Report Submission - ID: 17Admin176 Author(s): Kevin Krebsbach Unit of Analysis ID Number: 131 Sector: Provost Division : College of Humanities/Sciences Unit for Assessment: Bio Science- Um Weed Control State the mission, objectives, and primary functions of this unit. : Mission, Objectives & Primary Functions Mission: Manage 750 acres of UM s natural areas on Mt Sentinel and at Fort Missoula to support education, research and recreation, while conserving plant diversity and wildlife habitat. These areas are heavily used by both the internal and external communities, and Mt Sentinel is in fact the symbol of UM. Objectives: Control noxious weeds and promote native plants to maintain compliance with state and county noxious weed laws, as well as best practices for land stewardship in Montana. Provide education and research opportunities. Keep the trail system safe for the many users. Maintain good relationships with the press and neighboring land owners. Primary Functions (Check list) Control noxious weeds (herbicide application, strategic pulling, biocontrol insects, early detection, mapping) Record keeping and reporting related to weed management Promote native plants (minimize erosion from hikers, revegetation, education to prevent new infestations) Forest management, maintain trails including the M trail, fundraising Ongoing communication with internal and external users, and adjacent landowners Liaison for researchers, educators, students, sports groups who want to use these lands Fundraising Supervise students and volunteers working on land management tasks Maintain the native plant landscaping at the Native American Center Identify the primary users of the unit.: Everyone at UM and in Missoula uses Mt Sentinel, including researchers, instructors, and students, whether for research sites, class instruction (ecology labs and field trips), personal fitness, group fitness, or as a scenic backdrop that provides our strong sense of place and regional beauty. The external community uses Mt Sentinel, too, for recreation, photography, marketing and nature viewing.
Our lands at Fort Missoula also receives a high volume of users, mainly for recreation but school groups and UM researchers use it for study as well. The value of Mt Sentinel to our local identity, quality of life and potential for recreation and study is so fundamental that most take it for granted. Submit Organizational Chart : 17Admin176_SubmitOrganizationalChart_1002112536.pdf Complete the FTE Detail Excel spreadsheet provided in the link below.: 17Admin176_CompletetheFTEDetailExcelspreadsheetprovidedinthelinkbelow_1002112324.pdf Using the space below, address any issues with your FTE Detail Sheet.: Manager (0.75 fte) Oversight of all aspects 3-6 seasonal employees (0.5 fte total, and some of that is funded with grants and donations). Spray weeds, pull weeds; supervise volunteers in pulling weeds or scattering native plant seeds). 3-10 unpaid student interns. (0.13 fte each, UNPAID) Pull weeds, tend the Native American Center Garden Community and campus volunteers,(up to 0.5 fte total per year UNPAID). Trail work, weed pulling, seed spreading, fence mending, and tree thinning with hand tools Finance: Purchasing/Procurement Human Resources: Employee Training,Employee Hiring (recruitment through on-boarding) Criteria 1. - Bullet 1.: UM s mission emphasizes informed and engaged students who are competent in their disciplines. Academic enrichment and service learning are two catchphrases often heard on campus. Our natural areas are perfect for service learning, engaging with the external community, applied research and student research. Involving students and faculty in land stewardship activities alongside local schools and community members (service groups and sports clubs) promotes engagement in the local community and personal experience with regional environmental, resource conservation and forestry issues. This unit relies heavily on student and volunteer labor work (due to lack of funding but also because of my belief in supporting education and student development). Various management tasks can be addressed with semi-annual volunteer work days that can be organized by students (sometimes as part of their upper division course work). This gives them a chance to develop their leadership and organization skills, and by feeling invested in a specific project that helps the world and community, they feel motivated to stay in school. Regarding sustainability and diversity; this unit is also responsible for maintenance of the Native American Center Garden. With my collaborator Professor Roz LaPier, I am developing it as a teaching garden for ethnobotany, and sustainable landscaping practices. The ethnobotany aspect has promoted understanding of Native cultures of Montana; it has also resulted in collaborations with the UM Grounds Crew to promote lawn reduction and increased use of native plants in UM landscaping projects.
