Conservation district leader excited to help community

A passion for keeping Montana the way Montanans like it is what helps fuel Eastern Sanders County Conservation District's (ESCCD) new administrator Emily Baker and the work she does. Family, ranching and a love for the area made Baker believe the position would be perfect for her. She started work last September and says so far, she loves it. "A lot of projects we are involved with are outdoors, which is so amazing it can be turned into a career," Baker said.

Baker attended the University of Montana and finished college at Montana State University for business management. She currently works under a board of five supervisors and one associate supervisor. While the flexibility of the administrative schedule allows her to work from home, what Baker truly loves about what she does is working with the public. "I'm so passionate about helping the community," she said. "We are funded by the community; we should be doing projects that help them."

Baker's first project she helped lead was the Pollinator Initiative in May. The initiative was a joint effort with Green Mountain Conservation District to give out free seed mix to help support pollinator habitats in the area. Nearly 140 residents in Sanders County took home enough seed mix to cover 104,000 square feet that will help bring food and increase habitat resources for local pollinators.

"It's amazing how much we can do," Baker said. "We're fully funded by the county mill levy, but any extra projects need to be grant funded. The Pollinator Initiative is fully funded by a grant."

Another project Baker will help bring back this year is the fall water festival that is held at the state park in Thompson Falls. "It's a fun day for all the fifth graders in the county to come to the state park to learn about conservation," she said. "It was canceled in 2020 and 2021. We are excited to get it going again."

ESCCD is solely responsible for administering 310 permits to the eastern part of the county, with the exception of the reservation. "Any work being done on a perennial stream needs a permit," Baker said. State law requires any person planning to work on or near a perennial stream or river on private or public land to first obtain a permit from their local conservation district.

"Right now, we are working on the walking trail in Plains and keeping it in working shape," Baker said. "We will be working to keep the noxious weeds down and will be installing a kiosk with information on all the noxious weeds."

With the help of the county extension agents, ESCCD will be adopting a trailhead to help maintain and the conservation district will also be doing a river cleanup this fall. "I always tell people the conservation district is the best kept secret," Baker said. "We want to be here and we are here to help."

ESCCD is currently open by appointment only. Call (406) 830-8687 for assistance or to schedule an appointment.