacts to our aquatic resources.
Community-based social marketing strategies focus on desired behavior changes for
specific target audiences and is an emerging social science tool shown to effect positive
change. A public communications strategy and additional focus on education and outreach
is more important than ever.
Ideal Outcome: Montanans of all ages understand the value and function of wetlands and
riparian areas and the importance they provide to Montana’s water supply, clean water
quality, wildlife habitat, and flood control. Montanans have access to information and
education that enables them to act effectively to protect, conserve, and restore these
ecosystems.
To achieve this outcome, Montana Wetland Council participants will:
Objective 6A: Work with the DEQ Watershed Protection Section’s nonpoint source program
to provide support and assistance to local governments, watershed groups, and
others, to develop and implement effective education and outreach strategies to
protect and restore wetlands, riparian areas, and floodplains, along with the state’s
other aquatic resources.
Objective 6B: Participate in MWCC’s Education and Outreach Committee and with others to
reach locally based watershed groups, local governments, extension agents, other
agencies, and conservation organizations. Expand the reach and audience of the
MWCC E&O Committee to ensure that E&O coordinators from the appropriate
agencies and organizations are included and aware of opportunities for coordination
and collaboration on aquatic resource protection, restoration, and management.
Examples of other education and outreach coordinators and activities include DNRC
Floodplain Section and Conservation Districts Bureau, FWP’s Project Wild and the
new Wildlife Center, aquatic invasive species, Montana Watercourse, other non-
governmental organizations, and state and federal water- and habitat-related
educational programs.
A Strategic Framework for Wetland and Riparian Area Conservation and Restoration in Montana 2013–2017
21
One of the
Montana Wetland
Council’s missions
is to ensure that
Montanans of all
ages understand
and value
wetlands and
riparian areas.
Photos: Montana
Watercourse and
Rich McEldowney
Objective 6C: Research and explore new models and case studies in “community-based
social marketing strategies” geared at behavior change. One pilot action should
focus on eastern Montana communities and landowner options for management of
wetland, riparian, and other aquatic resources. Monitor and evaluate the effective-
ness of these efforts.
Objective 6D: Work with DNRC state floodplain program outreach coordinator and Disaster
and Emergency Services to integrate wetland and riparian mapping and information
in training venues, community assistance visits and material, website links, local
ordinance, mitigation projects, technical assistance, and suggested guidance. Pilot
an integrated aquatic resource outreach approach for the Missoula County Swan
River floodplain mapping project with an emphasis on protecting and restoring
natural floodplain storage and beneficial aquatic functions.
Objective 6E: Continue to distribute and use the excellent informational materials and tools
developed by MWC and its partners over the past five years as scientific resources
for target audiences interested and/or engaged in wetland and riparian area conser-
vation planning and projects.
Objective 6F: Gather, summarize, and publicize economic data that make a compelling
message about the important economic value that wetlands, riparian areas, and
floodplains provide for Montana and its communities. Promote green infrastructure,
particularly as we experience the effects of climate change on water resources
.
Objective 6G: Continue to enhance and publicize the Montana Wetland Information
Clearinghouse website and networking function by updating relevant information.
The Clearinghouse website is the portal for wetland and riparian area information in
Montana, with links to other key sites. Refine and update the Council listserv and
develop other social media approaches to promote wetland and riparian issues and
coordinate with the Montana Watershed Coordination Council where appropriate.
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Strategic Direction #7: Montana Wetland Council Develpment
The Montana Wetland Council will continue to build and strengthen its communication,
leadership, networking, and funding mechanisms to ensure its vitality, effectiveness, and
longevity.
Wetland and riparian area conservation and restoration challenges have increased over
the last 15 years, outgrowing the Montana Wetland Council’s ability to effectively respond
and proactively create solutions. We need a broader structure to implement our 2013–2017
strategic directions, including investigating the responsibility to coordinate on-the-ground
restoration and protection projects. A broader Council structure involving a steering
committee that catalyzes, guides, and monitors implementation of this Strategic Framework
will propel the MWC into a more effective action-oriented network, and enable action
based on the information resources that are developed. Its value will be generated by the
collective efforts of all participants in advancing wetland and riparian protection,
restoration, and management through their respective agencies and organizations, as
individual landowner and citizens, and collaboratively as the MWC. A closer alliance with
the Montana Watershed Coordination Council, a leadership transition plan, and addi-
tional financial resources are needed to successfully implement this Strategic Framework.
Ideal Outcome: The Montana Wetland Council is an effective, action-oriented network of
1,000 agencies, organizations, and individuals concerned about and working for the
protection, conservation, and restoration of Montana’s wetland and riparian resources.
MWC provides focus, leadership, technical information, and an action-oriented coordinated
approach to accomplish this work.
