After just three Planning Team meetings, the draft management alternatives for the CMR National Wildlife Refuge’s Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) are taking shape. The Council, through their Coordinator Vicki Marquis and alternate Mike McKeever of the Garfield County CD, serves on the Planning Team for the CCP. When finalized, the CCP will provide management objectives and strategies for the Refuge over the next 15 years.

The Council greatly appreciates being included in the CCP Planning Team as it provides an opportunity to provide grassroots input during the early stages of the planning process. Some concerns and ideas that the Council continues to voice at the Planning Team meetings include:

• Proposals to remove interior fences go against years of proven range management science – fencing can and should be used to properly manage grazing and protect certain areas.

After a round of public comments and meetings with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service representatives, the six Conservation Districts surrounding the CMR National Wildlife Refuge have been provided one seat as a cooperating agency on the Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) Planning Team. The seat, currently held by Council Coordinator Vicki Marquis with Mike McKeever from the Garfield County CD serving as an alternate, is especially important as it provides an avenue for Conservation Districts, and therefore the private landowners they serve, to provide grassroots input throughout the CCP process. The CCP, which will take at least 3 years to draft and finalize, will govern management of the Refuge for the next 15 years – taking it into the year 2026!

Elevating the CDs to cooperating agency status also marks a noteworthy accomplishment for the Council—formal relationship and cooperation with the three federal agencies that manage more than half of Montana’s Missouri River corridor. From the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument, which is managed by the BLM to the Refuge to the Fort Peck Dam which is managed by the Army Corps of Engineers, work with federal agencies has been a top priority for the Council.

The 1.1 million acre CMR Refuge, which is the second largest in the lower 48 states, was established by Executive Order 7509 dated December 11, 1936 (see inset) and has been managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service since 1976. The Refuge includes 125 miles of the Missouri River and completely surrounds the Fort Peck Reservoir.

The CCP process for the Refuge began with a round of public meetings and a “scoping” comment period. The “Scoping Report”, which compiles those comments, is now available online at www.fws.gov/cmr . Out of the more than 24,000 comments received, 23,753 were form letters from the Wilderness Society, 81 were individual letters, and 23 were comments from agencies and organizations. The comments were organized in the following categories for further consideration during the planning process: Habitat and Wildlife Management; Public uses and Access; Wilderness; Socioeconomics; Water Resources; Partnerships, Collaboration, and Consultation; and Cultural values, Traditions, and Resources.

On October 21 and 22, hunters entering the CMR National Wildlife Refuge via the Dry Fork Road were given the opportunity to join hands with local landowners to help stop the spread of noxious weeds. As part of a joint project spear-headed by the South Phillips County Rancher Stewardship Alliance Weed Committee, 36 hunting vehicles took advantage of a free undercarriage wash before entering the CMR Refuge. Many more vehicles were cleaned up in Malta using car wash coupons provided by the RSA Committee.

In the Council’s response to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ draft Annual Operating Plan (AOP) for the Missouri River, satisfying local needs first was stressed as the most necessary management provision. The Council noted that the Corps has once again failed to recognize the importance of irrigation and the increased costs to Montana’s water users as a result of the Corps’ operation of the Fort Peck Dam.

With support from MACD and MRCDC, the Garfield County Conservation District met with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff on December 6th to discuss management of the CMR National Wildlife Refuge. The 1.1 million acre Refuge surrounds the Missouri River, including the Fort Peck Reservoir, from the Fort Peck Dam upstream through McCone, Valley, Garfield, Phillips, and Petroleum counties, into Fergus and Blaine Counties.

On June 7th, the Council met for an eye-opening tour of the Crooked Creek Recreation Area in north Petroleum County. The site is situated on the furthest upstream reach of the reservoir created by the Fort Peck Dam. Currently, the reservoir water level is about 28 feet below normal. Where once there was a reservoir and an economic opportunity, now there are only weeds. During our tour, Petroleum County Weed Supervisor Clint Clark discovered Saltcedar growing in the now-empty reservoir bed.