At the end of February, we held the first-ever in-person meeting of the MT PSPP, marking a significant step forward in our collaborative efforts. While virtual tools like Zoom are useful for staying connected, there's something invaluable about meeting face-to-face to kickstart our program and strengthen relationships among our partners. Our gathering brought together multiple subaward recipients, including the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, Montana Department of Environmental Quality, City of Missoula, Montana Department of Agriculture, Montana State University Extension, and Montana Watershed Coordination Council. The core aim of MT PSPP is to build a statewide coalition to tackle pesticide and toxic threats in the upper Columbia River Basin of Montana. In-person meetings like this help us strengthen relationships among our partners. Throughout the session we had fruitful discussions about the PSPP's goals and the upcoming projects our subaward groups will be working on over the next five years.
A key topic of conversation was the development of our monitoring plan. Diane Whited used GIS to develop layers and divide the basin into smaller watersheds to illustrate different land uses and ownerships and provide valuable insights. We are using these visual aids to help us identify areas with higher risks of pesticide contamination in waterways. However, the lands uses and types included didn’t cover all the areas of risk. The in-person collaboration at the meeting allowed us to work together to start highlighting other types of impacts to help ensure a comprehensive risk assessment.
Education and outreach were also important topics. Drawing on the expertise within our group, we explored various strategies and existing resources for sharing important information with communities in the basin. These included development of new material for FLBS K-12 education program as well as other opportunities like community events.
In addition, our subaward recipients shared their action plans, sparking further discussions on project implementation and collaboration. Outside of our formal discussions, we enjoyed the opportunity to make more meaningful connections. Whether fun conversations over meals or in serious discussions, the enthusiasm and commitment to improving the health of the upper Columbia River Basin and the broader Columbia River ecosystem were evident.