To achieve this outcome, Montana Wetland Council participants will:
Objective 7A: Create a broader organizational structure for the Council to more effectively
galvanize, coordinate, and sustain the energy, knowledge, and resources of its
participants, and for MWC’s work as an action-oriented network. This will be
accomplished in two steps:
1. A broad-based steering committee will guide MWC. The committee will include
leadership or participation from each collaborative working group or ad hoc
committee and other “at large” members who represent the Council’s geographi-
cal, organizational affiliation, and scientific/technical diversity. The first steering
committee will define its roles and responsibilities and job description. The
Montana Wetland Council chair will lead the steering committee.
2. Collaborative working groups or ad hoc committees will coalesce around
strategic directions or objectives and use a structure that efficiently responds to
the issue and needs. Examples include utilizing existing groups, committees, or
other ongoing structures, or forming ad hoc working groups. Meetings will be
issue-based and held when and where the issue is most relevant or via remote
access. Each group will receive staff support from DEQ or another MWC partner
organization.
A Strategic Framework for Wetland and Riparian Area Conservation and Restoration in Montana 2013–2017
23
Objective 7B: Identify diverse funding sources and encourage Council participants to
incorporate MWC’s ideal outcomes into their agencies’ or organizations’ scope of
work. DEQ and Council participants will continue to pursue EPA Wetland Program
Development Grants and other funding sources as an important avenue to fund and
implement projects and programs described in this Strategic Framework. DEQ will
search for funding to establish a “resource fund” that can reimburse working groups
and steering committee members for their direct costs of participating in this broader
MWC structure.
Objective 7C: Continue efforts to expand and diversify organizational, agency, business, and
individual participation in MWC. Specific strategies include: (1) locating Council
meetings around the state, (2) providing remote participation options for Council
meetings and other events, (3) engaging with and presenting wetland and riparian
Strategic Framework issues at meetings of diverse audiences, and (4) broadening the
topic areas explored at MWC meetings.
Objective 7D: Develop a stronger working partnership and joint programs with the Montana
Watershed Coordination Council, particularly in the areas of communication,
education, monitoring, and restoration. Whenever possible and appropriate,
collaborate on projects that benefit both organizations and the resources.
Objective 7E: Continue to develop a cadre of wetland and riparian expertise throughout
Montana by providing and sponsoring professional development opportunities for
MWC leaders and participants through (1) Montana Wetland Council meetings,
(2) MSU Extended University courses developed by the Council, and (3) field-based
trainings. Provide financial support for participants to attend educational
conferences, symposia, and meetings offered by other agencies, institutions, and
organizations. Develop an expert speakers’ bureau.
Objective 7F: Cultivate new leaders and implement transition planning as seasoned leaders
retire. Recruit, nurture, and place upcoming leaders in positions of responsibility in
MWC.
Objective 7G: Implement, monitor, and update the Montana Wetland Council’s Strategic
Framework so that it continues to focus and articulate the Council’s priorities and
areas of leadership.
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VI. 2008-2012 Strategic Framework
Assessment of Accomplishments
The Montana Wetland Council relied on participants and four ad hoc Working
Groups to assess the Ideal Outcomes for each Strategic Direction identified in
the 2008–2012 Strategic Framework. Some task-based ideal outcomes were
completed in the five-year time frame. Many are ongoing and accomplishments and
needs have been reviewed and revised for the 2013–2017 update. Several were either not
started due to lack of funding or no identified champion, or priorities have shifted and they
are no longer considered vital. Overall, most Strategic Framework assessors observed that the
2008–2012 planning process and document development was effective in providing large-
scale guidance to set priorities for the Council network of wetland and riparian professionals.
Strategic Direction #1: Public Education
2008–2012 Accomplishments
Ideal Outcome Completed Ongoing
Not started/
No resources
1A – Information Campaign X
1B – Clearinghouse X
1C – Education Specialist X
1D – Science Advisory X
1A – Integrated into other strategic directions, not developed as a separate campaign.
1B – Clearinghouse website was enhanced in 2009 and is updated as needed.
1C – DEQ hired a wetland environmental specialist in 2009. Duties include SD#2 and SD#4.
1D – DEQ reviews all education and outreach material for scientific accuracy and
consistency.
Shining Example: Public Education
As a network, numerous Montana Wetland Council partners have created public education
resources and embarked on outreach and marketing efforts. These target several specific
audiences regarding knowledge of, appreciation for, and encouragement to take action to
restore and protect the valuable functions performed by wetlands and riparian resources. For
example, two publications highlight landowner outreach: A Landowners’ Guide to Montana’s
Wetlands and Landowners’ Guide to Eastern Montana Wetlands and Grasslands. Both
included case studies and were distributed to more than 1,000 interested parties. Landowner
outreach also included property owners. For example, the Flathead Lakers reported that site
visits to 21 properties resulted in 100 percent of the landowners changing some type of land-
use practice on their property to protect water quality. Another example highlights
collaboration with Montana Audubon, which produced outreach material for local
governments: A Planning Guide for Protecting Montana’s Wetland and Riparian Areas.
