Public recreation projects along the Madison and Missouri rivers are receiving a boost from $586,295 in grants announced today (12/19) by PPL Montana and the Missouri-Madison River Fund.

“These funds are a combination of PPL Montana contributions and matching grants from the Missouri-Madison River Fund, a $6.9 million trust fund for public recreation,” said Jon Jourdonnais, PPL Montana’s director of Hydro Licensing and Compliance.

The River Fund was created through the collaborative efforts of PPL Montana; Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks; U.S. Forest Service; U.S. Bureau of Land Management; Madison, Gallatin, Broadwater, Lewis and Clark, Cascade and Chouteau counties; and other public and private partners.

“We’re proud to support our Montana communities and families by helping to enhance recreational opportunities,” Jourdonnais said. “We are committed to responsible stewardship of outdoor recreational resources near our facilities, and this is one of the ways we demonstrate that commitment.”

PPL Montana’s funding to support the River Fund is part of an overall $23 million commitment for recreational and other wildlife, fisheries, habitats and water quality river stewardship projects along a 524-mile portion of the Madison-Missouri River corridor.

Through the River Fund, Jourdonnais said, PPL Montana has contributed a total of $10 million for development of 32 recreation projects under its Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Missouri-Madison Project 2188 License.

To date a total of $16.5 million in public recreation projects have been completed with the assistance of River Fund grants. Of that, $7 million has come from the PPL Montana funding. For the 2006 awards, the company is contributing $200,000.

A list of 2006 award recipients, project descriptions and award amounts can be found online by clicking here. Click on 2006 River Fund awards. These project awards, together with contributions by applicants and other partners, will enable completion of 16 projects totaling $1,164,545 to support public recreation in the Missouri-Madison project area.
 
Created as a public-private partnership to meet public recreation needs along the Madison and Missouri rivers, the River Fund now supports ongoing efforts to protect and enhance this recreation resource. Its project area extends from Hebgen Reservoir downstream to Fort Benton, excluding the Toston and Canyon Ferry hydroelectric projects and the river segment between them.

River Fund awards for qualifying projects will continue with grant awards made annually in December. For more information on projects that may qualify for River Fund grants, see the 2006 River Fund application form.

PPL Montana has nine reservoirs under its Missouri-Madison FERC license, issued in 2000. These reservoirs are Hebgen, Madison, Hauser and Holter, as well as five in the Great Falls area — Black Eagle, Rainbow, Cochrane, Ryan and Morony.

PPL has 500 employees in Montana who generate and sell electricity. PPL Montana operates coal-fired power plants at Colstrip and Billings, as well as 11 hydroelectric plants along Rosebud Creek and the Missouri, Madison, Clark Fork and Flathead rivers. It has a combined generating capacity of about 1,200 megawatts and has offices in Billings, Butte and Helena. PPL EnergyPlus operates a trading floor in Butte that markets and sells power in the wholesale and retail energy market. PPL Montana and PPL EnergyPlus are subsidiaries of PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL).