July 14, 2020 

Greetings, readers! This week in The Montana Conservationist:

• Louis Wertz of the Western Landowners Alliance wrote a great op-ed in the Salt Lake Tribune about the trouble with ranchettes. They may seem like the perfect lifestyle, but in reality the fragmented development is a nightmare for the landscape.
• The Flathead Beacon writes about how the COVID-19 pandemic has upended the national food supply chain, creating opportunities for local agriculture.
• IMWJ writes about the truly inspiring collaborative conservation happening in the Big Hole Valley.
• Montana’s senators write in to discuss efforts to get the CSKT water compact passed in Washington.
• A new study looks at how two crop residue management practices – no-till and prescribed fire – affect nutrients and microbes in the soil.
• No Till Farmer has good piece on the interconnectedness of soil organic matter and soil water storage.
• And in a piece from Phys.org, a practice that seems great on the surface (planting trees to store carbon!) actually does the opposite of good.

Plus, we have information on resources for COVID-19 relief for businesses and nonprofits, new jobs, and opportunities in abundance! It’s summertime, and there’s more good info here than mosquito bites on my legs (and that’s a lot). Read it all here: