Land Stewardship Workshop 2022

Video Recording of Workshop

Here at the MCD, we often get questions related to a wide range of land management concerns. Managing and caring for your land can be a heavy responsibility to carry. Navigating the complicated network of agencies and organizations to find the answer to your question is sometimes frustrating and overwhelming.

In an effort to address this need within Madison County, several local organizations came together to put on a Land Stewardship Workshop for Small Acreages on October 26th. We had a great turnout and received excellent feedback on how to best meet this need with future workshops.

Our first presented, Julie Cunningham with Montana FWP, gave a presentation on wildlife. She mentioned several things landowners can do to help wildlife, including: never feed wildlife, it is illegal and can cause disease and attract predators; be bear safe by using effective storage for attractants; allow hunting on your property to maintain healthy populations; and use wildlife-friendly fencing to allow safe wildlife movement and protect migration corridors. Although some of these concepts might be familiar to you, the presentation gave great explanations and offered more insight on the importance of land management for wildlife populations.

Another great concern of landowners is weeds. Jane Mangold from MSU Extension gave a presentation on the management of invasive and noxious weeds, explaining the difference between weedy, invasive, and noxious plants. She outlined the driving forced behind plant invasion and explained how to prevent or manage weeds through mechanical, chemical, and biological controls.

Cody Marxer from Great West Engineering gave a presentation on what you need to know if you have a stream on your property. The presentation covered the various permitting you might need to do projects on streams, irrigation ditches, ponds, wetlands, or lakes on your property. She discussed floodplain development and the associated risks and permits required.

Jon Siddoway, a retired NRCS Range Conservationist and current supervisor on the MCD board, spoke on grazing management for small acreage landowners. Grazing plays an important role in land management, but it’s important to understand the capacity of your land in order to do it effectively. Jon touched on the importance of defining your goals, energy flow, water availability, nutrients, and the forage requirements for various animals.

Clayton Marxer, with NRCS in the Sheridan Field Office, gave a tour of the Web Soil Survey, a free online resource that allows you to see the potential of the soil on your property. You can select an area on an interactive map, and then view the soil type and suitability for various land uses. It is a powerful tool and can provide great information. If you’re interested in exploring, you can find it at: websoilsurvey.sc.egov.usda.gov

Partners in hosting this workshop include: Natural Resource Conservation Services, MSU Extension Madison-Jefferson Counties, the Ruby Valley Conservation District, and the Madison Conservation District.

All of the presenters were fantastic and we are so thankful for their involvement. For supplemental materials from the workshop, including a land use directory and the PowerPoint presentations from the presenters, visit our Landowner Resources page.