A Strategic Framework for Wetland and Riparian Area Conservation and Restoration in Montana 2013–2017
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Shining Example: Stewardship Awards
Montana Wetland Council’s biennial Wetland Stewardship Award 2009 and 2011 recognize
individuals and teams who exemplify excellence and commitment in wetland conservation,
protection, restoration, and stewardship. The award ceremony is held in conjunction with the
Montana Watershed Coordination Council, which recognizes individuals and groups
providing innovative, locally led approaches to conserving, protecting, restoring, and
enhancing watersheds in Montana. Wetland stewardship awards recipients include: Jim and
Cindy Kittredge of the Bird Creek Ranch near Cascade, and NRCS Bozeman-area biologist
Tim Griffiths, in 2009; and Henry and Trisha Gordon from the Gordon Cattle Company in
Blaine County, and the Flathead River to Lake Initiative, in 2011. In 2013, the Montana
Wetland Council will honor the Valley Garden Ranch in Madison County, and the Blackfoot
Trumpeter Swan Restoration Program. Montana landowner stewardship was also recognized
at the national level when the National Wetland Award for Landowner Stewardship was
awarded to the Laszlo Family Granger Ranches near Ennis, in 2010. The National Wetland
Award for Conservation and Stewardship was awarded to Tim Swanson from The Nature
Conservancy–Montana for his work with the ranching community in southwestern Montana
in 2012. These awards not only acknowledge the recipients’ positive stewardship and
restoration work, but also encourage and inspire landowners and others interested in similar
endeavors.
Strategic Direction #2: Professional Training
2008–2012 Accomplishments
Ideal Outcome Completed Ongoing
Not started/
No resources
2A – Workshops X
2B – Professional Development X
2C – Technical Assistance to
Professionals X
2D – National/Regional Conference X
2A – Specific trainings and workshops were held in conjunction with other meetings:
floodplains, sanitarians, planners, and more.
2B – Scholarships included those to EPA Region 8 Wetland Workshop, Clean Water Act
Section 404 training, Association of Montana Floodplain Managers, GIS training, and
others.
2C – The 2008–2012 emphasis on data and generating information allows this outcome to be
a future focus.
2D – Montana hosted the three-day Region 8 Wetland Program Capacity Building
Workshop in 2010 and a Wetland Training Institute field practicum in 2011.
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Shining Example: Professional Development
Montana Wetland Council participants created a new professional development training
series in 2010 that offered continuing education credits eligible for Professional Wetland
Scientist Certification. The annual training is now institutionalized at Montana State
University and provides field and classroom courses in wetland regulation, restoration,
monitoring and assessment, and other topics. Council participants initiated a Montana
chapter of the Society of Wetland Scientists that offers a professional speaker series. Field-
based wetland plant identification trainings were developed and offered at 11 locations
across Montana and attended by about 250 people; they will continue to be offered at three
locations per year into the future. Council participants developed, published, and distributed
3,000 copies of a booklet, Common Native and Invasive Wetland Plants in Montana.
The result of these trainings means sanitarians, floodplain managers, land-use planners,
range managers, local decision-makers, and public and private resource professionals can
better identify potential wetland areas, are better able to avoid impacts to these areas, have
the tools and resources to integrate wetland and riparian protection into their work, know
when permits are needed, and are acquainted with wetland and riparian resource
professionals they can call upon.
Strategic Direction #3: Mapping, Monitoring & Assessment
2008–2012 Accomplishments
Ideal Outcome Completed Ongoing
Not started/
No resources
3A – Mapping Center X
3B – Track Wetland Loss/Gain X
3C – Floodplain Mapping X
3D – Reference Network
Palustrine emergent wetlands X
X
3E – Assessment & Monitoring Program X
3F – Climate Change Impacts X
3A – See digital wetland and riparian mapping “Shining Example” below. Outreach on map
availability and use is needed.
3B – Tracking was attempted unsatisfactorily in three watersheds. Map scale and photo
detail were the overriding factors. We need to determine a more robust method to
estimate wetland loss and gain.
3C – Floodplain mapping has advanced, including several channel migration studies.
Clearinghouse is needed.
3D – See reference network “Shining Example” below. Additional wetland/riparian types are
needed.
3E – MTNHP has developed information for one wetland type. MTNHP needs to expand
and work with other wetland and riparian partners to make these findings available to
others.
3F – Research on groundwater-dependent ecosystems and prairie wetlands has been
initiated.
