|
President's Corner As summer begins its August wane, I encourage our Community Development colleagues from Montana and beyond to explore all of the various opportunities to interact with colleagues from across the nation and internationally through NACDEP, the Community Development Society, The Democracy Imperative, and Deliberative Democracy Consortium, to name but a few (more info to the right). These organizations are a great complement to each other, and MACDEP Members can really benefit by interacting and contributing to these different groups. -Paul Lachapelle MACDEP President |
MACDEP Happenings/Member News NACDEP 2010 Conference Planning The 2010 National Association of Community Development Extension Professional Annual Conference “Building Bridges for Sustainable Communities” will be held April 12 to 14, 2010 in Bloomington, MN. There are opportunities to join the 2010 Annual Conference Planning Committee or a subcommittee. Community Development Society (CDS) Conference The CDS Conference was held July 26-29, 2009 in Memphis. Info on the conference is available at their new social networking site. There were many NACDEP members in attendance as CDS continues to be a good complement to Extension work. The next CDS Conference will be July 27-30, 2010 in New Orleans, LA. The Planning Committee is also considering Boise, ID as the location for the 2011 conference. There are opportunities on many CDS committees to help with conference planning and other activities. Deliberative Democracy Conference held in NH The University of New Hampshire hosted the conference “No Better Time: Promising Opportunities in Deliberative Democracy for Educators and Practitioners” July 8 to July 11, 2009 attended by several NACDEP members. There are many resources from the conference including information from various conference sessions. This conference was organized jointly by The Democracy Imperative (TDI) and the Deliberative Democracy Consortium. The TDI is a national network of multidisciplinary scholars, campus leaders, and civic leaders in the fields of democratic dialogue, public deliberation, and democracy-building. New Reports/Resources City/Town Population Estimates from the Census and Economic Information Center Recently, the U.S. Census Bureau released the 2008 population estimates for incorporated cities and towns in Montana. To access the numbers, rankings, percent change, and balance of county population in either Excel or PDF format, go to Montana Census and Economic Information Center’s city/town estimates web page. To read the Highlight article about incorporated vs. unincorporated areas of Montana, open the attached PDF.   The Renewable Energy Landscape High Country News has introduced a series of maps, charts and text to locate the nation's major renewable energy resources and some big projects on Western public land.  Census of Agriculture Watershed publication The USDA National Ag Statistics Service (NASS) produced its first ever Census of Agriculture Watershed publication in May of 2009. To benefit agricultural and environmental users the new document organizes 38 individual land characterizations of the 2007 Census of Agriculture at the 6-digit hydrologic unit code (HUC) level.  Montana Community Development Corporation 2008 Annual Report It isn't every year that you can report to your investors and clients that your business has grown by nearly 40 percent. But that is the central fact that shapes everything else about this annual report. Community Development “In the News” Montana City Completes Three Trail System Projects Pedestrian and bicycle trail projects are spiderwebbing across Great Falls, with three projects on schedule to be completed this year, and a couple more in the works. Great Falls Tribune; Aug. 3 Top Cities for Local Food The Huffington Post offers a mouth-watering slide show of the top 10 cities for locavores, and asks readers for suggestions of examples they might have missed. Huffington Post; July 28 Bankruptcy Judge Allows GM to Toss Contract with Montana Mine U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Gerber in New York allowed General Motors Corp. to scrap its contract with Montana's Stillwater Mine for palladium and platinum used in the manufacture of catalytic converters, a move that will cost the Stillwater Mining Co. about $10 million a year. Missoulian; July 23 Commission Backs Development Plan to Make Bozeman “Most Business-Friendly City” The plan calls for diversifying the local economy and seeking higher paying jobs, maintaining Bozeman’s quality of life and education, improving affordable housing for employees and supporting existing local businesses. Bozeman Daily Chronicle; July 21 Sharp Divide Among Montana Housing Markets The higher you fly, the farther you fall. That's certainly the lesson of a quick survey of the most recent data from the largest housing markets in Montana. New West; July 20 Vision for Downtown Missoula - Master Plan a Guide for Development The plan offers a broad vision, an overarching guide and road map that helps government officials, property owners, business owners and the public understand the general direction Missoula is heading. Missoulian; July 20 Housing in Four Montana Counties Called Unaffordable A report from the University of Montana's Bureau of Business and Economic Research says that four Montana counties fail to provide affordable housing. Helena Independent Record; July 16 Rocky Mountain Biologicals of Missoula Expands Today, the Missoula based company is one of only two companies in the world making bovine serum products essential to biopharmaceutical and clinical diagnostics industries. News Channel 13; July 15 Renewable Energy Developing in Northwest, But Transmission is a Bottleneck The Northwest -- Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana -- is arguably the region of the United States that is richest in renewable energy resources such as geothermal, hydro, wind, and solar, said Paul Manson, president of Seabreeze Power Corp. New West Boise; July 14 
|
|
