Lake County - Information for Partners and Participants | NRCS Montana
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Lake County - Information for Partners and Participants

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Focused Conservation Links

  • Montana Focused Conservation
  • Interactive Map of Current Local Funding Opportunities
  • What's Available in My County?
  • Local Working Groups
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map of current funding opportunities

Interactive Map of Current Local Funding Opportunities

Lake County - Information for Partners and Participants

Photo of Lake County wetland with mountains in background

Lake County’s 1,654 square miles boast an incredible diversity of landforms and ecosystems. The county has an abundance of lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands and transitions from many broad valleys to the rugged peaks of the Mission and Swan Mountains. The county is situated on the south end of the Flathead Basin, which includes northwest Montana and stretches into southeast British Columbia. Flathead Lake is the centerpiece of Lake County and is the largest freshwater lake by surface area west of the Mississippi River in the lower 48 states. Polson, with a population of 4,488, is the largest city in this county of 30,273. The Flathead Indian Reservation largely encompasses Lake County. The Reservation is home to three tribes, the Bitterroot Salish, Upper Pend d’Orielle and the Kootenai and together they are known as the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT).

Though Lake County is 50% forested, agriculture is an important industry. Primary agricultural products include small grains, forage, some seed potatoes, diversified vegetable production as well as cherry orchard and vineyard industries on Flathead Lake. The most common land use within the county is rangeland and pasture. NRCS offices, located in Ronan, Pablo and Plains, offer voluntary technical and financial assistance to private landowners interested in natural resource conservation based on a focused approach using long range planning with local input.

Lake County Long Range Plan

NRCS in Montana uses a Focused Conservation strategy to address priority natural resource concerns across the state using Targeted Implementation Plans. It all begins with a long range plan. Each local NRCS field office develops a long range plan with input from landowners, partners, land managers, and others to identify and prioritize natural resource concerns in the county. Based on those plans, NRCS works with stakeholders to determine what conservation practices will be needed to address the resource concerns. Long range plans are updated to reflect the changing needs and objectives of the county’s natural resources.

Lake County Long Range Plan 2019 (PDF; 4.2 MB)

Current Financial Assistance Opportunities for Lake County Landowners

  • A Focus on Soil Health - Lake and Sanders County Cover Crop Targeted Implementation Plan (TIP)
  • Aspen Regeneration on the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Reservation TIP
  • Rocky Point - White Swan Forest Resilience Project TIP

Completed TIPS No Longer Accepting Applications

  • Miller Coulee Water Quantity Improvement Project TIP

Additional Funding Opportunities

In addition to the local projects above, producers may also apply for statewide programs such as the Conservation Stewardship Program, national Environmental Quality Incentives Program initiatives, and conservation easement programs. Visit or call your local USDA Service Center, for more information on these and other programs, or visit Montana Programs.

Local Working Group Meetings

Every year, county Conservation Districts and the NRCS host local working group meetings where farmers, landowners, conservation partners, and other stakeholders in the community discuss the natural resource needs for the county. Based on this feedback, NRCS updates the county’s long-range plan and develops new Targeted Implementation Plans to address those resource concerns. Notes from the Local Working Group meetings are available upon request.

You may contact us anytime to express concerns or comments about conservation needs in the county, and we encourage you to attend the next local working group meeting. For more information about local working group meetings, contact your local USDA Service Center.

Snowpack and Water Supply Forecast Information for Lake County

  • Mission Valley Reservoir Storage
  • Bisson Creek SNOTEL Site
  • Moss Peak SNOTEL Site
  • Fatty Creek Snow Course
  • NRCS Snow and Water Supply

Contacts

  • Ronan USDA Service Center (NRCS, Farm Service Agency, Conservation District)
  • Pablo Tribal Service Center (NRCS)
  • Lake County Conservation District
  • Plains USDA Service Center (NRCS, Farm Service Agency)

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