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Shining Example: Digital Wetland and Riparian Mapping
Montana Wetland Council participants were successful in adding a new data layer—
wetlands and riparian areas—as one of the 14 official Montana Spatial Data Layers. That
paved the way for the Montana Natural Heritage Program (MTNHP) to create the Wetland
and Riparian Mapping Center and a partnership approach to funding the development of
digital mapping information. Prior to 2007, 43 percent of Montana had digital wetland
mapping created from 1980s-era aerial imagery. Since 2007, one-third of these areas with
historical mapping now also have digital wetland and riparian mapping created from 2005 or
later aerial imagery. An additional 34 percent of the state that lacked digital mapping now has
wetland and riparian mapping created from recent aerial imagery. An additional 23 percent of
the state has funding for mapping over the next five years, resulting in coverage of 71
percent of Montana with new digital wetland and riparian mapping. These accomplishments
are possible due to the funding support from 14 Council partners (including major funding
from BLM, Great Northern Land Conservation Cooperative, Montana Land Information Act,
and EPA Region 8) and the expertise of the Montana Wetland and Riparian Mapping Center
at MTNHP.
Maps provide information on the location and type of wetlands and riparian areas. Addition-
ally, MTNHP provides value-added information to these maps by adding descriptors that
describe potential wetland functions (water storage, nutrient cycling, sediment retention),
making them useful to a broad range of users for planning and prioritizing for management,
restoration, and conservation. BLM is using the digital information to apply protective land-
use stipulations during energy development. MDT uses the maps in highway planning
efforts for new alignments and to avoid or minimize aquatic impacts. DEQ and watershed
groups are using the maps to identify suitable restoration sites that will have a positive effect
on water quality and quantity. Maps can also be used to address drought management, water
quality impairment, and a host of other resource management needs. CSKT mapping experts
have teamed up with the MTNHP Wetland and Riparian Mapping Center to cross-check map
accuracy on state and tribal lands.
Shining Example: Reference Network and EcologicalAssessment Protocol
The Montana Natural Heritage Program completed a reference network for herbaceous
wetland types that represents a gradient of wetland conditions from poor condition to
highest quality, a goal identified in Montana Wetland Council’s 2008-2012 Strategic
Framework. In addition, MTNHP created a spatial and tabular database to house and manage
assessment data. A Montana Ecological Integrity Assessment Method and protocols were
also created to consistently assess wetlands and establish a baseline condition for many
wetlands and wetland types. A rotating basin monitoring and assessment program was
initiated and basin-wide assessments were completed for the Milk–Marias watersheds,
southwestern Montana, and southeastern Montana, representing nearly 300 assessments.
This science-based assessment and monitoring approach provides an ecological under-
standing of wetland systems in Montana, as well as information on their condition, typical
stressors that occur near wetlands, and how these affect wetland health. The reference
network can be used to set restoration targets for both regulatory mitigation and voluntary
or incentive-based restoration. These protocols and data also provide an opportunity to
integrate wetland assessments into other watershed assessments for a comprehensive
Priceless Resources:
picture of watershed health.
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Strategic Direction #4: Restoration
2008–2012 Accomplishments
Ideal Outcome Completed Ongoing
Not started/
No resources
Aquatic Resource Crediting Program
4A – Wetland Legacy Partnership
X
X
4B – Restoration Support X
4C – Document Protection X
4D – Evaluate Success X
4E – Restoration Handbook X
4A – The Legacy Partnership has accomplished several Ideal Outcomes. Sustainable
funding has been a challenge, however, resulting in several priorities (state-owned
land restoration and tracking database) not yet initiated or completed.
4B – Support for restoration has occurred through trainings, award program, and site tours
as resources permit. Additional public outreach regarding restoration benefits and
opportunities is needed.
4C – Aligning the stewardship database with conservation easements has not occurred.
Due to compatibility challenges it is no longer a priority.
4D – This work remains an unfunded priority and has shifted to monitoring and assessment
for update.
4E – Restoration Guidelines for Wetlands of the Western Prairie Pothole Region has been
completed. Additional wetland and riparian types will need funding.
Shining Example: Aquatic Mitigation Crediting Program
Montana Wetland Council participants created an In Lieu Fee (ILF) program to offset impacts
to aquatic resources throughout Montana under the Corps 404 and Section 10 regulatory
program. Montana Aquatic Resources Services (MARS) was developed as a 501(c)3 non-
profit entity and represents a third option for compensatory mitigation. This option adds
increased flexibility for permittees and additional restoration for Montana’s aquatic
resources. In addition, MARS was established to go beyond compensatory mitigation and
offer other aquatic restoration. For example, the Exxon Pipeline Mobil Company is using
MARS’s services to establish channel migration easements along portions of the
Yellowstone River for their supplementary environmental program requirements resulting
from the Yellowstone River Silvertip Pipeline oil spill. An additional unanticipated outcome is
that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Stream Mitigation Protocol has been formalized since
2008. It provides a process to mitigate for stream impacts from permitted actions. The new
statewide ILF program will be able to provide stream restoration and protection based on the
Stream Mitigation Protocol.
