Lewis and Clark County Long Range Plan 2020
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LEWIS AND CLARK COUNTY LONG RANGE 2020 PLAN Lewis and Clark County Long Range Plan | 1 Contents I. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................................ 3 II. Natural Resource Inventory .............................................................................................................................................. 4 Human Resources ..............................................................................................................................................................4 POPULATION AND DEMOGRAPHICS ..............................................................................................................................4 LAND USE .........................................................................................................................................................................5 Soil Resources .................................................................................................................................................................... 6 SOIL SURVEY ................................................................................................................................................................... 6 PARENT MATERIAL ......................................................................................................................................................... 8 GEOLOGIC FEATURES ....................................................................................................................................................10 Water Resources .............................................................................................................................................................. 10 PRECIPITATION .............................................................................................................................................................. 10 WATERSHEDS AND STREAMS ....................................................................................................................................... 10 IRRIGATED LANDS ......................................................................................................................................................... 12 WETLANDS .................................................................................................................................................................... 13 Air and Energy .................................................................................................................................................................. 13 AIR QUALITY ................................................................................................................................................................. 13 UTILITIES ........................................................................................................................................................................ 13 Plants and Animals ........................................................................................................................................................... 13 LISTED SPECIES AND SPECIES OF CONCERN ................................................................................................................ 13 CONSERVATION AREAS ................................................................................................................................................. 15 INVASIVE SPECIES .......................................................................................................................................................... 16 DECLINING PLANT COMMUNITIES ............................................................................................................................... 16 WILDFIRE ....................................................................................................................................................................... 16 RANGE ........................................................................................................................................................................... 16 III Conservation activity analysis ........................................................................................................................................ 17 IV. Natural resource problems and desired future outcomes .......................................................................................... 20 IDENTIFIED RESOURCE CONCERNS ................................................................................................................................. 20 Invasive plants ............................................................................................................................................................... 20 Forestry concerns ......................................................................................................................................................... 20 Roads ............................................................................................................................................................................ 20 Range overgrazing......................................................................................................................................................... 21 V. Prioritization of natural resource problems and desired outcomes ........................................................................... 21 VI. Targeted Implementation Plans (TIP) and Investment Portfolios ............................................................................... 22 Partner Contributions ................................................................................................................................................... 25 1 Lewis and Clark County Long Range Plan | 2 APPENDIX A ......................................................................................................................................................................... 27 A1 Minutes NRC Planning Meeting ............................................................................................................................... 27 A2 NRC Meeting Minutes, Lincoln, MT .......................................................................................................................... 29 A3 MRC Meeting minutes, East Valley Fire Hall ........................................................................................................... 31 A4 NRC Meeting Minutes, Augusta, MT ....................................................................................................................... 33 Bibliography ......................................................................................................................................................................... 36 2 Lewis and Clark County Long Range Plan | 3 Figure 1 Location of Lewis and Clark County, Montana I. INTRODUCTION Lewis and Clark County is in West Central Montana. Spanning from the Rocky Mountain Front in the north to the state capital of Helena in the south and encompassing both sides of the Continental Divide. Lewis and Clark County contains a wide diversity of landscapes. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Helena Field Office is establishing this document to better understand conservation needs in this complex county and as a framework to execute the mission of the agency. We deliver conservation solutions so agricultural producers can protect natural resources and feed a growing world. The purpose of this Long-Range Plan is two-fold. First, it will be used to gather data by looking at existing conditions and summarizing the work that has been done so far. Secondly, the data will be analyzed to find and prioritize opportunities for voluntary conservation on private lands. This will be done by incorporating community input from landowners and partners, in order to facilitate a strategic approach to natural resource planning. Additionally, this analysis will guide the use of technical and financial assistance delivered by the Helena Field Office. The authors of this plan are the staff of the Helena Field Office and the Lewis and Clark Conservation District. Comments from stakeholders gathered at a series of community meetings in addition to a mailed survey are incorporated into this plan. The following groups contributed to establishing goals and planning priorities for the next five years (2020-2025). • Lewis and Clark County landowners, • Rural fire chiefs farmers, ranchers, and forest owners • Sun River Watershed Group (SRWG) • Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks • Lewis and Clark Conservation District (FWP) • County commissioners The Long-Range Plan will be revisited and updated as necessary, and at a minimum annually, at the Conservation District Local Work Group meeting. 3 Lewis and Clark County Long Range Plan | 4 II. NATURAL RESOURCE INVENTORY Human Resources POPULATION AND DEMOGRAPHICS: The population of Lewis and Clark County has grown by almost 7% over the last 8 years. The estimated population is currently 67,773 total residents. 95% of the county’s population resides in the Helena Valley. County residents are not very racially diverse with only 6% of the residents reporting an ethnicity other than white at the time of the last census. There are no recognized native American tribes in the county, and no tribally held lands, however