It was November 14, 1941 when the Box Elder Conservation District was born in Carter County. It was born of the Dust Bowl Era of the 1930’s where nearly 100 million acres of top soil was lost with severe drought and contributing farming practices. President Franklin D. Roosevelt enlisted the aid of Hugh Hammond Bennett, a soil scientist, to persuade Congress to fund a permanent agency to heal the land. Bennett wanted there to be local voice, with every county setting up a conservation district.
Montana has 58 Conservation Districts which are political subdivisions of the state of Montana. Funding for the operation of the District comes from a maximum of 1.5 mills levied on real property within the boundaries of the district. For Carter County, this amounts to approximately $7,000 for fiscal year 2026. The remainder of funding for District operations relies heavily on grants for administration, education, and special projects.
Conservation Districts are required by state law to carry out natural resource management programs. The District is tasked with working with landowners, operators, and other partners such as NRCS, MSU Extension, DEQ, DNRC, and Carter County to identify local concerns and establish priorities to protect land and water resources on public and private land in the county.
The main focus for the District during the 1940’s and 1950’s was on water. The District purchased equipment, for example a D-2 Caterpillar and hired staff to operate the equipment. They constructed dikes, dams, designed water spreading systems, developed irrigation systems and drilled wells.
The District started to look at range management and education in the 1960’s. Working with Extension Service, various education range tours and workshops were conducted. In addition shelterbelts became a priority during this area and continue to be part of NRCS programs such as EQIP and CSP.
The 1970’s continued to see focus on education and range management. An example of range education was the 4-H Trail Ride. It was a two day horse ride sponsored by the District. In 1971 the ride started at the Tom Heggen Ranch. They rode east and stayed at the McNab pond. The next day they rode to the Gary Buck place on Russell Creek to conclude the trail ride. Another year, the trail ride started at the Markuson Ranch, traveled north and east through the McLean and Griffin places and ended at the Earl Whitney ranch. It was a fun and educational experience for those who participated.
Some minor name changes occurred over the years. In 1976, the Box Elder Conservation District changed its name to the Carter County Conservation District to reflect the supervisors’ goal to represent the entire county not just a section of the county. The District has worked hard to have supervisors on the board from all areas of the county, a practice that continues with supervisors from Albion, Hammond, Belltower, northwest Ekalaka, and Ekalaka.
Weeds received a great deal of attention during the 1980’s. The District worked hand in hand with the Weed Board. In 1981 the District purchased chemical to be made available to county ranchers and farmers at a reduced cost. The three primary noxious weeds at this time were leafy spurge, burdock, and Canadian Thistle.
The 1990’s focused attention on the streams in Carter County. The Impaired Stream List (303d-List) got the attention of the board of supervisors, and this became the main focus for this decade and into the 2000’s. It was during this time the District became well acquainted with the Department of Environmental Quality. Carter County had five streams listed as impaired and it was the objective of the board to find out why. After years of collecting data and reviewing the streams in the county, it was determined that the streams and watersheds were healthy and did not deserve to be listed. A great deal of thanks is owed to the many producers who worked cooperatively with the District and DEQ on the success of this long standing effort. The District has maintained a strong emphasis on water quality, working with DEQ on a project on Boxelder Creek establishing nutrient standards for all warm water streams. It was through these water quality efforts that the District assisted American Colloid in receiving approval on bentonite mining permits in southern Carter County.
Shelterbelts and trees have continued to be a popular program for the District. Producers are able order trees at a reduced rate through the District and receive assistance from NRCS and District staff to plant trees and lay fabric. Ordering takes place starting in the fall, with planting primarily in mid-May. The District has recently purchased a John Deere 1590 no-till drill that is available for rent by producers in the county. In its first year of 2023, it has been used to seed approximately 1,000 acres.
A documentary film featuring the history of conservation and the Conservation District in Carter County was completed in 2025. Named “Carter County: Next Year Country”, the oral history is provided through numerous interviews with local producers who grew up during the dust bowl era and witnessed conservation through the decades. We are looking forward to sharing the finished product with you.
The Conservation District is the local voice to address local conservation issues. Please contact one of the supervisors or the administrator with questions, education or project ideas, or other concerns.
