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Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Conservation Districts Bureau records, 1940-2010

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Montana. Department of Natural Resources and Conservation
Title
Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Conservation Districts Bureau records
Dates
1940-2010 (inclusive)
Quantity
20.8 linear feet (25 boxes)
Collection Number
RS 337_RS 496
Summary
This collection is a sub-subgroup (Bureau) of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation records, RS 496. The Conservation Districts Bureau operates within the Conservation and Resource Development Division. Please see the primary finding aid for more Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation records. These records (1940-2010) of the Conservation Districts Bureau consist of minutes and are arranged alphabetically by conservation district.
Repository
Montana Historical Society, Library and Archives
Montana Historical Society, Library and Archives
225 North Roberts
PO Box 201201
Helena MT
59620-1201
Telephone: 406-444-2681
Fax: 406-444-5297
mthslibrary@mt.gov
Access Restrictions

Collection open for research.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Historical Note

In 1939, in response to both the Dust Bowl and a perceived threat to farming and grazing lands, the Montana Legislative Assembly passed legislation creating the State Soil Conservation Committee, whose responsibilities included conserving soil resources as well as controlling and preventing soil erosion. The Committee was composed of seven members, including the Director of the State Agricultural Experiment Station, the Director of the State Extension Service, one member of the State Grazing Commission, one member of the Water Conservation Board, and the Commissioner of the State Department of Agriculture. Two additional seats went to Montanan farmers, selected by the Governor. The primary duty of the Committee was to supervise and offer assistance to the soil conservation districts established around the state. Soil conservation districts could be established by any ten occupiers of land within a given area where there was a need and interest in soil conservation. Conservation districts were considered a government office and were tasked with studying soil erosion, educating the public, and taking active measures to correct erosion.

By 1971, the State Soil Conservation Committee (later named the State Conservation Commission) was also responsible for conservation of water resources, watershed planning, flood control, dam construction, dam impairment prevention, wildlife protection, and more. Following the reorganization of state government in 1971-1972, oversight of conservation districts was moved from the Commission to the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.

As of 2026, the Conservation District Bureau oversees Montana's 58 conservation districts in addition to state grazing districts and provides organizational, technical, legal, and financial assistance. The Bureau operates within the Conservation and Resource Development Division of DNRC.

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Content Description

This collection (1940-2010) consists of minutes of conservation district meetings. They are arranged alphabetically by the name of the district.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Researchers must use the collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical Society Library & Archives. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collection. In some cases permission for use may require additional authorization from the copyright owners. For more information contact an archivist.

Preferred Citation

Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Library & Archives, Helena, Montana.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into one series:

Series 1) Minutes

Location of Collection

33:3-7 (Boxes 1-19); 104: 1-3 (Boxes 20-25)

Processing Note

In 2026, additional minutes (2004-2010) were intellectually integrated into this collection.

In 2024, the various collections of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation were integrated under one collection identifier, RS 496, in order to help facilitate access, reduce redundancy in the MTHS catalog, and to follow best archival practices.

Collections from Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation's various Divisions and Bureaus that were previously treated as separate entities are now integrated into this collection, RS 496. Rather than reprocessing over 280 linear feet of DNRC materials, MTHS staff decided to keep the past arrangement of those collections/finding aids, and provide access to them via links through the central finding aid. This decision has allowed the MTHS archival staff to maintain intellectual control over the collection, while removing the need to reprocess it. It also keeps State Agency finding aids at manageable sizes. Please read the scope and content note carefully to determine if this subgroup/sub-subgroup pertains to your research needs.

Acquisition Information

Acquisition information is available upon request.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection

Names and Subjects

Subject Terms

  • Conservation of natural resources
  • Natural resources conservation areas
  • Soil conservation districts
  • Water districts

Corporate Names

  • Montana. Department of Natural Resources and Conservation

Geographical Names

  • Bighorn County (Mont.)
  • Bitteroot County (Mont.)
  • Carbon County (Mont.)
  • Flathead County (Mont.)
  • Missoula County (Mont.)
  • Montana
  • Sheridan (Mont.)

Finding aid prepared by MTHS Staff; Updated by Lindsey Mick
2004; 2024

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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