Upcoming Events Registration Now Open for Understanding Communities and Their Dynamics Want to know more about the principles of doing good community development work? If so, take a close look at the upcoming Understanding Communities and Their Dynamics training. This distance education program will provide Extension educators with the knowledge, skills and tools they need to work more successfully in communities. This program consists of a series of seven, one and one-half hour sessions featuring topics such as demographics, understanding the local leadership structure, the community’s economy, and approaches to community development. A nationally recognized team of faculty drawn from universities across the U.S. will be serving as instructors. The first session is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, September 29. For more information and to register, visit the Upcoming Training Page. The Art Of Marketing Are you a Small Minority or Woman owned business looking for way to market yourself & your business? Free workshop & Lunch, How to Network, Marketing Strategies, Oral Advertising, Finding Customers, Making a Memory. August 4, Browning August 5, Great Falls August 11, Billings August 13, Ronan September 2, Bozeman Economic Outlooks Mid-Year Updates Join Bureau of Business and Economic Research economists as they examine where Montana is along the road to economic recovery. August 5, Billings August 6, Bozeman August 6, Helena August 12, Havre August 12, Great Falls August 13, Missoula Midwest Rural Assembly August 10-11, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Begin building a regional network to advance policies and initiatives that can help revitalize rural communities. Tribal Economic Development Summit August 12-13, Montana State University, Billings- Student Union. This year's summit will provide an opportunity for conference attendees to learn from national and local economic development policy speakers; offer an environment to develop business partnerships and contracting opportunities with public and private sectors, as well as supply best methods of financing techniques. Families and Learning Conference: Strengthening Communities in Challenging Times August 13-14, Missoula, Hilton Garden Inn. With sessions that focus on Early Learning, Economics of Education, School Readiness, Parent Leadership, Statewide Networking, School-Family-Community Partnerships. Keynotes are Bliss Browne, Howard Rainer, Margaret Wheatley. 2009 5th Annual Montana Ambassadors’ Business Open August 20, 9 am, Anaconda. You are invited to the 2009 5th Annual Montana Ambassadors’ Business Open Connecting Business, Higher Education and Government for a better Montana. SBA - Women In Business Conference August 27-28, West Yellowstone. That’s what this special event for women is all about - to bring to you powerful information, tools and skills to help you find time to be healthy, bring balance to your personal and professional life, plan for the future, build your business, motivate yourself, and help you achieve personal and professional success. If you would like more information regarding registration, please contact the SBA Montana District Office at (406) 441-1081. Questions regarding this event should be directed to (406) 441-1089. CIHAND's 6th Annual "Affordable Housing, Our #1 Priority" Conference September 9-10, Bismarck, North Dakota, Best Western Doublewood Inn. Join us for 2 days filled with housing news and issues, networking, and fun. The Coalition of Indian Housing Authorities of North Dakota (CIHAND) is a non-profit organized by Indian housing professionals working to obtain equitable resources and affordable housing opportunities for all indigenous people by providing technical assistance and training to housing organizations and individuals. Grant/Award Opportunities Montana Department of Commerce Grant The DOC will offer $300,000 for Tourism Infrastructure Projects. The Commerce Department's TIIP grants are for tourism-related "brick and mortar" projects sponsored and operated by non-profit organizations or local and tribal governments. Information about eligible projects, program guidelines and application forms are available on the Montana Office of Tourism's Intranet site or you can contact at the Montana Office of Tourism, 406-841-2795. The Weatherization and Intergovernmental Program Facilitating the adoption of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies in the United States and across the world, your state or local government, Indian tribe, or U.S. territory may be eligible to receive funding through one of these programs through the U.S. Department of Energy. $100K Federal Grant Will Help Montana's Dislocated Workers Through Apprenticeship Programs "This grant will help create opportunities for those going through hard times to get back to work," Department of Labor and Industry Commissioner Keith Kelly said. "It has been a goal of the Governor's Administration to support and advance apprenticeship programs." New Community-Friendly Grant Opportunities have been added to the MSU Extension Website. |
|
Backers of Montana Natural-Gas Plant Say Effect Uncertain Officials of two groups pushing for a natural-gas power plant near Great Falls said Montana ratepayers may not see higher prices if the plant is built, and that supply for the plant shouldn't be a problem. Great Falls Tribune; July 14 Wyoming-Montana Tribal Group Gets $5M to Battle Alcohol Abuse The Montana-Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council announced Monday that it had received a five-year, $5-million grant from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to fight alcoholism. Billings Gazette; July 14 State Needs Cure for Doctor Shortage It seems the entire nation is focused on health care reform, and Montana is no exception. But there is another crucial health care discussion that warrants the attention of Montanans, and especially our state leaders. Montana needs to get serious about addressing its shrinking number of primary care doctors. Missoulian; July 12 New Downtown Missoula Building Will Be Eco-Friendly and Use Federal New Markets Tax Credits “Had Montana Community Development Corp. not been able to get these tax credits for Montana last fall,” said Gary Chumrau, Garlington, Lohn & Robinson managing partner, “this would have never gone forward.” Missoulian; July 12 Lawmakers Told Montana's Workers' Comp Among the Most Expensive in the Country State relations executive Mike Taylor told a legislative panel that Montana's average medical cost per workers' comp claim is about $40,000 compared to $24,000 elsewhere. Missoulian; July 8 Groups Offer Cash to Retire Grazing Leases in Montana Refuge The World Wildlife Fund and the National Wildlife Federation put $600,000 on the table to retire grazing leases in the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge in Montana. Great Falls Tribune; July 8 USDA Sends $60-Million in Federal Stimulus Money to Montana The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently released a locator map of the $60 million or so worth of federal stimulus projects it funded in Montana. Billings Gazette; July 8 Mining Montana's Coal Could Boost Economy of Northern Cheyenne If Montana decides to develop the 1.2 billion tons of coal in its Otter Creek reserve in the southeastern part of the state, it could bring hundreds of jobs to the Northern Cheyenne and the needed railroad to haul the coal from the state reserves could be used to develop the coal on tribe's reservation as well. RezNetNews.org; July 6 |
|
Wilson Hall 1156 P.O. Box 172240
Bozeman, MT 59717-2240
Tel: (406) 994-3620