About Us

About MT PSPP

The Montana Pesticide Stewardship Partnership Program (MT PSPP) is a collaborative network in Western Montana working to reduce pesticide pollution in our waters through sustainable best practices. MT PSPP supports water quality monitoring, community education and engagement, and activities to improve water quality.

The Montana Pesticide Stewardship Partnership Program works to reduce pesticide pollution in our waters, improve water quality, and promote engagement and education. Pesticides can include herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, etc. To achieve these goals, a collaborative network of partners has joined the effort to preserve and protect our waters in Western Montana. This includes residents, local community partners, government agencies, watershed groups, tribal nations, farmers, and more. Partners are working together towards the goal of having a lasting impact on the health and water quality of the upper Columbia River Basin, recognizing that protecting the headwaters will have a continued positive effect downstream. Current efforts support water quality monitoring, community education, sustainable best practices, fish and food web monitoring, science communication, and green infrastructure projects.

This work is funded by an award from the US Environmental Protection Agency. 

Meet the Team

This program is led by Dr. Rachel Malison, assisted by Research Coordinator Janelle Groff and Big Sky Watershed Corps Member Paige Weigand. Previous team members include Big Sky Watershed Corps Member Chloe Czachor (2025) and Big Sky Watershed Corps Member Jared Glass (2024).

About EPA Funding

The EPA has long monitored the Columbia River Basin because of its importance to many different environmental and human systems. In 2016, the Columbia River Basin Restoration Funding Assistance Program was created in order to better monitor and make positive impacts within the basin.

In 2021, the EPA was awarded $79 million in funding for the Columbia River Restoration Program by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. In 2023, the EPA awarded $56 million of that funding to support Toxic Reduction Leads, reducing toxics in the Columbia River over the next 5 years. The EPA awarded these funds to address multiple parts of the Clean Water Act, including eliminating or reducing pollution, cleaning up contaminated sites, improving water quality, reducing runoff, protecting habitats, and promoting citizen engagement or knowledge. Of the $56 million of that funding to support Toxic Reduction Leads, MT PSPP received a total award of $8.9 million. Other awardees are located throughout the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana:

For more information about PSPP's role within this EPA initiative, see:

• anOverview of the Colombia River Basin Restoration Program 
• other groups awarded Toxic Reduction Lead Grants.

For further information about the EPA and the Colombia River Basin, visit the EPA Website.