Briefs for Feb. 8, 2023
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CSKT to receive water rights settlement funds
News from the Office of Senator Tester
HELENA — The DOI announced on Feb. 3 that they will be allocating more than $232 million from Senator Tester’s bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to fulfill Indian Water rights settlements in Montana. Senator Tester worked with a bipartisan group of four other Democrats and five Republicans to negotiate the BIL and was responsible for securing $2.5 billion in the infrastructure package for the Indian Water Rights Settlement Completion Fund. This latest tranche of funding will enable Tribes and their non-Native neighbors to access long-promised water resources that are critical for their quality of life and economic development.
The settlements in Montana receiving BIL funding this year are:
- Blackfeet Water Rights Settlement — $45,279,000
- Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribes - Montana Water Rights Protection Act — $156,937,000
- Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement — $30,000,000
Ball rolling for 2023 Cherry Festival
News from Polson Chamber of Commerce
POLSON — The Polson Business Community and Chamber have merged and will do amazing things now that forces have become one. The Flathead Cherry Festival will continue to exist as it has in the past with additional information on a new website. The same amount of dedication, marketing, and level of organization will carry on. The two day event is currently scheduled for Saturday, July 29, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, July 30, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
We are beginning to get the ball rolling for the 2023 Flathead Cherry Festival. After a successful event last year, we are excited to continue to fine-tune the festival and showcase even more local & regional artists in addition to supporting our local businesses.
Applications are now live for applying to the event. In years past, things ran a bit different, and we are streamlining the process to apply and be accepted to the event and requiring everything to be processed digitally.