RSA receives NAWCA grant

Dear editor,

The Ranchers Stewardship Alliance thanks President Trump’s Interior Secretary David Bernhardt and the other members of the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission (MBCC) for their approval of the most recent slate of North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) grant funding. This funding, matched by private and philanthropic contributions, will be used to provide the dollars and needed assistance to farmers and ranchers for conservation on working lands across Montana’s Hi Line.

Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, a volunteer-led nonprofit organization based out of Malta, Montana, realizes Montana’s prairies are widely heralded for their unique wildlife and robust health. Managed livestock grazing is the economic foundation that supports our heritage as well as sustains bountiful wildlife and native plants. Conservation is a cornerstone agricultural practice in our state. Producers in Blaine, Phillips and Valley counties use NAWCA funding to invest in activities that maintain and enhance agricultural productivity as well as soil health, water quality, flood storage, and wildlife habitat.

The grasslands that sustain our cattle, the ag and crop lands that sustain our families, are the same lands, managed with an eye for conservation, that sustain our wildlife and waterfowl. Additionally, and so importantly at this time, conserva-tion funding (currently 8 NAWCA projects totaling over $7 million within Blaine, Phillips and Valley Counties) provides a much-needed additional source of in-come diversity for producers dealing with persistent low commodity prices and challenging weather conditions. Thanks again to Secretary Bernhardt and the MBCC for recognizing the value of working ag land conservation on Montana’s Hi-line.

Sincerely,

Leo Barthelmess

Chairman

Ranchers Stewardship Alliance