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Shining Example: CSKT Restoration Successes Shared with Council Participants
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes resource professionals have shared with
Wetland Council participants their experience gained from two decades of work to protect and
actively manage more than 17,000 acres with significant wetland/riparian acreage, including
more than 25 miles of perennial, fish-bearing streams on the Flathead Indian Reservation. The
far-ranging expertise the tribe has developed and shared includes restoring several thousand
acres of wetland and riparian habitat using active and passive techniques, including a Tribal
Forestry greenhouse that houses native plants grown from local seed sources. CSKT has
also successfully reintroduced native species, including trumpeter swans and leopard frogs.
The tribe’s experience in the Flathead and Mission valleys has aided swan reintroduction
programs in the Blackfoot and Madison valleys. Watershed assessments in each of the seven
watersheds on the Flathead Reservation and restoration focusing on water quality
improvement has resulted in successfully reducing turbidity, water temperature, and nutrient
loads, and has led to improved water quality and land and water management in agricultural
settings. Experience gained in non-native species reduction (e.g. reed canary grass control),
including mapping, monitoring, and actively managing non-native species in wetland/riparian
areas, has informed management. They have also focused on promoting and demonstrating
improved connectivity of fish and wildlife habitats over large geographic areas. For example,
CSKT and MDT successfully collaborated on Highway 93 North reconstruction involving
wildlife underpasses/crossings that have received national recognition and paved the way for
similar improvements to Highway 93 South reconstruction. Finally, CSKT has worked
cooperatively with federal agencies (EPA, USFWS, NRCS), state agencies (FWP), numerous
local, non-profit, and university organizations, and private landowners to achieve wetland
and riparian conservation and restoration goals.
Successful wetland/
riparian restoration
projects require technical
expertise, adequate
hydrology,
reestablishment of native
species such as this
Juncus torreyi, and
landowner commitment.
Photo: Karissa Ramstead
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Strategic Direction #5: Local Government
2008–2012 Accomplishments
Ideal Outcome Completed Ongoing
Not started/
No resources
5A – Model Regulations/Other X
5B – Incentives X
5C – Assess Effectiveness X
5D – Training/Technical Assistance X
5E – Coordination X
5F – Financial Support X
5A – Completed projects include wetland and riparian considerations included in DNRC
Model Floodplain Ordinance and development guidance such as Montana FWP Fish
and Wildlife Recommendations for Subdivision Development in Montana.
5B – See “Shining Example” below, more focused work needs to be completed.
5C – Completed A Planning Guide for Protecting Montana’s Wetland and Riparian Areas
in 2008 and updated the riparian setback and land-use planning table in July 2009.
Another update would be useful.
5D – Limited training has occurred, need an outreach focus in the future.
5E – Coordinated on trainings, presentations, and award ceremonies. Increasing
coordination with Montana Watershed Coordination Council, Montana Association of
Conservation Districts, Montana Association of Counties, and Montana Association
of Planners is a priority.
5F – EPA Wetland Protection Development Grants have supported local government
projects such as an evaluation of riparian and wetland area management in Missoula
County subdivisions, and approximate floodplain mapping for four counties in the Big
Hole River Watershed.
Healthy riparian areas absorb high flows,
reduce erosion, provide habitat, and reduce
downstream erosion as seen in these paired
images of the Missouri River on June 10, 2011,
and September 29, 2007.
Photo: Lisa J. Dunn
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Shining Example: Linking Wetland Protection with Floodplain Management
Montana Wetland Council participants completed and are helping to implement
recommendations from a report titled, Montana Floodplain Management Assessment:
Strengthening Policies and Programs that Reduce Flood Risk and Protect Floodplains.
This year-long assessment revealed that Montana’s flood risk reduction and protecting flood
storage functions of natural wetland and riparian areas share similar goals. The assessment
recommendations spawned rapid floodplain mapping, an updated statewide model floodplain
ordinance for local governments, a grant proposal to map river hazards, and development of
other tools and resources for local governments. Other resources include developing and
distributing science-based publications such as recommendations on the size of stream
vegetative buffers needed to protect water quality, fisheries, and wildlife. A pilot floodplain
mapping project in the Big Hole watershed created a protocol for rapid approximate map
development. That, coupled with the updated model floodplain ordinances, provides a
template for other local governments to better protect their floodplain wetlands while
reducing flood risk. Additional river hazard mapping in southwestern Montana (channel
migration corridors, ice jam locations, and flood inundation) will provide a visual planning
tool and has the potential to encourage more interest in floodplain management, reduce
wetland and riparian impacts, protect floodplain wetlands, and encourage communities to
adopt ordinances that equal or exceed the new DNRC Model Floodplain Ordinance. As a
result of this work, the constituency for wetland protection has increased and become more
broad-based, and partnerships between wetland and floodplain programs have strengthened.
Strategic Direction #6: Vulnerable Wetlands
2008–2012 Accomplishments
Ideal Outcome Completed Ongoing
Not started/
No resources
6A – Vulnerable Wetlands White Paper X
6B – State Solutions X
6C – Clean Water Act X
6D – Collaborate on Outreach X
6E – Water Quality Role X
6A – The term “vulnerable wetlands” was not clearly defined. This outcome lacked a
champion.
6B/6C – DEQ investigated Clean Water Act 401 certification, wetland water quality
standards, and nationwide permit review. No state solutions have been forwarded
at this time.
6D – Held outreach session across Montana, see “Shining Example” below.
6E – Included in Non-point Source Management Plan and conducted community
outreach after the 2011 flooding across much of Montana.
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Shining Example: Promoting Natural River Processes and Best Management Practices
The Governor’s Task Force for Riparian Protection developed a Room to Roam brochure and
presentation. They conducted 19 public meetings discussing the public safety and
ecological importance of giving rivers sufficient “room to roam” beyond their existing
channel to accommodate natural channel erosion, flooding, and other natural river processes
that can put streamside development at risk. The Task Force also teamed up with 10
conservation districts and the Montana Association of Conservation Districts to hold 12
listening sessions or focus groups about riparian management, involving more than 250
Montanans. Sixty personal interviews with stakeholders were also conducted. This outreach
resulted in a document titled, Taking the Pulse of Riparian Protection in Montana. It
provides Montana land management professionals a snapshot about the status of riparian
protection from a landowner’s perspective, and recommendations for future outreach.
Funding from EPA Wetland Program Development Grants and technical support from Council
participants enabled this outreach work.
Strategic Direction #7: Public Policy
2008–2012 Accomplishments
7A – Evaluate Policies/Programs X
Wetland and Floodplain Assessment X
7B – Inform Congressional Delegation X
7C – Water Quality Standards X
7D – Participate on Boards/Councils X
7E – Integrate with Watershed Plans X
7F – Energy Development Model X
Not started/
Ideal Outcome Completed Ongoing No resources
7A – Completed two comprehensive assessments: Increasing Protection for Montana’s
Wetlands and Riparian Areas: Challenges and Opportunities, and Montana
Floodplain Management Assessment: Strengthening Policies and Programs that
Reduce Flood Risk and Protect Floodplains.
7B – Provided information as requested.
7C – Initiated research and discussions and will investigate further when issue is
prioritized.
7D – Coordinated with other entities based on Council participant interest and overlap
with organization or agency mission.
7E – Completed in two watersheds and developed model and approach for others, see
“Shining Example” below.
7F – Not started due to lack of funding and champion. Held Council meeting in central
Montana that focused on energy development and wetland and riparian resources.
Shining Example: Integrating Wetlands into Watershed Restoration Planning
Montana Wetland Council participants piloted projects with two watershed groups in the Big
Hole and Gallatin watersheds that hold promise for larger replication and significant
restoration success. Water-quality-limited watersheds underwent a rigorous scientific
A Strategic Framework for Wetland and Riparian Area Conservation and Restoration in Montana 2013–2017
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assessment, screening potential wetland restoration sites for water quality improvement.
These watershed groups tested and refined office- and field-based protocols to identify
potential wetland restoration sites that would yield maximum water quality benefits. This
approach resolves watershed challenges in a more integrated and holistic fashion,
demonstrating that wetland restoration contributes to water quality restoration, documenting
that wetlands are a critical part of watershed health, and developing a replicable process for
other water-quality-limited watersheds. The Big Hole and Gallatin watershed groups have
shared their experiences with the Montana Watershed Coordination Council, the Montana
Wetland Council, and at other statewide meetings to encourage others to integrate wetlands
into watershed restoration planning.
Strategic Direction #8: Council Effectiveness
2008–2012 Accomplishments
8A – Monitor/Update X
8B – Committee & Working Groups X
8C – Grant Administration/Resource Fund X
8D – State Funding X
Ideal Outcome Completed Ongoing
Not started/
No resources
8A – Working Groups reported on Strategic Framework implementation at Council meetings.
This assessment captures 2008–2012 accomplishment highlights.
8B – Steering Committee structure was not formed. Four ad hoc Working Groups addressed
strategic directions and Ideal Outcomes as funding and participant resources allowed.
8C – Success occurred when strategic directions aligned with participant priorities,
missions, or EPA grant funding priorities. EPARegion 8 Wetland Program Development
Grants were critical.
8D – Approximately 1.5 FTE has been secured within DEQ funding for the Wetland Program
staff. Other program funding is provided by competitive grants.
