New Supervisor Training - Description pending

Locally Led Conservation Work Session 

• Review of the function and powers of Montana’s Conservation Districts and their role in local leadership

• Each participant/district will identify a high-priority project for their area and develop an outline of the proposed project, including measurable goals, benchmarks, a budget estimate, and identifying potential partners

Participants will leave with a developed project/program proposal specific to their Conservation District or area. 

Speaker bio

With decades of experience in conservation, agriculture, leadership, and organizational development, Ray Ledgerwood brings a wealth of practical knowledge and a passion for helping organizations and their leaders reach their full potential. 

He has served in leadership and capacity-building roles with the Washington State Conservation Commission and the National Association of Conservation Districts, providing training, facilitation, workshops, and program support across more than 40 states and island territories. 

Now the owner of Board Works by Ledgerwood, he specializes in practical, effective workshops and presentations designed to strengthen organizations and develop leaders. In 2026, he was honored with the National Conservation Partnership’s Rich Duesterhaus Lifetime Achievement Award—a fitting recognition of his decades of service and commitment to conservation and leadership.

Gilly helps Conservation Districts receive, review, process and manage 310 permit applications, all in one place. Whether you're new to Gilly or an experienced user, this interactive session will explore the platform's tools, including mapping, electronic record keeping and features that help applicants submit more complete applications. You'll also have an opportunity to ask questions, share feedback and help shape future improvements.

As Conservation District representatives, you are often tasked with evaluating stream and river systems and making decisions that alter them in some way. Whether it’s a small spring creek or the Yellowstone, the underlying processes that shape them are fundamentally the same, and understanding those processes can assist you in how decisions are made. This presentation focuses on making the connection between what we see in the field (e.g., bank erosion, sediment aggradation, downcutting, etc.) and the underlying stream dynamics at play. Real world examples are provided to demonstrate how these dynamic processes are expressed from the stream reach to watershed scale. Additionally, how recent extreme events have affected these dynamics are discussed.

Speaker bio

Beau Downing has an MS in Geology (Fluvial Geomorphology emphasis) and over 25 years’ experience working on, in, and around streams and rivers. In Montana, he served as the Stream Protection Act Coordinator for 5 years and as a stream and fisheries restoration project manager for the State’s Natural Resource Damage Program for 6 years. He is now a Senior Consultant for Tetra Tech where he focuses on baseline stream assessments, stream and wetland restoration, and stream permitting. 

Conservation districts are uniquely positioned to lead local water quality projects, and mixed-source funding can help them do more. Brian Deurloo, founder of Frog Creek Partners, will share how districts can combine corporate stewardship funding, municipal stormwater fees, state and federal grants, and local business, Rotary, and nonprofit support to fund measurable and quantifiable conservation projects with visible community impact. He’ll draw on real Gutter Bin® stormwater filtration projects to illustrate the model. Wyoming’s Laramie County Conservation District turned a small pilot into a collaboration with Microsoft and Meta that now keeps more than 10 tons of pollution out of Crow Creek each year. In Colorado, Colorado Springs and Vail took different paths, one built on a stormwater fee and the other on municipal and grant funding. Attendees will leave with practical strategies for starting small, staying in the lead as partnerships grow, and using results to attract new partners. Q&A to follow.

Speaker bio

Brian Deurloo was raised in Sheridan, Wyoming, where he captained the 1990 football team to a state championship. He attended the Colorado School of Mines, earning a bachelor’s degree in mining engineering. Brian has lived and worked on four continents and spent 20 years in the energy industry before founding his own company in 2016. 

He is the President and Founder of Frog Creek Partners, a Wyoming-based company with a global vision to protect waterways through innovation. Brian holds numerous patents, most of them related to the Gutter Bin stormwater filtration system, a groundbreaking product designed to capture pollution from storm drains before it reaches rivers and oceans. Under his leadership, Frog Creek has expanded across the U.S. and internationally, making a measurable environmental impact. 

One of Brian’s standout achievements was being invited to speak at a United Nations event in Saudi Arabia, where he presented on the role of innovation in global water security. 

He is a member of the Rotary Club of Casper, Wyoming, and enjoys inventing, hiking, reading, skiing, beekeeping, learning Italian, and finding fun adventures with his wife and daughter. 

In this session, we will explore Montana’s Streamside Management Zone (SMZ) law including when, where and how it applies.  Much of the content is also used as training for accredited logging professionals.  As a bonus, MACD will receive the first presentation on the 2026 Montana Forestry Best Management Practices.  This biennial monitoring program reviews the application and effectiveness of BMPs in protecting water quality.  SMZ compliance and effectiveness are also reviewed during the process.

Speaker bio

Marc Vessar is the Forest Practices Program Manager for Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.  Prior to his current position, this University of Montana graduate spent 24 years as a forest hydrologist for DNRC in Kalispell.  He has also served as a supervisor with the Lincoln and Flathead Conservation Districts.  His spare time is spent supporting youth activities as a softball umpire and calling bids for the 4-H/FFA livestock sale at the NWMT Fair.

The Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology (MBMG) is the state’s geologic survey and provides earth science information for Montana. This presentation explores how the MBMG provides essential scientific data and expertise that can support Montana’s Conservation Districts. We will highlight the MBMG’s extensive research, data repositories, and localized studies focused on geologic mapping and groundwater resources. Attendees will discover how to leverage MBMG's public data, water-monitoring networks, and technical expertise to make informed, data-driven decisions for local land stewardship, water management, and natural resource conservation.

