The Whitmore Ravine, which is a normally dry ephemeral stream system, has been eroded by stormwater runoff from Malmstrom Air Force Base to the extent that approximately 470,000 tons of sediment has been deposited in the Missouri River, creating a delta that extends nearly 1/3 of the way across the channel.  The delta can be viewed by traveling the River’s Edge Trail on the south side of the Missouri River downstream from Crooked Falls.  Erosion in the ravine is so extreme that in some places the ravine walls are completely vertical to a height of 50-feet or more.     

The Council is proud and honored to support the BLM’s video and interpretive display of the historic settlement of the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument. Long before the area was proclaimed a National Monument in 2001, families like the Darlingtons, Andersons, Wortmans, and others recognized the unique beauty and splendor of the Middle Reach, bringing their families here in the early 1900s and creating a heritage of hard work, respect for the land, and dedication to the rural communities they helped establish.

Earlier this year, the Council lost one of its founding fathers when Dale Marxer, age 82, passed away peacefully at his ranch in the Millegan area outside of Great Falls. Dale served for 44 years on the Cascade County Conservation District and was involved with the Council from the very beginning. The Council’s previous Coordinator, Gayla Wortman Oehmcke, remembers Dale and his incredible service.

Read the article In Memory of Dale Marxer from the April 2008 River Journal.

Regular meetings, open communication, stakeholder involvement, technical reports, and quantitative studies—all ingredients for a sustainable solution to most natural resource concerns—but will it be enough to kick the Whitmore Ravine issue off the fencepost and onto the road toward a solution?

After what has seemed like years of meetings, conference calls, presentations, phone calls, and letters, Montana’s $57 million Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) has been amended to make it more user-friendly. CREP assists farmers and ranchers in improving the water quality within a two-mile wide corridor long the Missouri and Madison River systems. The total project area reaches more than 500 miles from Hebgen Dam to the Fred Robinson Bridge, encompassing over 338,000 private land acres.

An expert understanding of geology, an acute awareness of the impacts of development, and a desire to bring everyone to the table to consider the question “What are we doing to the river collectively?” are what keep MRCDC member John Chase actively involved in Council issues. John first joined the Council in January 2006, following in the footsteps of MRCDC founding member Dale Marxer. John immediately took on the important task of tracking the Council’s financial reports, grants, and contract obligations.

City of Great Falls
Board of Commissioners
P.O. Box 5021
Great Falls, MT 59403

RE: Natural Areas Program

Dear City Commissioners:

The Missouri River Conservation Districts Council, a coalition of the 15 Conservation Districts along the Missouri River in Montana, supports a Natural Areas Program for the City of Great Falls. Many of the areas proposed for enrollment in the Natural Areas Program lie within the Missouri River corridor; therefore, the program could enhance and sustain an important section of the river that would otherwise be subject to inappropriate management. We applaud your efforts to develop a long-range management plan that recognizes the unique needs of natural areas, including weed management, restoration of degraded land, and a holistic approach to sustainable ecosystems.

By Sarah Carlson, MACD Executive Director