Criteria 1. - Bullet 2.: Stewardship of natural areas is fundamental for any land owner, especially a university that specializes in natural resource programs. Additionally, there are state and county laws that require UM to control noxious weeds. My unit is essential for meeting those legal requirements, and for facilitating the educational components of management activities. If UM divested itself of land on Mt Sentinel and Fort Missoula, this unit would no longer be necessary. However these areas are irreplaceable tools for teaching, research, and community engagement and more. Further cuts to this unit would result in UM being out of compliance with state and county noxious weed laws. There are already labor deficiencies, and the amount of work being done each year is inadequate. Unmet needs include basic structural repair of the M Trail, additional revegetation efforts, forest management and trailhead signage. In previous years, I operated a native plant nursery, and I served an advisory role to student organizations (to encourage stewardship work projects on UM land). Those relationships provided plant materials for restoration projects, internship opportunities for students, partnerships with local afterschool programs and community non-profits, and a small amount of revenue. If FTE were increased, this program could return and would ultimately save money while helping to enhance academic programs in Forestry, Biology, Environmental Studies and more. Additional FTE would facilitate more applied research in invasive plant management and grassland restoration. I am currently unable to work with faculty, staff and students to support that work to a meaningful level. Criteria 2. - Bullet 1.: An intern determined that over 1,000 people per day hike the M Trail. We did not distinguish between internal and external users. The M Trail is only one of the trails on Mt Sentinel, and there are more miles at Fort Missoula. Many internal community members use these for recreation. There is a religious site at Fort Missoula used by the Native American Student Association. Many courses use this unit for field trips (botany, ecology, geography, environmental studies) or for student projects. Although hundreds of UM students use our natural areas for education each year, I think these areas are underused for educational purposes. There is great untapped potential. Hiking the M trail has also been included with recruitment and orientation. I think it is underutilized although use is still heavy. Graduate students and faculty have conducted research projects on Mt Sentinel, ranging from fungi of knapweed roots, to how migrating birds learn their mating songs. Fort Missoula is the site of an active archaeological dig, innovative honey bee research, and more. Both sites are used for multiyear field studies on plant-herbivore interactions and invasion ecology. I anticipate recreation, education and research demands will increase. It would be short sighted to not prepare for this. Due to time (FTE) constraints I have not quantified internal use, but an online survey of faculty and research staff would help with this. Criteria 2. - Bullet 2.: Use by the external community has been high, and continues to grow. In addition to solo hikers, dog walkers, etc, there are an increasing number of organized activities. Some recent examples: 2 popular trail runs on Mt Sentinel each year M Trail was recently used by a diabetes prevention event
M, M Trail, and mountain continue to be used in dozens of local logos, etc. Fort Missoula includes a teaching garden managed cooperatively with Montana Natural History Center, where hundreds of small children attend Summer Science and Nature Day Camps each year (there has been significant financial investment to this site) The external community has been generous in its financial support of Mt Sentinel. Due to time constraints, I have never attempted to quantify external use/demand for these facilities. One way to measure (by proxy) is to measure the financial support. The external community is always generous, reflecting the value Missoula places on our Natural Areas. In the past 5 years, I have raised $58,992 in private donations. The recent completion of the Fort Missoula Regional Park will draw hundreds (thousands?) of new recreation users to adjacent UM lands. Criteria 3. - Bullet 1.: I have received awards in recognition of my work (Outstanding Service to External Community, Bolle Conservation Professional Award); My performance reviews, which include evaluation from faculty and co-workers, reflect that this program is supportive of the UM s educational goals; I have received 3 fellowships from the US State Department (see below); I have received numerous external grants and donations to support the work (reflects high degree of professionalism and trust with local community and funding agencies). Over the past 5 years, I have raised: $58,992 in private donations to support UM Natural Areas. $4000 per year from the Missoula County Weed District to support innovated early detection methods Over $50,000 in grants from the MT Department of Agriculture and MT Department of Natural Resource Conservation (weed spraying, seed purchase, forest stand management). Criteria 3. - Bullet 2.: Currently lack of FTE and travel funds have eliminated professional development opportunities. I previously was a co-advisor of student groups and served on the board of several relevant non-profits (Montana Weed Control Association, Northern Rockies Invasive Plant Council, Montana Natural History Center, Montana Native Plant Society, Missoula Integrated Pest Management Committee, Missoula Valley Land Managers). These activities have been eliminated in the pressure to do more with less. I think this is unfortunate. I am still sometimes asked to speak to service clubs (Rotary, Kiwanis, etc) and to UM courses. I try to accommodate these when possible. I have twice participated as a US State Department Professional Fellow to South East Asia, to engage in direct cultural exchange related to conservation work. I received a Fulbright Fellowship in 2015 for my work in biology education. Criteria 3. - Bullet 3.: N/A