Speaker bios

Ginette Abdo is a hydrogeologist and the Program Manager for the Ground Water Investigation Program (GWIP) at the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology (MBMG). With decades of research experience across Montana, she specializes in hydrogeology, groundwater-surface water interactions, and regional aquifer studies. As the leader of GWIP, Ginette directs detailed scientific investigations that provide local conservation districts, communities, and stakeholders with the critical data needed to make informed, science-based water management decisions.

Daniel Brennan is a geologist at the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology (MBMG), specializing in geologic mapping and geochronology. As a member of MBMG’s STATEMAP group, he and his colleagues integrate field-based geologic mapping with geochemistry and geochronology (age-dating of geologic units) to better understand Montana’s complex geologic framework.  This work provides a fundamental understanding of the state’s geology that supports land-use planning, water and mineral resource management, and geologic hazard assessment.

This session highlights an irrigation study conducted in Gold Creek, MT that experimentally manipulated pivot application to match seasonal water availability. Banking water deep in the soil in the spring reduced reliance on late-summer irrigation and also boosted overall productivity. The session will include an 18-minute film followed by a presentation and discussion.

Speaker bios

Valerie Kurth works for DNRC as a Regional Water Planner for the Clark Fork and Kootenai River Basins, where she enjoys collaborating with stakeholders on complex water policy and management challenges. She earned her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees while studying wildfire and forest soils in Montana and Arizona, and she has published original research on wood-inhabiting fungi, nutrient cycling, and assessing disturbance severity in forests. Before becoming a Planner, she spent five great years working for the Flathead Conservation District, and she’s excited to connect her new work with friends and colleagues from the Montana CD community.

Bruce Thomas grew up on his family’s ranch in Gold Creek. He and his parents (Richard and Shirley) and wife (Tammy), operate Thomas Herefords, which Richard and Shirley started in 1957. Thomas Herefords is an internationally known seedstock operation with a dedicated commitment to sustainable ranching practices. Bruce is the landowner and rancher/irrigator lead for the Gold Creek project. Thomas Herefords is the recipient of the 2025 Leopold Conservation Award for Montana.

John Lunzer is a hydrologist with DNRC Water Sciences Bureau. He completed his master’s degree at Montana Tech in 2019 and has worked in water resources in Montana for 11 years, the last 6 of which have been with DNRC. His work focuses on the study of irrigation systems and their interactions with local hydrology to inform water management.

Whitney Lonsdale is the Assistant Director of the Montana Water Center, which supports collaborative research and education to address water issues across Montana. Whitney was a high school educator for 12 years before earning an M.S. in natural resources. She is a co-author of the 2017 Montana Climate Assessment and Evaluating Irrigation Efficiency: Toward a Sustainable Water Future for Montana, the 2020 report that helped set the foundation for Working Water. Whitney finds value in bringing science to decision makers, connecting research to community needs, and building collaboration among water-focused entities in the state.

Our streams and riparian areas provide critical resilience during drought, but degradation challenges threaten their sustainability. Learn about a low-cost, low-tech solution to combating drought and strengthening our waterways: Low-Tech Process-Based Restoration (LTPBR). Start by exploring the science behind these structures and how they mimic natural processes to restore stream health. Take a deeper dive into the components that bring a project to life. Learn to read the riparian landscape, design your project, meet permitting criteria, select ideal materials and labor sources, tackle implementation tactics, and set up a monitoring protocol to assess your results. 

Speaker bios

Autumn Holzgen is MCC's Northern Great Plains Program Manager. Autumn has worked closely with a variety of stakeholders to implement restoration projects throughout the Northern Great Plains Region over the last 7 years. She has received training in wet meadow/mesic restoration activities and holds a B.S. in Natural Sciences from Michigan State University.

Regan Ware is MCC's Northern Great Plains Program Coordinator. Regan has a strong background in agriculture and rangeland management. She holds a B.S. in Environmental Science from LaSalle University and has worked in Montana on invasive species management and in South Dakota on holistic rangeland systems, developing extensive knowledge of grazing practices, plant identification, and applied land stewardship. 

As our state navigates the rapid expansion of technology infrastructure like data centers, Conservation District supervisors stand at the vital intersection of fulfilling this constitutional duty while supporting sustainable community growth. This discussion, moderated by MACD Executive Director Rayelynn Brandl, will invite panelists to share their knowledge and expertise on questions about data center energy use, water consumption, land use and planning, taxes & economic development, and more. Expect at least 30 minutes for audience questions. 

Speaker bios

Kayla Lappin- bio coming soon

Bob Morris holds the Lance Energy Chair at Montana Tech, where he leads energy education, research, and stakeholder engagement in collaboration with industry, national labs, and government agencies. He brings over 40 years of electric power systems experience, including 28 years at Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories—retiring as Chief Engineering Services Officer—and holds multiple patents in power system protection alongside two degrees from Montana Tech.

At Montana Tech, Bob helped launch the university's Nuclear Energy and Energy PhD programs while advancing research in critical minerals recovery and data center resource usage. A sought-after voice on grid reliability, large-load growth, and energy policy, he serves on Governor Gianforte's Energy Task Force and key regional advisory groups to help secure Montana's affordable, clean, and reliable energy future.

Caroline Canarios - bio coming soon