Richland County Conservation District Goes Extra Mile

The Roundup has selected the Richland County Conservation District as one of this year’s Top Ten recipients because of the years of service the district has given to landowners within Richland County. The district has served landowners for the past seven decades, and the dedicated people who serve on the board and who administer the programs can take credit for the success of the district as it matured and changed through the years. These people care deeply about conservation, natural resources, and the welfare of the land, and have made it a goal to preserve and conserve natural resources, particularly soil and water.

The Richland County Conservation District involves itself in a host of activities to help landowners improve their land. The district administers the 310 law, a permitting process that allows people to make changes to a perennial stream bed. The district works with landowners to conserve water quality; assists with riparian management through projects, workshops and the distribution of educational material; conducts conservation education classes, youth camps and range days; the district holds water reservations on the Yellowstone River; and loans out conservation equipment to assist in the planting of trees, laying fabric for those newly planted trees, spraying weeds, seeding grass, and chipping wood. Last year, with funding from the Richland County Commissioners, the district initiated a new cost sharing program to help implement small conservation projects within the county that did not receive funding through traditional cost share programs.

Duane Ullman, District Board chairman, comments that of all the work the district performs, he is most proud of this cost share program. “We initiated this program last year and we had good response,” Ullman says. “The commissioners were impressed with the use of funds, so they committed additional funding to continue this program this year. People can begin applying in January. This program is for people that fall between the cracks. They don’t get funding through traditional means as they may be small projects, but they are still important. Some of the projects people have completed under this program are water wells, pipelines, fences, grass seeding, erosion control, wind breaks, and other projects that enhance conservation in Richland County.”

Ullman also says that the purchase of a dredge in partnership with Roosevelt County has been a huge accomplishment. “We are proud that we went into partnership with Roosevelt County to purchase a dredge for the Missouri River,” Ullman says. “The dredge works well and we are very happy with the results, as the dredge is environmentally friendly and does a good job.”

This concern for conservation has its origins in the 30s when the west suffered under a catastrophic depression along with severe drought that produced what we know today as the dust bowl. Congress passed legislation declaring soil and water conservation a national priority. Understanding that only active, voluntary support from landowners would ensure the success of conservation work on private land, President Roosevelt in 1937 wrote to all the state governors recommending legislation that would allow local landowners to form soil and water conservation districts.

Today, Montana has 58 conservation districts, each one governed by a board of five elected members, along with two appointed members who represent urban areas. The districts receive their funding from a minimum of 1.5 mills levied on real property within the boundaries of each district. In most cases, available funding does not meet the goals of districts, so they rely heavily on grants and other sources of revenue.

The Richland County Conservation District works hard to secure grants and other funding to continue their valuable work. Ullman believes the county residents reap huge dividends from the conservation districts, but he also believes that most residents do not really understand what the district accomplishes every year. “We really are helping landowners and the whole county,” Ullman says. “When we can conserve resources, we are helping everyone in the whole county. However, most people are not informed as to what all we do. We are here to help landowners, we are not here to police them. We work with landowners to improve conservation practices and to help them do things the right way. People are always welcome to stop in and visit with us.”

Ullman also credits Julie Goss, Conservation District administrator, with doing an outstanding job. “Julie is our mainstay,” Ullman says. “She does an excellent job and is very capable. She is a real gem, and does a whale of a job.”

The Richland County Conservation District helps local landowners match their needs with available resources to initiate improved conservation practices. The Roundup salutes them and the great people who work with it and for it.