Resource Planning and Implementation Team Overview

The Resource Planning and Implementation Team (RPIT) is based in the Bozeman, Montana State Office Technology Staff. The RPIT is an interdisciplinary team providing assistance to NRCS area and field offices and conservation partners throughout Montana. The RPIT is composed of a biologist, civil engineer, agricultural economist, and resource conservationist. The team was organized to deliver direct technical assistance to help NRCS staff and conservation partners address interdisciplinary landscape-based resource issues. The activities of the team include the following:

• Direct technical assistance and support to field office staff working with water resource-based groups.
• Help water resource-based groups to form, build capacity, identify and carry out resource assessment and treatment needs through the development of comprehensive project implementation teams.
• Conduct outreach on watershed planning methods, NRCS Farm Bill Programs, and other NRCS resource assessment tools and methods available to inventory and assess natural resources.
• Serve as NRCS liaison to the Montana Watershed Coordination Council and the Montana Wetlands Council.
• Promote opportunities to utilize NRCS financial and technical assistance programs to benefit the public and targeted audiences.

The RPIT has provided the following types of assistance since its inception one year ago:

• Assessment, plan development and implementation of animal feeding conservation projects in Stillwater County.
• Field assistance and oversight with Emergency Watershed Program projects, participated in initial scoping meetings and site visits for potential watershed scale projects, i.e. Two Medicine River Stream Corridor Assessment in Glacier County.
• Identified and mapped the distribution of Russian olive along the 600-mile Yellowstone River Corridor in Montana, while also developing control and management literature (See MT Invasive Species Technical Notes 30 and 31)  and brochures for Russian olive and salt cedar.
• Assisted with the development and writing of several project special initiatives to include the National Agricultural Water Enhancement Program, the Stillwater Animal Feeding Operation Treatment Project, the Judith Basin Nitrate in Groundwater initiative, and the Powell County Multiagency Blackfoot Forest Project and the Midvale Diversion Dam Engineering Evaluation in Glacier County.

The RPIT is supervised by the NRCS State Resource Conservationist, Jerry Schaefer. The Team’s priorities and activities are overseen by a Board of Directors consisting of all four Assistant State Conservationists and the State Resource Conservationist. Work assignments and priorities are made several times a year as the workload requires. Requests for assistance may be made at any time. To request the RPIT’s assistance with these and similar types of resource assessment, evaluation, planning, and/or implementation programs, please contact Denise Wiedenheft 406-587-6926 or the respective Assistance State Conservationist- Field Operations. Requests for assistance are made using the RPIT's request form.

If you encounter any problems with the file provided on this page, please contact Technical Resources at 406-587-6822.

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Request for Technical Assistance - Resource Planning and Implementation Team (PDF; 40 KB)

Resource Planning and Implementation Team Members
Jeff Combs, Biologist: phone 406-587-6747; email Jeffrey.Combs
Rena Ruffin, Agricultural Economist: phone: 406-587-6854; email Rena.Ruffin
Cory Wolfe, Civil Engineer: phone 406-587-6994; email Cory.Wolfe
Denise Wiedenheft, Resource Conservationist: phone 406-587-6926; email Denise.Wiedenheft
 

Contact

Denise Wiedenheft, Resource Conservationist
Phone: 406-587-6926
Email: Denise.Wiedenheft