Shining Example: Growing the Wetland Council into a Network
The Montana Wetland Council has grown as an effective network, with a listserv distribution
of more than 900 individuals, and Council meetings that consistently attract about 60
participants. The Council network is seen as a forum for learning and is working to increase
the overall awareness of the importance of healthy wetland and riparian areas and our
collective responsibility to protect these resources. The Council network is also a place for
dialogue and solving problems. Council publications, meeting summaries, and newsletters
reach a wide audience and the constituency for wetland protection has increased and become
more broad-based. As a result, partnerships have strengthened, and participants report
collaboration on more projects with other Council participants. In the last six years,
Montanans have received three national wetland awards, showcasing the effectiveness of
coordinated work and a network of committed professionals. This expanded network provides
an opportunity for a more coordinated effort and approach to increase the collective impact
and effectiveness of limited resources. Council leadership has been institutionalized within
Priceless Resources:
state government with dedicated funding to continue its effectiveness.
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Montana has lost
more than one-
third of its
original wetlands
since the late
1800s. Achieving
no net loss and
net gain will take
perseverance.
Photo: Tom
Hinz
VII. No Net Loss and Net Gain
Accomplishments
More than half of the United States’ original wetlands have been lost due to
human causes. In 1989, the president established a goal of “no net loss of
wetlands.” In 2004, the president expanded that goal to include a national
goal of “wetland net gain.” Montana, which has lost more than one-third of its
original wetlands, accepts these national goals while acknowledging that incremental gains are
difficult to measure, and losses are ongoing and typically undocumented. In addition to human
impacts, wetlands are naturally transient on the landscape, influenced by weather, precipita-
tion, changes in groundwater flow, and other variables.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service “Status and Trends of Wetlands” reports to Congress
consistently document that wetland losses exceed gains. The EPA initiated the first-ever
national survey of the ecological condition of the nation’s wetlands. Field sampling was
conducted in 2011; the final report should be published by the end of 2013. However, the scale
of both projects will not meet the need for individual state reporting. Although some states
conduct regular wetland inventories, the expense has not allowed this to become a reality in
Montana. In this document, Strategic Direction #2, Mapping, provides the status of the initial
mapping information layer for Montana.
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Despite the challenges in measuring no net loss and net gain, these goals are so significant
that we must continue to strive to reach them. National no-net-loss policy is addressed
through regulatory actions based in the Clean Water Act, Section 404 program jointly adminis-
tered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Net
gain, on the other hand, is typically voluntary and incentive-based, supported by government
agency programs, willing landowners, and non-governmental organizations. Monitoring and
assessment occurs sporadically, however, so actual wetland net gain from such projects is
often not fully documented and projects are not consistently reported in a central clearing-
house.
The Montana Wetlands Legacy Partnership assembled information on net gain projects in a
statewide database from 2000 to 2006. During this period, the database documented over
800,000 acres of land protection projects in Montana. These purchases in fee, conservation
easements, and cooperative agreements with landowners included at least 27,000 acres of
wetlands and riparian areas. However some projects may have been double-counted due to the
partnership approach of multiple entities involved in a single project, while other restoration
and protection projects may have been missed due to the nature of voluntary reporting. Since
2006, partner organizations have maintained their own records of program and project accom-
plishments.
We have chosen to report on no net loss and net gain for the 2008-2012 Strategic Framework
time period by inviting organizations, agencies, and other entities to self-report their accom-
plishments toward these goals. The Montana Wetland Information Clearinghouse website
provides links to these reports.
The Blackfoot
watershed includes
abundant wetlands
providing outdoor
recreation, scenic
beauty, and diverse
wildlife. Many partners
are working together
to conserve this large
and intact landscape.
Photo: John Lambing
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Appendix A: Strategic Framework Participants
The following individuals actively participated in the strategic planning process to assess the 2008–2012 Strategic Frame-
work and update the 2013–2017 Strategic Framework.
