Speech
Montana Wetland Stewardship Award Ceremony
Remarks of Governor Judy Martz
Capitol Rotunda
5/8/2003
***Check Against Delivery***
Thank you all for including me in your award ceremony and celebration of wetland stewardship in Montana. It's an honor to join you and present the Montana Wetland Stewardship Awards.
Stewardship is part of our Montana tradition – our heritage. Montanans have long understood the importance of identifying needs, caring for our natural resources and doing the work that needs to be done.
You know as well as I that stewardship doesn't happen by regulation, changes in the law, more money or by any of the normal bureaucratic approaches. People from every walk of life: landowners, public institutions, private citizens, corporations and others, become stewards when they go beyond what's required and do the innovative, good work that protects and restores our natural heritage.
In a state like Montana, with its infrequent rainfall and many years of drought, stewards of our wetland heritage are of particular value in maintaining one of our most precious resources.
In a recent survey, approximately 83 percent of Montanan's surveyed agreed or strongly agreed with the following statement: "It's important to me that wetland and riparian areas in Montana are conserved and protected." And nearly half stated they were willing to volunteer their time or donate money to wetland conservation.
Clearly Montanan's are interested in wetland stewardship. Wetlands occupy less than 1% of Montana's landmass, but provide us services of healthy water, vibrant wildlife populations and flood regulation.
But, stewardship of our land and water resources isn’t easy. It takes initiative, passion and persistent hard work – with an eye toward long-term, not short-term fixes.
Individuals with initiative identify opportunities to make their wetland restoration vision a reality. Often, this work occurs collaboratively and in partnerships with others, but we all acknowledge that it takes the initiative of a leader to pull together and create successful partnerships.
Our stewards, through hard work, persistence and personal sacrifice have completed work that is of immense value to all Montanan's. By going beyond the required or customary, our wetland stewards have set a standard that we may all aspire to and promote in our communities.
Today, we're honoring two wetland stewards in Montana for their initiative, passion and hard work in wetland restoration and protection for all Montanan's.
I will announce the two winners and tell a little bit of their background. Following the two announcements, we will have the two winners come forward to accept their awards and to say a few words.
Our first award goes to an individual in the private sector.
67% of Montana is privately owned, the highest percent of any Rocky Mountain or western state except Washington. It's no wonder then that private wetland stewardship is an important component of the state's Wetland Conservation Strategy.
This year’s Private Sector Award winner is Larry Weeks.
Working with private landowners; citizen and corporate landowners alike, is an obligation of all who are working on wetland restoration and protection. It's fitting that the private sector Wetland Stewardship award winner is a citizen volunteer who has partnered with a corporate landowner in Montana.
Larry is a retired Smurfitt-Stone Container employee, who volunteered to partner with Smurfitt-Stone to manage and restore corporation land along the Clark Fork River. His work since 1998 has restored a 40 acres wetland and protected several reaches of the Clark Fork River. These restoration and management efforts have improved wildlife habitat in an area facing increased development and habitat degradation.
Congratulations, Larry.
The second award is presented to an individual in the public sector.
Since Congress passed the Clean Water Act and its amendments in the early 1970's, Montanans have relied on federal wetland regulations and a small number of state regulations to protect the state's wetlands, streams and riparian areas.
This regulatory protection has proven to be only partly successful in conserving these areas that are vital to the state's supply of clean water.
This year’s Public Sector Award is given to Gordon Stockstad.
The Montana Department of Transportation is required to follow Section 404 of the Clean Water Act regulating dredging and filling of wetlands. But Gordon, who is Bureau Chief of the Resources Bureau at the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) has gone beyond those requirements and is responsible for developing and leading the innovative wetlands mitigation program for the MDT.
Gordon has embraced cooperative and collaborative approaches to wetland and stream protection. We are also honoring Gordon for his career service to Montana and congratulate him on his upcoming retirement.
Congratulations, Gordon.
Now, if Gordon and Larry would each come forward to receive your awards.
It is my honor to present the Private Sector Montana Wetland Stewardship Award to Larry Weeks.
It is my honor to present the Public Sector Montana Wetland Stewardship Award to Gordon Stockstad.
The Wetland Stewardship Award honors not only this year's recipients, but also all Montanans who are active in cooperative efforts to restore and protect Montana's wetlands and land and water resources.
It is through such stewardship and partnerships that we can hope to sustain and improve the quality of our waters, the diversity of our habitats, economic opportunities and the uniqueness of human spirit that is Montana.
On behalf of all Montanans, to you both, and to all wetland participants in Montana, we offer our sincere thanks - for your time, your commitment, your energy and your stewardship.
Good morning, and God Bless.
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