REMEDIATION OF HAILSTONE RESERVOIR ON HAILSTONE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE (NWR), MONTANA

The US Fish and Wildlife Service intends to award an agreement to the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology (MBMG) for the Remediation of Hailstone Reservoir on Hailstone NWR, Montana. MBMG will be monitoring water quality and bird usage of the refuge, as well as installing a permanent staff gage. This work will help protect migratory birds from mortality caused by sodium toxicosis. This groundwater monitoring will help in determining restoration areas necessary to improve surface water and groundwater quality on the refuge and on surrounding private lands. Degraded surface waters on the refuge are harming migratory birds, and degraded surface water and groundwater harm crops grown in Lake Basin (area surrounding the Refuge). The agreement will be for a period not to exceed five years or until no further funding is available for the project, whichever occurs first. Additional funding over and above the original amount of the agreement ($18,000) is subject to availability and annual appropriations. For information on possible sub-agreement opportunities, please contact Jon Reiten, MBMG, 406-657-2630, or Karen Nelson, USFWS, 406-449-5225, Ext. 210.