Criteria 3. - Bullet 4.: N/A Criteria 4. - Bullet 1.: This unit has a long and somewhat confusing funding history; it was created in Facilities, moved to Biology for many years, and has recently returned to Facilities. Facilities Services contributes all the budget revenue except for.25 FTE (which is still designated through CAS, although it should not be). This FTE has been held at 0.5-0.75 FTE, with a very minimal operating budget. I am able to be effective beause of extensive collaboration with internal and external partners. I raised about $40,000 this year in external support (grants, donations, in-kind labor). Average external support is around $25,000. Over the past 5 years, I have raised: $58,992 in private donations to support UM Natural Areas. $4000 per year from the Missoula County Weed District to support innovated early detection methods Over $50,000 in grants from the MT Department of Agriculture and MT Department of Natural Resource Conservation (weed spraying, seed purchase, forest stand management). Criteria 4. - Bullet 2.: FTE reduction around 2014 resulted in loss of student engagement and labor; loss of the Fort Missoula Native Plant Greenhouse program. I have scheduled fewer school and community events (National Public Lands Day, Earth Day, National Trails Day, Aber Day) due to restructuring of work plan and duties. I used to have a leadership role in the state and region by serving on Boards of Directors for professional associations such as Montana Weed Control Association and Northern Rockies Invasive Plant Council. Cuts to FTE and in-state travel have ended those leadership roles. Those were meaningful relationships between UM and rural parts of Montana, and between UM and other regional universities (U of Idaho, WSU Pullman, etc). I used to serve as a co-mentor to the Student Chapter of Society for Restoration Ecology; not doing so results in fewer student leadership opportunities and projects on UM land. I have a good track record of matching UM funding with external funding and in-kind labor contributions from internal and external sources. Every cut in dollars and professionalism hurts my ability to leverage more. (see above) Criteria 4. - Bullet 3.: I have been improving efficiency for many years, including increased reliance on student and volunteer labor when appropriate. I raise funds from the off-campus community on a regular basis. Reliance on fundraising and partnerships has increased. The sources and amounts of collaborations are discussed elsewhere in the report. Criteria 4. - Bullet 4.: Yes. About 25% is already supported by external revenue. Revenue comes from: Local foundations, businesses and individuals donating the UM Foundation Grants (although I have limited FTE for grant writing)
o o Montana Department of Agriculture Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Partnerships with other land management agencies and non-profits including City Parks and Recreation Missoula County Weed District Montana Natural History Center Five Valleys Land Trust Criteria 5. - Bullet 1.: UMs natural areas are a unique and valuable resource for engaging students and faculty in out-of-classroom learning. While I am currently using student and community partnerships as much as I can, there is untapped potential for applied research and even more service learning. Students want to be engaged in the real world and see the positive impacts of their work and education. UM is not using our natural areas system to its full potential. With a small amount of additional FTE I could re-engage faculty in Forestry, Biology, Environmental Studies and more, and use students to achieve some unmet land management goals. This is not possible now, because (1) maintaining those working relationships take time which I do not have and (2) there is a large cultural rift between Academics and Facilities (due to budget crisis) and I am often told to not do anything for academics. This is frustrating. Criteria 5. - Bullet 2.: Already collaborating with: Grounds Crew when possible; however there is not too much overlap Missoula Parks and Recreation Open Space Program Montana Natural History Center Environmental Studies- to engage (unpaid) interns and other students in work/service learning activities Restoration Ecology faculty and students; however I have been given explicit direction to not spend time on academics, which is unfortunately counterproductive to getting work done.maintaining meaningful relationship with faculty and students is time consuming.a lot of the student projects are being directed off campus, for example Trout Unlimited or Five Valleys Land Trust.We could be harnessing that student energy for UMs lands. There is room for more collaboration with other academic unties, as well as Forestry Club, Fire Club, local high schools, after school programs and more. Criteria 5. - Bullet 3.: With increase in FTE: Leverage more external funds Expand collaboration with more academic units to conduct meaningful field work Include more faculty and students in applied research projects (there are many management tools that need evaluation and monitoring) More work-based learning for students and recent graduates I think the Sentinel is underused for recruiting and fundraising, even though it is featured in our logo. I am not sure why, except that high turnover rates in administrators lead to poor understanding of these natural areas value to UM and the broader community. Many high-level administrators are unaware of these resources and opportunities.