Laura Andersen, Montana Watershed Protection Program, Department of Environmental Quality, Helena
Lynn Bacon, TerraQuatic, LLC, Bozeman
Janet Bender-Keigley, Montana Watercourse, Bozeman
Jim Berkley, Environmental Protection Agency Region 8, Denver
Gael Bissell, Wildlife Biologist, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Kalispell
Jeannette Blank, ERM Group, Inc., Livingston
Mark Bostrom, Bureau Chief Department of Environmental Quality and Chair MWCC, Helena
Jen Boyer, Land-Use Planner, Future West, Bozeman
Christi Buffington, Education & Outreach Coordinator, Flathead Lakers, Polson
Steve Carpenedo, Wetland Environmental Scientist, Department of Environmental Quality, Helena
Janet Ellis, Program Director, Montana Audubon, Helena
Vanessa Fields, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Benton Lake NWR, Great Falls
Doris Fischer, Land Use Planner, Montana Wildlife & Parks, Sheridan
Randy Gazda, Partners for Fish and Wildlife, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Benton Lake NWR, Great Falls
Jim Hansen, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Billings
Tom Hinz, Montana Wetlands Legacy Partnership Coordinator, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Bozeman
Beverly Magley, Edit-Write LLC, Helena
Katie Makarowski, Water Quality Planning Bureau Monitoring & Assessment Section Department of Environmental
Quality and Montana Watershed Coordination Council Monitoring Work Group Leader, Helena
Mary Manning, Regional Vegetation Ecologist, USDA Forest Service, Missoula
Pam Mavrolas, Strategic Planning Consultant, Helena
Rich McEldowney, Professional Wetland Scientist, Group Manager, Wetland/Riparian Ecologist, Atkins, Bozeman
Cat McIntyre, Wetland Scientist, Geum Consulting (previously Montana Natural Heritage Program), Hamilton
Joe Meek, Source Water Section Supervisor, Department of Environmental Quality, Helena
Scott Mincemoyer, Program Manager Botanist, Montana Natural Heritage Program, Helena
Karen Newlon, Ecologist/Project Manager, Montana Natural Heritage Program, Helena
Toney Ott, Environmental Protection Agency Region 8, Denver
Duncan Patten, Research Professor, Land Resources and Environmental Sciences at Montana State University, and
Montana Water Center Interim Director, Bozeman
Mike Philbin, Supervisory Physical Scientist, Bureau of Land Management, Billings
Abby Rokosch, Ducks Unlimited Inc./USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Partnership Position, Bozeman
Bob Sanders, Montana Conservation Program Manager, Ducks Unlimited, Inc., Elliston
Lynda Saul, Wetland Program Coordinator, Department of Environmental Quality and Wetland Council Chair, Helena
Ann Schwend, Water Resource Management Bureau, Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Helena
Steve Shelly, Regional Botanist/Research Natural Areas Coordinator, USDA Forest Service, Missoula
Laurence Siroky, Bureau Chief, Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Helena
Rick Sojda, Supervisory Biologist, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center/USGS, Bozeman
Shanny Spang-Gion, Non Point Source/Wetlands Program Coordinator, Environmental Protection Department, Northern
Cheyenne Tribe, Lame Deer
Rusty Sydnor, Restoration Specialist, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes’ Fisheries Program, Pablo
Cameron Thomas, Aquatic Ecologist, USDA Forest Service, Missoula
Jeff Tiberi, Executive Director, Montana Association of Conservation Districts, Helena
Larry Urban, Wetland Mitigation Specialist, Montana Department of Transportation, Helena
Constanza von der Pahlen, Critical Lands Program Director, Flathead Lakers, Polson
Catherine Wightman, Sagebrush, Wetland and Farm Bill Coordinator, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Helena
A Strategic Framework for Wetland and Riparian Area Conservation and Restoration in Montana 2013–2017
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Appendix B: Strategic Framework Glossary
BLM United States Bureau of Land Management
CAPS Crucial Areas Planning System
CSKT Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes
DEQ Montana Department of Environmental Quality
DNRC Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation
EDRR early detection/rapid response
EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
FWP Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks
GIS geographic information system
ILF In Lieu Fee
LEAF Leaders in Environmental Action for the Future
LLWW landscape position, landform, water flow path, water body type
MARS Montana Aquatic Resources Services
MDT Montana Department of Transportation
MTNHP Montana Natural Heritage Program
MWC Montana Wetland Council
MWCC Montana Watershed Coordination Council
E&O Committee MWCC Education and Outreach Committee
NEMO nonpoint education for municipal officials
NPS National Park Service
NRCS U.S. Natural Resources and Conservation Service
NWR National Wildlife Refuge
USBR U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
USFS U.S. Forest Service
USFWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Appendix C: Resources/Website
Please go online at http://deq.mt.gov/wqinfo/wetlands/wetlandscouncil.mcpx to view an
electronic version of this document and link to resources and websites.
Montana Wetland Information Clearinghouse website:
Priceless Resources:
http://deq.mt.gov/wqinfo/wetlands/default.mcpx
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Photo: Lynda Saul
Governor Steve Bullock and his son releasing a Trumpeter
Swan in May 2013, as part of the Blackfoot Trumpeter Swan
Restoration Program – a collaborative effort of landowners,
local schools, non-profit organizations, and state and federal
agencies that are returning this iconic species to the
Blackfoot watershed.
To request copies please contact:
Wetland Program, Montana Deparment of Environmental Quality
P. O. Box 200901 (1520 East Sixth Avenue)
Helena, MT 59620-0901
Phone: (406) 444-6652
This STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK was developed and printed in part by a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Region 8 Wetland Program Development Grant to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality.
1,000 copies of this public document were published at an estimated cost of $3.96 per copy for a total
of $3,969, which includes $3,969 for printing and $0.00 for distribution.
Printed on recycled paper.
Photo: Eugene Beckes