The Executive Committee (EC) provides organizational oversight and guidance on behalf of the MWCC board of directors. This committee oversees the implementation of MWCC’s policies and provides continuity between the Executive Director and the board of directors. The EC discusses organizational needs and prepare agendas for quarterly board meetings and may also help manage high-level issues that arise. The EC will communicate regularly with the ED and assist with duties as necessary.
Heather Stokes (MWCC Vice-Chair), Center for Natural Resources and Environmental Policy
Hannah Riedl (MWCC Secretary), Montana DEQ Nonpoint Source and Wetlands Program
Robin Jones (MWCC Treasurer)
Amy Seaman (MWCC Executive Director)
Governance Committee
The Governance Committee assists the Board of Directors of the Montana Watershed Coordination Council to fulfill its responsibilities on matters that relate to governing the organization, identifying board candidates and making recommendations to the Board Directors, and measure the quality of performance of the board as a whole and of individual board members
Evaluate Board composition and identify the current and future needs of the organization to ensure that the Board has the necessary diversity, perspectives, experience, skills, maturity and judgment to effectively pursue their duties in planning and oversight.
Lead and facilitate periodic board self-assessments to ensure superior board performance and overall trust in effectiveness.
Review the Board’s individual Board Directors at the end of each of their board terms as part of the re-election process to ensure that they continue to have the appropriate skills and engagement level to continue serving on the Board.
Make recommendations to the Board about the criteria and qualifications that they deem appropriate for election as Board Directors.
Recruit, identify and interview candidates for potential Board Directors that meet the identified criteria for election to the Board.
Make nominations to the Board for qualified individuals as Board Directors.
Jorri Dyer, Montana Department of Environmental Quality
Tracy Wendt, Sun River Watershed Group
Program Committees:
Water Committee
The MWCC Water Committee is a group of technical water professionals who serve MWCC and the broader Montana watershed community. As a committee, we strive to connect watershed organizations, agencies, and the MWCC board with the best available water resource information and science. We consult with the MWCC board, committees, and staff on technical water topics, project development, and implementation efforts. We also manage several workgroups, including the Water Activities Work Group (WAWG), as well as the Monitoring and Groundwater workgroups, both of which existed in the past and may be reformed (ad hoc) as needed.
Regular meetings (2-4 per year in person or virtual)
Technical review of proposals submitted to the MWCC Watershed fund (as appropriate)
Original content development and/or referral of content for the Watershed News and MWCC blog
Identification of technical topics and content for MWCC events and programs including: Annual Meeting, Symposium, Watershed Tour, Stewardship Awards, Big Sky Watershed Corps Program, Training, Webinars, etc.
Managing WAWG, which serves as the Water Subcommittee for the NRCS state technical advisory committee (STAC) and provides consultation on watershed selection for the NRCS National Water Quality Initiative
Adam Sigler (Committee Co-Chair), MSU Extension Water Quality
Abbie Ebert (Committee Co-Chair), Montana Department of Environmental Quality
Mark Ockey, Montana Department of Environmental Quality
Brent Zundel, Montana Department of Natural Resources & Conservation
Brett Heitshusen, Montana Department of Agriculture
Katie Makarowski, Montana Department of Environmental Quality
Valerie Kurth, Montana Department of Natural Resources & Conservation
Trevor Selch, Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks
Camela Carstarphen, Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology
Watershed Fund Committee
The Watershed Fund Committee ensures Watershed Fund investments are fairly and responsibly allocated to local conservation partners through a competitive review process. The Watershed Fund aims to provide a dedicated, consistent, and flexible source of funding to support the capacity and sustainability of watershed groups, enabling them to strategically implement the actions necessary to achieve priority watershed conservation outcomes. The Watershed Fund will allow replication of local conservation actions to scale up watershed success for statewide impact.
The two primary goals of the Watershed Fund are to:
Increase the capacity of local communities to advance community-based, locally led conservation using the Watershed Approach
Provide a model for streamlining, consolidating, and leveraging resources for locally led conservation statewide.
