May 8, 2020

This week in the Montana Conservationist:

• The Montana Department of Ag is encouraging Montanans to “Get out and Grow” a garden, with an online campaign and educational materials to help folks along.
• We’ve got a great story from the Big Hole Watershed Committee about how they worked with BLM to find a new use for root wads that needed to be cleaned up from campgrounds in the Big Hole.
• UM researchers are urging the US and Canadian governments to address the ongoing problem of mining pollution in transboundary waters.
• Long understaffed, NRCS is committed to hiring 1,000-plus employees this fiscal year to bolster field offices; welcome news in the collapsing economy.

In science news:

• Scientists in Arizona are studying the bacterial and fungal communities in soil to understand how microbiomes are impacting agricultural crops.
• Researchers in Oklahoma are studying the effects of fire and mixed-species grazing to help producers increase forage production and range health.
• And a new study reports that a sprinkling of rock dust may help improve soil health and crop yield (it’s like a spoonful of sugar, but grittier).
• As you might have heard, so-called “murder hornets” have arrived in the US, adding one more worry to your local honey bee’s list.

Plus, we’ve got LOTS of grants, a couple of jobs, and plenty of opportunities this week. Read The Montana Conservationist here: