The Montana Fish and Wildlife Conservation Trust just can’t seem to give away its money, even during these tight fiscal times.

The trust’s Citizen Advisory Board (CAB) recently met to make recommendations on how to parcel out about $860,000 for conservation projects. The money is interest generated from $20 million in sales of cabin sites at Canyon Ferry Reservoir.

By law, half the interest income must go to projects in the upper Missouri River corridor, which generally runs from Three Forks to Holter Lake. But at last week’s meeting, only one project qualified for funding within that district, and it was allocated $80,000.

That project — which involves an effort by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation to purchase mining claims in the Elkhorn Mountains — had requested $153,000 but was given only $80,000 because it was expected to get the remaining dollars from a different source, notes CAB member Bill Orsello.

That leaves about $320,000 for projects within the corridor.

“We’ve chastised the local conservation community a little bit, as well as the Forest Service and Fish and Game to find projects, but they didn’t put anything together for this round,” Orsello said.

But he’s quick to acknowledge that it’s up to citizens, including those on the advisory board, to find worthy projects.

“A lot of us have been too busy to focus a lot of attention on this,” Orsello said. “But if this trend continues, I can see some stuff out there that I would like to preserve.”

All of the projects must restore and conserve fisheries and/or wildlife habitat; enhance public hunting, fishing and recreational opportunities; or improve public access to public lands.

The CAB also has recommended allocating about $485,000 to eight projects outside of the upper Missouri River corridor.

Those projects include:

-- $60,000 to the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge for property acquisition;

-- $200,000 to The Nature Conservancy for the Blackfoot Community Conservation area

-- $100,000 to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks for four projects involving conservation easements and one for a fee title purchase at the Milk River Ranch;

-- and $25,000 to FWP for a fishing access site.

The trust’s board members are expected to act on the recommendations June 6.

Since grants became available from the Trust in 2004, nearly $2.6 million has been available for conservation and public lands projects. A total of 3,556 acres have been acquired through purchase or easements since inception, according to information from Sen. Max Baucus, who helped create the legislation that set up the program.

Orsello notes that the funding cycle typically takes place just once a year, but money is available throughout the year if something special comes up.

“There are a few projects in the Helena area that it sounds like will be ready this summer or later this summer, so we have to kind of look at what’s available then,” Orsello said. “The trust is more than happy to entertain ideas from anybody in the community. If we find a demand, we can hook you up with an agency to make it happen.”

For more information or to find out how to recommend a project, call Deb Lane at 458-0389.