"Helping to ensure that Montana's land and water resources provide benefits for present and future generations" is the mission of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC). First established in 1971 as a result of the Executive Reorganization Act of 1971, the DNRC provides leadership in managing the state's natural resources. It is presently responsible for promoting the stewardship of Montana's water, soil, forest, and rangeland resources; for regulating forest practices and oil and gas exploration and production.
As of 2024, the Department is made up of the following Divisions: Director’s Office, Conservation and Resource Development Division, Forestry-Trust Lands Division, and Water Resources Division. Each Division oversees a number of Bureaus, Offices, Programs, etc. The Energy Division’s responsibilities have been transferred to the Department of Environmental Quality. Additionally, nine boards and commissions are attached to the Department. Six of them—the Board of Land Commissioners, Reserved Water Rights Compact Commission, Board of Oil and Gas Conservation, Board of Water Well Contractors, Flathead Basin Commission, and Montana Grass Conservation Commission—have decision-making authority. The other three—the Resource Conservation Advisory Council, Rangeland Resources Committee, and Drought Advisory Committee—act in an advisory capacity only.
The Financial Services Office is an extension of the Director’s Office. It provides financial management for the Department and assists other users of financial data both within and outside state government. The Financial Services Office is responsible for the development, implementation, and maintenance of the agency's budgeting, accounting, payroll, reporting, and procurement & contracting that meet adequate internal controls, are in compliance with generally accepted accounting principles and related state & federal laws, policies, and procedures.
This collection consists of financial reports for the Environmental Contingency Account. The Environmental Contingency Account is a pool of funds controlled by the governor to be used to meet unanticipated public needs, such as to support renewable resource development projects for communities that have an emergency or imminent need for the services, to preserve vegetation, water, soil, fish, wildlife, or other renewable resources from an imminent physical threat or during an emergency (excluding natural disasters covered adequately by other funding or fire), to respond to an emergency or imminent threat to persons, property, or the environment caused by mineral development or hazardous materials, and to fund the environmental quality protection fund. The reports generated by the Financial Services Office were submitted to the Office of Budget and Program Planning in the Governor’s Office, detailing the health of the account. Materials include memoranda, spreadsheets, and reports.
This collection is organized in the following series: I. Environmental Contingency Reports, 2000-2009.
There are no restrictions on access.
The Montana Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Library & Archives and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Library & Archives before any reproduction use. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.
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
Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Library & Archives, Helena, Montana.
Acquisition information available upon request
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the Montana Historical Society Archives catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search under these terms.