The State of Montana is the first state in the entire 10-state Missouri River Basin to organize and fund a true grassroots entity focused solely on the Missouri River. Through this Council, Conservation Districts and their constituents (you! if you are a registered voter within the District boundaries) are given a unified front and collective voice when addressing natural resource issues, opportunities, and challenges associated with the Missouri River. Conservation Districts, through public elections, represent local residents’ views and concerns regarding natural resources – giving this Council a true grassroots perspective of Missouri River issues.

Our Goals:

• Encourage and promote sound conservation practices, such as Best Management Practices (BMPs), for multiple use of the river and adjoining lands.
• Facilitate Conservation Districts’ voice in partnerships that affect the river corridor.
• Enhance community involvement in river stewardship.
• Maintain and improve water quality.
• Maintain and improve water quantity at critical times.
• Support bird, fish, and wildlife programs compatible with agriculture and multiple uses.

Each of the 15 Conservation Districts along the Missouri River provides one of their locally elected supervisors or specially appointed Associate Supervisors to the Council. The full Council meets quarterly throughout the corridor and River Reach Work Groups meet more frequently, focusing on local issues. Council projects are funded by grants from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Montana Association of Conservation Districts, and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. Funding for the Council’s daily operations is provided by the Montana DNRC.

The Missouri River Corridor in Montana begins at the Headwaters in Gallatin County, and travels in a north/northeasterly fashion for 725 miles to the North Dakota border in Richland County. There are 14 counties and 15 conservation districts encompassing over 1.68 millions acres, of which just over half is in private ownership. There are over 360,000 acres in rangeland, 181,959 acres in agriculture, and over 181,000 acres in water. The balance is made up of urban, forest, and wetlands.

Land ownership in the Corridor is 53.5% private, 28.84% federal (which includes the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument), and 5.06% tribal lands.

Each of the conservation districts in the Missouri River Corridor is invited to name one supervisor as a voting member of the Council. In addition, each district may name an alternate supervisor. The Cascade County Conservation District is currently providing a Coordinator for Council activities.

River Statistics

• At 2,341 miles in length, the Missouri River is the longest river in the nation.
• Its basin includes 10 states (counting that little corner of Minnesota) and drains 1/6 of the continental United States.
• It contains the largest reservoir system in the United States (6 major dams and reservoirs managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers), with Fort Peck reservoir in Montana providing 25% of the system’s total storage.