The Council's next Quarterly Meeting will be April 8th, 2010 beginning at 9:00 AM with a tour of the Granger Ranch O'Dell Creek restoration project. If you'd like to attend, meet us at the Granger Ranch entrance, 6 miles south of Ennis on the west side of Highway 287. More about the project from "Restoring the Treasure" video presented by PPL Montana: “Drained to improve grazing and hay production in the 1950s, thousands of wetland acres along O’Dell Creek were converted to dry uplands. As a result, hay and cattle production flourished while important wetland functions literally were drained away. The countless springs that bubble out of the ground to feed the O’Dell lost much of their vitality, and the wetlands, essential to maintaining a reliable supply of clean water and Montana’s environment, diminished over time.” In 2004, landowners, government agencies, conservation groups and private industry began “working in tandem to restore a once pristine, spring-fed wetland on traditional ranch land in southwestern Montana.” The O’Dell restoration is one of Montana’s largest Missouri-Madison Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) Projects and winner of the prestigious National Wetlands Award presented by The Environmental Law Institute. Following the tour, we welcome you to join us for a no host lunch at the Bear Claw Restaurant in McAllister, MT (7 miles north of Ennis on Highway 287). The Council business meeting will begin at 1:00 PM, also at the Bear Claw Restaurant in McAllister. Agenda items include updates on the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program Addendum, Monument Riparian Action Plan, Comprehensive Conservation Plan for the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, and the Missouri River Recovery Implementation Committee; as well as action on state legislative issues, AmeriCorps Volunteer Projects, and proposed weed mapping by the Center for Aquatic Nuisance Species. At 4:00 PM, Dr. Clayton Marlow from the Department of Animal and Range Sciences at Montana State University will present some of his research to the Council. Dr. Marlow’s research accomplishments and interests include: Established existence of inherent variation in response to grazing among and between stream reaches; Description of the interaction between stream bank stability and livestock grazing; Identified the response of certain sedges and willows to grazing; Identified establishment requirements for Bebbs Willow; Identified the relationship between groundwater levels, soil texture and certain sedge, willow and cottonwood community types; Developed a series of recommendations for grazing management practices for protection of water quality on grazing lands.