Valerie Kurth, Montana Water Planner, Department of Natural Resources and Conservation

Valerie is based in Helena and works for the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation as the Water Planner for the Clark Fork and Kootenai River Basins. Before joining DNRC in 2019, she spent five years working for the Flathead Conservation District in Kalispell, where she helped local landowners implement conservation projects on private property along the western edge of the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem. She earned her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees while studying forestry and ecosystem ecology in Montana and Arizona, and she has published peer-reviewed research on wood-inhabiting fungi, forest nutrient cycling, and an original approach to assessing disturbance severity. Valerie joined the CMP in 2024 and is excited to collaborate on shared water challenges in the CCE.

Contact: vkurth@mt.gov

Additional Information: https://dnrc.mt.gov/