Habitat Report

June 2, 2015 by Justin Varley

• Tongue River Ranch – GVPF paid $750 for 2015 grazing revenue offset. Last year of payment under our agreement with the Tongue River Chapter.
• Canyon Ferry – work day held May 3, 2014 shelterbelt maintenance. Have proposed another work day for 2015. Meyer Project still on hold waiting for DNRC approval of water rights transfer. Met with new biologist on site to discuss possible cooperative projects.
• Fairweather FAS – working with FWP and lessee to improve habitat and crop rotation.
• Geraldine State Lands – Database of state land lessees prepared (Dan Bailey). Will make additional contacts in spring 2015 to determine lessee level of interest.
• Wolf Creek/Coffee Creek – provided financial support ($1000) and food plot seed (300 #oats) to Central Montana Chapter.
• Cover Crop Trials and Comparison with PF Mixes – planted 3 saline tolerant cover crop cocktail mixes (July 2014) at Bridger Plant Materials Center. Planning for 2015 again with 4 PF mixes and 3 saline mixes (cold and warm season) but planted earlier.
• Craig, MT FWP hunting easements along Missouri River – evaluating cooperative habitat projects in the vicinity of Craig with the Headwater’s Chapter and FWP. These properties have regulated public access provided through the FWP easement program.
• Potential Cooperative Project with MSU – Lutz Farm. Organize hunting reservation system to facilitate youth/general upland bird and big game hunting along with habitat enhancement and demos in conjunction with MSU wildlife mgt. course. In discussion and moving forward with the goal of having in place for the 2015 hunting season.
• Delayed Haying/Machinery Mods. – made proposal to several farmers near Townsend – no takers in 2014. Maybe 2015.
• No-till grass drill – GVPF Chapter contributed $3,000 toward the purchase of a Truax OTG no-till grass drill that will be housed in Conrad and used by participating Chapters and FWP to seed habitat projects.
• Private landowners - provided planning and technical assistance to 3 private landowners in regard to upland bird enhancement on properties.
• Possible food plots at Malta (Masters and Copple WPAs) Investigating the opportunity to restart this program as part of vegetation restoration work on the WPAs for 2015-2016.
• Cooperative Study w/MSU – benefits of cover crops and taller stubble (using stripper headers on combine) to include possible state habitat funding and other sources of funds.

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