Montana grassland partnership (MGP) through providing capacity and conservation project dollars to locally led conservation collaboratives the winnett agricultural community enhancement and…

This $968,788.43 Cooperative Agreement awarded by the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management under the Good Neighbor Authority (CFDA 15.015) program will fund the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) to implement the Montana Grassland Partnership (MGP) in central and north-central Montana. Through locally-led conservation collaboratives like the Winnett Agricultural Community Enhancement and Sustainability (ACES) and Ranchers Stewardship Alliance (RSA), the project will restore landscape connectivity and function, conserve and restore lands facing climate change impacts, improve watershed health, and restore historical disturbances across the region's working grasslands. The DNRC will leverage its expertise in forestry, water management, and land stewardship to deliver on-the-ground conservation projects in close coordination with federal, state, county, and tribal partners under the MGP framework. This 5-year award, running from June 2024 to June 2029, will benefit the local economy while responsibly managing natural resources for the benefit of wildlife and people.

Montana grassland partnership (MGP) through providing capacity and conservation project dollars to locally led conservation collaboratives the winnett agricultural community enhancement and sustainability (aces) and ranchers stewardship alliance (RSA). Winnett aces and RSA will implement the strategies of the MGP in an effective and efficient, boots-on-the-ground model. The MGP is a collaborative of over fifteen entities working in central and north-central montana to restore landscape connectivity and function, conserve and restore lands in the face of climate change, improve watershed health, and restore historical disturbances. The mission of the MGP is to collaboratively enhance and expand resilient, working grassland landscapes.within the MGP, teams have been created to address specific resource concerns as outlined below. These teams will work through the winnett aces and RSA conservation committees to implement projects. This project furthers the department of the interiors priority to create a conservation stewardship legacy while generating revenue and utilizing our natural resources. We argue that the conservation stewardship ethic already exists in this region and our actions are only building on the shoulders of generational land stewards who have protected this valuable sagebrush landscape. This project will benefit from this mindset and implement projects that directly contribute to the local economy and responsibly utilize working lands for the benefit of wildlife and people. This project will also streamline conservation work by utilizing locally-led organizations that have a deep awareness of needs as well as cultural will to get projects done.